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Katy and I went to see the movie Courageous last week. This movie is very powerful and thought provoking. I am hoping that every father or husband that is able to see this movie, will go to see it. Yes, this is a faith based film. I know that might turn some folks off. Even if you are not someone who subscribes to a faith in Jesus Christ, I still believe that this movie is powerful enough to speak to your heart.
I believe that a family is made up of a man, woman and children. I believe that a marriage is made up of a man and woman. I believe that God ordained this into existence and despite the efforts of some, it is still the truth. I believe that children need both a father and a mother in that family. I believe that both roles are equally important. I believe that fathers and mothers are uniquely equipped to fulfill the role they are in. I believe that children need both fathers and mothers in that family actively engaged in their specific parenting role.
This movie points out some startling statistics. These statistics illuminate the fact that children who grow up in fatherless homes or absentee fathers are more likely to make poor life choices, and wind up in trouble when they become adults. The movie points out the fact that it is much easer to have children, than it is to be a real man, who engages his responsibilities as a father. That means that men need to be the spiritual leaders in their homes. So many of us guys have been taught, that once we provide a place to live and provide food for the family that our jobs are done.
It takes courage for a man to realize the need, his wife and children have of him, and to be responsible enough to provide that type of leadership in the home. I have been a father to four children and I can attest to the fact that it is not an easy job. Parenting requires courage, stamina and prayer. Parenting is not for the feint of heart. Parenting is a huge responsibility that can not, and should not be taken lightly. Parenting requires a life time commitment. Despite what some of us dad's may think, parenting does not end when the children turn 18 and strike it out on their own. In this economy, more and more children that are 18 to 25 are staying home because they can not afford to be on their own.
Depending on the type of earthly father that you have had in your formative years, you may, or may not be, better equipped to be the type of father and husband your family desperately needs. As I look back on my childhood I realize that while my father always provided for our physical needs he was absent spiritually and emotionally. I was not raised in a faith based home, nor did I receive the kind of solid foundation that would provide. As a father to my children, I have had to ignore how my father raised me, and I had to look for my own spiritual leaders and mentors from which to learn parenting skills from. James Dobson has been one of the resources that I have listened to over the years. The bible also speaks to the role of a father and mother in the home.
No matter our situation, or how bad our childhoods might have been, there is hope. Our hope rests in our faith in who Christ is in our lives. Our hope rests in the fact that we can undo the chains of sin in our lives, and we can look to a heavenly father that will forgive us of our sins, wash us off and give us a new purpose. Before we can be courageous as fathers and husbands in our homes, we need to quit playing games with God, and get down to business. Our vertical relationship with our creator needs some repair, before we can ever hope to get our horizontal relationships with others where they need to be.
I can hear some of you men reacting to this, as I write it. OH COME ON NOW MAN, who do you think you are talking to anyway? I do the best I can with what I have been given. I know you are thinking these thoughts, because I too have those thoughts. I do believe that most of us love our families, and want the very best for them. I also believe that we can be better fathers and husbands. I believe that our families NEED for us to be better than mediocre husbands and fathers, who are just sliding by. They need for us to love them, like Christ loves the church. They need for us to serve them selflessly and to be willing to sacrifice ourselves for them.
This is a challenge to YOU, fathers and husbands. Please join me and many other men who want to know how to be courageous. Watch the movie and let it speak to your heart. Use this movie as a tool in which to retool the most important relationships of your life. Your relationship with God, wife and children are the most important relationships you will ever have. I believe that you will find that your family will respond to you, in a positive way, as you renew your commitments to them to be the best husband and father that you can be.
Will you join me? How can we help each other? Tell me what you are doing today to be more courageous in your homes men.


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Animal, mineral or vegetable?greenspun.com : LUSENET : Unk's Troll-free Private Saloon : One Thread
The Straits Times March, 22, 2002
Fancy some meat from the tank?
American scientists have been able to make chunks of animal flesh grow in a vat of nutrients, say British reports
LONDON - The world has come closer to the day when meat can eventually be harvested from a tank, avoiding the slaughter of animals or fish, thanks to a scientific breakthrough.
American scientists have been able to make chunks of flesh grow bigger in a tank of nutrients, according to British press reports yesterday.
Pieces of fish immersed in nutrient-rich liquid extracted from the blood of unborn calves grew 14 per cent in a week, they found.
They looked and smelled like the real thing when fried in olive oil, lemon, garlic and pepper.
The experiment to grow meat from the muscle cell lines of various animals and fish was part of an attempt to make a simple source of nutritious food for long-distance space travellers.
On major missions, such as to Mars, astronauts can tire of freeze-dried or squeezy tubes of food so the scientists have been seeking ways of producing fresh food in-flight.
Nasa commissioned a team led by Professor Morris Benjaminson, head of the research team at Touro College, New York, to grow just the animals' edible muscle.
In the experiment, small chunks of muscle between 5 cm and 10 cm long were cut from large goldfish and washed in alcohol.
They were then placed in a vat of foetal bovine serum, extracted from the blood of cattle foetuses, which is commonly used as a medium for growing cell cultures.
After a week in the vat, the fish slices had grown by 14 per cent.
Dr Benjaminson then removed them and fried them before presenting them to his colleagues.
'We wanted to make sure it'd pass for something you could buy in the supermarket,' he said.
'They said it looked like fish and smelled like fish, though they didn't go as far as tasting it.'
They have been banned from tasting it until they receive approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The results, details of which are published in New Scientist magazine, are promising enough to suggest that similar methods might be used to grow large quantities of meat.
'This could save you having to slaughter animals for food,' Dr Benjaminson said.
He added that people might be reluctant to eat food grown in the serum, particularly because of worries about variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - the human form of mad-cow disease - and hoped to find a substitute.
He is experimenting with other growth factors, although an attempt to use liquid mushroom extract ended in failure. Once a suitable serum is found, he plans to try it out on chicken, beef and lamb.
Professor Colin Pillinger, who is leading the British Beagle II Mars lander project, told The Times: 'Fish mass grown in a nutrient broth sounds as unappealing as some of the other food astronauts take up with them, but these things have got to be explored.'
He also questioned whether the equipment needed to produce fish in this manner would be practical on board a spacecraft.
'I think it would be more appropriate when you have got a base set up on a planet. The sort of equipment you need for biotechnology is fragile,' he said. 'Who knows what would happen to it during the launch and the flight?'
-- (email@example.com), March 22, 2002
'This could save you having to slaughter animals for food,' Dr Benjaminson said.
The Judas-goat industry is strongly opposed.
-- (email@example.com), March 22, 2002.
what about the calf fetus, are they killed or harmed in the process?
humans are sick and evil
-- (firstname.lastname@example.com), March 22, 2002.
I work at Oscar Meyer. This would put me out of work. Wouldn't you rather be an Oscar Meyer weenie?
-- (ONE@one's.abattoir), March 22, 2002.
A steroid steak on a stick. I remain a Vegan.
-- (Petulant email@example.com), March 22, 2002.
This is a stupid idea. Killing the animals is half the fun.
-- (email@example.com), March 22, 2002.

subset: commoncrawl


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Tyra Top
Get ready for summer beach days in the Tyra Top by Peixoto. Made from a stripe terry cloth fabric, this top is perfect for days in the sand and sun.
- Sweetheart Neckline
- Neck and back ties
- Terry cloth fabric
- Hand Wash Cold
- Nylon / Elastane
- The model is wearing a size small.
- Find our size guide here.
Kariella wants you to be happy with anything you buy from us. If, for whatever reason you are not completely satisfied with your online purchase, you may return unworn merchandise in original condition with all tags attached for a refund within 21 days of purchase. Refunds will be made for the purchase amount less the shipping charges.
All items except clothing, swimwear and shoes are Final Sale. Sale merchandise is Final Sale. International orders are Final Sale at this time.
Email us at firstname.lastname@example.com or call 805-798-9331


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Ever since the father has been systematically removed and eliminated from the home during slavery, his role has been diminished as a leader, protector, and influence for his family.
There was a sinister plan to have the mother fulfill all of the roles of a two-parent household. Fathers were the hunters, gatherers, and providers, while the mothers were the nurturers…because of this, role strain developed.
With the father emotionally castrated from the family unit, the now-single mother has to be everything to her children, thus a culturally debilitating system of dysfunction was born.
Just take a look at the suicide and homicide rates in the Black community, and you will see that we are a people in crisis. Still further, just take a look at the rates of depression, bipolar & borderline personality disorders in our community, and you will see that our people, a historically faithful people, are now dying from spiritual hunger. Domestic violence and child molestation are two taboo topics that neither African Americans clergy are not willing to discuss openly and honestly, and as to why so many of us are living as "functional depressives." We don't talk about the pain and trauma that we experience. We fail to discuss what's on our minds. And it's destroying our families.
American families, especially the Black family is facing extinction because the spiritually-grounded non-materialistic African-American personality is facing extinction. Two spiritually unhealthy individuals cannot build a healthy family. With 5 out of 10 African American men behind bars, it's a crisis.
It's just like a functional alcoholic or functional drug addict…Despite the pain and trauma or addiction, they still function, but there is no health expression of feelings.
Christopher M. McNeil, MHS, QMHP, BS


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The Aftermath Of A Deal: How Viktor Stalberg Wound Up In Chicago
On June 20, 2010, the implosion of the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup championship roster began with a deal many fans frowned on and questioned immediately. Kris Versteeg was the first player dealt out of town, finding his way to Toronto that day in a five-player deal.
One of the players that came to Chicago in that trade was Viktor Stalberg. What has happened since? Let's take a look.
The full trade between Chicago and Toronto was Kris Versteeg and the rights to forward Billy Sweatt to Toronto for forwards Viktor Stalberg, Philippe Paradis and Chris DiDomenico.
Obviously Stalberg wasn't a fan favorite last year in Chicago (except for a small, largely female and under-the-age-of-25 population), and struggled to find a regular spot in the rotation.
Similarly, Versteeg didn't quite live up to expectations in Toronto. After posting only 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 53 games before, on Feb. 15 of last year, he was dealt to Philadelphia for two draft picks. Sweatt never signed with Toronto, and ultimately moved on.
Where is everyone now?
Stalberg has emerged this year as a top-six foward for the Hawks. His statistical explosion has come while skating on the team's top line with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, and he has already passed all of his previous career highs. On Monday, he was named one of the NHL's Three Stars for the Week of Jan. 8-15.
For Paradis, it was his second trade in a year since being selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the 2009 Draft. He is now in Rockford, where he has nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 31 games.
DiDomenico has bounced back and forth between the Hawks' ECHL affiliate in Toledo and Rockford, posting 23 total points in 33 combined games.
With Versteeg now having a good year in Florida, the Leafs were left with Philadelphia's first and third round picks in the 2011 Draft as compensation for Stalberg, Paradis and DiDomenico. Toronto GM Brian Burke used those selections on a good-looking defenseman Stuart Percy (selected 25th overall) and forward Josh Leivo (selected 86th overall).
After producing only 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in 27 games with the Flyers, Philadelphia received a 2012 or 2013 second round pick and San Jose's 2012 third round pick from Florida for Versteeg this past summer.
So at the end of the day, Versteeg was traded three times in less than 13 months for, in total, three players and four draft picks. He's worn four sweaters in the last 20 months, and has a ring for his efforts. And to date, the NHL impact from any of the deals has been in Chicago and, now, Florida.
This season, Versteeg leads the Panthers with 17 goals and 39 points with a $3.083M cap hit. Stalberg has 14 goals and 28 points for the Blackhawks while boasting a cap hit of under $900k.


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April World Holidays
(Click on Link for more information)
"Liberation Day is a Portuguese public holiday celebrated every April 25th, commemorating the overthrow on that day, in 1974, of the dictatorial Estado Novo (New State) fascist government. The holiday is also sometimes called "Freedom Day" or "Liberty Day"."
"Liberation Day is a celebration of the coming of freedom and the end of dictatorship in Portugal. There are many events to attend, especially in the Algarve region at Portugal's southern tip."
"Most Portuguese celebrate Liberation Day with street parties, festive family meals, and feasting on traditional Portuguese foods. The street parties may also show patriotic films, like The Capitans of April and have comedic acts and live folk music performances."
This past November 2018 I took part in the Nibvember 2018 Challenge. Day 27 prompt was Lettering and I came up with the design below. It's easy to see where my inspiration came from as I'd participated in the A to Z Challenge in 2016. So, feeling the call to try once again for A To Z Challenge 2019, I decided to sign up for this years using this design as my inspiration.
My theme for 2019 A to Z Challenge is:
April World Holidays from A to Z


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Read next
In the instant after the Big Bang, the only thing in the universe that existed was a hot plasma soup full of subatomic particles.
But to study that ancient plasma, you don't have to travel back in time billions of years to the Big Bang itself — just go out to Long Island, New York, where there's a gigantic particle collider.
Scientists like Stephen Hawking sometimes say particle colliders are the closest things we have to time machines, partly because they can recreate conditions present shortly after the Big Bang.
New York's "time machine" is called RHIC — short for Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and pronounced "Rick" — and it's part of the Department of Energy-sponsored Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. Built in 2000 for $616 million and now valued at about $2 billion, it's job is to make quark-gluon plasma soup. And it's the only device in the US that can do this.
Keep scrolling to see how the device works, how it's helping physicists solve the mysteries of the early universe, and why its future operation may be in danger.


text: BullGuard Internet Security achieves maximum score for protection from AV-TEST labs "Passes all tests with flying colours" thanks to cutting-edge protection against the latest threats London, 11th April 2013: BullGuard, a leader in user-friendly internet and mobile security solutions for consumers, has been recognised again for its class-leading protection after receiving the AV-TEST CERTIFIED award from AV-TEST labs for its excellent performance in the latest product review. In testing a total of 26 consumer internet security products for the Windows 8 operating system, BullGuard Internet Security 2013 beat 24 of them with its combined scores for protection, performance and usability to finish in second place. AV-TEST is a leading independent international service provider for IT Security and anti-virus research, and is dedicated towards providing customers with detailed information on the latest malware, along with the products that receive the very best scores for protection. Andreas Marx, CEO of AV-TEST commented:"The year 2013 starts very well for BullGuard – on Windows 8, Internet Security received the best possible score in the 'Protection' category and excellent results for 'Performance' and 'Usability.' In short, it passed all tests with flying colours." The categories tested include: PROTECTION: To guard against malware infections(such as viruses, worms or Trojan Horses), 0-day malware attacks, inclusive of web and e-mail threats (Real World Testing), widespread and prevalent malware discovered in the last 4 weeks (the AV-TEST reference set). BullGuard score: the maximum 6/6. PERFORMANCE:The average impact of the security product on the speed of the computer in daily use. BullGuard score: an impressive 5 out of 6 USABILITY:Disruptions caused by false positives and false warning messages. BullGuard score: 5.5 out of 6. BullGuard Internet Security 2013 uses cutting-edge behavioural protection to detect new viruses based on how they act on a computer. Combined with signature-based detection for known threats, this helped it to score a perfect 100% for both protection against 0-day malware attacks, inclusive of web and e-mail threats, and detection of widespread and prevalent malware discovered in the last 4 weeks. Its safe browsing tools also reported zero false warnings or blockages when visiting websites. "BullGuard, both the product and the company, are deeply defined by providing uncompromising protection balanced with the best user experience available. That translates as continuously fine-tuned behavioural engines, an intuitive interface, low impact on system resources and a keen desire to make the web a safer place for all users," said BullGuard Head of Product Management, Alex Balan. "Our goal is to ensure that absolutely no threat can harm the user's system or data and it's a real thrill to see our core values confirmed by the independent testers as well as our user base." Alongside this class-leading protection, BullGuard Internet Security customers benefit from a range of additional tools including 5GB of free online backup, a vulnerability scanner, parental controls, PC Tune-up tools and free 24/7 support, making it one of the most comprehensive security suites on the market. For more information visit BullGuard. -ENDS- More information: Press Contact Sarah Chard The PR Room Ltd Tel: 0845 094 2902 Mobile: 07779 584 799 firstname.lastname@example.com About BullGuard: Launched in 2002, BullGuard is one of the fastest growing internet and mobile antivirus brands. Today, its product portfolio also includes award-winning PC and mobile backup software solutions. BullGuard's philosophy has always remained the same - to combine technical excellence with a genuine understanding of consumer needs, creating simple, easy to use products that deliver complete protection as well as enabling customers to control and manage their digital footprint. For two consecutive years (January 2012 and 2013), BullGuard Internet Security has won a coveted "Best Buy" award from Which?. BullGuard Internet Security comes with an award-winning Antivirus program, Parental Control and Online Backup for your most valued files and precious photos.


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How much time do company employees spend with PowerPoint?
What eats up the largest amount of time when using PowerPoint?
To what extent do PowerPoint presentations strengthen brand communication?
Presenting and conveying information – that's the basic goal when creating presentations. An employee spends an average of 20 working hours every month using PowerPoint. But which tasks eat up the largest amount of time? How do users go about creating presentations and what role does brand communication play? A study carried out by GfK on behalf of empower® focused on the use of PowerPoint in business environments revealed a number of surprising findings.
Presentations don't just convey information; they also communicate the company's brand through corporate design. 40 percent of the time that people spend using PowerPoint is dedicated to formatting. That's an average of 8 hours every month, and a large portion of this time is actually spent repeating the same work done on the previous presentation, and the one before that, and the one before that, and so on. An automation potential of 34 percent is hidden there, time that could be freed up for other tasks.
Employees spend an awful lot of time formatting – but does each detail of the presentation actually reflect the official corporate design? The results of the PowerPoint Study show why this often isn't the case! When people (mis)use PowerPoint, they don't just lose time that they could use more effectively for other tasks, they also degrade brand communication.
The PowerPoint study carried out by GfK is the most comprehensive study on the use of PowerPoint in a business environment. More than 1,000 office workers in companies from different industries – such as, for example, finance, manufacturing, and professional service providers – contributed to the online survey.
The study covers the following topics:
The study includes not only an overview of common PowerPoint skill levels, but also potential solutions to increase efficiency.
In addition to the PowerPoint study, empower® asked companies in a global user survey, to what extent potential automation could actually be exploited with the help of the PowerPoint add-in empower® slides. The survey showed that users of empower® slides reduced the amount of time spent on PowerPoint, while significantly increasing presentations' conformity with companies' corporate design.
You can find more information on how you can exploit the automation potential of PowerPoint here.


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Thursday, July 6, 2017
Reverse Confetti May Release - Day 2
30 comments:
I like your sparkly card!! The rounded top confetti cuts are on my wish list; so creative to make a door!!ReplyDelete
such a SWEET shaker card!ReplyDelete
Perfect Princess card!ReplyDelete
Lovely card, just love the magenta color and the paper used as background with the rounded door!ReplyDelete
What an adorable card. I love the paper piecing on your princess.ReplyDelete
Oh so pretty in pink! Love it.ReplyDelete
using the pierced die cuts as a shaker is a great idea!ReplyDelete
Wow love the pink and it a shaker tooReplyDelete
I love your princess shaker and I love the PINK!ReplyDelete
Your card is truly fit for a princess! The shaker elements you chose are just perfect.ReplyDelete
I love the color choices and I LOVE the little shaker aspect with the beautiful stars!ReplyDelete
Love this fun shaker card!ReplyDelete
Ooooh, I love shakers, I love sparkle, I love pink!ReplyDelete
This is just so pretty. :-)
This is just precious!ReplyDelete
Have a wonderful day,
Migdalia Rodriguez
Every princess should be pink! Love the background.ReplyDelete
Love how you can make a bower with the dies.ReplyDelete
Darling card.
thanks for sharing.
So pretty!! Love the pink.ReplyDelete
such a sweet card!ReplyDelete
She is so pretty in pink!ReplyDelete
Oh I love shaker card and this is a pretty one!ReplyDelete
Darling shaker card! Love the Pierced Round Top Layers dies!ReplyDelete
Adorable princess shaker--love the shape of the shaker.ReplyDelete
The perfect card for a princess! Just precious.ReplyDelete
Another great release and great ideas. Super cute critters and characters. So pretty in pink. LOVE IT!ReplyDelete
Pretty pink princess! Oh my, I love your card-it's the absolute perfect princess card! Thanks for the inspiration!ReplyDelete
Super cute Princess card! Love how you created a shaker card!ReplyDelete
Now I HAVE to buy the paper pad. Perfect for your card. Just love every choice you made for the Princess. TFSReplyDelete
Love your sweet card!ReplyDelete
Great way to use the rounded top die.ReplyDelete
Any little one who loves princesses would be thrilled to get this card in the mail! It is cute!ReplyDelete


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Lanterna na Dolcu
Try our excellent wines. Take a bottle cork as a memory of our restaurant.
We enjoyed in very good service, kindnes and excellent food. I am sure I will repeat this nice experience. I hope i'll come again and I am sure I will choose some other food from very large proposed spectrum. All my friends, some of them from other countries, were very satisfied and they promised to come again.
This restaraunt is realy inspiring, genuine experience if you want to feel unique spirit of Zagreb. Dishes are tasty,creative, modern with tuch of Croatian traditional food from the 19th Century. Ingreadians are fresh and home-made from nearby Dolac Market. Place is coasy and warm, simple but tasty decorated.


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From an early age I thought I wasn't really good at anything. I was ok at a few things but didn't excel at anything in particular. I wasn't very athletic and I hated gym class. Those days in school when we were forced to play team sports were terrifying. I remember the boys getting annoyed with me when we played softball in Junior High. I would try to disappear in the outfield and prayed that the ball didn't come near me. I wasn't comfortable with my body or my ability to play softball. I grew up in a family with women who weren't into sports; it was so not my thing.
I did go to camps as a kid and we were summer people in my family so I was a decent swimmer. At 9 years old, I was on a swim team. While I was pretty fast around non-competitive swimmers, I would usually come in close to last at swim meets. Around the same age, I tried out gymnastics and horseback riding. Again, I was ok at these things, but not exceptional.
As I got older, I continued to feel that I was just ok at things, but there was nothing at which I felt I excelled. When I was finally diagnosed with depression, I was frustrated that I didn't, at least, have some artistic ability along with my illness. Many of my friends who were suffering in my support group were amazing at drawing, or incredibly artistic. Yet, again I felt like I fell short. I liked crafting, I could decorate a room, but nothing spectacular.
At some point I began to realize that it's ok if I'm not "great" at one thing and that I tend to downplay the things I am good at. People tell I'm great at decorating, I get mistaken for a BodyCombat instructor in my classes and I always beat my sister when we race in the pool. Oh, and I raised two pretty awesome daughters; mostly on my own while dealing with my own depression and my daughter's mood disorder.
Do we have to have an amazing skill or talent to be valuable and worthy? We are so much more than what we're good at or what we do.
If you're feeling like you're not good enough, try these strategies:
Start by making the decision to change your inner dialogue. We have the power to tell ourselves we are good enough and determine our self-worth. Regardless of what we do, it's what we tell ourselves on an ongoing basis that forms our own self-view.
Recognize the positive. Often we dismiss the things that come easy to us and don't accept praise and recognition for those things. I've noticed this in so many women, including myself. My mother could juggle taking care of two kids on her own, working three jobs and catering a party, but since it was easy for her, she didn't see how amazing she was. We may be more used to accepting criticism and don't even see our own accomplishments.
Let go of perfection. Oh, perfection, is there really such a thing? This one was hard for me. For years I thought if I couldn't do something perfectly I wasn't good enough. That fear paralyzed me and kept me from moving forward. By letting go of the pressure to be perfect, we let go of that anxiety and are free to try different things.
If you hear that voice that tells you "I'm not good enough," ignore it, you are!


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Search as a Wedge to Influence & Corrupt Other Markets
Search can be used as a wedge in a variety of ways. Most are perhaps poorly understood by the media and market regulators.
Woot! Check Out Our Bundling Discounts
When Google Checkout rolled out, it was free. Not only was it free, but it came with a badge that appears near AdWords ads to make the ads stand out. That boosts ad clickthrough rates, which feeds into ad quality score & acts as a discount for advertisers who used Google Checkout. If you did not use Google's bundled services you were stuck paying above market rates to compete with those who accepted Google's bundling discounts.
And there is no conspiracy theory to the above bundling. Here is a video on how quality score works & this Google Checkout page states it plain as day
And all the while Google was doing the above bundling (as they still are to this day) they were also lobbying in Australia about Paypal's dominant market position. eBay (which owns Paypal) is one of Google's 5 largest advertisers.
This Brand is Your Brand, This Brand is My Brand
Companies spend billions of Dollars every year building their trademarked brands. But if they don't pay Google for existing brand equity then Google sells access to that stream of branded traffic to competitors, even though internal Google studies have shown it causes confusion in the marketplace.
The Right to Copy
Copyright protects the value of content. To increase the cost of maintaining that value, DoubleClick and AdSense fund a lot of copy and paste publishing, even of the automated variety. Sure you can hide your content behind a paywall, but if Google is paying people to steal it and wrap it in ads how do you have legal recourse if those people live in a country which doesn't respect copyright?
You can see how LOOSE Google's AdSense standards are when it comes to things like copyright and trademarks by searching for something like "bulk PageRank checker" and seeing how many sites that violate Google's TOS multiple ways are built on cybersquatted domain names that contain the word "PageRank" in them. There are also sites dedicated to turning Youtube videos into MP3's which are monetized via AdSense.
Universal Youtube Search
Google bought Youtube and then swiftly rolled out universal search, which dramatically increased the exposure of Youtube. Only recent heat & regulatory review has caused Google to add more prominent links to competing services, nearly a half-decade later.
A Unit of Obscurity
Knol was pushed as a way to revolutionize how people share information online. But it went nowhere. Why? Google got caught with their hand in the cookie jar, so they couldn't force the market to eat it.
Scrape You Very Much
Philosophically Google believes in (and delivers regular sermons about) an open web where companies should compete on the merit of their products. And yet when Google enters a new vertical they *require* you to let them use your content against you. If you want to opt out of competing against yourself Google say that is fine, but the only way they will allow you to opt out is if you block them from indexing your content & kill your search traffic.
"Google has also advised that if we want to stop content from appearing on Google Places we would have to reduce/stop Google's ability to scan the TripAdvisor site," said Kaufer "Needless to say, this would have a significant impact on TripAdvisor's ranking on natural search queries through Google and, as such, we are not blocking Google from scanning our site."
From a public relations standpoint & a legal perspective I don't think it is a good idea for Google to deliver all-or-nothing ultimatums. Ultimately that could cause people in positions of power to view their acts as a collection which have to be justified on the whole, rather than on an individual basis.
Lucky for publishers, technology does allow them to skirt Google's suggestions. If I ran an industry-leading review site and wanted to opt out of Google's all-or-nothing scrape job scam, my approach would be to selectively post certain types of content. Some of it would be behind a registration wall, some of it would be publicly accessible in iframes, and maybe just a sliver of it is fully accessible to Google. That way Google indexes your site (and you still rank for the core industry keywords), but they can't scrape the parts you don't want them to. Of course that means losing out on some longtail search traffic (as the hidden content is invisible to search engines), but it is better than the alternatives of killing all search traffic or giving away the farm.
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Geometric Silk Scarf
3 interest-free payments of $58.33 with
Sleek, sophisticated and with an understated glamour, our Geometric Silk Scarf is a must-have for elevating your everyday wardrobe or finishing formal looks.
Handcrafted from Italian pure silk twill, this timeless accessory is an instant classic, featuring a simply elegant geometric design that will complement a variety of personal styles.
The fabric is soft and feather-light, finished with finely rolled hand-stitched edges. Arriving in an Aspinal presentation box, it makes a beautiful gift for yourself or a friend.
Discover the full range of raffia bags and geometric silk scarves showcased in our Resort Collection.
- Length: 35.5 inches / Width: 35.5 inches
- Hand-crafted in Italy
- Geometric design
- Italian pure silk twill
- Hand-rolled and stitched edges
- Arrives in an Aspinal presentation box
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Soho Square Studios are fully open and continue to be the creative audio hub that we have always been. We want to assure you, our clients, that we continue working with health and safety at the heart of our priorities and have been fully certified as a COVID-secure premises.
We have always enjoyed the advantage of our fully isolated Studios for our talent, and the separation of our vocal rooms to our control rooms now prove to have even greater benefits for the protection of us all.
We have remained working throughout these times both in-house and remotely with talent and producers, and can offer our additional service of a remote mobile Pro Tools rig for Voice records and ADR.
Please take a look below at our walk through video and see how artists can enter and work in the Studios safely and securely.
We look forward to seeing you!


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This week is pretty much about the same as last week, but the bathroom is done!!! and I love it. On Friday we had a paintstik play day in Studio B, unfortunately I didn't get pictures, again. I did take some pictures of a thrift store find that Thea shared. A bag full of hand embroidered blocks from early in the 1900's. They came with the story that they were done by a teenager in a tuberculosis hospital.
There were a lot of them, all different, all snowflake patterns and Thea is trying to decide what to do with them.
The Weekly Leaf
This weeks leaf was done with textile paint on a gelli plate, covered with part of a large stencil.
Week #32
Daily Stitching updates
Line Dance #218-#224
The Daily Paper #146-#152
Linked to "Off the Wall Friday"
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
A rerun
Labels: daily stitching project, The Weekly Leaf
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text: The MTS extension is used by files saved in the Advanced Video Coding High Definition (AVCHD) format. MTS are multimedia files based on the MPEG-2 Transport Stream container which is used for multiplexing video, audio and other streams. The AVCHD format supports resolutions of up to 1080i. The Advanced Video Coding High Definition technology was established by Sony in conjunction with Panasonic in 2006 to be used with their high-definition camcorders. Later, Sanyo, Canon and JVC also adopted it. Besides video and audio content, the AVCHD format also includes media presentation features such as subtitles, menus and slide shows. How to open MTS files MTS files can be opened with a wide range of media players on all major operating systems. They can also be viewed with Sony, JVC, Panasonic, Canon and Sanyo camcorders and opened with the software sold with each camera.


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Salt Air Ventures Charters
United States
North Carolina
PO Box 51 Morehead City
Latitude: 34.724267
Longitude: -76.735481
(252) 725-1725
Communication language
Salt Air Ventures offers Morehead City NC Fishing Charters & North Carolina Duck Hunting. Salt Air Ventures runs the most productive fishing charters & duck hunting trips and offers services to Morehead City, Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, Beaufort, and Pine Knoll Shores. Captain Stewart Merritt has 10 years of experience running Moorhead City Fishing Charters and Duck Hunting Trips and is a long time commercial fisherman. He's coast guard licensed and insured and safety always comes first on his trips. Captain Stewart knows the fishing & hunting grounds very well and spends hours on the water to ensure his guests success on the day of their trip. My Morehead City charter fishing boat will take you to some of the best fishing North Carolina has to offer. I run Morehead City fishing charter is the Spring, Summer, and Fall Fishing Seasons. Salt Air Ventures operates a 23' Sea Ox Center Console powered by a 200 HP Yamaha Outboard Motor.
My Morehead City Charter Fishing Trips will get you hooked up with Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, Red Drum and Cobia. We also offer Grouper Fishing, Snapper Fishing, Sea Bass Fishing, Bluefish, and Flounder Fishing Trips. I offer half day Morehead City Fishing Trips & Full Day Morehead City Fishing Charters. Captain Stewart Merritt is a professional full time charter fishing captain. Salt Air Ventures is Family owned & operated. Stewart grew up on this coastline, so he knows where all the best fishing spots are. The Captain has extensive fishing experience, knowledge of the waters that surround Morehead City and the best equipment to make your charter fishing trip a dream come true. You can be assured that when you charter fish with Salt Air Ventures based out of Morehead City, NC you will be provided the best tackle and the freshest bait. My Morehead City fishing trips are family friendly so bring the kids.
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ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Oakland Raiders have signed fourth-round draft pick CB Isaiah Johnson, the club announced Thursday.
Johnson was selected 129th overall by the Raiders in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was a four-year letterman at Houston, appearing in 45 games at Houston from 2015-18. After joining the Cougars as a wide receiver his freshman year, Johnson converted to cornerback following his sophomore season and appeared in 23 games and made 15 starts over his final two seasons, totaling 115 tackles (88 solo), four interceptions and 16 passes defensed.
In 2018, the 6-foot-2, 208-pounder started 10 games, totaling 66 tackles (50), two interceptions and a team-leading seven passes defensed. Before converting to cornerback, the native of Bryan, Texas, played in 22 contests and totaled 21 receptions for 208 yards (9.9 avg.) over his first two seasons as a wide receiver with the squad.


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I totally had the most amazing night.
Saturday night, I shut down the laptop and went to bed by 1am. I was too tired to read or write – having been up since 7:30am. Cue 5am; still awake – haven't slept. Have tried Shivanata [in body and mentally while lying down], meditating, reiki, counting stars and got no-where.
Panicpanicpanic. Not breathing. Chest compression. Suffocation.
Do Not Likey. –whines-
So, yesterday afternoon [after 4.5 hours of nightmare-filled-sleep] my friend came round. We walked to the local Harvester and shared a drink. We discussed self-employment, the housing market, moving abroad, New Zealand, self-sufficiency, how mental-Cambodia looks like Vietnam, paypal systems, tax returns, accountancy and even waitressing.
We walked back to my house and held a Reiki share. First, she lay down and I, having not practised for over a month, was forced to let my intuition guide [rather than following step-by-step instructions].
This was brilliant, as I tend to get caught up in instructions and miss key intuitions.
We did our Reiki I and II together – where I could barely scan her body- not feeling a thing [feeling a foooool, to be honest]. Yesterday? Results!
Not only did I sense the differences in her energy, but when she gave me a treatment, I could really feel it strongly.
So good to be connected with my body.
[Note: I spent the morning reading Hiro's playbook for Sovereignty Kindergarten, so was on the look-out for connection].
Launching a Sales Page
And last night – despite a bit of writer's block, I wrote some novel AND I had the most amazing insights into my habits and ways I could support myself and others. I blame the Reiki.
I spent 4 HOURS writing up a sales page- from scratch. I now have three headings of services I know I can offer – two from a distance and one in person that I can hopefully meld into a distance-service.
Now I need to work out the money side because, though I will continue to volunteer for free, my VPA asked for:
Pluses (We don't have to have these things but we'd really like them)
It would be amazing if you gave me some form of foundation for supporting myself financially. Even if I couldn't see how at the time. Perhaps you will lead to opportunities in a years time that then give me income. If I could gain substantial income from you. From loving you.
That possibility is here. So why not take it?
Enter the monster, stage-right.
(Note: Havi of FluentSelf talks about what monsters are and how to treat them with love.)
Today's monster is the same one as usual. Today, however, I'm in a safe space. Let's take out my slinky-summer notepad, where I've written to my monsters before (as part of the Shmorian Thing-Finding-Course).
In June I sat down with the workbook and I wrote an introduction speech to my monsters:
Rose: "I'd like to hear your views on my projects. Is there anything you need in order to support me?"
Today, I have a set of answers.
Some Doubts Surface
Monster: "You're copying."
Rose: "Any new idea is unlikely to be truly new. However, what I put into it is unique to me."
Monster: "What can you really give? You're a fraud."
Rose: "How so?"
Monster: "You're just a kid. You never finish what you start, you're only doing this out of fear – you want a back-door in case you fail your degree; and you're going to fail at the back-door which makes you so beyond useless."
Rose: -deep breath-"Ouch. Okay. So you don't want me to try this "back-door" because it'll prove I'm a failure in EVERYTHING; compared to just my degree? I think we need to go into more detail. Right now, however, I'm feeling a bit hurt."
Monster: "Can't you see you set yourself up for failure so often that you now expect it? And it's no surprise to everyone else, either. And now you expect it – you're not surprised. Failure should hurt – else how will you ever succeed?!"
Rose: "I'm not sure how to answer that. Can we put a system in place where we wait until Toozday, when we find out the results, before getting too hung-up on the issue of failing the degree."
Monster: "Your friends got the letter saying they passed already."
Rose: "I live further away, and the post office isn't the most reliable system. Plus, they may mark the exams in batches. I can't change my results now anyway, and will survive doing re-sits if I need to. Can we go back to the issue of this back-door failing? Is there anything we could do to minimise that?"
Monster: "People will be disappointed in your work. Want their money back. Dislike you. Those who you copied the idea from will hate you."
Rose: "What if I write a blog post which will link from the sales page – explaining how my services will differ from other products – and be incredibly concise on how it's all from my heart; not meant to be hard-and-fast facts?"
Monster: "Hmm.. that would minimize the disturbance I guess."
Rose: "And I could explain that I've seen X and Y and felt I could add Z to the mix; explain that I've been looking for the perfect transport for this gift, and have been inspired by X and Y. Giving the people credit would likely minimize stepping on/stealing their tiny, sweet thing."
Monster: "Yes."
Rose: "Anyone contacting me can voice their opinion, and I can express understanding, apologise that they feel that way, and then we could work together to find a compromise. If I post this conversation on that post and link to my email address at the bottom – then we can keep communication channels open and hopefully avoid hurting anyone."
Monster: "That's much better. I'm happier with the plan now. Though I still don't think you'll finish."
Rose: "Okay, that's allowed. I can set boundaries on a maximum number of clients fledglings at a time – set apart spaciously. I still need to sort out the whole tax-claim/setting up the paypal buttons anyway – which gives me time to refine the plans."
Monster: "What if someone brings out their version of your product while you're stalling? Waiting around for the tax issues- someone else could steal your audience and then you can't publish your idea because they'll think you're copying them!"
Rose: "Okay, that's a valid point. How about I put a brief outline here; posted now – and maybe show a trusted friend my sales page – so I have that witness-protection via visibility."
Monster: "Hmm. Yes, okay. Who to trust though?"
Rose: "Someone who has been here: Elizabeth or Josiane maybe. Perhaps someone I trust to give me honest feedback: like Robin or Sonja."
Monster: "Okay. You have my support."
Rose: "Thank you. I understand you just want to help keep me motivated and safe. Let's keep in touch."
Monster: "If we must."
The Credits
Keeping the word to said monster is important. Thus:
+My email address is a.celestial.rose[at]gmail[dot]com
+My currently-planned services list )with brief outline as to why it's unique to me) includes:
– Supportive Inspiration / Silver Lining Cards
- Art, letters, postcards, poetry, quotes specific to you- includes small accomplishments that no-one else would think to congratulate you on.
– You are Not a Salmon
- Afternoon tea + Session of Reiki/tarot + brainstorming chance, based on Buddhism+Psychology+NLP+ShivaNata
– Tarot Reading
- 3-card
- 5-card
- 10-card
- 11-card
- 16-card [coming later than other services]
+ All of the above will be done to the best of my ability; from the heart and will of wanting to support you.
+My maximum number of clients per month should be nine.
Thanks go to Elizabeth Halt for inspiring the perfect transport for the Silver Lining service. I wish I'd thought of it.
In Light,


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Auto Show Outsiders Seek Rebirth
DETROIT — In early 2010, General Motors kicked its Saab brand to the curb as part of its postbankruptcy reorganization.
And that was, literally, where Saab showed up at this week's Detroit auto show, showing off a half dozen models outside the convention hall on a concrete terrace across the street.
The display was sprinkled first with artificial snow, before getting a solid coating of the real thing when a storm blew in Tuesday afternoon.
Saab, now owned by a Dutch carmaker, was among a cadre of brands conspicuously absent from the Cobo Center after being discarded during the shakeout of the American auto industry. Some, including Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Mercury, were nowhere to be found, having been sent to the scrap heap as General Motors and Ford streamlined operations.
Several others — Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover, all of which were sold off by Ford — remained but without the protective cover of their former parent's exhibit. Mazda, too, was on its own after Ford divested most of its stake in the Japanese brand.
Much of the North American International Auto Show here has been focused on big companies trying to become even bigger. Chrysler's chief executive, Sergio Marchionne, said six million in annual sales was the ideal size for an automaker, and Volkswagen made no secret of its ambition to become the largest car company in the world.
But at the same time, the small brands seeking rejuvenation under new owners were also trying to not be overlooked — even when relegated to the sidelines.
"Saab was perceived to have died with old G.M.," Victor Muller, the chairman of Saab's new Dutch parent, Spyker Cars, said. "People mentioned Saab in the same breath as Hummer, Pontiac and Saturn. But in fact we were the company that got away."
Saab survived, but its position is the most tenuous of the orphaned brands, particularly in comparison to its fellow Swede, Volvo. Volvo's sales in the United States were down 12 percent, to 53,948, but Saab's were down 37 percent, to just 5,445.
At Volvo, now owned by the Chinese carmaker Geely, it was "so far so good," said Jesse Toprak, vice president for industry trends and insight at TrueCar.com, a Web site that tracks industry sales and pricing. Mr. Toprak said Saab's future is cloudier but holds promise.
"It's got a cult following," he said. "There's good potential for them to build the volume back with a couple of new products."
Saab has several new models coming soon, including a redesigned 9-3 sedan that Mr. Muller calls the first "Saab Saab" in many years. It also plans to begin an advertising campaign next month aimed at convincing consumers that it is still alive and plans to stay that way.
"The buyer needs this confirmation that he's not an insensible person if he actually buys a Saab," Mr. Muller said.
Mr. Muller said Saab had a rough go in 2010 because G.M. had shut down its factory; restarting production and in some cases reopening dealers took months. But he said the brand can become profitable in 2012, by increasing global sales to 80,000 this year and 120,000 next year — ambitious goals from last year's total of 31,696.
Volvo, which swung to profitability in the first quarter of 2010, also revealed plans for a big marketing splash. Its chief executive, Stefan Jacoby — a German in charge of a Swedish brand owned by the Chinese — said the company would spend more money on advertising in the first quarter than it did in all of 2010. Ford sharply cut back on its promotion of Volvo before completing the sale to Geely last August.
On Tuesday, Volvo made the unusual move of unveiling a crumpled C30 electric hatchback to demonstrate its crashworthiness. Mr. Jacoby said Volvo intended to capitalize on its reputation for building safe vehicles by focusing on that aspect of the C30 as it brings a test fleet to the United States later this year.
Mr. Jacoby said Geely has given Volvo more autonomy and is not taking an active role in the company's operations to avoid squandering its positive attributes.
"They are very much aware they need to maintain Volvo as a premium brand," Mr. Jacoby said.
To be sure, executives at the brands that were cut loose say they have benefited from being able to make their own decisions rather than being constrained by an often distant parent. But the flip side is less ability to weather lengthy unprofitable periods.
"You control your own destiny, but you're also more accountable for yourself," said Stuart Schorr, a spokesman for Jaguar and Land Rover, which Ford sold to an Indian company, Tata Motors, in 2008. "It's emboldened the whole organization."
Together, Jaguar and Land Rover, which lost money for years under Ford, have been profitable for three consecutive quarters.
G.M. and Ford have said they had little choice but to unload brands that were not central to their business. Those that were affected are often missed for nostalgic reasons, but not when it comes to the bottom line.
"I think we're down to a size that's much more manageable," Stephen J. Girsky, a G.M. vice chairman, said. "I think it's the evolution of the company to lose some of these brands."


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Questions to Ask About Liver Cancer
It's important to have honest, open discussions with your cancer care team. They want to answer all of your questions, so that you can make informed treatment and life decisions. Here are some questions to consider:
When you're told you have liver cancer
- What kind of liver cancer do I have?
- Has the cancer spread beyond my liver?
- What is the stage of my cancer?
- How well is my liver working?
- Will I need other tests before we can decide on treatment?
- Will I need to see other doctors or health professionals?
- If I'm concerned about the costs and insurance coverage for my diagnosis and treatment, who can help me?
When deciding on a treatment plan
- What are my treatment choices?
- What do you recommend and why?
- How much experience do you have treating this type of cancer?
- What is the goal of the treatment?
- Can the cancer be removed with surgery?
- Will I need a liver transplant?
- Should I get a second opinion? How do I do that? Can you recommend a doctor or cancer center?
- What risks or side effects should I expect? How long are they likely to last?
- How quickly do we need to decide on treatment?
- Should I think about taking part in a clinical trial?
- How soon do I need to start treatment?
- What should I do to be ready for treatment?
- How long will treatment last? What will it be like? Where will it be done?
- Will treatment affect my daily activities?
- What will we do if the treatment doesn't work or if the cancer comes back?
During treatment
Once treatment begins, you'll need to know what to expect and what to look for. Not all of these questions may apply to you, but asking the ones that do may be helpful.
- How will we know if the treatment is working?
- Is there anything I can do to help manage side effects?
- What symptoms or side effects should I tell you about right away?
- How can I reach you on nights, holidays, or weekends?
- Do I need to change what I eat during treatment?
- Are there any limits on what I can do?
- Will my treatment affect my daily activities?
- Can I exercise during treatment? If so, what can I do, and how often?
- Can you suggest a mental health professional I can see if I start to feel overwhelmed, depressed, or distressed?
- What if I need social support during treatment because my family lives far away?
After treatment
- Will I need a special diet after treatment?
- Are there limits on what I can do?
- What symptoms should I watch for?
- What kind of exercise can I do now?
- How often will I need to have follow-up exams and tests?
- How will we know if the cancer has come back? What should I watch for?
- What will my options be if the cancer comes back?
- What type of follow-up will I need after treatment?
In addition to these examples, you might want to write down some of your own. For instance, you might want more information about recovery times.
Last Revised: April 1, 2019
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.


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As expected, Christian Lacroix stepped in to add a touch of color and whimsy to a predominantly dark, stark season.
Contrasting solids were played up to the max. Yellow, lime-green and bubblegum-pink turtlenecks were surefire attention grabbers when paired with sorbet furs trimmed with dangling miniature tails and flashy stockings. Lacroix's jackets were reversed and shown over narrow tapestry trousers; a red square-spangled trench shimmered in the light, while a long, black suede dress with studded leather insets and long streamers brought to mind hard-core chic.
At times, however, Lacroix's flights of fancy strayed off compass, and his runway became a hypnotic jumble of sequins, patchwork, ruffles and color-drenched prints that competed simultaneously for attention.


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Our Congratulations
We are proud of our providers' accomplishments and admire their dedication to advancing the health and wellness of local residents.
In addition to leading busy professional and personal lives, we acknowledge their efforts in helping improve care throughout our health care system and within our communities.
While the healthcare provider awards listed below vary, they demonstrate each provider's commitment to their profession. With appreciation, we honor each of them for their perseverance, skill, and expertise.
Cooley Dickinson Medical Staff Awards
Doctors at Cooley Dickinson are supported and encouraged to excel. The Physician Excellence Award is awarded to the Cooley Dickinson provider who has achieved significant improvement in clinical outcomes.
2018– Adam Lau, MD, Inpatient Behavioral Health
2017 – Geoffrey Zucker, MD, Gastroeterology
2016 – Wayne Hioe, MD, Hospitalist Medicine
2015 – Holly Michaelson, MD, General Surgery
The Medical Staff Teamwork Award is given to the physician who demonstrates a highly developed ability to bring teams of clinicians together to improve patient care.
2015 – Helena McCracken, MD, Hospitalist Medicine
The Advanced Practice Clinician Excellence Award is given to those who demonstrate a strong ability to work with physicians and hospital staff to create quality outcomes and improve care.
2018 – Emily Baecher, PA-C, Critical Care
2017 – James Bartus, PA, Emergency Medicine
2016 – Jennifer Lesperance, NP, Hospitalist Medicine
2015 – Matthew Lawrence, NP, Critical Care Medicine
Massachusetts Medical Society – Community Clinician of the Year Award
Although we have several healthcare provider awards, the Community Clinician of the Year award recognizes providers who have made "significant contributions to patients AND the community." Listed below are recipients of the Hampshire District Medical Society Community Clinician of the Year Award:
Marianna Marguglio, MD
William Swiggard, MD
Robert M. Abrams, MD
Katherine J. Atkinson, MD
Deborah E. Smith, MD
Theodore K. Selkirk, Jr., MD
Paul S. Baecher, MD
Geoffrey M. Zucker, MD
For the complete list of recipients or to learn more about the Massachusetts Medical Society, visit their website.
William E. Dwyer Award
The William E. Dwyer Award for Distinguished Community Service is awarded annually to an individual who demonstrates loyalty, leadership, and dedication to improving the health of the community.
2018 – Sanford Belden
2015 – Geoffrey M. Zucker, MD
Paragon Awards
The Paragon Awards celebrate those who have gone above and beyond in making significant and lasting contributions in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the Pioneer Valley. The awards were given on behalf of A Positive Place.
Partners in Excellence Awards
The Partners in Excellence Awards are given annually to recognize employees for their outstanding contributions to Partner HealthCare's mission.
James Most, MD, Hospitalist Medicine
Annemarie Heath, CNM, Medical Director for Midwifery
Chalice Santorelli, NP, Northampton Family Medicine


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Political masquerade
On March 27, 2014 the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution declaring Crimea's referendum on independence illegal. Ten countries, including Armenia, Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Nicaragua, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Zimbabwe and Belarus, supported Russia. Today it is the first official, albeit indirectly (through a vote in the United Nations) recognition of Crimea's referendum by the official Minsk. At the same time, the government of Belarus did not make a public statement on recognition of the referendum.
UN General Assembly Resolution is advisory in nature, but despite the fact that it shows first of all the position of the U.S. and the EU, in any case Russia will treat it seriously, as this document represents a certain geopolitical solitude of the Russian Federation, although Russian MFA is vehemently refuting this thesis. But the fact is that not all countries, which are traditionally friendly to Moscow, went on such diplomatic test in order to save friendly relations with Russia. Among the abstentions were China, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and, very importantly, Kazakhstan.
It is worth noting that Azerbaijan was among the countries that supported the resolution. This is understandable, taking into account the problem of Nagorno -Karabakh. Belgium was also in this list, as the country is teetering on the verge of collapse in two communities. Spain with Great Britain voted for the resolution too.
One may state that very quickly the resolution will become an integral component of a complex series of internal political crises, associated with separatism in a number of EU countries (Spain, Italy, UK, etc.). It is worth recalling that Moscow considers Crimean referendum logical continuation of the Kosovo precedent.
Geopolitical context
No doubt, the result of a vote in the United Nations General Assembly has geopolitical character. The world has returned to the old geopolitical rivalry twenty years after the end of the "Cold War". We are talking about the natural boundaries, spheres of influence, straits, transport corridors, strategic places of arras and etc. It seems that everything has returned to almost the same point of the confrontation, which was defined in 1914.
Of course, we cannot compare the killing of Sashko Beliy and Archduke Franz Ferdinand, but there is no doubt that that the elimination of one of the leaders of the Ukrainian "Right sector" opens the prospect of a tough fight within the ruling political coalition in Kiev.
The impending struggle for power should be developed on the background of three very complex and contradictory processes, each of which may eventually deal a fatal blow to Ukrainian statehood: a severe economic crisis, the struggle between Kiev and regions, and the presidential campaign.
Maidan is a specific political stopper of modern Ukrainian democracy. In fact Maidan is controlling the power in the country and periodically reminds the Verkhovna Rada "who is the boss in the country". Maidan is an "employer" of the government and allows A. Yatsenyuk to maneuver within well-defined corridors:
- The search for external sponsors, negotiations with International Monetary Fund;
- Dialogue with Russia (primarily economic issues);
- The return of the Crimea;
- Political stability in the country.
If Maidan is dissatisfied with the actions of the Verkhovna Rada and the Government, it immediately responds to the calls of "Right sector" and goes to break down the door to the government building, like on March 27, in order to demonstrate that "Right sector" is the basis of modern ruling group. The problem is that "Right sector" represents only force component and includes only ideological and nationalist fighters. It includes no professional politicians. But "Right sector" is perceived by the Ukrainian people as revolutionaries and the driving force of the revolution.
Political background of the Ukrainian presidential election reflects the already new political market of the country, where there is no pro-Russian vector. In particular, speaking on the congress of her party on March 29 Yulia Tymoshenko has announced that she "would return the Crimea". This is not just demagogic campaign rhetoric, but a rule, regulation or restriction for the election campaign. All participants of the Ukrainian political market should take tough anti-Russian position, demanding Moscow the return of the Crimea. Other political forces, that support the dialogue with Moscow, will be considered outcasts by default.
Russia categorically rejects this ideological trend. It is believed that Russia protected the people in the Crimea from Ukrainian nationalists and the inevitable ethnic cleansing.
Moscow does not see in modern Ukraine real politicians, who are able to agree and ready to reach a compromise. The Russian leadership believes that is impossible to negotiate with Tymoshenko, Turchynov, Yatsenyuk, Yarosh.
Moscow does not participate in a political dialogue with Kiev. But it is worth noting that Kiev has also blocked a real dialogue with Moscow and set a hard prerequisite – return of the Crimea.
However, official Minsk has found a window of opportunity on the background of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis...
Political foray
The first meeting between acting President of Ukraine Alexander Turchynov and one of the leaders of the Customs Union - President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko took place on March 29. It is worth noting that the Ukrainian-Belarusian summit was prepared like a typical special operation with minimal information about it. But just after the meeting Belarusian media tried to make the summit a truly "historical" in nature. Alexander Lukashenko was immediately presented as a peacemaker of global scale.
By the way, Alexander Lukashenko's interview with Ukrainian program "Shuster Live" ahead of the summit was very controversial. In fact, the Belarusian President has used the Ukrainian media space as an information tool in order to get a special position within the Russian- Ukrainian crisis.
Nevertheless, the interview was the only real source, which allowed to know the role and intentions of Minsk in the Russian - Ukrainian conflict.
It is interesting that in the course of the interview the Belarusian president tried to "dismiss" his mediation in the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. On the one hand, Alexander Lukashenko apparently took into account the depth of the chasm, that separated these two Eastern European countries ("I do not think there will be any radical events and the relations between Putin and Turchinov will improve" - A. Lukashenko). On the other hand, Lukashenko's appearance in the Ukrainian information field was a kind of mediation itself without any obligations towards Russia.
In an interview with Ukrainian TV program Alexander Lukashenko took into account that he was talking with the country which has finally made its geopolitical choice - signed the Association agreement with the EU and was lost forever for the Eurasian integration. Talking to Kiev, Alexander Lukashenko actually tested a new channel of the dialogue with Brussels. He tried to use Ukraine in order to test the policy of balancing of Belarus between the two unions - European and Eurasian. It is worth noting that the considerable part of the Belarusian political class and the population support the policy of balancing, as it allows receiving dividends both from the East and the West. Ukrainian intrigue of Alexander Lukashenko is simple - ensuring his power in Minsk.
On the basis of the aforesaid task, the starting positions to determine the actual position of Alexander Lukashenko in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis are quite transparent and based on the fact that Minsk recognized the government in Kiev: "After all, we are neighbors. And the main value is the people of Ukraine and the people of Belarus. There should be no break-up here. You should talk even with the devil for the sake of preventing the worst from happening" (A. Lukashenko).
In general, the Union State of Belarus and Russia has a classic paradox: one part of the Union State recognizes the official Kiev, and the other does not recognize the authority of Banderovites in Ukraine. But Alexander Lukashenko does not care, as he faces his own very pragmatic goals:
- A. Lukashenko should be close and necessary "friend" to Kiev, it means and to West too. This will help him to protect the power from the influence and pressure from the U.S., the European Union, as well as revolutionary activists in Kiev.
That's why the Belarusian president even sympathized with Ukrainians that they "did not have time" to join NATO as it would help to save the Crimea as part of the republic: "Here I agree with you that today the vast majority of Ukrainian citizens believe that it is an attempt to take their territory and sovereignty. And further movement in this direction is an aggression. All Ukrainians will think in such a way..."
- At the same time, in general Alexander Lukashenko does not support accession of the Crimea to Russia. He believes that the risks exceed the dividends received. Moreover, he is afraid that as a result of the "Crimean campaign" Ukraine may join NATO.
- Alexander Lukashenko really needs united, pro-Western Ukraine, which will not join the Eurasian integration. If Ukraine starts to divide, then Russia will have to invest in the economy of "fragments" of Ukraine and open its market for East Ukrainian goods.
- On the basis of the above-mentioned priority, A. Lukashenko refuses to support the Russian-speaking population of East and South-east of Ukraine. Moreover, Alexander Lukashenko spoke against the idea of federalism, keeping in mind primarily his own country (west of Belarus): "Moreover, I am categorically against all federations! Complete idiocy!"
- Lukashenko is afraid of a military scenario of Russian - Ukrainian confrontation. He understands that the Republic of Belarus will be involved in the conflict beyond his will and the country will have to choose the side. It is clear that in this situation all the hopes for the revival of the balancing policy will disappear. In this case, the question arises: will Alexander Lukashenko be able to keep his power in the midst of conflict? Hence the calls to Kiev to accept the loss of Crimea ("De facto, this is territory of Russia"). Lukashenko does not want escalation of the conflict and uses all his microscopic foreign policy forces to prevent the war.
If a war to start tomorrow …
This position of Alexander Lukashenko, which was clearly contrary to the policy of Moscow, was comfortable for the official Kiev and formed the ideological basis of the Belarusian- Ukrainian summit. It is clear that Kiev is not very concerned about Lukashenko's hopes to establish political communication with Brussels through Ukraine. Turchynov met with the Belarusian president not to ask him to organize a dialogue with Moscow. Kiev was interested in the issue of war and peace.
Alexander Turchynov visited the Gomel region to get the assurances that Russia would not come to the aid of the Russian population of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Lugansk and other regions. It is striking that A. Lukashenko gave such guarantees to Ukraine (as if he is Chief of the Russian Armed Forces), and A. Turchynov sincerely thanked the Belarusian president for that: "I am very thankful to Alexander Lukashenko for the warmth and sincerity of the conversation. The view of the Belarus president, the Republic of Belarus itself is very important for us such as the fact that no aggression, including a third-country aggression will come from the Belarusian side against Ukraine".
This fact is worth special attention. In fact, the Belarusian president has replaced the president of Russia, spoke for him, decided the Russian foreign policy, took over the leadership of the Russian armed forces and, at the same time, left a considerable part of the Russian population of the East and South- East of Ukraine without protection.
Of course, the Kremlin did not authorize Alexander Lukashenko to make such steps. In this case the Belarusian president is not even a mediator, he is just in the way, claiming to be Vladimir Putin.
U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet again in Geneva on Monday, March 31. Agenda of the meeting is the same: Ukraine. It is unlikely that they will remember the strange political masquerade in Gomel.
А. Suzdaltsev, Moscow, 30.03.14


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Alasdair Jackson elected to national metal recycling body
Recycling Lives- a major scrap metal recycler- has been given the opportunity to have its' voice heard in the industry, as Operations Director Alasdair Jackson has been elected to the board of the British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA).
Following recent retirements of some board members of the BMRA, Alasdair put himself forward for one of the vacant positions. Happily, he was elected by the existing board members as a representative of medium sized companies in the metals recycling sector. He will serve a three year term on the board.
The BMRA is a trade association representing the £5.6b UK metal recycling industry. It aims to promote the interests of its 340 member companies, who process 95 percent of the scrap metal in the UK, and the wider sector by:
- providing an effective voice for the metals recycling industry in the UK
- influencing European & UK legislation
- promoting the sector to policymakers, customers, suppliers and others
- assisting members to understand and respond to changing market conditions, legislation and regulation
Alasdair will be responsible for attending BMRA board meetings, taking part in sub-committees on all aspects of recycling, and helping to set policy and focus for the next three years. Speaking about the appointment, Alasdair said:
"My election to the BMRA board means I will be able to help shape the future of the recycling industry and, therefore, that of Recycling Lives. It is important that we have a voice in this fast moving industry. I need to make sure the voice of the medium-sized recyclers is heard. There are lots of imminent changes due on legislation and we must make sure that we influence the law makers so that those changes are not simply pushed through without debate."
The appointment is further proof that Recycling Lives is a major part of the UK metal recycling industry. We recycle a wide range of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, both from commercial and domestic customers, in addition to end of life vehicles. Our main metal buying service is at our central processing site, RLRP, on Longridge Road, Preston. However, our head office in Preston city centre and our network of 'spoke' sites are also able to buy metal. One such 'spoke' site is shared with Chorley Council, at their Bengal street site.
Following the ban on cash payments for scrap which came in force in 2013, Recycling Lives has established an innovative Trade Card system. The Trade Card acts much like a debit card, using chip-and-pin technology and allowing the user to withdraw cash from an ATM or pay directly from the card. Money becomes available within an hour, quicker than the alternative options of bank transfer or cheque.
So, if you have scrap metal to sell, don't hesitate to bring it to one of our sites– our innovative payment system and competitive prices will make the process easy and profitable.


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Posted on Feb 17, 2020
India is often referred to as the land of temples and many of these temples are renowned globally for their vibrant history and architecture. One of the most fascinating examples of the exquisite temples of India is the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is known for its magnitude and distinct form of architecture.
Below are some of the fascinating facts about the temple:
The Srirangam temple dedicated to Lord Ranganatha, the resting form of Lord Vishnu, is the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world. The temple is built across an area of 157 acres, with more than fifty smaller shrines in the temple complex. You can also witness shopping complexes, residential buildings within the temple complex. In fact, the temple is so huge that it is like a city in itself.
Built using the style of architecture, the temple complex boasts of 21 towers or Gopurams that rise majestically to the sky. It is also adorned with 800 inscriptions that offer insights into the religious and social influences during the medieval era. A unique feature of Srirangam Temple architecture is the eight-pillared monolithic sculptures of leaping animals with riders on their backs.
The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple has seven prakarams (enclosures). These enclosures are formed by thick and huge rampart walls that run along the sanctum. There are 21 magnificent towers in all prakarams, providing a unique sight to visitors. The space within the outer two prakarams (outer courtyard) is occupied by several shops selling temple-related goods.
The temple complex of Lord Ranganatha houses the largest mandapam (hall) for Garuda. The temple has two hundred beautifully carved pillars and is the most artistic mandapam in the temple. There is a free-standing shrine in the center of the hall, which contains a large seated statue of Garuda.
The town of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple has over 800 inscriptions, of which almost 640 are on temple walls and monuments. These inscriptions give insights into the various religious and social influences during the medieval era. The archaeological evidence states that the inscriptions belong to the Indian dynasties of Chola, Pandya, Hoysala, and Vijayanagara.
The walls of the temple complex are decorated with beautiful paintings using herbal and vegetable colors. They provide insights into the culture and tradition that was practiced in that period. The high-end techniques used in these paintings have guaranteed its long life and it is a challenge to recreate them today.
Throughout the year, the temple holds several festivals. Out of 365 days a year, 322 days are filled with festivals at the Srirangam temple. The 21-day annual celebration of the temple is one of the must-visit festivals in South India and draws more than 1 million tourists every year.
These were some of the incredible facts about Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. Travel to the abode of Lord Ranganatha, Srirangam temple, to witness the splendor of the temple and breathe in its tranquil and spiritual atmosphere!


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DALLAS – For one year, the Transportation Security Administration has refused to say how a man managed to get around a security checkpoint and on a plane at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
It was called a bad romance that broke through security barriers.
Last July, Damarias Cockerham of Garland managed to move around the security checkpoint at gate D-16 and board a plane to confront his girlfriend who was leaving him.
Cockerham is seen walking up to an unused and unguarded metal detector that had a cloth security belt in front. Cockerham simply moved the belt and walked through the metal detector and blended in with everyone else who had gone through screening.
Seconds later he's seen walking down the jetway where he boarded the plane without a ticket. A gate agent is seen chasing him, then getting off the plane… then going back and eventually escorting Cockerham off the plane. The agent walks Cockerham to the general public area and manages to stall until police arrive — 14 minutes after breaching security.
Neither the TSA nor DFW Airport has commented on the incident.


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BEIJING - Wednesday, December 23rd 2015 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Samruk-Kazyna, the sovereign wealth fund of the Republic of Kazakhstan, today announced memorandums of understanding and agreements for five projects totaling US$4bn around the 3d meeting of the Kazakhstan-China Business Council (KCBC).
The agreements reached at the KCBC demonstrate the deepening relationship between Kazakh and Chinese business, the two nations at the heart of the New Silk Road. Attended by more than 350 representatives from governments and business of both countries, the event included key note remarks from Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Karim Massimov, Samruk-Kazyna's CEO Umirzak Shukeyev.
Key announcements at the KCBC meeting include:
Agreement between KazMunayGas and Sinopec in oil exploration and production, petrochemicals, engineering and renewable energy
Agreement between Kazakhstan's national atomic company, Kazatomprom, and China General Nuclear Power for design and construction of a plant for the production of fuel assemblies in Kazakhstan and the joint development of uranium deposits in Kazakhstan
Agreement between Kazakhstelecom and China Telecom to roll out fiber optic communications lines rural Kazakhstan
"We are here to showcase the partnership and investment opportunities open to Chinese firms as our countries seek to develop the New Silk Road. Successful partnership between our two nations will drive growth, development and stability for the future," said Dr. Umirzak Shukeyev, Chairman of Samruk-Kazyna. "This Council is not only a platform for public and private partnerships, but a forum for the exchange of experiences and ideas that can grow our economies."
Panel sessions at the meeting detailed investment opportunities in Kazakhstan, ongoing public asset privatization efforts in the country, Samruk-Kazyna's Transformation Program, and infrastructure, innovation & logistics. There was also a session dedicated to the Green Economy and Sustainable Development, led by Expo2017 which will be hosted in Astana.
About Samruk-Kazyna
Samruk-Kazyna is the catalyst for the modernisation, diversification and growth of Kazakhstan's economy. Founded in 2008, the Fund manages a diversified portfolio of leading companies and national development institutions including Air Astana, FC Astana and Kazakhtelecom. The Fund is currently leading a Transformation Program to improve the management and productivity of its existing assets in an effort to help Kazakhstan in its goal to become one of the top 30 developed countries in the world by 2050.
Ms. Aliya Sandybaeva, Department of Public Relations of "Samruk-Kazyna":
+7-7172-554-114, +7-777-777-72-89
Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/16691/en


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We sat down with a number of consultants across all levels of the business, so you can hear their story.
Here's our next 60 second interview with Tom Collin, Senior Consultant - Projects & Programmes...
Q: What university did you attend, and what was your degree?
A: I attended the University of West England, gaining a First Class degree in Business Studies. I originally wanted to get into finance, however I soon learnt about the career opportunities that the recruitment industry offered.
Q: How long have you been working at La Fosse?
A: I've been here for 5 and a half years, joining the company in August 2011 (at which point the company was still considered a "start-up"!)
Q: What has been your favourite thing about working at La Fosse?
A: I had never given recruitment that much thought prior to joining La Fosse, but after I interviewed I realised this was definitely somewhere I could build a career.
Five and a half years in, there's a lot I've come to enjoy at La Fosse. Particularly, I really enjoy working in a high-performing environment with like-minded people; our co-owned structure means that we're all building this business together.
Finally, I've also truly enjoyed watching the organisation grow from 20 employees when I started, to over 150 employees today and expand internationally into the United States. Despite having significantly increased in size, the company culture has remained, which I think is brilliant.
Q: What's your story at La Fosse so far?
A:When I joined, I started off as an associate on the Client Services Team where I developed a good grounding of business development, sales and client relationships. This invaluable experience gave me the foundations I needed to progress into a 360 delivery role. After speaking with my manager, I decided to move into the Perm Division, starting the Projects & Programmes desk. Three years on, I now manage a team of 4 and head up the Practice, within the Permanent Market.
Moving forward, I'm really excited to see our function continue to grow, and help my team members develop into experts within their market verticals.
Q: What do you like to do when you're not working? Do you have any hobbies?
A: I really enjoy anything sport related, having played a lot of rugby and football as I grew up. I'm also a big Tottenham Hotspur fan and try to go to as many games as I can. Above all, when I have the opportunity, I like to travel outside the country to as many new places as possible.
If you would like to find out more about working at La Fosse click here or Contact Karina Oluwo at firstname.lastname@example.com


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10 Warning Signs of Computer Trouble
Computer problems come in all shapes and sizes (laptops, tablets, etc.). The cause may be software or hardware-related, and often a combination of both. Either way, when a computer at your company or home is on the blink, your business suffers from lost sales, unproductive employees, and missed opportunities. At Murphy Designs, we specialize in computer repair, we are well aware of the problems you may encounter and how to fix them.
Here's a quick look at some of the most common issues you're likely to face with your computers that aren't functioning as they should. We'll also share the most important steps you can take to improve the overall health of your technology.
Know the Signs and Symptoms of a Sick Computer
If you find yourself asking the following questions, chances are your computer needs some more work that may be deeper than a quick fix.
- Your computer is slow, freezes or crashes (these are the most obvious ones)
- You aren't able do something you were able to do before
- You are noticing an unusual amount of pop-up windows
- You have created work-a-rounds for something that's not working right
- You don't know the status of your current backup situation
- You don't have current Microsoft security-related updates
- You don't have current virus definitions
- You aren't sure if you have a firewall in place
- Printing is inconsistent
- Sending or receiving emails is inconsistent
The main question now is how you keep them from happening again? There is one important step you can take to maintain the health of your technology infrastructure: Perform preventive maintenance on a regular basis by a company that specializes in complete computer maintenance.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, Jaimie Murphy
- Web |
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Jason Weigel (a.k.a. Notchboy) is embarking on a comprehensive detailing project on his low-mileage, all-original and already nearly perfect '63 sunroof Notchback. He started a video blog thread on thesamba.com so we can follow along on his progress.
You can follow the thread here.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
In order to form a more perfect Notchback
Posted by Scott at 10:07 AM No comments:
Labels: restoration
Saturday, October 17, 2009
VW 1500: der große Personenwagen
Similar to another scale model that I wrote about a couple of years ago, this bus model carries an ad for the VW 1500. I'd like to think that ads like this were all over the streets in West Germany in the early '60s. Are models like this based on documentary photos of street scenes?
[image swiped from an eBay auction]
Posted by Scott at 5:52 PM No comments:
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Factory-style key tags
Jeff Grant (a.k.a. "Anchovy" on thesamba.com) has started offering these cool reproduction aluminum key tags stamped to order with your VIN for just $12.
When VWs were originally delivered the keys came with an identifying tag like this. Our '65 Squareback's keys still had their original tag—lucky for us, as most were discarded by the original owners. Though the tags became increasingly thin and more crudely stamped as the years went on, the '58 tag Jeff modeled his reproduction on was cut in a nicely rounded shape from heavy-gauge aluminum.
It's the perfect key fob for your set of original keys. Go here to order yours.
When VWs were originally delivered the keys came with an identifying tag like this. Our '65 Squareback's keys still had their original tag—lucky for us, as most were discarded by the original owners. Though the tags became increasingly thin and more crudely stamped as the years went on, the '58 tag Jeff modeled his reproduction on was cut in a nicely rounded shape from heavy-gauge aluminum.
It's the perfect key fob for your set of original keys. Go here to order yours.
Posted by Scott at 12:50 PM 2 comments:
Labels: reproduction parts
Saturday, October 10, 2009
'41 Tatra joyride
A couple of weeks ago Jonny Lieberman sent me a text message from the back seat of a Tatra T87. He had gone to a meeting of the local Citroen club and met Paul Greenstein, owner of many interesting and unusual cars including the T87, and he said I needed to drop everything and head over to Echo Park right away to see it. About 10 minutes later I was standing in front of Paul's immaculately restored 1941 Tatra, which recently returned to Los Angeles from the Czech Republic, where it was on display in the Tatra Museum. Incredible car—larger than you might think from photographs, the black teardrop coachwork with its central fin and three headlights suggesting some sort of art deco Batmobile from an alternate future. Paul asked if we wanted to go for a ride, and we were like...yeah!
Here's Jonny's cameraphone shot from the back seat as we made our way around the Silver Lake reservoir. The T87 felt right at home on the neighborhood's twisting 1920s hillside streets, the suspension surprisingly well-sprung and smooth for a nearly 70-year-old car. The rear-mounted aircooled V8 had a deep, throaty burble, not the VW-like clatter that I would have expected. Probably the most remarkable thing about the drive was that nobody on the street seemed to give the car a second look. No double-takes for a Tatra? Are we Angelenos really that jaded? Apparently so.
You can read the full story of Paul's T87 on Mike Bumbeck's great site Clunkbucket.
Thanks Paul and Jonny!
Posted by Scott at 9:50 AM No comments:
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Car and Driver on the VW 1500 gray market
How did so many VW Type 3s find their way to the United States before the VW 1600s were officially introduced to the American market in the fall of 1965? Conventional wisdom says that the cars were brought over individually from Germany by servicemen and tourists, or brought over the border from Canada, where the 1500s were available from their introduction in 1961. While there's no doubt that many 1500s found their way here through those channels, there was also a more formalized gray market supplying 1500s to the U.S. market in the early '60s. There were companies that acted as semi-official importers, supplying dealers with nearly new "used" Type 3s outfitted with sealed-beam headlights, MPH speedometers, etc. This allowed even authorized VW dealers to sell Type 3s years before they were officially imported (as seen here and here). VWoA tolerated the gray market, though when speaking on the record they were against it.
This great article from the April 1964 issue of Car and Driver on VW's reasons for not bringing the VW 1500 to the American market explains how these gray market importers brought VW 1500s into the U.S., including how they set up special "Americanizing" factories in Germany just to prepare 1500s for export. The article posits that VW didn't interfere with the gray market because it was actually a profitable way to sell more cars here indirectly without upsetting the official balance of trade between Germany and the U.S. If VW had increased its export volume by expanding its range of models in the U.S. it could potentially have lead to trade sanctions—after all, a trade dispute between Germany and the U.S. just a few years earlier resulted in the U.S. government slapping a retaliatory $257 tariff on all German trucks, including VWs. The gray market was actually a win/win/win for VW, the gray market importers, and American consumers.
Walter Henry Nelson's Small Wonder and the February 1964 issue of Mechanix Illustrated magazine are other good sources for information on the VW gray and black markets that were thriving in the early 1960s.
Posted by Scott at 11:52 AM 1 comment:
Labels: press
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The power of a woman's mystic
Reader comment on item: Affirmative Action in Beauty Contests?
Submitted by Zenobia (United States), May 18, 2010 at 10:27
@ John W McGinley (United States), May 17, 2010 at 09:48
John wrote: "I will say, however, that a number of the pictures posted exhibited a charming and endearing modesty in these matters. The feminine mystique cannot obtain without modesty."
Beautifully said, John. And if a 'feminist' has a problem with it she missed the point of a woman's power.
Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".
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Showing posts from 2016
Finished - Simplicity 8084, for Frocktails
Finished - Ooh lalalalalalalalala leggings
Finished - a great little mini, with fickle stripes
Finished - the Kate tank, version 3.0, with a side of refashioning
Finished - Wilma in Manning LIberty fleece
Finished - Style Arc Simone AND McCalls 6696
Finished - Vogue 1548 - the DVF wrap in luscious merino!
Finished - a scant Simplicity 1366
Finished - statement sleeves and stripes
A most snuggly hug from Auntie Esme
A heap of Hemlocks! And thoughts on forward shoulders and listening to your mother.
Finished - the last dress of summer
Fly avoidance. Or Finished! Another pair of Maritime shorts
From the ashes - Nani Iro partially self-drafted tank
Finished - simple vintage chambray.
2015 - Brought to you by the colour blue, the number 37 and a whole lotta stripes.....
Finished - the Super Ninja Jumpsuit or M7099 (plus bonus dress!)
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Finished - the queue jumping Marianne
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