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The brilliant reporter Michelle Goldberg, wrote about the Faith and Family Values, Inc. businesses, in the Daily Beast/Newsweek entitled "Christian Group's New Gay War." In it she reflects the hunger for funds that extreme right wing organizations have for funding right now. It appears that they will go to any lengths, to earn a dollar.
The Faith and Family Values Network, Inc. (FFVN) has formed a number of limited liability corporations within FFVN. To much fanfare, and little notice, FFVN issued a press release last week which alleged that the Christian Values Network changed it's name to CGBG. In most jurisdictions you just have to file a "dba" or a doing business as form, if the corporate entity has already been established. Essentially FFVN lied in their press release. There was no "name change." CGBG was formed in 2008, and CVN was not dissolved. I was born at night, but not last night.
The way they have set up their affiliate marketing arrangement has nothing to do with a "name" like CGBG or CVN, UBuy2Give, or TJGN. As long as you have the Connection Plus toolbar installed in your web browser, you're good to go. If the URL is cgbg.frc.org, or cvn.frc.org, or tjgn.frc.org - FFVN will be credited the commission, they will take their 50% share, they will have the ability to track your every move online, they can follow up on your order, and they will be able to answer any questions you might have. Pretty brilliant isn't it. Except for them being able to track your every move online. You can't really trust this company because they deceive and lie.
That said, as long as Linkshare is able to stock their network with organizations that have products that people want to buy, FFVN and FRC et al. believe that their funding problems will be over. What they haven't considered is the fact that some retail companies may have higher prices for an item purchased through the toolbar, because of the added commission expense. Amazon and other large Internet retailers don't participate, so while you will probably find lower prices for whatever you want to buy at other stores, you will be limited to the narrow list of companies willing to be associated with these extremist anti-gay and anti-women groups. There is no tax deduction for a purchase, because FFVN is a legitimate for profit business who takes 50% of any commission.
In the FFVN press release dated 8/16/11, it stated they were "correcting the record on a growing misinformation campaign to bully retailers." They have yet to produce any evidence of misinformation or bullying. When the Newsweek reporter asked them questions about the threatening phone messages I received, they refused to comment.
Mr. Jed Trosper, the disgraced former COO of Gunn Allen, who is now CEO of CGBG, said "These activists are bullying corporations into making hasty decisions based on the first piece of information, regardless of the information's veracity," Did they offer any proof to back up this statement? No they did not. "By retailers remaining neutral on political and religious – rather than rejecting a sizeable customer based because of their religious views – retailers would provide the same opportunities to all potential customers." Retailers should remain neutral and have no political or religious views? That seems reasonable - except YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN NEUTRALITY OR A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD.
Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, and a beneficiary of any future purchases made through this network, called for a boycott of Walmart - the largest retail organization in the world, because they partnered with the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). The NLGCC works to promote economic growth and the prosperity of their members. Mr. Perkins called for a boycott, and said "Why must they pander to homosexual acivists? The "National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce," Walmart's new "domestic partner," favors abolishing the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. How can Walmart keep its reputation as a "family-friendly" store and company if it continues to use consumer dollars to fund radical social activism?
Your FFVN, CGBG, CVN, TJGN, grifter's network exists to fund radical social activism. You will take anyone's consumer dollars, and you are even willing to let Walmart into your Network, even after Mr. Perkins spread lies and misinformation about Walmart for years. But does Walmart want you? You might want to check with Linkshare.
In your press release you said that the Family Research Council is not a hate group per the standards of designation of the United States government. I checked with the United States government, and you didn't even hit the rim with your shot. The US government does not have a standard definition or designation for domestic religious or political organizations. The Southern Poverty Law Center does have standards, and FRC is a hate group.
Dan Savage started a non-profit organization called "It Gets Better" in response to the epidemic of suicides taking place among young people in our country. In the LGBT community, a large percentage of our population experiences depression. Many of us have been victims of verbal and physical bullying. We have valuable insight that we can share with kids going through their own hell, because we've been there and we know that as you mature, life gets better. That's true whether you are gay or straight - and there are no restrictions on who could submit a video message.
Dan Savage took action, and It Gets Better has been a smashing success.
What did Mr. Perkins think about this nationwide campaign to reduce suicides among our youth? He has tried to raise funds on the backs of at-risk youth who he thinks is "immoral."
He wrote "if you've not yet heard this true story, get ready to be shocked." After President and Mrs Obama made videos for the campaign, Perkins referred to LGBT people as "immoral, disgusting, and perverse," who were attempting to recruit kids "into the lifestyle" by making videos. Perkins wrote:
"The videos are titled "It Gets Better." They are aimed at persuading kids that although they'll face struggles and perhaps bullying for "coming out" as homosexual (or transgendered or some other perversion), life will get better......
Can you imagine George Washington, Ronald Reagan, or any other president telling school children that it's okay to be immoral and that they'll eventually feel better about it?
It's disgusting. And it's part of a concerted effort to persuade kids that homosexuality is okay and actually to recruit them into that "lifestyle."
Mr. Perkins wrote in the Washington Post that LGBT kids kill themselves because they know they are "abnormal." Who's abnormal here?
As a reasonably intelligent adult I can read between the lines. Mr. Perkins is suggesting that because these kids are disgusting and immoral in his eyes, why is anyone bothering? Mr. Perkins thinks that being LGBT is immoral, and yet he cannot understand why his organization is considered a hate group.
You can have your letter writing campaigns to Walgreens, Netflix, and Petco and you are going to lose. I've spoken to them personally and they have made commitments to tolerance. FRC is going to lose, and Linkshare is going to lose. Many of these retail organizations wanted out permanently, and when they figure out that Linkshare put them back into a marketing arrangement that they rejected, I doubt they will be happy with Linkshare.
These lies, and hateful comments that Mr. Perkins utters are what keeps me going. I will not rest until your company is fully exposed and shut down. It's deceptive, and It's a big shell game - and no one wants to play.


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Libertarians far and wide, hear my cry: Liberaltarianism (or left-libertarianism) is the future.
This is the first part of a three-part series that will argue that unless libertarianism embraces important tenets of the left wing, libertarianism will be entirely lost on this generation.
Please note that these facts and statistics represent the majority of the population born between 1982 and 2004. Not all views will be shared by all Millennials, but they are general trends.
Millennials are all about community, not individualism.
There's a reason so many are drawn to Facebook. They can "be" with their friends, share their successes in exchange for "likes," and find their niche that makes them feel like they belong. For Millennials, unlike their Baby Boomer parents, driving a car alone on the open road is/was not the icon of freed young adulthood—for them, they would much rather have a private conversation with their friends on messaging services. They do not ever want to be disconnected—and it's not just because of social media.
Millennials grew up with team-building activities in the classroom. Many of them played sports, particularly as young children. Growing up, there was an emphasis on tolerance, and bullying quickly went out of style. Acceptance and inclusion became normal for Millennials. They even became closer with their families (consider the number of Millennials living with their parents). According to Gallup, 51% of people who are between 18- to 23-years-old and 14% of people who are between the ages of 24 and 34 are still living at home. It's not just economic necessity or student loans, it's also about the generosity and connection parents have with their children.
Millennials grew up in an age of identity politics. As the most diverse generation in American history, Millennials are sensitive to the struggles of issues relating to race, gender, sexual identity, and class—because a majority of them hold far more diverse friendships than previous generations.
The emphasis on community shows up in Millennials' political behaviors. They want everyone to belong. The good news is that they will support civil liberties: They're going to overwhelmingly support gay marriage and beat out the margins to support immigration reform. The bad news is that, in an effort to take care of everyone in their community, they're going to support more government services like healthcare. In fact, the Pew Research Center found in their Millennials in Adulthood study that 55% of Millennials prefer a government that is bigger and provides more services. In contrast, only 43%, 32%, and 22% of Generation X, Boomers, and Silent agreed, respectively.
So what's to be done to bring more Millennials to liberty?
1. Don't oversell the individual
Millennials care more about community than the self. They are the least narcissistic generation in decades. The appeal to self-interest will only work to an extent. To be sure, libertarians of all sorts emphasize coming together and helping others, but there's a side to community that only liberaltarianism wants to engage: identity politics. Acknowledging that people of color, people of different classes, and people of different genders not only have differences in how they live their lives but also have formed communities around those differences is something for libertarians to embrace, not ignore or deride.
2. Emphasize that government destroys community, and liberty can help strengthen it
For millennia, governments have targeted specific communities—from black people to Jewish people to women to the poor—and exploited them. No community is safe from governmental coercion, and no government action can strengthen a community. Communities strengthen through voluntary association and inclusion, not forcing other communities to change to fit another's needs. It's easy to start small. For example, women all across the United States would benefit if contraception were available over the counter, but right now they need a prescription. Help women everywhere by advocating for the removal of unnecessary governmental laws. Redirect the conversation to talk about how being free helps communities stay strong, and how looking out for freedom means looking out for each other.
3. Show off the great libertarian community
It's a great time to be a 20-something libertarian.
There are libertarian communities everywhere—beyond just Young Americans for Liberty and Students For Liberty (which are, to be sure, fabulous, but mostly target college students). Libertarians love to socialize, have fun, and sure, talk about politics, but the community itself is largely warm and engaging. De-emphasize the fringe bigots and demonstrate how the libertarian community supports one another. If it seems like a place that's welcoming, that has an interesting and engaging community, Millennials will become more interested in the philosophy itself.
See Part 2, which addresses Millennials and the economy, here.

subset: commoncrawl


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Just Listed for $369,000 -108 Plymouth Street, Pembroke, MA 02359
Your search has ended! Meticulously maintained Colonial perfectly situated on wooded lot w/open floor plan! Step inside this custom remodeled home & instantly fall in love! Bright & sunny kitchen features granite countertops, ample cabinet space & sliding glass doors leading you out to the deck! Gleaming hardwood floors throughout level 1 along w/master suite! Master features vaulted ceilings, 2 closets, sliders out to the deck & updated master bath complete w/ large soaker tub! 1st floor laundry room features ceramic tile floor along w/updated half bath. You will find 2 spacious bedrooms on level 2 both offering plush W2W carpets, ample closet space & ceiling fans! Step outside onto the brand new deck which runs the length of the home–perfect place for entertaining! Large backyard provides additional outdoor living space, ideal for hosting summer gatherings & BBQ's! This is a must see! New roof, new gas heating system, new cedar impression vinyl siding & more!
For more information on this listing, call Lamacchia Realty at 617-924-6563 or email us at firstname.lastname@example.com


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'St Helens Street Pastors'
Welcoming Rev Dr Howard Leatherbarrow
Tuesday 21st June 2016
A last minute change of speaker welcomed St Ann's own Rev Dr Howard Leatherbarrow who came to tell us about 'Street Pastors – St Helens'. Street Pastors was formed in 2003 with just 18 volunteers, it now has over 11,000 volunteers in 200 towns/cities across the UK, with St Helens about to start up. An initiative of the Ascension Trust, Howard went on to explain how the operation works – Street Pastors are always in pairs and patrol the streets between the hours of 10pm-4am, offering compassion and support where needed. If you would like to know more or you would like to volunteer, please visit their Facebook page 'St Helens Street Pastors' or email email@example.com
Thank you Howard for coming along at such short notice, and 'Good Luck' with Street Pastors.


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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
Check out current and upcoming community events.
Access the Township Ordinances and Zoning Ordinances.
Visit parks around the Georgetown Township and surrounding area.
Access useful online forms.
Our Library has a useful online database of books.


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People Hire People, But They Have a Funny Way of Doing It
In today's job search market generally, and especially in the technical arena, there is a lot broken when it comes to hiring and retaining talent. In a recent post I published on LinkedIn in regard to recruiters, from some of the comments, it was evident just how frustrated most professionals have become with this broken system.
Yet HR and recruiting gurus will generally tell you that things are getting better.
Nevertheless, in working in the actual trenches with technical professionals, not just in designing their resume and personal brand messaging but in offering concierge job search solutions as well, I can tell you without a doubt things are NOT getting better.
Wishing it were so does not make it true.
What HR and other hiring "experts" really mean when they say it's better is that they have developed hiring into a more theoretical domain now. They've analyzed it. They've philosophized over it. They know what it should be. They're all about people and talent and…
Theory, theory, theory
In other words, there's a better sense of what hiring should be.
The question is, though, "how do we get there?"
The main problem, as I see it, stems from an effort to try and appease too many goals: hire great talent yet make it as automated as possible and as inexpensive as possible while creating as many layers and barriers as possible between the potential candidates and the hiring managers. In other words, while making hiring as formulaic as possible (I call it "assembly line" hiring), somehow they are also supposed to show that they "care" about choosing the best talent and treating candidates with proper respect.
People hire people, right?
I hear a lot about the "humanizing" of companies, the attempt to appear more empathetic and concerned with the well-being of candidates and employees. (I saw an HR specialist the other day even advocate for more"hugging" at the office [certainly not something I have ever heard my tech members complain about: "I just wish more people would hug me at the office!" Ah no, I've yet to hear that one].)
There are conferences and conventions and Google+ hangouts and Twitter chats all on the subject of how to show you "care"…all while instituting practices that are demoralizing.
But what's a company to do? When it posts an opening, it gets hundreds of responses, and it must sift through them somehow, right? So why not automate things? Why not protect its hiring managers and their time?
The problem is that you have to prioritize. What is your main goal, and how is that best accomplished? You can't say one thing and then do another.
But that's exactly what the job market is like right now and most likely will be for a while because the word and the deed don't match.
You want the best talent? Well, you have a funny way of showing it.
My advice to corporate professionals is simple: If you're going to stay in that environment, then become what I call a "corporate entrepreneur."
Don't just add more credentials and stack up experience and think it will speak for itself. Learn how to apply basic business development techniques to your career management strategy (yes, you need a strategy!). Learn how to watch and read the market. Understand that your career is not just one job hop to another job hop with however many years in between, hoping your salary and level of responsibility increase with it.
In today's market, there has to be more mindfulness of what's really going on around you even when you're quite happy where you currently are.
Good intentions don't mean much.
I'm afraid at the moment there isn't a whole lot we can do about the current state of hiring practices. It is what it is … full of good intentions littered with chaos and confusion.
But we can take a different look at the corporate environment and apply some entrepreneurial concepts to build in protections amidst all the chaos (or "corporate goo" as I like to call it). Doing so will help to realign the balance of power into more of a partnership arrangement than a master-slave one.


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Disney is looking for developers to create an app to promote healthy living, and is willing to fork out some good money for it as well.
The company has announced a £95,000 competition for developers to create an app which will include Disney's superheroes (for example, Marvel characters) to encourage healthy living.
They have teamed up with a non-profit organisation called Creative England to find developers outside of London's highly competitive developer scene.
Matt Carroll of Disney said the competition was seeking submissions that take advantage of the latest health technology trends, such as wearable fitness sensors, The Telegraph writes.
He said: "We hope developers will be inspired to come up with fun and engaging digital solutions – using Disney's stories and characters for families to use, which will positively effect a healthier way of life."
Disney and Creative England's competition will award £5,000 to three regional developers in the first round to prepare a 'proof of concept'. One team will then win £80,000 in funding to help develop a final product.
Disney is the latest in the string of companies tapping into the health and wellness trend which has taken the world by storm in the past few years.
Fitness apps, wearable fitness devices, promoting a healthy and more balanced lifestyle are in the limelight in 2015, with the particular focus on smart armbands.
Disney has opted for a competition format because digital companies struggle to recruit developers in London, amid strong competition from high-paying internet giants such as Facebook and Google.


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If you are holding a board meeting, a bigger conference or weekly classes, we got the perfect conference room for you. Our meeting rooms differ in size, where the smallest room is for up to 10 guests, and our biggest room can hold up to 160 guests. We are here to help you through the planning process, table set ups and serving of food and beverages.
Ready to book your event at Anker Hotel?
The rooms have flip overs, white board, projector with screen and speakers. We also offer a wide selection of food and beverages from our conference menu. For bigger events we are happy to find the perfect menu for you together with our kitchen.


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A Displaced Left Turn (DLT), formerly named a Continuous Flow Intersection (CFI), is an alternative intersection that allows left turning vehicles and through-traffic to travel simultaneously through an intersection. The DLT eliminates left-turns at the main intersection. Instead, vehicles must first cross the opposing through lanes at a signal-controlled intersection several hundred feet from the main intersection. Left-turning vehicles then travel on a new roadway parallel to the opposing lanes and execute the left-turn simultaneously with the through traffic at the main intersection.
SR 400 & SR 53 Dawson
SR 10/US 78 & SR 124 Gwinnett
SR 54 & SR 74 Fayette
SR 5/US 78 & SR 6/US 278 Douglas
The Displaced Left Turn Intersection implements unopposed left turns at intersections by moving traffic over to the other side of the road. Traffic crosses opposing through lanes at a separate signalized intersection before the main intersection, entering a parallel left turn lane separated from opposing lanes. At the main intersection, left turning and through traffic move simultaneously, increasing efficiency and safety by reducing conflict. Traffic signals at the advance crossovers are coordinated with the main intersection to minimize stops.
The DLT is best-suited to intersections with moderate to high overall traffic volumes with very high or unbalanced left turn volumes.
Handles more capacity than conventional intersections
Reduces the number of conflict points
Improves mobility
Start by lining up in the left turn lane like at a normal intersection, only a little farther back.
When the traffic signal turns green, drive across the lanes for opposing traffic into the two new lanes on the left side of the road.
When the left turn arrow turns green, you can go ahead and make your left turn.


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Frozen Four run ends for Geneseo
- The Geneseo hockey team lost, 6-2, to St. Norbert in the NCAA Division III semifinals Friday.
- Webster Thomas graduate Justin Scharfe tied the game for the Knights in the second period.
- St. Norbert scored twice at the end of the second to regain the lead.
To get to the NCAA Division III Frozen Four, it takes skill, determination and sometimes good fortune.
But sometimes, as Geneseo coach Chris Schultz called it, "puck luck" just isn't on your side.
The Knights fell into a two-goal hole, rallied to tie it, but came up short in a 6-2 loss to St. Norbert College (Wisconsin) in a national semifinal Friday at the Adroscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine.
Geneseo finished the season 23-7, tied for the most victories in a season in school history and also picked up the program's first two NCAA tournament victories to reach this point.
St. Norbert, a national power, advanced to its seventh championship appearance in the last 11 seasons.
"I am proud of the way that this team matured throughout the course of the year," said Schultz, who was named Division III's national coach of the year on Thursday. "We've got a lot of talent and we've got a lot of character and I am just really proud of the way that the senior class showed leadership throughout the season."
The Knights are just four years removed from NCAA sanctions that could have handicapped the program for the forseeable future.
Instead the program found the right players and a strong bond was formed to bring it to new heights.
"I'm proud of the whole team," junior forward and Webster Thomas graduate Justin Scharfe said. " Each and every guy chipped in at some point in the season and it was a family with 30 of my closest brothers."
It was Scharfe's goal 7:44 into the second period, his 12th of the season, that tied the game at 2-2 and put the momentum on Geneseo's side.
Scharfe finished off a loose puck in front of the net.
Defenseman Cam Hampson had scored for the Knights just more than three minutes earlier off assists from Ryan Stanimir and Nate Brown.
"We're comfortable playing from behind and after we scored to tie things up, I thought things might start to go our way," Scharfe said.
But late in the period Geneseo's Zach Martin was called for a game misconduct for a blow to the head, taking the Knights off the attack.
St. Norbert would take a penalty of its own, but Michael Hill took advantage of the 4-on-4 with a goal at the 17:29 mark.
Hill then snuck another past sophomore goalie Nick Horrigan 1:24 later to re-establish the two-goal edge.
Horrigan finished with 38 saves for the second-highest total of his career.
"More than anything it was puck luck," Schultz said, citing a goal that was scored on a deflection and another on a wraparound. "Those are types of goals that you don't see scored too often and they were game changers."
The Knights struggled to get much going in the third period with just six shots on goal.
Joe Perry scored his second goal of the game to give the Green Knights (27-3-1) a 5-2 lead with 3:12 remaining.
An empty-net goal with 1:21 to play capped the scoring.
"We got into some penalty trouble, they got some bounces and took advantage of them, we didn't capitalize on our opportunities and that was that."
Geneseo will graduate just four seniors, a thought not lost on Schultz.
"This is just the beginning for the majority of the guys on our team."


text: In the boat with Jay and my dog Angel, I'm ready to seduce the fish with my new micro minimus bikini! I'm always excited when I go fishing and this time was no exception. Stripping out of my clothes I cast and reveal my luscious boobs. I must admit that fishing half naked is very exciting! Me and Jay are pretty goofy in this short video... it's very representative of how we feel when on a fishing trip. See you soon for more outdoor adventures!


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Sound basis for a long life cycle
FHS University Centre uses high-performance Class FA cabling system from Datwyler
In July 2013 the St. Gallen University of Applied Sciences (FHS) opened its new University Centre by the main station. The university's teaching, research and services are enjoying the benefits of the new building, not least the cutting edge technology, including a high-performance Class FA communications network from Datwyler.
"My experience over the past 25 years has always been that a good foundation is essential for long service life", explained Harald Pintarelli, Building Technology Facility Services at FHS. "With a view to the defined life cycle, which is between 25 and 30 years for the whole building, and a high level of investment protection, the Cantonal Building Department invited tenders for a Class FA universal communications cabling system providing a standardised bandwidth of 1000 megahertz."
A solution from Datwyler Cabling Solutions was selected. On the floors this comprises symmetrical type CU 7150 4P copper data cable and type PS-GG45 connectors. Cables and connecting technology conform to Category 7A up to 1000 megahertz. They even support a maximum bandwidth of 1500 MHz, so provide extremely high reserve capacity for multimedia and future applications beyond 10 gigabit Ethernet.
Between January and December 2012 the telematics specialists at Huber+Monsch AG in St. Gallen installed around 125 kilometres of Datwyler copper data cable and 4400 modules. For the backbone into the data centre the installers used approximately four kilometres of type FO Universal OM3 fibre optic cable with 24 and 48 fibres. Datwyler also supplied a variety of fire safety cables, for example for the power supply to the smoke and heat extraction system and the fire service lift.
The new communications network, which has been in operation since January 2013, not only provides the FHS with secure high-speed data transmission, but also incorporates the IP telephones, audio systems, video beamers and WLAN. The WLAN access points take the power they need via the data cables (PoE, Power over Ethernet).
The FHS is very satisfied with the cabling system. "The high quality specifications were all met", says Harald Pintarelli. "This applies to the materials used as well as to the careful routing, connection and measurement. In this respect the new network has been running without a single hitch right from the start."


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Any robotic website or insurance agent can get you a quote, but is it correct? Is it the right insurance or did you ask for the cheapest policy? Don't be fooled by cheap polices, cut rate means just that---lower coverage, and Auto Insurance also has Health Insurance requirements called Personal Inquiry Protection, A cut rate policy could end up costing you a fortune. And when it comes to classic car Insurance, that's a bit more involved than an ordinary Auto policy.
First your classic Insurance policy needs to have liability coverage that mirrors your present auto policy and is your classic car valued correctly? As Classic Car owners Ourselves we understand your problems and can get you a fair quote fast. Click Here for a Fast Quote or call 732-295-5584
I&E Insurance Agency has been named as One of the Top 3 Best Insurance Agencies of Ocean County for the 9th time of the last 10 years by the Asbury Park Press 2020-2011, and Our Agents were named again in for 2019 as some of NJ's Best by NJ Monthly Magazine/Five Star Professionals for Home/Auto-for the 4th time of the last 9 years 2011-2019 --Allow us the opportunity to help You.
Classic Auto Insurance covers you for the Collectible value of the car now, not a depreciated value that normally would be attached to your every day driver. That's why its important to get the proper insurance for your collectible and classic car. Call us to discuss your needs. I & E Insurance is Independently Family owned and operated Agency, serving Bay Head and the rest of NJ.
If you have any questions or would like to set up an appointment with us call 732-295-5584 or email us at email@example.com
This web site may contain concepts that have legal, accounting and tax implications. It is not intended to provide legal, accounting or tax advice. You may wish to consult a competent attorney, tax advisor, accountant or your own financial advisor. EMC Insurance Agency & Financial Services LLC dba I & E Insurance Agency & Financial Services is an Independent Insurance Agency, a Member of the Trusted Choice , Independent Agents of America and member of the ANE Network of Independent Insurance Agents, contact your own advisors before making any decision.
Services offered through independent NON-AFFILIATED ENTITIES


text:
Please complete this form and we will contact you to confirm the receipt of a Fuel Card and help select a specific program for your business.
LICARD OOO guarantees that the data submitted by you will not be disclosed or passed to any third parties. The personal data is handled as per the applicable security regulations and Federal Act No. 152-FZ of July 27, 2006 "On Personal Data".


text:
Mussels al Puerto14.95
with fresh bread
A la Colonia Octopus$21.95
A la Casa Crab Cake$18.95
Baby Fongo$11.95
The Star of Love$12.95
Shrimp & Fish Ceviche$17.95
Shrimp Cocktail$15.95
Seafood Croquettes$11.95
Chicken Croquettes$10.95
Baked Clams$13.95
Fried Calamari12.95
Café Rubio Salad$7.95
Chicken Caesar Salad$12.95
Premium Salad$19.95
Grilled jumbo shrimp, fresh romaine lettuce, feta cheese, onions and green olives.
Big Seafood Salad$30.95
Del Mar Salad13.95
Calamari and Shrimp
Main Course
Penne a la Vodka with shrimp$20.95
Linguini Frutti d' Mare$23.95
Calamari, shrimp, oysters and clams
Pechuga a la Pasta$17.95
Linguini with slices of chicken breast in white sauce.
Lobster Ravioli Fortunato$24.95
Spinach Ravioli Fortunato$19.95
Fettuccine Alfredo$24.95
With shrimp and chicken in our famous Alfredo sauce.
Dulce Primavera$20.95
Chicken breast covered with sweet plantain, eggplant and mozzarella cheese In a special chef sauce. Served with roasted potatoes.
Paraiso Eterno$25.95
Chicken breast covered with shrimp & salmon, red pepper and mozzarella cheese in a special chef sauce.
Baked chicken breast with melted mozzarella cheese and light olive sauce. Accompanied with mashed cassava.
Ki – Ki$19.95
Grilled Cornish hen. Accompanied with roasted potatoes and vegetables.
Guinea al Café Rubio$24.95
Rinconcito Sutil$24.95
Chicken breast stuffed with shrimp, mushrooms and fresh mozzarella in wine sauce, with a touch of heavy cream.
Cordon Blue$23.95
Pollo a la Casa$18.95
In a brandy sauce with mushrooms, green peas and a touch of heavy cream.
Baby Lamb Chops$32.95
w/ shrimp.
T-bone al Rubio$34.95
Filet Mignon$40.95
Skirt Steak – Churrasco$28.95
Mets Café$26.95
Juicy steak and mushrooms in a special sauce Served with vegetables
Taino Caliente$26.95
(Goat Taino style)
El Príncipe Café$44.95
A delicious combination of shrimp, steak and lobster served with mashed potatoes.
Surf & Turf$26.95
A fresh combination of shrimp and skirt steak , sautéed with mushrooms, cheese and tomatoes, in a wine sauce.
El Salto de Camarones$25.95
Shrimp and scallops with cassava mofongo in a special sauce
Punta Cana$25.95
Scallops and shrimp served with mixed vegetables and cassava mofongo in garlic sauce
Jarabacoa de Ensueño$33.95
Crab, shrimp, salmon, in a delicious combination with lobster in a cognac sauce and touch of heavy cream.
Seafood Canoe$30.95
Seafood canoe of fish filet, shrimp, salmon, calamari, clams and scallops
Plátanos a la playa31.95
Lobster, calamari, shrimp, mussels and clams in a traditional creole sauce.
King Lobster$44.95
Lobster tail stuffed with shrimp in a special sauce.
Fish Filet a lo macho$29.95
Fish filet, lobster, shrimp and calamari seasoned in garlic sauce and a spicy touch.
Tilapia Rolatini$26.95
Tilapia Filet filled with shrimp in a lemon capers sauce.
Salmon al Rubio$24.95
Fried & broiled Red Snapper$24.95
Seafood Soup$29.95
House Cocktails. Our Inspiration!
Moscato Fish Jar$20.00
Moscato, vodka, fish gummies & pineapple juice.
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Coconut rum, banana cream, blackberry brandy & pineapple juice.
Café Rubio#14.00
Margarita style with Tequila & kahlua
Brugal, passion fruit & spirits.
Vodka, rum, blue curacao, splash of 151 & pineapple juice.
Rum, grenadine, splash 151, lime & mango juice.
Café Rubio Lady$13.00
Moscato, fresh lemonade & Strawberry syrup.
Specialty Cocktails!
Mango Sidecar$15.00
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Remy Martin V.S.O.P, Cointreau, passion fruit, pineapple & lemon juice
Remy Caipirinha$15.00
Remy Martin V.S.O.P, simple syrup & muddle limes
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Cointreau, French lemonade, watermelon juice & club soda
Hennessy VS, Midori Melon, Peach Schnapps, Orange and pineapple juice.
Señor Don Rubio$16.00
Tequila Don Julio Blanco, Southern Confort, Brandy, Ron Pineapple juice & splash of cranberry juice
Classic mojito – Strawberry – Peach Mango – Coconut - Passionfruit
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Apple - Cosmopolitan - Dry & extra Dry martini
Iced Tea$13.00
Long Island - Blue long island - Pineapple Bomb


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What it really takes to create awesome excel reports ?, is that your skills or technical knowledge?
If you have been working in a financial industry, you would have heard the term excel reports very often.
I think there is nothing wrong if I say your day starts & perhaps ends around a bunch of excel reports, graphs & dashboards.
There was a study conducted by APQC about "which technology most of the FP&A departments use in their organizations".
As per the study about 39% of the organizations have been using "Spreadsheets" & 56% of them using "combination of spreadsheets and dedicated software".
So, what's your take on the research?
In any which way spreadsheet reports are essential for conducting analysis & to present your data.
Tips to create awesome excel reports:
Mynda Treacy from Udemy blog says "Excel dashboard reports are the new buzz word that employers are currently looking for".
Perhaps, it's true, considering all the facts I've created infographics to help you understand better.
So, creating reports using excel is a new skill that most of the employers are currently looking for; hence why don't you invest a little time to get familiar with those?
Without further delay, let me share my 10 tips that you should consider before working on any new report.
1) Workbook file type – speed up your analysis & save up to 73.65% memory
Do you know, choosing right workbook file type can safeguard your report from future crashes? Yes indeed, it's true and tested by most of the industry experts.
Based on my 6 years experience & many online reviews, saving excel report in ". xlsb" (excel binary workbook) file type will drastically reduce the size of your workbook, and more importantly it will support all kinds of futures.
For example, if you have a huge data in your report and you also want to use macros to make it more flexible, than your ideal option will be binary workbook format.
What is a binary file type?
In computer terms binary means instructing the machine to run based on '0' & '1's.
So you're instructing excel to save your data in '0's & '1's instead of actual text in a memory, hence it will take less loading time & less memory.
Do you know "Settingbox" in binary format?
I have used online unit conversion tool to convert 'setting box' text to binary format and got the below result. It looks strange right?
01010011 01100101 01110100 01110100 01101001 01101110 01100111 01100010 01101111 01111000
Why should you use the Excel binary workbook file type (Case study)
Like I mentioned above, there are many reasons why you should use a binary format, however I'm little curious to know how much impact it has in reality.
I've selected one of my old report to test this; here are some of the mind blowing facts you may want to know.
Above case study is a clear indication to show why you should use excel binary workbook type for your report(s), so now tell me, what do you think?
The limitations of using xlsb format:
1) One major limitation is backward compatibility, binary workbooks will not work in excel 2003 and prior versions
2) It could show some errors while doing a lookup from different file formats, because of row's or columns count
2) Version control – Know how to backup your data
"Thank god I have a copy of my report" is always better than "Oh my god!, I didn't save my report, I've to rework".
Just imagine, you have a very tight deadline & working very hard to finish one of your reports. You have already put lots of effort on that and you almost reached to completion stage. Suddenly, your excel crashed or closed accidentally before saving. What will happen?
For sure, you'll have to rework, on top of that your manager will be behind you until you finish. That's so weird right!! So, here is a simple way to avoid this situation.
What is version control?
VC is a method to record recent changes to a file and then recall whenever you want it later. VC is very often used method in IT industry; however, we can also take advantage by using in a right way.
It's very simple, you just need to create a folder where your actual report is saved and name it as "backup". Then save recent copy of your report in that folder. Similarly, whenever you do some noticeable changes or updates to your report, you'll have to do "Save as" and then save your report with a suffix of v1 or v2 or v3 and so on.
By doing this, you'll save your most recent versions in an order, so that you can go back and choose the right version whenever you need.
Here are some best practices
1) When you work on a new report, make sure to save first & than work
2) Always have a habit of hitting Ctl+S every now and then, you need to practice for a few days than automatically your fingers will take care of that work
3) It's very essential to have a backup folder & save your recent work over there
4) Have a habit of using version control method to prevent your work from possible losses
3) Color codes – differentiate formulas cells & data cells
Building wonderful reports using many formulas and excel inbuilt options are one of the biggest challenge, at the same time, there is growing concern on how well you can differentiate your formula cells & data cells to avoid messing up with formulas.
Oftentimes, you would have spent lots of time while working with formulas to get desired results. But what if you or someone (maybe user of that report) deletes your formula by accidentally?
Better solution:
There was a wonderful article written by Neal Patel on color psychology in marketing, he says "most of the well known brands often recognized by their colors". So, can't we use appealing colors to make our reports more beautiful? At the same time, we can also get rid of the above problem.
Without a further delay here is a way out.
Most of the excel experts use "light yellow" color to indicate data cells, where the user can go ahead and input their data.
Use "Light Gray" color to indicate non-editable cells, where your formulas are stored.
Some more tips:
- Make use of conditional formatting in your reports & take some advantage by using visually appealing colors
- Use "Green" for growth, "Red" for the decline in your numbers to make it more meaningful.
- One picture or graph is equivalent to 1000 words, hence use colorful graphs to explain what is happening
- You can also use color patterns to beautify your report, but don't overdo it
4) Get rid of unwanted formulas
Excessive use of formulas may cause performance issues in your report. For instance, you may have used vlookup formula to pull data from different workbooks; however, you just forgot to remove those after pulling the data.
So, What'll happen? Unnecessary formulas will make your report slower than what it should be, and often your report may take little longer time to do calculations. But the worst part is, crashing your report at the time of working.
According to Susan Harkins from techrepublic.com "cell references and calculation operations are the main performance vampires", so using unnecessary cell references will create a lot of performance issues in your report.
Possible solution(s):
- Do not keep unnecessary formulas in your reports – use paste special and convert them as a value
- Do not copy formulas from one workbook to another – if you do so, your formulas will carries various cell references those are no longer needed
- Be careful with volatile functions – Functions like RAND & RANDBETWEEN will generate random numbers as and when you hit a refresh button or every time you save your excel report
5) Excel Array formulas – use only when you out of other options
Array formulas are the most sophisticated formulas in excel, used to perform very complex calculations with one or more than one criteria's.
According to mrexcel "about 95% of excel users don't know how to use CSE (Ctrl+Shift+Enter) or Array formulas". So where do you stand today? If you think you don't know, then it's a good idea to spend some time to learn.
There are lots of advantages of using array formulas in your reports, but unlike any other functions these are not out of its limitations, so use these formulas carefully.
To give you a better example, recently I've had a chance to build one of the complex report in my office. I thought I could give it try with array formulas. So, I have built a report using these formulas & at the time of testing I got to know that it was taking almost 3 to 4 minutes to update or refresh.
I had one of the finest computer (i7 processor, 16gb RAM), on that it was taking around 4 minutes to run, but what about systems with low end processor and less memory?.
In spite of all the efforts that I had put in to build that report, I have to look for other alternatives in place of array formulas.
Hence it is always a good idea to know where & when you can use these formulas, so that you don't have to waste your time & effort.
Read also: 5 Unconventional Ways To Save Money Using Your Credit Card
6) Use named ranges – names are better than A1:B1
Often times, many excel users (including me) find using names for ranges will be a good idea instead of default cell references in their formulas. As a human being we always have a difficulty to remember combination of unrelated numbers & letters. But when it comes to excel it is even more difficult, because, cell references will have letters, numbers & symbols.
For example, "Revenue – Cost = Margin" is always better and easier to remember than "A1-B1 =C1" in excel report. According to thecompanyrocks "named ranges are easier to write, easier to remember & easier to explain".
As per my opinion, excel reports with clear named ranges in their formulas are more superior than, reports with default references. Especially when it comes debugging your formulas you'll find it a lot easier than the default reference.
Problems with the named ranges:
One of the most criticized point when it comes to named ranges is: by default your defined name is not dynamic in nature, whenever there is a new item in your list, your range name will not get updated automatically.
To overcome the above problem, most of the excel users have been started using dynamic named ranges using OFFSET & COUNTA formulas.
7) Leverage "Sort" option to speed up your calculations
Do you know, sorting your data will make your workbook 4x faster?
I've been told that, we can increase workbook speed by sorting data in a report. I thought that may not be true, hence I wanted to test this first before I make any changes to my reports.
I've used a data sheet, where I had around 100,000 rows of unsorted data. As a regular practice, every month I was filtering unwanted products from the data and then I used to delete entire rows by doing "CTL -".
Since I had lots of data in my workbook, it used to take around 1 to 2 minutes to delete filtered data. Now I've done the same procedure with sorting.
Surprisingly It worked like a champ!!, everything was finished within 30 seconds. If you have used many Vlookup's or Match & Index functions in your report(s) then you must sort your data to take speed advantage.
Here is what happened:
Excel sort function will arrange your data in a systematic order based on the sort criteria that you will select.
Since the products need to be deleted in an order, excel will not spend much time on searching for the match, instead it will delete arranged data quickly.
8) Don't mess up with "calculation options"
The term excels formulas are not working, often heard because of calculation options. So, what are calculation options in excel?
In simple words, it's an option given to the user to instruct ms excel weather to perform calculations as and when something updated in a report, or you want to excel to perform calculations on a regular intervals.
Here is what it does:
You can find calculations options under Formulas tab. As a default setting it'll be set to "automatic", it means, whenever you make any changes to your report/excel file, the changes will reflect automatically.
The other one is "manual", which means, the changes will not reflect automatically, instead user has to manually refresh every time to get updated results.
Calculation options good or bad?
It's neither good nor bad. This option is completely user specific, if user doesn't know how to use, then he'll end up with incorrect results in his report. At the same time, you can reap a lot of benefits if you know how it works.
It is always advisable that, if you're working with large sets of data then only set this option to "manual" until you finish. Once you've completed working on your report make sure to set the calculation option to "automatic".
What you need to know:
Excel calculation options are completely workbook specific, once you make any changes in your report, it'll remain until you go back and change.
There is a misconception about this option; if you open same report in different computers, then the option will automatically change based on his/her settings, but that isn't true.
9) Error handling – make your report error free
One of the biggest challenges in the course of creating awesome excel reports is make sure that your reports are free from common errors. Nobody likes to see nasty #VALUE or #N/A type of errors in their dashboards or at least in the reports.
As per the study conducted by the University of Hawai, "Spreadsheets, even after careful development, contain errors in 1% or more of all formula cells".
Types of errors:
#1 Excel defined errors: Most of the excel users would have already aware these kinds of errors, because they have been very well defined & documented. For example, if you see #DIV0! in your report, it means you formula have been divided by zero. As per mathematical rules division with zero is not allowed.
Tip: Leverage IFERROR or ISERROR formulas to identify errors and take necessary action
#2 User specific errors: These types of errors, mostly show up due to human fallibility but not by evil intent. The potential impact of these kind of errors are most likely very high compared to excel defined errors. The biggest problem is, there is no such system to identify & alert the user.
According to "Freeman (Freeman, 1996) cites, data from the experience of a consulting firm, Coopers and Lybrand in England, which found that 90% of all spreadsheets with more than 150 rows that it audited contained errors"
Here are some user specific errors:
1) Not aware of BODMAS rule: Even today 50% of the excel users don't know how excel will perform calculations. There is a serious gap between user understanding and excel calculation methodology.
Every calculation in excel will be completely based on the mathematical rule called BODMAS (Brackets first, Orders (IE Powers and Square Roots, etc.), Division and Multiplication (left-to-right), Addition and Subtraction (left-to-right)).
For example, 2+5*3 =?, we immediately say 21, but the correct answer as per BODMAS is 17, if you want to test, please copy & paste same numbers in excel and see, the result will be 17.
Solution: Please consider BODMAS rule while building formulas
2) Improper testing mechanism: unlike any other software product testing, we don't have sophisticated testing tools to find out these kinds of errors. The best method as far as I know, is to test each and every formula as and when it is built, with at least two to three different sets of data (I know it is time consuming, but in the long run, it pays off).
10) Home page, user guide & presentation – be yourself in user shoes
Somehow I strongly believe, presentation is also equally important as much as formulas, VBA code & logic's in any report. It's not just about colors & pictures, it's about how you present your tables, how you manage navigation, how you make use of available options to bring amazing results.
According to John Berger's book "Ways of Seeing" – "Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak".
Just to give you an example, every time when Microsoft releases new version of excel or maybe MS office, they will come up with different user interface. If you observe closely excel 2013 user interface is far more advanced than excel 2003, why?
Tips to beautify & finalize your report:
1) If you have multiple worksheets in your report, it's always a good idea to have Home page & use hyperlink option to link all your sheets for better navigation.
2) Try to put a user guide of the report (you don't have to write point to point, instead just a brief how to guide will serve the purpose)
3) Present your data with graphs & charts
4) Try to use conditional formatting for changing cells to present trends
Note: Do you know, excessive use of formatting will increase workbook file size and sometimes it lead to crashes, hence consider using minimum formatting with maximum benefits.
The main purpose of any report is to provide valuable information with pinpoint accuracy. So, the entire intent of creating this guide is to identify best practices & leverage them to create awesome excel reports.
Since you know all the best practices with examples, it's time to go back and start implementing from now on. Let me know what you think.


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I did it! I did it! I did it! Yesterday I ran the Tel Aviv marathon faster than I ever thought I could. The night before the marathon, however, I was certain I was going to have the worst run of my life. To start off, I got very nervous although I'd done everything I'd planned to do. I ate two sweet potatoes for lunch and had an early dinner of chicken, quinoa and a small salad. I loaded up on carbs (relatively speaking). But unlike the previous time I'd done this, I had a very hard time covering it with insulin. I spent most of the day high in the 200s. I'd eaten dinner early to avoid nighttime surprises, but when I checked my blood sugar before going to bed it was 205. I took an extra unit of Apidra and went to bed.
I didn't sleep well; I never do the night before a marathon. I woke up at 3:00am and checked my blood sugar. It was 264, and I was not happy. I decided to take another unit of insulin to try to get my blood sugar down to the 160-180 range. I fell asleep for a short while but got up again a little before 4:00am (before my alarm). My blood sugar was 283. This was not good. I started to get ready for the race: got dressed, had coffee and at 4:45 checked my blood sugar again. It was 302. Panic! I knew I couldn't start a marathon at that level, so very nervous and unsure of my decision, I took another two units of insulin. With the needle still in my thigh, I was cursing myself, sure I was making a mistake and that I would drop during the race. But I didn't know what else to do. By 5:05 my blood sugar was 264. It was going down, but was it dropping fast? Was I going to be dripping in sweat before the race even began? I didn't know so I packed up my glucometer and took some halva (14grams of carb per snack) with me just in case.
I arrived at the starting area at 5:50 and met up with the rest of the members of my running group. I got there feeling disaster written all me. After all of my planning and training and I ended up injecting insulin right before the marathon. Anticipating a hypo, I checked my blood sugar again. It was 280. I didn't understand what was going on and I felt helpless to do anything but wait to see what would happen.
Only three of the members of my group were running the full marathon. Most were competing in one of the other events – half marathon or 10K. At 6:00am we started to warm up. It was the first time I'd warmed up before a marathon. I always felt it was a waste of energy. But as part of the group, I did what our coach said to do and ran a mile and a half before the marathon began. At 6:20 I went to the starting line and checked my blood sugar again. It was 274.
The race started at 6:30 am. It was cool and cloudy and I started off much faster than I had planned. The warm up had done the job and I felt good from the start. As I started to run, I totally forgot about my blood sugar issues. It rained on and off a few times, which was invigorating. I tried to slow down but found myself running at a pace I'd planned to reach much later in the race. This continued throughout the race. I tried to pace myself worried I would crash into a wall at 20 miles, but I didn't. I felt great. After around 21 miles I reached the 3:45 pacer (never thought I'd see him). I asked him if he was really at the 3:45 marathon pace and he said he was. I couldn't believe it, but I passed him and kept on running. I had taken my gels and my salt and I was feeling strong. The wall was nowhere in sight and I ran the last few miles at an increased pace. I crossed the finish line at 3:42:58. I couldn't believe it. I still can't. Before the race, I felt like diabetes was going to get the better of me. I felt handicapped. But I proved to myself that I'm not. Diabetes may frustrate me, and I may lose sleep because of it, but it isn't going to slow me down.


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6 Wisconsin Home Remodeling Mistakes You Don't Want To Make!
Remodeling your home is an exciting experience that will ultimately lead to a better, more suitable home for you and your family. But is it really just so straight forward and easy? We've all heard the remodeling horror stories from friends, family and co-workers but it's never easy to learn the truth in these situations and what really went down. What you can do though, is learn what not to do when you're remodeling your own home because mistakes can be very costly, either immediately or much further down the road when it's unexpected.
Let's take a quick look at 6 different home remodeling mistakes that we really don't want to see you make.
#1. Setting an Unrealistic Budget
This is something we see on a weekly basis. A homeowner has a great vision for their home and property but unfortunately they have absolutely no idea what the scope of work is or what it's actually going to cost to be completed, both in labor and materials. If the scope of work you want to complete is outside your immediate budget range, it's not uncommon for homeowners to build large projects in "phases" over a longer period of time. Maybe you start with your flooring, move to the cabinets, then tackle that home addition at a later time. Your entire project doesn't need to be completed at once. Talk to your contractor about "phasing" your project and how they would recommend you do it to maximize your return.
#2. Hiring The First Available Contractor You Find
Many homeowners make the mistake of wanting to get their home remodeled in a hurry. This is almost always a recipe for disaster. When it comes to construction and remodeling "fast" usually means cheaply built and less care will be taken. A good contractor will almost always be booked up well in advance, sometimes 4-8 weeks or even more. This is a good sign, because it means their work is good enough to be in demand. While it make take several weeks to get to your project, your contractor can usually get started on your estimate right away and if you decide to move forward, can book you into their schedule.
#3. Don't Expect Returns on Hidden Upgrades
There are elements of a remodel that buyers love to see and feel such as new granite countertops, new hardwood flooring or even new siding or a beautiful new architectural shingle roof. Then there are the remodeling upgrades that they can't see such as upgraded plumbing and wiring. The latter is not something you can expect a buyer to want to pay more for and they probably won't. Most home buyers are only interested in the visual improvements they can see contributing to a higher value of the home and won't want to pay more for upgrades they consider "essential" for any home such as proper plumbing, wiring or insulation for example.
#4. Making Your Remodeling Changes Too Personal
If you're going to live out the rest of your days in your home, then it might not matter so much but if you intend to sell your home within months or years after your remodel it's important to make sure whatever changes/improvements you make to the home will be appealing to others. While you might think that 70's shag carpet would look really cool in your basement, someone looking to buy a nice, modern home in your neighborhood might not. If resale value is important to you then try and choose improvements that will be more appealing to a general crowd and stay on trend. One of the more popular home remodeling trends of 2016 and moving forward is going to be accessible design. This is the practice of designing your home around accessibility for everyone, no matter their age or mobility. An accessible home is one that can be enjoyed by all and therefore will be much more appealing for resale.
#5. Failing To Get Proper Permits
There are many contractors willing to do work on your home without a permit. Don't do it! We can probably all agree that filing all the proper paperwork and cutting the red tape can be a pain in the rear but it's absolutely necessary. When a permit is pulled for a home remodeling project a city inspector is charged with inspecting the work during the rough-in phase and usually once again after everything is finished. These visits ensure that everything has been done to code and is safe for your family. If your remodeling project is being completed without any proper permits unless you know a lot about construction you won't have any idea what is being done to your home. Getting caught doing large scale remodeling to your home without proper permits in place can lead to a stoppage of work and also very steep fines for you and your contractor. It's just not worth it.
Brad's Construction is a Home Remodeling Contractor Based Out Of Mayville, WI
Brad's Construction is a full service general contractor based out of Mayville, WI and serving all of Dodge County and Fond Du Lac County. We specialize in all aspects of home construction and remodeling from building a new shop or garage on your property to remodeling your kitchen or building out that home addition, we can even install a new roof if that's what you're looking for.
Like many of the great contractors in our area we're always booked in advance for our projects so if you'd like to receive an estimate for your upcoming home remodeling project please give us a call 920-763-5779 or fill out our contact form and someone will be getting right back to you.


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Affordable Auto Repair & Service Near South Gate, CA
Engine knock, oil leak, or low tire pressure, we'll get to the bottom of it. Turn to your local Firestone Complete Auto Care for all your vehicle maintenance. You can count on our trained technicians to provide superior automotive repair near South Gate, on top of brake services, maintenance, oil changes, car batteries, engine tune-ups, alignment, and much more. We know trucks and cars from headlight to taillight, but we also know the people who sit behind the wheel. That means we'll never recommend a repair or service that isn't right for your needs. After all, our technicians and associates are drivers too! Plus, our Triple Promise Guarantee means that your car will be Fixed Right, Priced Right, and Done Right On Time. With about 1,700 Firestone Complete Auto Care shops around the U.S., you should always be close to the right car care at the right time.
Your Trusted Tire Shop Near South Gate, CA
We care about what's under the hood, but also your tires and wheels. Buying the right car or truck tires can be an easy way to help keep it driving smoothly for years to come. Whether you're looking for sport performance tires or tough truck tires, we've got the right tire selection for your vehicle type, driving style, climate, and budget. And if you just need a quick flat tire plug or pressure check? Just stop by! Explore tires online or in-store and head to a Firestone Complete Auto Care near South Gate to keep your wheels, tires, axles, and more in great condition. We're one of California's top tire providers and have been for years.
Essential Car Care Starts Here
We believe that when it comes to helping your car run better, there are two basic things you shouldn't ignore: car batteries and oil changes. Car batteries may be little, but the power they provide is gigantic. When your battery is weak or the terminals are loose, your car probably won't start. That's where we can help! Swing by your local Firestone Complete Auto Care near South Gate for a free car battery test. A quick test will let you know if your car battery is providing adequate power and at what temperature it could potentially fail. You can also request a car battery test when you stop by for your regular oil change, another service that helps keep your engine healthy. Your car needs fresh oil every 3,000 miles or at the factory recommended interval, whether you choose conventional, high mileage, synthetic blend, or synthetic oil. Fresh oil helps keep your engine at the right temperature, as well as clean and lubricated. If it's time for an oil change or new auto battery, visit us! We install more than 800,000 car batteries a year, and perform more than 19,000 oil changes every day. Make an appointment online today and save money with one of our special service offers, oil change coupons, or tire deals. Whether you sit behind the wheel of an off-road SUV or highway-ready commuter car, visit Firestone Complete Auto Care near South Gate today!
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9th October 2018
Rodney Dixon QC was a speaker at an event held at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington DC on the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia.
He co-authored a report on detentions in Saudi Arabia with Lord Ken Macdonald QC earlier this year which has been submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The webpage of the conference is here which includes the livestream of the event. Rhys Davies also participated in the event.


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TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – A Navy SEAL talked Friday to the Alabama football team about resiliency.
A day later, the Crimson Tide was in a position to put some of that advice to practice.
The team's second scrimmage of the preseason was interrupted for approximately 30 minutes by heavy rain and lightning.
The SEAL defined resiliency "as what do you do when things don't go the way you want them to go," Alabama coach Nick Saban said.
"So, obviously, out there today we had an opportunity to play in the rain – which we may have to play a game in the rain. When that started to happen, we lost a little bit of our intensity. We lost a little bit of our enthusiasm."
And the Tide lost starting running back Eddie Lacy, who sprained an ankle and a knee "a little bit," Saban said.
"Not a serious thing. Probably going to be day to day but probably be a little bit slow next week. I think in five to six days he'll probably be ready to go."
The Tide doesn't practice again Tuesday when it resumes preparations for its Sept. 1 opener against Michigan at Arlington, Texas.
Saban bristled at a suggestion that any injuries were related to the weather conditions.
"I didn't see anybody trip over a rain drop or rain drop hit them in the leg or twist their ankle or any of that stuff," he said. "The field was really in pretty good condition. There wasn't a lot of slipping and sliding going on.
"That's the first time that we practiced in those kinds of conditions, but I just thought it was a really good opportunity. … It'll help us down the road if we have to play in a game in those kinds of conditions."
Quarterback AJ McCarron had no trouble throwing, freshman T.J. Yeldon had no trouble running and veteran receiver Kevin Norwood had no trouble receiving in the adverse conditions.
McCarron completed 12 of 23 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns and had no passes intercepted. Yeldon ran 16 times for 50 yards and two touchdowns. Norwood caught three passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns, according to statistics kept by the Alabama media relations staff. The scrimmage was closed to the news media and general public.
Inside linebacker C.J. Mosley led the defense with six tackles, including one sack and one other tackle for a loss. He also returned an interception for a touchdown.
"I though AJ handled himself well today, especially in the circumstances and the situation," Saban said. "Did a good job of taking care of the ball and played very, very well.
"T.J. played really well today … as a runner. And Kevin Norwood made some big plays and some great catches."
Saban said he was pleased with the first-team offense and defense.
"But from there on, we have a very young team," Saban said. "We have a lot of work to do to try to improve some of these guys so that we develop the kind of depth on our team that is going to help us be successful. …
"I think every opportunity that they get, more and more realize what they have to do to be successful: Pay attention to detail, do the little things right, playing fast, giving effort, playing with toughness, some of the intangible things, but they also have to be responsible to be able to do their job."


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'We The Resilient' Offers Glimpse At Unseen Women's History
When my mom asked me to post a photo on Facebook, I did not anticipate the impact that post would have on my understanding of my 98-year-old grandmother, her generation, and American history.
It was October 6, 2016, and my mom had captured an image of her mom, my grandmother, proudly holding up her absentee ballot. She asked me to post it with this caption:
"Estelle L. Schultz, who was born two years before women had the right to vote, marked her absentee ballot for the first female president, Hillary Clinton."
Within a few hours, the photo had hundreds of "likes" and dozens of comments, including words like "inspiring," "goosebumps," "teary eyes," and "Those of us who have fought the good fight for women's rights know how significant this really is!"
One of the commenters was Tom Fields-Meyer, a writer who goes to my synagogue, IKAR. He suggested starting a website featuring "photos of women in Estelle's generation casting their votes for Hillary and telling their first-person stories in a few sentences." Within a few days, Tom and I teamed up with my mom, Roberta, and Tom's wife, Shawn, to create I Waited 96 Years.
The site went viral and was featured in over 100 media venues, including Buzzfeed, Newsweek, NPR, the Forward, and international outlets like BBC News, Norwegian Aftenposten, and Jerusalem Post. Eventually, the site featured 186 women, ages 96 to 105, all born before the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920. Their words captured the moment's historic nature.
And then the election results came in.
Like millions of Americans, we were devastated — and so were the nonagenarians and centenarians who had expressed such excitement in the preceding weeks.
Within days, two friends independently suggested that we go back to the women on the website and seek their wisdom. It seemed the perfect way to cope with our post-election despair.
Tom and I asked the women how they have overcome disappointment and national crises, how they have dealt with sexism, and their advice for the country moving forward. Their responses, along with contemporary and vintage photographs, became a book we called "We The Resilient: Wisdom for America from Women Born Before Suffrage".
When we learn about American history in school, we usually focus on major events: battles, protests, elections. The 78 women featured in "We The Resilient" gave me a deeper understanding of what my grandmother's generation went through: surviving the Depression by selling candy bars and homemade rugs, hunting squirrels, and eating potato peel soup; working in factory jobs and planting victory gardens during World War II; celebrating in the streets when the war was finally over. Most of the women have lost husbands and siblings; several have lost children. They have survived disease, unemployment, and dislocation; they have faced sexism, discrimination, and loved ones enlisted abroad for years. Yet they endure, many full of optimism and hope, even now.
Unlike most of my work, this book is not primarily about Jews (although several Jewish women are included). But I couldn't help but notice that the project developed in line with the Jewish calendar. Tom and I first discussed the idea during Yom Kippur services (during a break, of course). We had the website up and running by Erev Sukkot. By Simchat Torah, dozens of women were featured on the site. By Passover, advance copies were ready, and the book was published just before Yom Haatzmaut.
Our Jewish holidays help us pass our stories and wisdom from generation to generation. Editing "We The Resilient" helped me learn the stories and wisdom of my grandmother and her peers. And it is helping me pass those stories and wisdom on to my three daughters.
A common Shabbat activity in my home lately is reading a few pages together. We reflect on how much life has changed for women in our country and how lucky we are to be alive right now. As Velva Stone, 103, says, "In spite of everything, America may be at its greatest today and will be slightly better tomorrow."
Sarah Bunin Benor is a professor of Jewish studies at Hebrew Union College. She and Tom Fields-Meyer edited the book We The Resilient: Wisdom for America from Women Born Before Suffrage available on Amazon and in bookstores.


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A fresh start - The Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley
Bill's battle with drug and alcohol addiction not only led him to losing the trust of friends and family — it led to losing his job. After years of struggling, he found help in Mercy Health Youngstown's New Start chemical dependency program. Through donations and grants, our Mercy Health Foundation - Mahoning Valley gives $650,000 each year for substance abuse prevention and treatment initiatives. This includes New Start outpatient counseling, SBIRT screenings, a tobacco treatment center and recovery coaches.
"I don't know if New Start saved my life, but it definitely made my life worth saving," Bill said.
Bill's addiction started with back aches and the pills prescribed to ease his pain. At one point, he was taking 30 painkillers a day. When he lost his job, he was required to get treatment for his addiction. Bill admits that he wasn't convinced he had a problem at first. He decided he could justify drinking instead of taking pills. Soon, was having 20 or 30 drinks a day.
Bill was 47, with no job and no ambition to do anything but drink. He prayed for a reason to quit. Then his wife announced she was leaving him. Bill wanted to get his wife and his job back, so he decided to complete treatment and get sober once and for all.
Bill went back to New Start. This time he got a sponsor and completed all the steps. He's been sober for eight years now. Bill is still with his wife and he got his job back. He even became a certified chemical dependency counselor, chairs group meetings and sponsors other people in recovery.
"I didn't like who I was before. I wasn't a good person," said Bill. "Since going through New Start, I like me now. My kids and my family are proud of me for my journey and for beating my addictions. I'm grateful for the donors who support New Start and helped me get my life back."
The Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley helps connect quality and compassionate care to those in our community who need it most. In any given year, our foundation helps fund up to 50 projects, all of which aim to make lives better — in mind, body, and spirit. Our donors help transform the facilities and programming that we offer our communities. It is with gratitude and inspiration that we continue to partner with donors like you — to provide resources and life-saving services to everyone in the greater Youngstown area.


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I am A Man of Letters. I've been reading lately, and I have found some words I would like to share. Today, The Enchiridion by Epictetus. Part Forty-Five…
Does a man bathe hastily? Don't say that he does ill, but that he bathes hastily. Does a man drink too much wine? Don't say that he does ill, but that he drinks too much wine. For unless you perfectly understand his motives, how can you know if he does ill? If you consider this, you will not risk yielding to appearances you do not fully comprehend.
That is what Epictetus said. Here is what I say. Stoicism was one of several schools of philosophy alive in the ancient world. Epicureanism was another. Epictetus, the Stoic, did not have kind words for Epicurus and the Epicureans. Epictetus claimed he did perfectly understand their motives, and he did say that they drank too much wine.
In The Discourses, Epictetus had this to say about the Epicureans…
The Epicureans say that the good must be in the body […] But you yourself, Epicurus, possess something better than this. It is that in you which deliberates, which examines everything, which forms a judgement about the body itself, and which is the principle part.
Epicurus perceives that we are by nature social, but having placed our good in the body he is not able to say anything else. Now, he does maintain that we ought not to admire nor to accept anything which is detached from the nature of good, and he is right in maintaining this. But then he says we have no natural affection for our children, and he advises the wise man not to bring up children. […] Epicurus knows that once a child is born, it is no longer in our power not to love the child nor care about the child. Epicurus also says that a man who has any sense does not engage in political matters, for he knows what a man must do who is engaged in such things. […] Epicurus says that we should not bring up children. But a sheep does not desert its own offspring, and neither does a wolf. Shall a man desert his child? What do you mean, that we should be more foolish than sheep? Sheep do not desert their offspring. Savage wolves do not desert their young. Well, who would follow your advice, Epicurus, if he saw his child weeping after falling on the ground? For my part I think that, even if your mother and your father had been told by an oracle that you would say what you have said, they would not have deserted you.
Now, sit down and explain yourself according to the opinions of Epicurus, and perhaps you will explain his opinions in a more useful manner than Epicurus himself. Why do you call yourself a Stoic? Why do you deceive so many? […] Observe yourselves in your actions, and you will find to what sect you belong. You will find that most of you are Epicureans, a few Peripatetics, and all of you weak. None of you can show me you consider virtue equal to everything else, much less superior. Show me just one Stoic, if you can. I don't know where or how. Please don't show me an endless number who utter small arguments of the Stoics. That's just as bad as the Epicureans.
Epicurus, when he designs to destroy the natural fellowship of mankind, at the same time makes use of that which he destroys. He says: "Be not deceived, nor be led astray, nor be mistaken: there is no natural fellowship among rational animals, believe me. Those who say otherwise deceive you and seduce you by false reasons." […] Man, why do you trouble yourself about us? Why do you keep awake for us? Why do you light your lamp? Why do you rise early? Why do you write so many books, that we may not be deceived that the gods take care of men. You say the nature of good is pleasure. If this is so, lie down and sleep, and lead the life of a worm, of which you judge yourself worthy. Eat and drink, and enjoy women, and take a nap, and snore. […]
Why did Epicurus wake from his sleepiness and what compelled him to write what he did write? Nothing else than that which is the strongest thing in men: Nature. Nature, which draws a man to Her own will though he be unwilling and complains. Nature said: "Since you think that there is no community among mankind, write this opinion and leave it for others, and stay awake to do this, and so by your own practice condemn your own opinions." […]
Epicurus says: "There are no Gods, and, if there are, they do not take care of men, nor is there any fellowship between us and Them. All talk of piety and sanctity are the lies of braggarts and sophists and legislators for the purpose of terrifying and controlling wrong-doers." Well done, philosopher, you have done something for our citizens: you have taught young men contempt of things divine. Epicurus says: "Justice is nothing, modesty is folly, a father is nothing, a son is nothing." Well done, philosopher, go on, persuade the young men, that we may have more with the same opinions as you, who say the same as you. From principles such as yours have grown our well-constituted states. […]
Man, what are you doing? You refute yourself every day, and you need to give up these frigid attempts at philosophy. When you eat, where do you carry your hand to: your mouth or to your eye? When you wash yourself, what do you go into? Do you ever call a pot a dish, or a ladle a spit? If I were a slave of any of these Epicureans, even if it meant I would be flayed by my master daily, I would bedevil him. If he said, "Boy, throw some olive-oil into the bath," I would take vinegar and pour it down on his head. "What is this?" he would say. Then I'd say 'an appearance was presented to me, I swear by your soul, which could not be distinguished from oil and was exactly like it.' If he commanded me to bring him beer, I would bring him hot sauce. "Did I not ask for beer?" Yes, master, this is beer. He would complain: "but smell it, taste it!" Then I'd say, 'how do you know then if our senses deceive us?' If I had three or four fellow-slaves to work with I could drive him crazy, until he either hung himself or changed his mind. Epicureans mock us by using all the things which nature gives, and use words to destroy them.
In the name of God, would you want a city full of Epicureans? You'd hear people say "I do not marry, for a man ought not to marry; nor ought we to beget children, nor engage in public matters." What then will happen? From where will citizens come? Who will bring them up? Who will teach the youth, and what will be taught to them? Go ahead, take a young man, bring him up according to your doctrines. Epicurean doctrines are bad, subversive to the state, pernicious to families, and not attractive to women. Dismiss them, my man.
Here again is Part Forty-Four of The Enchiridion…
Does a man bathe hastily? Don't say that he does ill, but that he bathes hastily. Does a man drink too much wine? Don't say that he does ill, but that he drinks too much wine. For unless you perfectly understand his motives, how can you know if he does ill? If you consider this, you will not risk yielding to appearances you do not fully comprehend.
Thank you for listening. For more information about the words I have read and the music to follow, please visit A Man of Letters. amoletters.com.
Until I return, I am… A Man of Letters.
Cliff Edwards – Broken Hearted (Pathé Actuelle 25215-A 1927)
Episode 1645


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Quadri Aruna returned to winning ways at the weekend with TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell (TTC) in the Table Tennis Bundesliga as his team played to a 3-1 victory over TTC OE Bad Homburg.
Quadri, who featured in two of the ITTF Restart Tournaments in China last week, was in fine form in TTC's third home win as the team climbed to ninth position in the 12-team league in Germany.
In the match played behind closed doors, Germany international, Ruwen Filus, started the day for TTC against Lev Katsman. From leading 2-0, Filus fell behind to allow the visitor to draw 2-2. But he employed his experience to get a decisive set 11: 6 and bring TTC in front 3-2 (11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 9-11, 11-6).
Fan Bo Meng failed to extend the lead in the duel against Rares Sipos and despite three tight sets, Meng lost 0: 3 (9-11, 10-12, 7-11) on points.
However, the most unequal duel of the day was between Quadri and Maksim Grebnev. Quadri had his problems, especially in the first and last set, but he showed his quality to win the tight duel 3-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11- 9) and bring the TTC back into the lead.
And in the fourth match involving Filus and Sipos, the experienced German proved to be the one with the stronger nerves.
"We knew it was a very, very important game for us. For me, it was two fighting games. Mentally, I had to throw everything into it and show a fighting spirit. I think I succeeded and that was the success," said TTC's match winner Filus after the game.
An excited Quadri described the win as crucial to his side, adding the team is hoping to win their home matches. "I am happy we returned with a win after over four weeks that I left the team due to the ITTF Restart tournament in China. I am really looking forward to our next home match," the Nigerian said.
The next game for the TTC is on Friday against TTC drawbridge Grenzau.


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Health News
E-Cigs May Help Smokers Kick the Habit
It's tough to kick the smoking habit, but electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) may help.
New Report Ranks US States for Healthiness
The United Health Foundation today released its annual state health rankings. The states varied widely, and some national measures of health saw slight improvements.
Smoking Rate Hit All-Time Low
Efforts to reduce smoking like public bans and media campaigns may be having an effect. The number of Americans who smoke may be smaller than it has ever been.
Quitting Smoking Improves Your Health
Some smokers worry about gaining weight after they quit. But new research found that the potential weight gain was well worth the long-term health benefits of quitting.
Millions of Medical Conditions Tied to Smoking
Many past studies have shown that smoking cigarettes is unhealthy and can cause illnesses like COPD and cancer. Now, a new study has highlighted the extent of these illnesses caused by tobacco.
Some Disagreed With WHO Report on E-Cigarettes
E-cigarettes are gaining popularity. But whether they are safer than conventional cigarettes is the subject of debate, even among experts.
E-Cigarettes May Not Help Cancer Patients Quit
Cancer patients trying to kick the smoking habit may reach for e-cigarettes — but do the devices help in the fight to avoid conventional cigarettes? Likely not, suggests a new study.
E-Cigarettes Could Prime Brain for Other Addictive Substances
As electronic cigarettes become more popular, the medical community is working to understand their health effects.
Teens May Be Trying E-Cigarettes First
Urging teens not to smoke has long been a concern for many parents, health experts and educators. Now, there may be a new factor in the struggle: e-cigarettes.
New Review Advocates for More Counseling to Help Smokers Quit
Finding the best way to quit smoking is not easy. But several treatments were associated with high quitting rates in a recent study.
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Welcome to Episode 7 of The James Finn Podcast. In this episode I tell a story from my travels. This story is my Mexico story in which I snuck away from a family vacation and almost got arrested in a Mexican town in the middle of the night. Enjoy!
To Learn More About What The Host Is Up To:
Blog: http://Jamesfinn.meYoutube: http://youtube.com/c/jamesfinnInstagram: @heyjamesfinn


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applestar wrote:The odd appearance is created by fused blossoms -- it looks like at least three, possibly 4th blossom in the center, were fused together -- you may have noticed the sunflower like giant blossom this fruit originated from. Underneath, you can see where the co-joined fruits tried to merge together... and failed... leaving odd gaps her and there and scars where they fused.
These cavities can become hiding places for bugs as well as fungal spores and especially in humid conditions can become a source of spoilage.
Also, typically, the fused blossoms did not mature at the same time so that the earliest blossom to be pollinated will develop a few days ahead of the latest pollinated, resulting in uneven ripening and sometimes spoilage if you wait for the entire lumpy fruit to ripen 100%.... But it looks like you picked this one before they had a chance to blush, so I'm not sure if you will see it ripen.
FWIW -- the candidate fruits for those official Giant Tomato contest that are held world-wide are usually varieties that have been selected for this kind of fused mega blossoms -- those can be as many as 8-10 fruits fused together.
What variety is this?


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Board of Trustees
Splitz Support Service has a Board of up to fifteen Trustees, and all need to be Splitz members. An audit is conducted every 2 years to ensure a diversity of skills, such as finance, analysis and evaluation, communications and media, and legal, which are essential to the delivery of Splitz' current strategic plan.
Trustees serve for a term of three years and may be appointed to serve for further terms. Trustee may serve a maximum of three 3-year terms, after which they must stand down. Appointment of the Trustees is by election at the Annual General Meeting. The Chair and officers are appointed by the Trustees from among their number. The Board convenes nine times each year and holds an additional strategic planning day.
On appointment each Trustee signs a code of conduct and completes a register of interests. The latter is renewed annually or when circumstances change. Trustees are given an induction pack that includes the Memorandum and Articles of Association, policies and procedures on issues such as delegation of authority, recruitment, equal opportunities, and conflict of interest, as well as other company and charity guidance leaflets. The induction pack contains role descriptions for Trustees and officers. New Trustees meet with the Chair and Executive Director and undertake an documented induction process.
The Trustees have delegated management of Splitz to the Executive Director who reports on performance against the Strategic and Operational Plans approved by the Trustees. Management Accounts are received quarterly by the Board and monthly by the Senior Management Team. The Operations Manager reports on performance against Project Plans and Contract Monitoring requirements. Project reports are received monthly by the Board and the Senior Management Team.
Supporting Committees
Finance. The Finance Sub-committee meets at least quarterly and is responsible for scrutinising financial matters, making recommendations on salaries for senior staff, and managing the charity's investments.
Risk. The Risk Sub-committee meets at least quarterly and is responsible for managing risks, approving key policies, and conducting compliance audits.
Working Groups. Additional task and finish working groups are convened as the need arises.