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PANANA CITY, Panama – During a trade mission to the fastest growing economy in Central America, Gov. Jay Nixon today announced the State of Missouri has signed a $200 million bi-lateral trade agreement with the Republic of Panama.
The agreement, witnessed by Gov. Nixon and Vice Minister Nestor Gonzalez of Panama's Ministry of Commerce & Industries, was signed by Ms. Marisela Gonzalez, Deputy Director, PROINVEX Panama, and Missouri's Director of Economic Development, Mike Downing. PROINVEX Panama is the nation's foreign trade and investment agency. Under the agreement, Missouri and Panama agree to trade a combined $200 million worth of goods over the next five years.
"This $200 million agreement with Panama is further evidence that our focus on emerging economies can expand Missouri's exports around the world, grow our economy and create good, family-supporting jobs in the Show-Me State," Gov. Nixon. "Latin American nations like Panama, along with Columbia and Peru, represent strong growth opportunities for Missouri businesses and my administration is determined to seek out every opportunity to expand trade, investment and Missouri jobs."
Yesterday, the Governor met with Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela and other top government officials, as well as with business leaders. Panama was Missouri's 49th largest trading partner in 2014, receiving more than $22.5 million in Missouri goods and commodities and is projected to be Central America's fastest-growing economy this year. The largest categories of Missouri products exported to Panama were machinery, electrical equipment and appliances, and food products.
Later today, the Governor and the Missouri delegation will also tour the Panama Canal's Miraflores Locks, and be briefed on the Panama Canal expansion. The historic expansion of the century-old canal, which is adding an additional lane of traffic and the ability to accommodate even larger ocean-going ships and is expected to be completed by this summer, will benefit Missouri and other exporters of bulk commodities, such as agricultural goods. The larger ships are expected to result in freight rate savings, especially for grain shipments from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico to Asia.
"The canal's expanded traffic capacity, as well as the ability to accommodate ships carrying as much as three times the cargo as those currently traveling the canal, will reduce the cost and the travel time to move Missouri exports around the globe," Gov. Nixon said. "I look forward to learning more about this tremendous opportunity for Missouri producers and manufacturers."
In addition to trade discussions, yesterday, Gov. Nixon and Major General Stephen Danner, adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard, took part in a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Missouri National Guard State Partnership Program with Panama. The partnership program, which pairs U.S. state National Guards with other nations around the globe, has led to joint training, including in the areas of disaster relief, humanitarian assistance and hazardous materials emergency response, between Missouri and Panama. The program has also built roads, bridges, schools, medical clinics and water purification systems in Panama and helped forge humanitarian efforts between private, non-governmental organizations in Missouri and Panama.
Last August, Missouri was awarded a competitive grant of $599,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration to increase the number of Missouri small businesses that export their products, especially to emerging markets. The funding from the State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) Grant Program focuses on helping incentivize Missouri businesses to focus their exporting targets on Panama, Colombia and Peru. From Jan. 30 to Feb. 5, Gov. Nixon led a delegation to Colombia and Peru, meeting with top government officials and business leaders. The trade mission was highlighted by the signing of a $750 million bi-lateral export agreement with Colombia and a $300 million bi-lateral export deal with Peru.
Also joining Gov. Nixon as part of the delegation to Panama are First Lady Georganne Nixon; Richard Fordyce, Director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture; and Lane Roberts, Director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety.
The delegation arrived in Panama City on Wednesday, March 2 and is set to return to the United States tomorrow, March 5. Travel costs for Governor and Mrs. Nixon will be covered by the Hawthorn Foundation; state taxpayer funds will not be used.
Gov. Nixon has made creating opportunities for Missouri businesses to sell their products around the globe and promoting Missouri as an ideal location for investment by foreign companies a top economic development priority for his administration. The Governor has led successful trade missions to China (October 2011); Brazil (April 2012); the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Republic of Korea (March 2013); Western Europe (June 2014, March 2015 and June 2015); Eastern Canada (March 2014); Western Canada (August 2015); and Columbia and Peru (February 2016).
In addition, a Missouri delegation led by the First Lady traveled to Cuba in March 2015 on a historic trade mission to further the sale of Missouri agricultural products. The Missouri team was the first U.S. state trade delegation to visit Cuba since the announcement by President Obama in December 2014 that the U.S. was working to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Interactive Short Fiction Competition
held February 15, 2008
Thanks to the following entrants in the 2008 Interactive Short Fiction Competition:
- Connect by James Hudson (Game) (Source)
- Germania by Vicente Muñoz (Game) (Source)
- Limelight by Justin Lowmaster (Game) (Source)
- Mrs. Pepper's Nasty Secret by Jim Aikin and Eric Eve (Game) (Source)
And the winner of first place, with a $50 cash prize, is....
Mrs. Pepper's Nasty Secret
Mrs. Pepper's Nasty Secret captured the spirit of the competition quite well. It is an enjoyable, polished work of interactive fiction, suitable for all ages, with a small number of rooms, concise prose, a clearly defined goal, several puzzles, and no way to lock yourself out of a win. (For the full list of design criteria, the original contest information is still available). Furthermore, the source code is exceptionally well organized and commented, making the game a wonderful learning tool as well. The game was a bit longer than the ideal target of being playable by a beginner in under one hour, but it comes close enough, and makes so many other concessions to beginners (such as extra IF tips and a full context-sensitive hint system), that this entry remains the strongest of the four.
Thanks again to all the participants! Many of the entries were by first-time authors, and I'm pleased that this contest inspired them to create.
Each of these entries is also involved in the IFBeginnersComp, similar to this contest, but the winner is determined by a public voting process. Check it out, and cast your votes.


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Punjab Public Service Commission Lahore Combined Competitive Examination PMS Geography Syllabus Updated on 23-03-2022
Total Marks: 100
Online MCQS Practice Tests
Read More
Course Outline:
1. The Universe:-
The solar system and the Earth. Earth's Origin, shape and size, rotation and revolution, distribution of land and water. Geological time scale.
2. Lithosphere:-
Composition and internal structure of the Earth, Rocks-origin, formation and types ( igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic), plate tectonics, mountain building geomorphic processes internal and external, earthquakes, volcanic activity, weathering, mass wasting, erosion and deposition, cycle of erosion; landforms produced by surface water, ground water, wind and glaciers.
3. Elements of weather and climate:-
Insolation, global radiation and heat balance, atmospheric temperature, compositon and structure of atmosphere, atomosheric pressure and winds air masses and fronts (classification, distribution and associated weather), cyclones, tornadoes, thunderstorms and weather disturbances. Hydrological cycle. Atmospheric moisture and precipitation. Climatic classification: Koppen's classification with special reference to the following types: Af, Am, Bsh, Csa and Dfc. Atmospheric pollution global warming.
4 Hydrosphere:-
Configuration of ocean floor, ocean deposits. Composition, temperature and salinity of ocean water, movements of the ocean water, waves, currents and tides.
5 Biosphere:-
Origin and evolution of life on Earth (with reference to Geological time scale). Formation and types of soils. Eco-Systems and world major Biomes.
6. Study of Maps
Topographical Maps, Aerial Photographs and introduction to Remote Sensing, Weather maps of Pakistan. Map projection general principles, classification of network by simple graphic methods of the following projections. Cylindrical, Simple, Equal Area and MerCator's (with table) Conical with one and two standard parallel's and Bonne's projections.Zenithal, Gnomonic Stereographic and orthographic (Polar Cases).
7. Scales: types and their use:-
8. Methods of representation of relief:-
Drawing of composite contour maps with the help of given data and information preparation of distribution maps with the help of symbols line-bar-shade dot and circle. Simple quantitative techniques and their use in geography. Study of frequency
distribution average's (mean median and mode), Mean deviation, standard deviation and correlation. Index numbers and time series.
Total Marks: 100
Course Outline:-
Man and his habitat: Concepts of Environmentalism and Possibilism, population growth, dynamics, (fertility, mortality, & migration), world society and culture, races, languages and religions, natural resources. World population, distribution, density and growth. Population structure, population change (Natural increase & migration) Migration factors (pull and push) types of migration Settlements: types of settlement, urbanization, rural urban characteristics urban hierarchy, Urban function and problems of urban places the Central Place theory.
Course Outline:-
Introduction: Definition, scope, approaches to study and relationship with other disciplines.
Economic activities: Classification and general distribution.
Production and consumption: producer and consumer, decision making, primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary, quinary.
Historical Evolution of World Economics Systems: Medieval feudal economics, industrial revolution, economic benefits from colonialism. Modern world system.
Various types of agriculture and their distribution, subsistence, primitive, gathering, hunting, herding, cultivation, intensive farming, gathering commercial grain farming, fishing, dairying, mixed farming and plantation farming.
Agriculture conditions of agriculture, the physical constraints on agriculture.
Land factor in agriculture, world agricultural system, problems and policies in agriculture.
The role of selected commodities e.g., wheat, rice, sugarcane, cotton, etc.
Forest resources: world distribution, environmental and economic.
Mineral resources, distribution of important minerals, metalliferous minerals, the non-metalliferous minerals, economic factors in mining.
Power resources, form of power, solid fuels, oil & natural gas, non-exhaustible sources of energy.
Manufacturing: light and heavy industries, locational factors and locational theories, locational analysis of selected industries, iron and steel, textile (cotton, jute, woolen, synthetic) petro-chemical, world industrial regions.
Trade and service function, tertiary activities, distribution of services service industries.
Transport and trade: significance and characteristics of transport system, network, modes of transport, specialization and international trade.
Multilateral and bilateral trade, free trade areas and common markets, balance of trade, factors of trade, world pattern of trade.
Course Outline:
Scope, Status and the significance of the regional approach and concept in Geography SAARC Countries with special reference to Pakistan, Environmental setting: physical and climatic. Natural and cultural resources: Vegetation and agriculture, population, hydrology and irrigation, mineral and power resumes, industries (major industries e.g. Iron & Steel textile, cement, chemical, sugar) trade and communication.
Pakistan Studies MCQs
Read More
Islamic Studies MCQs
Read More


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Last Five for Nastia Cup
The Nastia Liukin Cup roster is complete! Following the last five qualifying meets for the prestigious J.O. event, the full list of competitors was released. The final five athletes are Lynnzee Brown (who qualified at the Charity Choice Invitational), Nicola St. Louis (Excalibur Cup), Abigail Mueller (Magical Classic Gymnastics Meet), Elizabeth Gantner (Presidential Classic), and Colbi Flory (WOGA Classic). The Nastia Cup will take place on March 3rd in Newark, the night before the American Cup.
Newark News
The 2017 American Cup roster continues to evolve as the competition draws nearer. USA's Sam Mikulak unfortunately had to withdraw from the meet due to an injured Achilles, and he was replaced by Yul Moldauer, the 2017 Winter Cup Champion. Akash Modi (USA) was also added to the roster, while the U.S. women's wildcard slot has yet to be selected. Check out our recent article on seven athletes to watch at the American Cup!
Withdrawals from Stuttgart
On February 21st, the FIG announced that Alice Kinsella of Great Britain will replace Claudia Fragapane at the upcoming Stuttgart World Cup (March 18-19). Romania's Larisa Iordache also withdrew from the competition, but so far there's been no news of a possible replacement for her.
Five Champions Crowned in Melbourne
The first day of apparatus finals have concluded at the Melbourne World Cup, with China's Wang Yan taking home the women's vault title with a score of 14.250. The women's bars champion was Liu Tingting (CHN) with a score of 14.300, while Wu Guanha (CHN) won still rings with a 14.866. Perennial champion Krisztian Berki (HUN) claimed pommel horse gold with a 14.933, and 2016 Olympic champ Kenzo Shirai (JPN) won men's floor with a 14.700.
Simone Biles Joins DWTS
Simone Biles has reportedly joined the cast for the next season of Dancing with the Stars! Read more here.
Photo © Ricardo Bufolin
Anna Rose Johnson writes about women's artistic and rhythmic gymnastics. She loves Whippets, brownies, and full-twisting double layouts. Her writing portfolio can be viewed at: https://annarosejohnson.contently.com


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(a) A sponsor who intends to conduct a clinical investigation subject to this part shall submit an "Investigational New Drug Application" (IND) including, in the following order:
(i) The name, address, and telephone number of the sponsor, the date of the application, and the name of the investigational new drug.
(ii) Identification of the phase or phases of the clinical investigation to be conducted.
(iii) A commitment not to begin clinical investigations until an IND covering the investigations is in effect.
(iv) A commitment that an Institutional Review Board (IRB) that complies with the requirements set forth in part 56 will be responsible for the initial and continuing review and approval of each of the studies in the proposed clinical investigation and that the investigator will report to the IRB proposed changes in the research activity in accordance with the requirements of part 56.
(v) A commitment to conduct the investigation in accordance with all other applicable regulatory requirements.
(vi) The name and title of the person responsible for monitoring the conduct and progress of the clinical investigations.
(vii) The name(s) and title(s) of the person(s) responsible under § 312.32 for
(viii) If a sponsor has transferred any obligations for the conduct of any clinical study to a contract research organization, a statement containing the name and address of the contract research organization, identification of the clinical study, and a listing of the obligations transferred. If all obligations governing the conduct of the study have been transferred, a general statement of this transfer—in lieu of a listing of the specific obligations transferred—may be submitted.
(ix) The signature of the sponsor or the sponsor's authorized representative. If the person signing the application does not reside or have a place of business within the United States, the IND is required to contain the name and address of, and be countersigned by, an attorney, agent, or other authorized official who resides or maintains a place of business within the United States.
(ii) A brief summary of previous human experience with the drug, with reference to other IND's if pertinent, and to investigational or marketing experience in other countries that may be relevant to the safety of the proposed clinical investigation(s).
(iii) If the drug has been withdrawn from investigation or marketing in any country for any reason related to safety or effectiveness, identification of the country(ies) where the drug was withdrawn and the reasons for the withdrawal.
(iv) A brief description of the overall plan for investigating the drug product for the following year. The plan should include the following: (
(4) [Reserved]
(i) A brief description of the drug substance and the formulation, including the structural formula, if known.
(ii) A summary of the pharmacological and toxicological effects of the drug in animals and, to the extent known, in humans.
(iii) A summary of the pharmacokinetics and biological disposition of the drug in animals and, if known, in humans.
(iv) A summary of information relating to safety and effectiveness in humans obtained from prior clinical studies. (Reprints of published articles on such studies may be appended when useful.)
(v) A description of possible risks and side effects to be anticipated on the basis of prior experience with the drug under investigation or with related drugs, and of precautions or special monitoring to be done as part of the investigational use of the drug.
(ii) In Phases 2 and 3, detailed protocols describing all aspects of the study should be submitted. A protocol for a Phase 2 or 3 investigation should be designed in such a way that, if the sponsor anticipates that some deviation from the study design may become necessary as the investigation progresses, alternatives or contingencies to provide for such deviation are built into the protocols at the outset. For example, a protocol for a controlled short-term study might include a plan for an early crossover of nonresponders to an alternative therapy.
(iii) A protocol is required to contain the following, with the specific elements and detail of the protocol reflecting the above distinctions depending on the phase of study:
(ii) It should be emphasized that the amount of information to be submitted depends upon the scope of the proposed clinical investigation. For example, although stability data are required in all phases of the IND to demonstrate that the new drug substance and drug product are within acceptable chemical and physical limits for the planned duration of the proposed clinical investigation, if very short-term tests are proposed, the supporting stability data can be correspondingly limited.
(iii) As drug development proceeds and as the scale or production is changed from the pilot-scale production appropriate for the limited initial clinical investigations to the larger-scale production needed for expanded clinical trials, the sponsor should submit information amendments to supplement the initial information submitted on the chemistry, manufacturing, and control processes with information appropriate to the expanded scope of the investigation.
(iv) Reflecting the distinctions described in this paragraph (a)(7), and based on the phase(s) to be studied, the submission is required to contain the following:
(iii) For each nonclinical laboratory study subject to the good laboratory
(i) If the investigational drug has been investigated or marketed previously, either in the United States or other countries, detailed information about such experience that is relevant to the safety of the proposed investigation or to the investigation's rationale. If the drug has been the subject of controlled trials, detailed information on such trials that is relevant to an assessment of the drug's effectiveness for the proposed investigational use(s) should also be provided. Any published material that is relevant to the safety of the proposed investigation or to an assessment of the drug's effectiveness for its proposed investigational use should be provided in full. Published material that is less directly relevant may be supplied by a bibliography.
(ii) If the drug is a combination of drugs previously investigated or marketed, the information required under paragraph (a)(9)(i) of this section should be provided for each active drug component. However, if any component in such combination is subject to an approved marketing application or is otherwise lawfully marketed in the United States, the sponsor is not required to submit published material concerning that active drug component unless such material relates directly to the proposed investigational use (including publications relevant to component-component interaction).
(iii) If the drug has been marketed outside the United States, a list of the countries in which the drug has been marketed and a list of the countries in which the drug has been withdrawn from marketing for reasons potentially related to safety or effectiveness.


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Printed Circuit Board Assembly & PCB Design Forum
SMT electronics assembly manufacturing forum.
I am trying to find the plastic family used in manufacturin... - Jun 05, 2000 by Bob Smith
Not as easy as that Bob. But this may help you get started... - Jun 06, 2000 by davef
Dave - let's not forget Dainippon's Novolac epoxy. This is... - Jun 07, 2000 by John Thorup
Bob Smith
Become a member now and receive the value and benefits of membership.


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I remember one of my early days of Emergency Medicine when one of my fellow providers picked up the chart of yet another male patient who had slammed his fist into a wall during a verbal fight with his girlfriend or wife.
"What an idiot!" my colleague said in disgust.
To which I incredulously replied, "Haven't you ever hit something out of anger"? Wondering how he could have so easily forgotten the stupidity of his youth.
"Hell no! Why would I hit a wall?" he said with righteous surprise.
Well, with that clear signal that sharing my stupidity would not be good, I kept quiet. But I have slammed walls several times and broken my hand twice. And with that conversation, I realized that apparently not all men shared my stupidity, my explosive anger, my reflex to strike. I was actually surprised.
Years later, in a similar discussion with another colleague, I decided to share that I too had hit walls before. He then asked me "Why did you hit the wall?"
To which I unhesitantly replied, "Because my father raised me correctly. He taught me never to hit a woman." To which my colleague responded with shocked eyes.
We are all different from each other. Sometimes we mistakenly assume that our situations are uncommon, but sometimes we are right. It is always good to find out, but only when it feels safe.
On a positive note, after my second fracture, I learned to go outside to sprint or to pick up tree sticks and therapeutically smash them — I had to dump my testosterone somehow. And it has been greater than 15 years since I even needed to do that. Further, I am proud to say, I have never hit a woman — its almost shameful that such a statement should ever have to be made, eh?
Is my new found freedom from rage due to a fall in my testosterones levels or due to maturity and insight? Unfortunately, I'd bet on the former.
Questions for readers: How about you, have you ever hit a wall? What do you feel about wall-hitters?
Note: I have treated women who have done the same, of course, but they have been far and few between.


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Adobe is increasingly shifting its focus to cross-platform app development, as can be seen from its latest addition of iOS and PlayBook support to its proprietary Flash Builder program.
Adobe had already lifted all restrictions on Creative Suite 5.5 in April this year and has indicated that they will help developers working with the Android, iOS and BlackBerry platforms. Previous creative suite components Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5 only supported Google's OS which seriously limited the scope for application developers who use Adobe's program to develop tools for PC and mobile devices.
Adobe's VP of development tooling, Ed Rose announced, "With the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, enterprises now need to ensure that their applications work seamlessly across many different types of devices," PocketGamer (opens in new tab)reports.
According to Rose this change has amazed and excited developers as it has become much easier for them to design mobile application across the entire platform without having to completely re-write applications. Apps created through Flash Builder 4.5 can be distributed directly through each vendor's apps store. Both Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5 can be downloaded either as stand alone applications or as part of Creative Suite 5.5.


text: The NOCO Hospitality Group operates a variety of fine restaurants in northern New York State. May it be Mexican, a sports bar, a tavern grill, or a nice sit-down restaurant; NOCO Hospitality Group provides nothing less than the highest quality. Check out our website to learn more about us and take a look at all of our locations.


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These days it is essential to plan your marketing strategy to develop a successful Internet business. If you aren't learning new way to incorporate Online marketing into your business, then there is a good chance your business will not be successful today. Below are some excellent ideas to boost your Affiliate marketing.
Utilize email marketing! When you send emails to your customers, make it newsletter style and interesting. You want your customers to be excited to receive your emails. Your subscribers deserve to be provided with relevant information that is valuable to them. You don't want them unsubscribing because your emails seem like spam. With an email newsletter, you can stay in touch with past customers, encouraging them to return to your site.
Try being as content-oriented and as comprehensive as possible when making your website. Your priority should be to pass as much knowledge as you can to consumers about your products. Keep your content as unique as you can. Don't repeat any descriptions and don't include unnecessary data that might turn off the customer.
Use video marketing to advertise your wares. Incorporating an informative video onto your website is a great method for gaining the attention of your viewers. Use a catchy title and photo to draw in interest and improve sales.
Make sure that your website is in a good format that makes its links more easily seen. Doing so will help visitors navigate your website, as your material will be simple to view and easy to manage.
Be careful not to go to far in advertising spending. You should not pay too much money for something which may not help your business grow. If you are going to invest money, you want to be sure you are getting what you pay for and this is why advertising with banner ads is a great investment.
Make your advertisements descriptive, and make sure to entice readers with promises of quick results. Tell your customers about how quickly your items can reach them, how short the order process is, or when they will start to see results. Doing this means you will have quicker downloads and a more efficient checkout system.
Customers Won
Keep in mind that your website's look and functionality are just as vital to your business as a more traditional in-store shopping experience. Always keep testing graphics, ads, links and your checkout system for things that may create problems for your customers. Customers won't shop at a store if they can't get through the front entrance; online customers won't likely wait around while you fix site bugs.
After reading these tips, you should have a better idea of what makes an Internet marketing campaign successful. Adopt these practices to improve your sales, customer relations and your company's recognition.


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The Top VR Headsets Compared
Oculus has launched the consumer, and developer, ready Rift. HTC have put out the Steam-friendly Vive. Sony has released the PlayStation VR. And Samsung continues to push the limits of mobile VR with the Gear VR. Consumer virtual reality is finally here. But are you ready to jump in yet? The top VR headsets have been compared to help you figure out which just might be right for you.
With motion controllers you can really get you hands inside vr worlds. Literally. Virtually 🙂
The Oculus Touch and the Vive's motion controllers are high quality with Oculus Touch having a noticeably higher ergonomic experience.
This is unfortunately PlayStation VR's downfall. The motion-control-tracking is provides jittery and choppy virtual hands.
Mobile VR is yet to include real motion controls.
Ready To Enter The Virtual World?
Find Great Deals On Your VR Headset Today!
Find Great Deals On Your VR Headset Today!
PlayStation VR
Redefine your expectations of immersion in gaming with moments so intense your intuition takes over. Step into incredible virtual worlds and experience entertainment in new and extraordinary ways with the PlayStation VR.


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새로운 프로그램을 위한 혁신적이며, 협업이 가능한 동기화된 프로그램 관리
항공 우주 및 방위
새로운 프로그램을 위한 혁신적이며, 협업이 가능한 동기화된 프로그램 관리산업 자세히 보기
자동차 및 운송
Integration of mechanical, software and electronic systems technologies for vehicle systems산업 자세히 보기
소비재 및 소매업
통합된 포뮬레이션, 패키징 및 제조 프로세스의 효율적인 관리를 통한 제품 혁신산업 자세히 보기
전자 기기 및 반도체
신제품 개발 시 데이터를 활용하여 품질과 수익성을 개선하고 시장 출시 기간을 단축하며 비용 절감산업 자세히 보기
에너지 및 공공 시설
Supply chain collaboration in design, construction, maintenance and retirement of mission-critical assets산업 자세히 보기
Heavy Equipment
Construction, mining, and agricultural heavy equipment manufacturers striving for superior performanceExplore Industry
산업용 기계 및 중장비
Integration of manufacturing process planning with design and engineering for today's machine complexity산업 자세히 보기
Insurance & Financial
Visibility, compliance and accountability for insurance and financial industriesExplore Industry
조선 및 해양
미래형 선박(future fleet) 개발 비용의 지속적인 절감을 위한 조선분야의 혁신산업 자세히 보기
Media & Telecommunications
Siemens PLM Software, a leader in media and telecommunications software, delivers digital solutions for cutting-edge technology supporting complex products in a rapidly changing market.Explore Industry
의료 기기 및 제약
시장 요구사항의 충족과 비용 절감을 위해 디지털화를 통한 "개인 맞춤형 제품 혁신"산업 살펴보기
Software Development
Faster time to market, fewer errors for Software DevelopmentExplore Industry
Small & Medium Business
Remove barriers and grow while maintaining your bottom line. We're democratizing the most robust digital twins for your small and medium businesses.Explore Industry
Siemens Digital Industries Software Mentor's Questa verification solution helps Leonardo accelerate aerospace FPGA development
Siemens Digital Industries Software Mentor's Questa verification solution helps Leonardo accelerate aerospace FPGA development
Mentor, a Siemens business, announced today that Leonardo has accelerated its field programmable gate array (FPGA) design cycle, using advanced verification techniques made possible with the Questa™ verification solution.
Leonardo is among the top ten global players in Aerospace, Defense and Security. Mentor's Questa provides a comprehensive, best-in-industry verification solution for integrated circuit (IC) design and verification.
Leonardo has been using Mentor's Questa SystemVerilog verification solution, applying the Universal Verification Methodology (UVM) framework and Questa Verification IP (QVIP) to the design, verification and validation (V&V) of highly complex avionics interfaces. Results achieved to date indicate an acceleration of the design, V&V and system integration phases of a key product.
Incorporation of the UVM framework, QVIP and Verification Run Manager into a Jenkins software-based environment has extracted further value from the toolkit, enabling automated reverification of designs, post modification.
Electronically scanned array radar systems contain a multitude of central processing units (CPUs) and FPGAs, spread across several subsystems, with the FPGAs implementing control, digital signal processing (DSP) and communication functions. "Designing a complex system like this is a daunting task, especially when you take into account the tight schedule demanded by today's fast-paced marketplace," said Iain Wildgoose, vice president of Engineering, Radar and Advanced Targeting for Leonardo's Airborne and Space Systems Division. "The reuse and scalability that the UVM framework and QVIP delivered, combined with the support to the adoption process provided by Mentor consultants and application engineers, were key enablers to successful design and integration."
Mentor QVIP provides an easy-to-use library of verification IP for more than 40 standard protocols and 1,700 memory devices. QVIP includes checkers and coverage, plus a comprehensive set of stimulus sequences for the protocols. Adoption of QVIP IP for the standard interfaces enabled Leonardo to focus on the unique specifics of the company's design. QVIP and the UVM framework — a set of base classes layered on top of UVM — have enabled Leonardo to increase code coverage significantly in a short period of time.
With Mentor's UVM framework, test bench creation time is reduced, as is the interpretation of test bench results, through abstraction of this task to a higher level. Leonardo was able to deploy Questa across projects to accelerate test bench development and efficient coverage closure. After these initial successes, Leonardo is now deploying the UVM framework to other projects across the company.
"Increasingly complex FPGA designs demand reusable and scalable verification solutions that accelerate development and increase overall quality," said Ravi Subramanian, vice president and general manager, IC Verification Solutions Division at Mentor. "The Questa solution, coupled with the UVM framework and QVIP, reduces testbench and VIP development time by automatically generating project test benches. Our industry-leading application engineers, consultants, and online resources enable easy adoption of these techniques that will pay dividends for many projects to come."


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I still remember the first day that I was diagnosed… I stood there, next to the elevator that was crowded with so many people. My mind was racing, was not sure of how i would be. Then suddenly this young man comes next to me in a weel chair could not walk and was breathing from a machine… I just took one look at him and I said to myself … "Thank god that I was given cancer".
At least I can walk and breathe… After that day , I never looked back and never ask "Why" I was chosen to get cancer. I look back today and figure that I was blessed .
My cancer change my life for the better, I am grateful for it and helped me prioritize my life.
Like Winston Churchill Said… "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference"
Look at the glass 1/2 full and always look for a solution to solve your problem, dont look for the blame, it gets you nowhere…


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Collaboration and Trust in Work and Life
By Kevin Ryan
Posted on May 6th, 2016
This is going to be a very short post about what I was just thinking about while taking a short 25 minute walk along one of the trails near our home just now. I got a email this morning from my long time friend and off and on work colleague Jeff Tunnell. It had a few suggestions about making my blog better from the titles of the posts and also about the content. Some of what he wrote echoed what my wife had told me the other day. Now I'll definitely be doing some of his advice, maybe not all of it, but I'll sure consider all of it.
So as I was walking along through the drizzling rain we are getting here right now, it got me thinking about collaboration. Jeff felt comfortable sending me suggestions along the lines of "hey here's what you can do a little better" and I was fine receiving them. I think that is the result of long time collaboration that has built up trust. Although I think our personalities are such that it was probably there almost from day one.
I've been blessed over the years to work with a whole bunch of talented nice folk. Two of them were Jeff and Damon Slye who were at Dynamix with me as co-owners. They started it up. As I walked along thinking about how people interact in good and bad ways, what popped into my mind was this one scene in a game that Damon and I had planned for David Wolfe: Secret Agent. Somewhere along the line as development progressed, Damon told me that Jeff was really uncomfortable with the scene and preferred it didn't go in there. Not "Jeff says take it out." It meant a lot to Jeff, we took it out.
I'm thinking that is one reason Dynamix did so well, because there was mutual respect and trust. Oh, it did help that Jeff and Damon are super talented, basically the best at what they do. But it seems that there needs to be more present than just that; and our willingness to listen, change, and improve – collaborate in a good way – made the sum greater than the whole of its parts. And now here I am collaborating with Jeff and his latest company, Spotkin, on a game (Contraption Maker) over 30 years after we met. And my son is working with Damon at Mad Otter Games on their Villagers and Heroes game.
Aidan's Cooler in Contraption Maker – The Backstory
By Kevin Ryan
Posted on March 28th, 2016
Part two is now posted here: Aidan's Cooler in Contraption Maker – Implementation Details
This is Aidan's story and an explanation of how and why the cooler is one of the parts in Contraption Maker. It is the story of a brave cheerful boy and my friends from work that did something nice for him.
Sometime soon I am going to write another post that describes in some technical detail how I went about implementing Aidan's Cooler in Contraption Make. When I do I'll add a link to it right here at the top of this post.
Aidan is my son and he was born in the first half of June 1999. He was underweight and obviously sick so he stayed in our local hospital for a few weeks while they tried to figure out what was wrong. When he was four weeks old his heart stopped for a few minutes before the doctors got it going again. He was then transferred by ambulance to UCSF (University of California, San Francisco – a research hospital) and soon after was diagnosed with Neonatal Hemochromatosis which is a liver disease that is almost always fatal ("The prognosis is extremely poor. Some infants recover with supportive care, but this rarely occurs."). In addition to that he also had acute respiratory distress syndrome.
The doctors did not expect him to survive, but they worked heroically over many months to save him and get him to the point where he could receive a liver transplant. He had the liver transplant when he was four months old and spent most of his first year in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) and the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) at UCSF with various complications – very bad and scary complications. There were a handful of times where I thought he was dying in front of my wife and me.
Post Transplant
Post transplant he had numerous problems including collapsed lungs, heart problems, kidney problems, possible fungal infection in the brain, a bleed in the brain that affected his left side, acquired hydrocephalus, deaf in left ear, and more. There were occasional crises. He wasn't able to eat by mouth and so he had surgery to have a permanent g-tube placed. He was also on supplemental oxygen because his lungs had been damaged. He spent much of the next five years in and out of the hospital. His last major surgery was in January of 2004 where he had brain surgery (Endoscopic third ventriculostomy) which cured his hydrocephalus and allowed them to remove his shunt which was draining fluid from his brain.
We were very happy that that surgery succeeded because the fluid that was being drained by the shunt was not being absorbed in his abdomen because he had so much scar tissue there from his many surgeries. In a hospital stay previous to the brain surgery they had drained 5 lbs of fluid from his abdomen. His weight dropped from 32 to 27 lbs. This was when he was four years old.
I want to break from Aidan's story here for a couple of paragraphs to write a short bit about his nurses. I stayed with Aidan for many weeks in the PICU, sleeping in a chair next to his bed and over the course of all those times I saw many very sick kids there. Sometimes they don't make it. You can tell because they draw all the curtains on the room – all the walls in the PICU rooms are glass – you can see into every room. It is a tough place to be.
There are certain jobs where you are exposed to human misery and there are people that do those jobs – like the PICU nurses that became our friends. Big kudos and love to them for being a balm in such a hard place.
As he stabilized Aidan had less and less extended hospital stays and got to spend more and more time at home. When he was home he needed some supplemental oxygen. We a had big machine that would concentrate oxygen out of the air and Aidan was hooked up to it all the time with a very long tube so he could wander around the house. If we wanted to find Aidan all we had to do was follow the follow the clear plastic tube.
The Highway Patrolman
We lived up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at 5,500 feet (and still do) so when we were down at sea level he didn't need the extra oxygen. One day when he was three we were driving back from San Francisco from a visit with his liver doctors at UCSF when we were pulled over by the highway patrol near Gilroy. We hadn't yet put on the license plate sticker for the next year – it was in the glove compartment – showed it to patrolman – all fine. Aidan was sitting in his car seat with an oxygen tank next to him – not hooked up because he didn't need it until we got back up to altitude at Shaver Lake. The conversation with the highway patrolman went like this:
Patrolman: Is that hooked up?
Me: No he doesn't need it.
Patrolman: It really should be hooked up.
Me: He doesn't need it at sea level.
Patrolman: Uh, you really should hook it up now.
Me: We just came from the doctors and he doesn't need it here – only up in the mountains.
Patrolman: (with a sudden big grin) I'm talking about the car seat.
Me: Oh! Yeah, that's hooked up!
I'm sure we made that patrolman's day.
Wilderness Hikes
Aidan is a true innocent. He will be 17 years old this June, but mentally he is probably around 6 or so. He has been through many painful procedures throughout his life. He has to have blood draws every 6 weeks to make sure that he is not rejecting his liver. Sometimes during hospital stays it has taken one and half hours to start an iv with numerous "pokes". That is because he has been stuck with needles so many times that his veins aren't in great shape. His body is a battlefield covered everywhere with surgical scars. And yet throughout it all he has remained brave and cheerful. He has an indomitable spirit and courage. He finds joy in simple things. He loves and is loved. He is my hero.
At home I'd carry him on my back so he could go on mountain hikes and do everything that the rest of the family does. Hikes through the wilderness are wondrous. There is magic around every bend if you just look for it. As the years went past he just got too big for me to keep carrying. The older Aidan could walk for a while, but eventually he gets very tired so then I carry him. On the hike in the two bottom photos below, I carried him for a few miles and it was really tiring. He was getting bigger and I was getting older. By the end of the hike, my arms were tired, my legs were tired, my brain was tired, and Aidan was very happy. I wanted a Black Butte Porter.
He wasn't able to walk at all in his first couple of years because his left side doesn't work too well because of the stroke. He could stand, but to move around he'd scoot on his rear. Then one day when he was two he started using a toy as a walker to get around the house. He could really zip around with that thing – I mean run fast! One time he took a corner too fast and went down with the walker on top of himself. Didn't faze him – he was up and off again right away. It was good he figured out how to get around his "can't walk" problem because once he became more mobile then he could more easily play with his brothers and sister.
When he was an infant he became very attracted to Pikachu. I spent many, many, many, many hours and days and weeks and months and eternities watching Pokemon with him at the hospital. One day when he was two or three he was with me at a Goodwill store and there was a big stuffed Pika in the discount bin. He shouted, "Pika!!" My wife heard him from across the store. That Pika goes everywhere with him. It has gone into many surgeries with him. Even today he uses it as a pillow and it travels with us whenever we go anywhere.
Steve McQueen
We will occasionally stay at the Glen Tavern Inn which is in Santa Paula. It has quite of history of old Hollywood stars staying there – Houdini, John Wayne, Rin Tin Tin, etc. In 1979 Steve McQueen lived in a hanger at the Santa Paula airport just a couple of blocks from the Glen Tavern Inn. So of course, since Steve was a patron, one of the drinks that they have at the bar there now is "The Steve McQueen". It consists of:
-Jack Daniels
-Bacardi 151 Rum
Aidan has gotten into the habit of finding ways to help around the house. A few years ago he started taking the trash out to the street for the garbage truck. He does lots of small tasks like this. So a couple of years ago out of the blue he decided to help mix drinks for me. "Want me to make you a Steve McQueen?" So I said sure. Now Aidan likes coke and so I had been letting him have any of the left over coke. So apparently he figured out that if he puts in more alcohol there is more left over coke for himself.
One day I filmed him making me a drink. That drink started to look very dangerous, I wanted to say hold it, but I kept my mouth shut as I watched with an impending sense of doom. I think it is the Bacardi 151 Rum that is the killer. Anyway I tried to finish that drink, sipping slowly, while watching a movie with the kids, but couldn't. It crept up on me and eventually hit me pretty hard and I had to go lie down on the bathroom floor. The last time I felt like that was my freshman year at the University of Oregon in the Bean East dorm.
Here is the video of Aidan the bartender:
My Name is Aidan
Back in 2007 we visited Ireland for a couple of weeks. One night we went to Knappogue Castle for a medieval feast which was lots of fun with food and singing. Aidan really enjoyed it. When we got back to the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis where we were staying my brother gave me a poem he had written.
Aidan will get interested in many different strange things and for some reason he started to like coolers. I'm not sure exactly why or what triggered it in his head, but he slowly acquired a small group of different size coolers. One day after watching Toy Story 3, I found that he had set up the coolers around a "See 'n Say" toy, mimicking that scene from the movie. To this day he will still set up the coolers different places around the house having them do different tasks.
Dynamix to Spotkin
In 1984, a year after graduating from the University of Oregon, I was living in an apartment just off campus when I got a phone call from Damon Slye. He and Jeff Tunnell had just started up Dynamix and they wanted me to do some work for them. Not long after that they asked me to come on board as one of the original four owners of the company. Our first product was with Electronic Arts (Arctic Fox) and over the years our company grew to around 200 people. We went through a lot of ups and downs over the next 16 years. Bought out by Sierra which was good. Merged with CUC International which was very bad. Here is a New York Times article about CUC and the biggest accounting fraud ever: Asleep at the Books: A Fraud That Went On and On and On
During the years when I was spending a large part of my time in the hospital with Aidan, Jeff started up Garage Games with some former Dynamix employees. I published a few games with them before it was bought out by Barry Diller's company (IAC) in 2007. Then he started up Pushbutton Labs which was bought out by Disney in 2012. I actually worked with Disney for a year or so before I moved on to work with Jeff again on his new venture, Spotkin. That was when I started work on Contraption Maker which is in many ways an updated version of The Incredible Machine.
So over the course of development of Contraption Maker, I implemented a whole boatload of different parts. At one point in the development I was implementing some container type parts in the game like boxes, baskets, and such. Around this time I was on one of my Eugene visits and I tell the Spotkin guys (Jeff, Jon, Keith, Tim) about how Aidan likes coolers. A few days later I get the artwork from them so that I can add cooler part to the game. They even put Aidan's name on the cooler. It is a good thing to have work colleagues who are also your friends. In Jeff's case a friend for over 30 years now.
Cool! I implemented it in the game and then brought Aidan into my office to see. You should have seen his face light up with a huge smile the first time he saw it.
A longer version of Aidan's early years is here: Aidan Ryan – Liver Transplant Story
It may take me a while because I'll need to find some free time, but as I wrote above, I'm going to write another blog post that gives a technical description of how I took the artwork above and turned it into a cooler that acts with correct physics.
For now I am going to end this post with a more recent photo of Aidan and a video from his Make-a-Wish trip where he figured out he could make his shoe squeak.
Treasuring the Things that Matter
By Kevin Ryan
Posted on March 2nd, 2016
I originally wrote the blog below back in 2009. I posted it on my website, meaning it was seen by no one, and also on the blog section of Garage Games, meaning it was seen by a few people. I've been thinking about it again recently because it's been exactly a year since Ken Embery died. He was a producer on many Dynamix games and I got to work with him on quite a few of them
Also, since I wrote the below, Shawn Bird passed on. It happend out of the blue. One day he was just gone. He was an artist at Dynamix who worked many different games over the years he was there. He created the Johnny Castaway character from the screen saver that Sierra released back in 1993. Btw, we once got a support call that the screen saver was broken – it'd go away whenever they moved the mouse.
Shawn also designed the manual for "The Incredible Machine" Anyway, another great game dev person that is missed by a lot of people…
In '78 I was 17 and driving up 101, heading to a concert in San Francisco to see Neil Young. I'm not sure how that road turned into the one I'm on.
Back in 1995, near the end of November, I was moving out of Eugene first to Fresno and then eventually up to Shaver Lake in California. We were having a log home buit and we were going to stay in Fresno for roughly a year while it was being built. I had just finished off the latest version of The Incredible Machine so I was between game projects.
It was one of those rare rainy days in Eugene. I think Eugene is known as "The Sunshine City". I stopped by JTP (Jeff Tunnell Productions) to say goodbye to everyone. In the van was my wife, 4 kids, one dog, one cat, two birds, and all our luggage that didn't go with the moving van. My wife was pregnant with two months to go and had just gotten out of the hospital a couple of days earlier after spending a night there on meds to stop contractions.
Most of the JTP guys were in the office so I said goodbye and hopped into the van for the drive. Then I saw Darek Lukaszuk standing out in the drizzling rain having a smoke. Darek had joined up with Dynamix in the very early days; I think sometime in 1986. I was going run out and say goodbye to him too, but it was raining and I was planning on coming back to Eugene for a visit soon so I thought, "I'll see him in a few weeks."
The drive down to Fresno took around 12 hours or and wasn't too bad considering how packed in the van we were. A few days later I got a phone call, "Derek was in a car crash and is in the hospital." I didn't hear any of the details, but it sounded pretty bad and I was hoping he'd get better and out of the hospital soon.
A few days later there was another phone call, "Derek died."
I guess sometimes you don't have a few weeks to come back and talk again. Here I am slowly closing in on 50 and there is Derek eternally stuck at roughly 30 years old. It'd be fun to see him like some of my other old Dynamix (and now GG) buddies on my occasional visits to Eugene and have a beer and talk, but some things just can't happen. If you've every enjoyed any of the Dynamix games there is a good chance that Derek was one of the guys that helped create it.
I've been blessed over the years to have worked with a large number of very talented and decent people. Those are the sorts of things that I've learned to treasure more and more.
Here is a photo of the "Heart of China" team. That's Derek front and center 🙂


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New Year Special: Combining the fads in 1 dish to create a healthy dish… supposedly
The Ivory Embassy wishes all of you a happy new year! The doors to the Embassy are finally reopened, after a well needed Christmas break and we know exactly what you need right now. You need to get healthy. You need a healthy diet. We cleaned our office kitchen to create a healthy dish; actually the healthiest imaginable dish by combining the fads out there. Does the dish stand the scientific test?
A new year means a new resolution and a new resolution should be an improvement to your current life. Have you decided yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Grab a pen and paper and let your imagination flow.
Actually, you probably won't need any imagination after all. It's the same as always and if you are like most of the people with new year's resolutions it will look a little bit like this:
⊕ Lose those annoying extra kilos (pounds)
⊕ Stop smoking
⊕ Start exercising more
⊕ Cut back on that booze (not too much though, weekends are still free zones)
In short, you want to start a healthier life. And guess what, you can count on the internet to give you advice.
There's no shortage of tips, tricks and recipes to get your life improved. Follow all of the life hacks offered by the wild wide web and you could be living a healthy life until your 130s.
Healthier living is a great idea! The Embassy supports you 100% and we will do our best to help you out. Why not starting your healthy lifestyle A.S.A.P. and why not doing it together with us? Let's see where the internet tips and tricks take us in the kitchen.
We turned the Embassy reception into a kitchen and prepared a fabulous dish for you that could, in theory, add 50 healthy years to your life. The taste is secondary by now, but if you really want to look like a cover-boy/girl you will not mind some pain.
Recipe: The Combined Magnificence to Create a Healthy Dish
You can play around with the ingredient quantities depending on how many servings you're preparing. Remember to wash your hands before starting.
Step 1: Add Blueberries
Obviously you should always have your five-a-day so let's add some fruit to our menu. And what could possibly be better than the mighty blueberry? Hailed as a superfood for eons, one could get the impression. It is, to paraphrase the clean eating prophets out there, full with the good stuff (you know, that stuff), violently erupting with precious antioxidants, ready to spearhead the cathartic cleansing of your disease-ridden body. So here's what can you expect from the blueberry:
⊕ Lower the risk of heart disease
⊕ Lower the risk of cancer
⊕ Reduce signs of aging
⊕ Anti-inflammatory properties
⊕ Basically cure all your ailments
The reality check
What are those fabled antioxidants and what are they good for? In the health bloggers world, it usually refers to plant-based compounds that, by virtue of their magical properties swipe away the bad stuff. In reality, they do as their name suggests, by virtue of their very chemical properties they prevent (or revert) stuff from being (or having been) oxidized. They are against (anti-) oxidation (-oxidants).
Yes, right, oxidation. What was that again? Oxygen, being, in general, a rather useful molecule, has some downsides to it. It can form reactive oxygen species, which, for simplicity's sake, we will define as stuff that reacts with other stuff in your cell, in a destructive fashion. Stuff that can render proteins useless and damage your DNA, which could lead to mutations (here comes the cancer link…).
Well then, there's a clear case for once. A bucket of berries a day and your DNA and proteins will stay in mint condition. Goodbye diseases.
A nice way to sell books maybe, but not quite the magical cure. While it is true that studies in cell culture and in some mouse models have shown a somewhat beneficial effect of antioxidants there is no proper clinical study that would suggest a benefit for humans yet. And as discussed in a previous post, by pouring stuff on cells you don't necessarily learn much about what is happening in humans.
We sure don't mean to prevent anyone from eating berries, they are certainly healthier than many other foodstuffs, and tasty at that. We do however have some questions concerning the very concept of the antioxidative salvation. For once, it seems to suggest that in our day to day lives we are, in general, criminally deprived of anti-oxidative things. We doubt that that's the case if you are following a marginally balanced diet in a wealthy western state, and wealthy westerners are, after all, the foremost promoters of the superfood revolution.
We also wonder how much of the good stuff you would get from a certain amount of berries. How much of it will end up where it is needed? If you were to eat, say, a kilogram of dried blueberries, how much of those antioxidants will end up where?
Just now we read in an article published in the Journal of Zhejiang University Science B that 1 gram of blueberries (grown in the Nanjing province) contains 9.5 mg of phenolic content, 36 mg of flavonoid contents and 24.4 mg of anthocyanidin. These three compound classes appear to be the main antioxidants in the blueberry. So a gram of (dried) blueberries has about 70 mg of antioxidants.
The kilo you just devoured will give you 70 grams of those precious compounds, but how much will end up in the cells where it could have a benefit? Will most of it just race through your digestive system undeterred and find the nearest exit? Most of it just might. Will it be divided equally among all cells in your body? We have our doubts. Will it be shuttled to those cells that need it most? Possibly. And in case it reaches those cells in need, will it have an effect? If you keep the berries coming will more antioxidants mean better health? We just don't know and doubt that anyone really does and here's a general problem with nutritional science, we just don't know that much really.
Step 2: Add Chia seeds
Another food full of antioxidating goodies is the chia seed. On top of its antioxidizing eminence we found it being praised as:
⊕ a cancer-fighting seed
⊕ the secret to non-aging skin
⊕ variably a diabetes cure or prevention
⊕ the new secret to weight loss
⊕ an endurance booster, etc, etc…
The reality check
Surely we must add this wonderful foodstuff to our menu. But wait, what all these claims have in common is that they are usually based on one (maybe two) scientific publications of very questionable quality or on proper science that is taken out of context or is misinterpreted. We've been reading scientific publications for more than 10 years now and basically all of the research reporting magical chia seed properties is published in journals we've never heard of.
We can hear the shouts already: "Mainstream science does not allow for thinking outside the box, people with different ideas are systematically excluded and prevented from publishing in the prestigious journals of the Ivory Club. Anyways, just look where the money goes, they are all in bed with big agro-business and the fast-food mafia, just as they are in bed with big pharma, which, of course, is hiding the cure for cancer. Dissent and diversity of opinions are suppressed. The attempt to return the focus to natural products is ridiculed and slated "
We can only tell you: It is not so. It is just very bad science that supports many of these claims. And you have to take our word for it, we have no definite proof. Another topic for another, much longer, post.
Let's just take the example of the chia seed as endurance booster to illustrate what we mean by questionable scientific evidence. Two independent articles advertising this property of the majestic chia seed pointed us in the same direction for 'scientific' evidence: An article in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. The researchers wanted to analyze the potential to use chia seeds for carb-loading before an endurance event as an alternative to a sugary drink (Gatorade in this case).
They tested two groups of endurance runners for their performance, one got a drink where 100% of the calories came from Gatorade, the other group got a drink where 50% of the calories came from chia seeds and 50% came from Gatorade. They found no performance difference between the groups and concluded that chia seeds are effective for carb-loading and can be used to reduce the amount of Gatorade consumed (thus reducing the amount of sugar intake). So far so good. What they failed to test however was how a runner would perform if they simply give him 50% less calories (i.e. half the Gatorade without adding chia seeds). Thus the study lacks one essential control and does really not allow for any conclusion to be drawn. It is quite worthless.
This is just one example of many used in the health crazed blogosphere where scientific studies are presented as evidence that are either poorly conceived, badly executed or ridiculously over-interpreted. Usually to fit a preconceived narrative of good vs bad ingredients, of cleansing properties, of salvation and eternal happiness through food.
Step 3: Do NOT add processed or red meat (go vegan instead)
Don't even think about it! Have you seen the headlines? The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified meat as a cause of cancer. Processed meat causes cancer and red meat probably causes cancer.
As a matter of fact, go all-in vegan instead. Health-gurus all over claims it to be the healthiest choice, so why not? Bloggers and gurus promoting veganism, often referring to The China Study (a.k.a. the Vegan Bible), go as far as to claim that animal protein promotes the growth of cancer.
This is many times based on studies where rats were given casein (a protein found in cow's milk) in varying doses after exposure to high levels of carcinogens. They demonstrated that cancer growth could be controlled by changing the concentration of casein. The results were clear, higher doses of casein lead to increased cancer growth, while the lowest dose kept the rats tumor-free.
So, with these experiments in mind, we can easily conclude that all animal proteins are bad and that plant proteins are the way to go. That's how it works, right?
The reality check:
The meat:
The evidence is actually pretty clear here, processed meat causes cancer and red meat probably causes cancer. The IARC has convincing studies to back this up.
While this sounds nasty and would concern any meat-lover, it's important to understand what is actually assessed here. The IARC does not tell you the probability to develop cancer, or the amount of meat that could cause cancer, or how much cancer you could expect. It simply tells you that, based on their evidence, processed meat can cause cancer. It doesn't tell you how potent it is at it.
Since we realize how confusing this is, let's express it in a different way: imagine an airplane. A hypothetical International Agency for Research on Planes (IARP) could conclude that airplanes cause flight-crashes and deadly accidents. This would be 100% correct and would be based on observations and tests. But it doesn't tell you how often this happens. It just tells you that it does happen. Would you accordingly stop flying? What about that dream trip to that tropical destination that you've been talking about? Would you ditch it?
In other words, even though there is a risk to develop cancer by eating processed or red meat, there are amounts to take into consideration. The Ivory Embassy supports a varied diet with healthy choices. There is real over-consumption of meat in some parts of the world that needs to be toned down. But while you have green days a couple of times per week, go ahead and enjoy that sausage (if that's what you're into).
The veganism
Oh boy, this is a heavy topic and requires a longer post, for sure. Let's be clear, the Embassy is not against veganism in any shape or form. If you enjoy them tofu and soya beans, keep doing so.
But lets, for now, look at the evidence claiming that animal proteins, in general, are harmful and induces cancer growth.
First of all, a study on casein in rats is far from enough to generalize these observations to animal proteins in humans. Animal models don't translate directly to humans. We can draw interesting conclusions based on animal studies, but to be able to extend that knowledge to humans, guess what, you need to do observe it in humans as well.
A second problem with the study is that it only looks at casein, in the absence of other proteins or compounds that exist in milk. These other reagents may play a role in the processing of casein as well as in the regulation of cell growth (we will discuss this in more detail in the future).
Finally, did you notice how the results observed on rats fed with casein is now generalized to "animal protein promotes the growth of cancer". Sure, we can buy that casein is an animal protein. But that doesn't mean that all animal proteins are casein. Do you see what we did there?
Before making bold claims, research needs to reliably demonstrate the findings. Today the Mediterranean food culture is considered to be one of the healthiest diets. Meat is often replaced by plant-based food, but fish, red meat and white meat are still commonly added and enjoyed.
So, if you like meat and got the thumbs up from your doctor, go ahead! Eat with moderation.
Let's continue with the recipe.
Step 4: Add Himalayan salt
Sprinkle this sucker all over the dish. Don't be shy, you don't want to miss any parts. Himalayan salt is extracted in salt mines of Pakistan, near the Himalayas. Compared to table salt and sea salt, it is barely processed, making it more "pure".
According to some, the Himalayan salt brings tremendous health benefits to your everyday life. By the same sources, Himalayan salt is estimated to contain 84 different minerals and trace elements. These are supposed to contribute to improved health. You could expect:
⊕ Reduced signs of aging
⊕ Stable pH balance
⊕ Increased libido
⊕ Improved vascular health
⊕ Improved lung function
⊕ Increased hydration
⊕ Improved sleeping qualities
⊕ Low blood pressure
⊕ Improved blood circulation
⊕ A decrease in muscle cramps
⊕ Detoxifies the body from heavy metals
Where's that saltshaker, Ms? These claims are magic!
The reality check:
The problem with these claims is that evidence is lacking. There is no or little support that the Himalayan salt specifically, induces the above-mentioned benefits.
Many of these benefits can be attributed to sodium chloride in general. Symptoms like muscle cramps, bad blood circulation, low hydration, and tiredness are all symptoms you would expect from low blood sodium (hyponatremia). Even table salt could improve these symptoms.
It's true that Himalayan salt contains higher levels of certain minerals, such as potassium, calcium, iron, and magnesium resulting in the salt's pinkish color. However, these increased levels of minerals are still way too low to account for any sort of health improvement. We're talking about daily salt consumption that could be life-threatening at least.
In general, it's safe to say that scientific studies on the health effects of Himalayan salt are lacking. There is no proper mechanistic insight provided into how the salt gives the supposedly health-improving properties. Instead, health-bloggers often refer us to other non-scientific books or posts to confirm their claims.
Maybe you should take these claims with a pinch of… salt… if you know what we mean.
Step 5: Ferment everything
You can go ahead now and ferment the whole thing. Make the dish taste like your favorite sauerkraut. If you don't know what food fermentation is, simply speaking it is the incubation of veggies or other foods in bacteria. The bacteria consume whatever sugars are present in the food of your choice and produce the delicious sour taste that is the trademark of fermented foods.
With the increasing awareness of the health effects of the gut bacteria living in you, fermented foods are heavily promoted as a healthy alternative to add to your diet. There are several proposed benefits of adding fermented foods to your diet:
⊕ Avoid heart disease
⊕ Decrease risk for type 2 diabetes
⊕ Avoid obesity
⊕ Ease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome
⊕ Ease diarrhea
⊕ Boost immune system
⊕ Lower anxiety
The list can be made longer, but it's already impressive as it is. Since you can easily buy or make your own fermented food, you can start living a healthy life quite soon.
The reality check:
We believe it. There can be many benefits to eating fermented foods. However, once again, the research is very thin when it comes to these foods. There is no clear evidence suggesting that fermentation will increase the health of an otherwise healthy individual. The results seem for now to be very preliminary.
Moreover, food fermentation is not devoid of its risks. Cases of botulism, an illness induced by the toxins of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, has been observed in Alaska. The reason for this can be blamed on the increased amount of sub-optimal fermentation of fish and seal.
To add to this, research suggests that fermented food creates carcinogenic by-products and pickled foods are classified as possibly carcinogenic according to the World Health Organisation. Do you remember the classification of red meat mentioned above? Do you see how you could discredit mainstream health-trends with the same classification approach?
Enjoy the dish!
With this, we take off our chef hats and wipe our hands. We have together with you created a healthy dish, an impressive health bomb that can potentially add more health to your daily life (according to some health bloggers and gurus at least) by combining the fads.
Why did we do this to you? Why did we sabotage certain superfoods and trends for you, you ask? It's not just because we can or because we're trying to provoke.
We do it to show you how easy it is to create a demand based on nothing. No or little scientific support needed. We also do it to demonstrate how everything can be "scientifically" argued for by presenting incomplete or misguided data.
Eating in today's (western) world has taken on a semi-spiritual form. People pray in the churches of wholefoods, the temples of clean eating and the cathedrals of superfoods. And counterculture is never far away. The devil worshipers pray to the demons of un-health, their holy scriptures manifest in cookbooks simply called "Lard" or "Meat". Thou shalt cook a bird within a bird within a bird, Levi chapter 3 verse 18, the Book of the Turducken.
But we don't mean to convert anyone, we are no missionaries. Still, the next time you go to buy chia seeds and goji berries or bacon and a bucket of goose fat you might want to stop for a second and think. After all, someone is selling you that stuff and these people are not necessarily interested in your health or well being. So please go ahead and eat what you like to eat (within reason). That is not to say that different foodstuffs are not of different quality, and certainly, a balanced diet will make you feel better, but a little bit of research and quite a bit of common sense go a long way here.
Keep striving to become healthy, but do it right. Use the research-wise, but remember that things are often not black and white as it is proposed to be by gurus.
Until next time, the Ivory Embassy wishes you the best imaginable 2018!


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It rains a lot in Singapore, and when it rains, it pours… often with thunder and lightning thrown in. When this happens there's only one thing to do – head indoors and wait for the rain to stop. Luckily there are plenty of indoor activities to choose from while you're waiting for the sun to re-appear.
Singaporeans love to shop, and come rain or shine, you will find them crowding out the shopping malls. If you're looking to indulge in some retail therapy while you're hiding from the rain, join the local population in one of the many shopping malls that line Orchard Road.
The shopping malls of Orchard Road are where the Singaporeans head to shop on a rainy day — Photo courtesy of Marianne Rogerson
Some of the malls (Ngee Ann City, Wisma Atria, ION Orchard and Wheelock Place) are linked by underground passageways, meaning you can shop to your heart's content for hours, regardless of the weather. Additionally, three of the malls – ION Orchard, Plaza Singapura and 313 Somerset – have MRT exits directly into the mall, meaning you don't need to join the masses trying in vain to find a taxi in the rain.
Away from the shopping malls, there are several excellent musems to choose from. Cream of the crop is the fantastic National Museum of Singapore. This museum is a great way to learn about the country's entire history and culture in one sitting. The brilliant Audio Companion supplements the modern, high-tech exhibition with interviews, dramatised scenarios and personal accounts. There is a huge amount of information to take in here, so if it rains all day, so much the better.
The National Museum of Singapore is a great way to learn about the country's entire history and culture in one sitting — Photo courtesy of Marianne Rogerson
Singapore played an important role in WWII, being the focus of the greatest and most humiliating defeat in British history, and consequently the high point of the Japanese expansion in Southeast Asia. The Japanese occuption from 1942-1945 is one of the darkest periods in Singapore's history and so there are several museums dedicated to this time.
The Changi Museum is undoubtedly the most poignant of all Singapore's WWII museums. Dedicated to the Prisoners Of War who suffered incarceration during the Japanese occupation, the exhibition is compiled from interviews with former inmates and their families, making for a memorable and humbling experience.
The Singapore Art Museum houses the world's largest public collection of modern and contemporary South-East Asian art — Photo courtesy of Marianne Rogerson
Other museums worth visiting include the Asian Civilisations Museum, which celebrates the cultures of Singpaore's ancestors; the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum, which tells the story of the life and teachings of Lord Buddha; the Chinatown Heritage Centre, which focusses on the lives and background of Singapore's Chinese immigrant population and the Singapore Art Museum, which houses the world's largest public collection of modern and contemporary South-East Asian art.
If you're trying to entertain the kids on a rainy day, then head over to Sentosa and to Underwater World Singapore. Here you'll find more than 2,500 fish and sea creatures from over 250 species. The highlight is The Tunnel – where a travelator glides you through an 83 metre acrylic tunnel while the rays, sharks, fish and eels swim around you.


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Jean-Philippe Delmas is keeping up with family tradition by taking over the management of Château Haut-Brion – and he's keen to carry on where his father left off, as well as making his own mark, writes JOHN STIMPFIG.
The october morning is clear and crisp at Château Haut-Brion, and Jean-Philippe Delmas is seated behind the large, ordered desk in the estate manager's office that once belonged to his father. Impeccably turned out, Delmas looks every inch the confident administrator of this historic first growth. However, there's something different about his general demeanour today. Jean-Philippe Delmas is, to put it mildly, as pleased as punch.
You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to work out why. At the relatively tender age of 35, he's now completed two successful years in what he freely admits is his 'dream' job at the helm of Haut-Brion (and, of course, its sister property La Mission). Equally, he's more than a little excited by the possibility that the recently harvested 2005 vintage could well turn out to be one of the greatest Bordeaux vintages of all time – alongside the likes of the 1961, 1982, 1989, 1990 and 2000. And as if all that weren't enough to put a smile on his face, he's just been told he's about to become a father for the first time.
It's pretty obvious which of these Delmas is most elated about. But in this instance, there's even more to consider than the joy of a new baby. There's also a dynasty to maintain and possibly even a destiny to fulfil. For, uniquely in first growth circles, Jean-Philippe is the third-generation Delmas to run the great Graves estate, following in the footsteps of his father, Jean-Bernard, and his grandfather, Georges, before him.
It might look as though the only qualification you need to succeed here is the Delmas surname. 'Unfortunately, if you want to manage a premier cru like Haut-Brion, it's a little more complicated than that,' Jean-Philippe politely points out. 'Moroever, you have to understand that it wasn't my father who decided who should succeed him, however much he might have wanted me to. Instead, it's the Dillon family who owns Haut-Brion, who decides. It's got nothing to do with fate or destiny.'
That's a fair point. Nonetheless, it seems to help your job prospects at Haut-Brion if you happen to be a Delmas. Clearly, there's an unusual degree of mutual trust, respect and loyalty between the two families. Jean-Bernard was actually born there, while Jean-Philippe says he first met Prince Robert of Luxembourg in the château's private garden when the two were in nappies. Now, of course, three decades later Prince Robert is Delmas' boss at Haut-Brion. If that's not destiny at work, I don't know what is.
Ironically though, the young Jean-Philippe showed no early signs of what was to come. 'As a child, I used to spend a lot of time here at weekends and during the summer holidays riding my bike around the estate,' he recalls. 'I also remember tasting some vats with my father for the first time when I was about 10. But in those days, I have to admit that I wasn't at all interested in what my dad was doing. Like any normal kid, I wanted to be a fireman or a pilot.'
Destiny calling
However, by the time Jean-Philippe was in his teens his career plans had changed as he inevitably reverted to type. 'It was then I decided that I wanted to read oenology at Bordeaux University so I could make wine at Haut-Brion. It wasn't that my father pushed me. It was simply what I wanted to do more than anything else. And it still is.'
After completing his studies, he decided it was crucial to get some outside experience. 'So I worked in various regions, including making wine at Domaine Ott in Provence and at Far Niente in California.' After that, he did a spell of research for Moët & Chandon in Champagne. 'Then, out of the blue, the call came in August 1994 from the Duchesse de Mouchy, Prince Robert's mother, asking if I could come back to Bordeaux. It was a little earlier than I had hoped, but I said yes, without a moment's hesitation.'
Once back in the bosom of Haut-Brion, it became clear that he was effectively being groomed to take over from his father. Jean-Philippe responded to the task by immersing himself in every aspect of the business from winemaking to marketing and sales. By 2001, he had passed his trainee apprenticeship with flying colours and was promoted to the position of assistant estate manager before finally taking over from his father in 2003.
It wasn't all plain sailing. 'I think my father and I have a very good relationship and, of course, I owe him a huge debt of gratitude,' says Jean-Philippe. 'But even so, it's not always easy working with your dad. Sometimes, I spoke to him in a way that I would never normally do to a boss. And sometimes, he asked me to do things he wouldn't do to another employee.'
Now of course, Jean-Philippe has sole charge of the top job, making comparisons with his father's extraordinary record and reputation inevitable. For his part though, the young Delmas tends not to dwell on it too much. 'I think this is something that other people think about more than me,' he counters wisely. All I can do is be myself and do my best.'
At the same time, Jean-Philippe can't help but regard his father's achievements as more of a bonus than a burden. 'Yes, of course, my father's record is going to be a tough act to follow because he has made some legendary wines in his 40-year career. But I certainly don't think it has been a handicap for me to have been mentored by one of the very best in the business.'
In particular, he is quick to acknowledge the rich legacy his father has left him. 'It's fantastic what he has done. For instance, his pioneering clonal research work has been a huge advantage for Haut-Brion, as were his innovations in the vat house and cellar,' he points out. 'The other thing he bequeathed me was a great team. Both his viticulturalist Pascal Baratier and his cellarmaster Jean-Philippe Masclef are still only in their 40s, yet have been at Haut-Brion since 1988. So we have both youth and experience. However, probably the most important thing of all my father passed on was his philosophy of quality – and what a great first growth is really all about.'
Perhaps then, it is no great surprise that the young Delmas has no desire to undo or tamper with his father's work. 'There will be no revolution between him and me,' he declares. 'Our views on oenology and terroir are virtually identical. I have no plans to change the style of Haut Brion or La Mission. I will still be looking to make the most complex, elegant and balanced wines that I possibly can.'
The quietly assured Jean-Philippe is very much a chip off the old block. According to Pascal Baratier their palates are astonishingly alike when they are blending. And even when it comes to their respective personalities, Jean-Philippe acknowledges that in many, if not all, respects, they are not so different.
All of which leaves you with an overwhelming sense of linear continuity at Haut-Brion. Not least because Jean-Philippe is still using his father's vast experience in a technical consultancy capacity. Jean-Bernard still comes in about two or three times a week during the summer to advise on the date of the harvest and the blend. 'To have that kind of resource so readily available is priceless,' says Jean-Philippe.
And yet, there's an equally strong feeling of renewal and regeneration at Haut-Brion as Jean-Philippe and Prince Robert imprint their own management style. For his part, the 'hands-on' estate manager has had plenty of projects to cut his teeth on. Apart from managing the ongoing replanting programme, there's been a new software system to bed down. Meanwhile, he's building a new barrel cellar at La Mission and experimenting with a long-term plant density project. That's on top of the usual meetings, marketing and international travel. 'Sure, it's a lot of pressure and hard work,' says Delmas. 'But I just see it all as the opportunity of a lifetime.'
And then, there's the 2005 vintage. 'Even my father says he has never seen such a vintage,' enthuses Jean-Philippe. 'It's too early to tell how it will turn out at this stage, but it should be as good as 2000 and possibly even better. So, yes I am very happy about it,' he says with a huge grin which lights up his face, 'both for me and for my baby'. And who can blame him?
John Stimpfig is a contributing editor to Decanter.
Written by John Stimpfig


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Address: 35 Old Dumbarton Road, Glasgow, G3 8RB (View map)
Tel: 0141 339 4114
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Web: www.cushionandcake.com
Cuisine: Tearoom, British
Average price*: £6
Moments from Glasgow's most visited tourist Kelvingrove Art Galleries, Cushion & Cake, a little tearoom and craft gallery is waiting to be discovered.
The pastel coloured decor will lift your spirits on grey Glasgow days.
Loose leaf tea in proper tea cups, chunky sandwiches and homebaking along with a cosy warm welcome will keep you coming back for more.
There are handmade items galore to buy or even sign up for the monthly Crafternoon and come and craft for yourself.
VN:F [1.9.22_1171]Cushion & Cake, *Average price based on a 2 course meal from the a la carte menu for 2 people


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|A Good Crowd
For reasons unbeknown the billing switched round and Big Ray opened , a still huge stage presence powering though classics like nobody's business . "No Spittin On The Bus" , "Riot In Cell Block #9" and Shel Silverstein's politically incorrect "Freakin' ant The Freakers Ball" . The weather was brilliant as were the band .
|Big Ray , Ratty and a Chicken
When the band had finished the crowd were treated to Chicken Shit Bingo which raised £25 for charity , if you don't know what it is try Wikipedia , but this one involved Big Ray as adjudicator and a man in a chicken costume.
Next up were the Star Spangled Chestwigs , it was good to see them out of doors in daylight , a first for me I think , and for many of the crowd. Shev a master crowd manipulator in his sparkly dress , Adas the powerhouse drummer driving the guitare and bass of through "Sweet Caroline" , "Hey Rock and Roll" , "Radar Love" and "Take Me Home, C(o)untry Roads" (John Denver will be turning in his gravy, which is a good thing). Any the crowd loved it , another great sunday at The Schooner.


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Domestic violence is a terrible thing, no matter how you try to look at it. Such an act generally ever only garners attention for its criminal implications (and rightfully so), though people don't as often consider the civil infractions involved in criminal cases such as domestic violence. While there is justice to be had for setting right to the crimes committed by others in such circumstances, many of these cases still leave a lot of pieces to be picked up by the victims involved. There are certainly protections afforded such as restraining orders, but these do little to commit to the epilogue of the issue: the recovery of the victim, often physical and, as a result, financial as well. If you have been involved in such circumstances, you may wish to seek out a personal injury suit for domestic violence.
This is not to say that seeing to civil lawsuits should be the first priority of any victim of domestic violence (or any violent crime in general). The first responsibility is to contact the police – or, if you are not so comfortable with that, an alternative agency who can get you the help that you need. Once protections are put in place to dispel the threat of violence on your person or those that could become immediately involved, then you can start investigating into action for compensation in a civil court.
Now that you are better able to consider options for civil lawsuit, there are generally three sorts of claims to consider: assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress do not necessarily have to involve physical contact, and thus can limit the damages sought in a civil claim, though many awards can take cumulative impact into consideration. And since many cases of domestic abuse span for months or even years, the potential for compensation of damages can still be considerable due to the overall impact of emotional pain, especially with the assistance of an expert witness (often a professional such as a psychologist or marital counselor). If physical pain is apparent, the sort of entitlement tends to increase drastically in cases involving battery.
In many cases involving civil lawsuits, the awards for damages may very likely require divorce proceedings to be held. As physical and financial assets tend to be treated as jointly owned in marriage, it is difficult to award damages from one spouse to another. This is not to say that divorce is required before consideration will be given in a civil suit; in fact, juries may even pass verdicts in a civil suit while divorce proceedings are still being held. This makes the transition of awards easier, as it will often allow the abused spouse to collect damages for the civil suit as well as settlement from the divorce proceedings as well.
Some cases even allow the victim of domestic abuse to sue public officials if they knowingly fail to provide protection to a victim – often in the form of making an arrest on the suspected abuser. It is best to consult a lawyer in these circumstances, as the laws of each state may vary, but an example may be that the plaintiff could file a lawsuit if a police officer fails to make an arrest after the abuser committed a felony assault, the victim has sustained an injury, or the abuser gave cause for the victim to fear bodily injury or death. Again, it is stressed to consult an attorney on these matters. But, in regard to domestic abuse as a whole, it is always important to seek proper protection before pursuing civil claims.


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It seems like everyone just assumed that Paula Patton left husband Robin Thicke after twenty years of marriage because he was cheating. However, according to Thicke, that isn't the case.
Thicke was out promoting his new album Paula on New York's Hot 97 radio station on Tuesday. Of course, the album title is just one of the many different public ways that the crooner has tried to get his wife back.
The R&B singer discussed the issues of his marriage but insisted that infidelity was not part of the problem, "[Cheating] is not why we're apart. We're apart because we just couldn't be together anymore for a while. There's a hundred different reasons, there isn't just one. There's a long list…I changed, and I got a little too selfish, a little too greedy and little too full of myself."
Prior to 2013's Blurred Lines, Thicke never had a number one Billboard single. That summer, Blurred Lines was everywhere. No one could escape the sexy risque video or the catchy hook. It spent twelve weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and easily clinched the top spot on Billboard's 2013 Songs of Summer list.
Thicke released five albums before Blurred Lines, and while he was a mainstay on the R&B charts, he never crossed over into the mainstream until 2013.
The 37-year-old also discussed the music on Paula, "The album is exactly what happens when you lose the love of your life and you're trying to figure it out in your head. How am I going to move on and get through it all? We just weren't happy together anymore and I still had so much I wanted to apologize for, and things I wanted to take responsibility for, so that's pretty much what the album's about."
Thicke does see a light at the end of the tunnel. "If you've been together that long, you kinda became adults together instead of being adults and then meeting. But maybe a year or two off, we'll become our own people without each other and then it will be meant to be."
Image via YouTube Screenshot


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