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XanthaLeanRegular price
Helps manage your weight without caffeine, using brown seaweed and pomegranate seed extracts.
Xanthalean helps manage weight loss by:
- Helping to decrease fat cell production
- Helping to decrease the expression of adipogenic genes
- Helping to increase metabolism
- Helping reduce white adipose tissue
- Helping reduce secretion of triglycerides
Xanthalean can be useful for those struggling to meet their weight loss goals or looking to boost their weight loss results.
XanthaLean NPN 80056617
Herbal Magic's XanthaLean has been formulated to help support weight management, along with a calorie reduced diet and physical activity. XanthaLean is comprised of the Xanthigen® proprietary blend which contains brown seaweed extract providing fucoxanthin, and pomegranate seed oil providing punicic acid.
Xanthalean helps manage weight loss by helping to decrease fat cell production, helping to decrease the expression of adipogenic genes, helping to increase metabolism, helping reduce white adipose tissue and helping reduce secretion of triglycerides.
This formula also provides antioxidant benefits. As fat cells are able store toxins1, these chemicals are released throughout the body upon lipolysis. Therefore weight loss can lead to increased circulating concentrations of toxic pollutants.2,3,4Antioxidants are required to help quench these toxins and reduce damage to surrounding environments.5,6
- Primary Use: Complements your Herbal Magic weight management program which includes a calorie reduced diet and regular activity.
- Secondary Use: Provides antioxidants.
Research Suggests
Xanthigen® has been clinically tested to support healthy weight management and fat metabolism. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 151 women following an 1800 calorie per day diet, participants were randomly assigned to receive Xanthigen®, fucoxanthin, pomegranate seed oil or olive oil (placebo) for 16 weeks. Results demonstrated that those in the Xanthigen® group had an average weight loss of 14.5 pounds compared to 3 pounds in the placebo group. Xanthigen® also supported healthy hepatic fat metabolism, healthy triglyceride levels and healthy C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.7,8,9
Research also shows that fucoxanthin and punicic acid in combination help better suppress adipocyte differentiation and lipid accumulation via multiple pathways, than either alone. Xanthigen®, a combination of both active ingredients, helps suppress accumulation of lipid droplets in adipocytes compared to its individual components.10
Brown Seaweed (Fucoxanthin)
The brown seaweed extract in this product is rich in fucoxanthin, a type of carotenoid (a class of natural pigments found in brown seaweed) antioxidant that protects cells and tissues from damaging effects of free radicals. Fucoxanthin has demonstrated slimming properties by reducing fat storage11,12,13 It is also a source of omega-3 fatty acids which have recognized triglyceride lowering effects. 14
Fucoxanthin has shown weight loss properties by increasing energy expenditure and promoting fat burning within fat cells, by upregulating mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1).1 UCP1 expression is known as a significant component of whole body energy expenditure and its dysfunction contributes to the development of obesity. 15,16Fucoxanthin is also known for its anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-angiogenic and anti-malarial activities, and its protective effects on the liver, blood vessels of the brain, bones, skin, and eyes.17
Pomegranate (Punicic Acid)
Pomegranate seed contains the active nutrient ingredient punicic acid, which is known to have several health benefits, including high antioxidant capacity, anti-inflamatory, antitumor, immunomodulatory, anti-atherosclerotic and serum lipid-lowering activities.15,17,18 Pucinic Acid is derived from pomegranate seed and supports epidermal tissue regeneration, boosts the immune system and displays chemopreventative activity against hormone related (prostate and breast) and colon cancers.15 Punicic Acid has also been shown to suppress the production and secretion of triglycerides and apolipoproteins.19
Research shows that Punicic Acid can help reduce triglycerides in hyperlipidemic adults and create a favorable HDL: TG ratio20, decrease fat accumulation synergistically in adipocytes cultures21 and modulate genes facilitating insulin and glucose metabolism in muscle cultures and inhibited pro-inflammatory genes.22
Adults aged 19+: 1 softgel 3x/day, 15-30 minutes before each meal.
Consult a healthcare practitioner prior to use if you are pregnant or breast feeding.
Consult a health care practitioner prior to use if you are diabetic.
Medicinal Ingredients (per softgel):
Xanthigen® Proprietary Blend ................... 200 mg
- Brown Seaweed extract (200:1) (Undaria pinnatifida) ................100 mg (20,000 mg crude)
Standardized to 0.85% Fucoxanthin
- Pomegranate seed oil extract (110:1) (Punica granatum)................100 mg (11,000 mg crude)
Standardized to 70% Punicic acid
Gelatin, glycerin, purified water, olive oil.
- Non-GMO
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
1 Elobeid MA, Padilla MA, Brock DW, Ruden DM, Allison DB. Endocrine disruptors and obesity: an examination of selected persistent organic pollutants in the NHANES 1999-2002 data. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2010 July 7(7):2988-3005.
2 Hue O, Marcotte J, Berrigan F, Simoneau M, Doré J, Marceau P, Marceau S, Tremblay A, Teasdale N. Increased plasma levels of toxic pollutants accompanying weight loss induced by hypocaloric diet or by bariatric surgery. Obes Surg. 2006 September 16(9):1145-54.
3 Charlier C, Desaive C, Plomteux G. Human exposure to endocrine disrupters: consequences of gastroplasty on plasma concentration of toxic pollutants. nt J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2002 November ;26(11):1465-8.
Clinical Toxicology Laboratory, University Hospital, Liege, Belgium.
4 Lim JS, Son HK, Park SK, Jacobs DR Jr, Lee DH. Int J Obes (Lond). Inverse associations between long-term weight change and serum concentrations of persistent organic pollutants.2011;35(5):744-7.
5 Fang YZ, Yang S, Wu G. Free radicals, antioxidants, and nutrition. Nutrition. 2002 Oct;18(10):872-9.
6 Uttara B, Singh AV, Zamboni P, Mahajan R. Oxidative Stress and Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Review of Upstream and Downstream Antioxidant Therapeutic Options. Current Neuropharmacology. 2009;7(1):65-74.
7 Abidov, M., Siefulla, R., & Ramazanov, Z. (2008). The effect of Xanthigen™, a phytomedicine containing fucoxanthin and pomegranate seed oil, on body weight and liver fat, serum triglycerides, C-reactive protein, and plasma aminotransferases in obese non-diabetic female volunteers: a double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial. Submitted for publication. Int J Obesity.
8 Abidov, M., & Roshen, S. (2008). Effect of Fucoxanthin and Xanthigen™, a phytomedicine containing fucoxanthin and pomegranate seed oil, on energy expenditure rate in obese non-diabetic female volunteers with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial. Submitted for publication. Int J Obesity.
9 Abidov, M., Ramazanov, Z., Seifulla, R., & Grachev, S. (2010). The effects of Xanthigen™ in the weight management of obese premenopausal women with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease and normal liver fat. Diabetes, obesity and metabolism, 12(1), 72-81.
10 Ching-Shu Lai et al. Xanthigen Suppresses Preadipocyte Differentiation and Adipogenesis through Down-regulation of PPARγ and C/EBPs and Modulation of SIRT-1, AMPK, and FoxO Pathways. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2012;60(4):1094–1101.
11> Brown LJ, et al (2002). Normal thyroid thermogenesis but reduced viability and adiposity in mice lacking the mitochondrial glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase. J Biol Chem 277: 32892–32898.
12 Nicholls DG, Locke RM (1984). Thermogenic mechanisms in brown fat. Physiol Rev 64: 1–64.
13 Maeda H, Hosokawa M, Sashima T, Takahashi N, Kawada T, Miyashita K (2006). Fucoxanthin and its metabolite, fucoxanthinol, suppress adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells. Int J Mol Med 18(1): 147–152.
14 Tsuku T, et al (2007). Fucoxanthin and fucoxanthinol enhance the amount of docosahexanoic acid in the liver of KKAy obese/diabetic mice. J Agric Food Chem Jun 27; 55(13):5025-9. 15 Maeda H et al (2005). Fucoxanthin from edible seaweed, Undaria pinnatifida, shows antiobesity effect through UCP1 expression in white adipose tissues. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 332(2): 392–397.
16 B.B. Lowell, V. S-Susullc, A. Hamann, J.A. Lawitts, J. HimmaHagen, B.B. Boyer, L.P. Kozak, J.S. Flier, Development of obesity in transgenic mice after genetic ablation of brown adipose tissue, Nature 366 (1993) 740–742.
17 Melo I., Carvalho E., Mancini-Filho J., Pomegranate Seed Oil (Punica Granatum L.): A Source of Punicic Acid (Conjugated alpha-Linolenic Acid). J Hum Nutr Food Sci 2014;2(1):1024.
18 Peng J., Yuan J-P., et al. Fucoanthin, a Marine Carotenoid Present in Brown Seaweeeds and Diatoms: Metabolism and Bioactivities Relevant to Human Health. Mar.Drugs. 2011;9:1806-1828.
19 Arao K, et al (2004). The 9cis, 11trans, 13cis isomer of conjugated linolenic acid reduces apolipoprotein B100 secretion and triacylglycerol synthesis in HepG2 cells. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 68: 395–397.
20 Parvin Mirmiran, Mohammad Reza Fazeli, Golaleh Asghari, Abbas Shafiee and Fereidoun Azizi (2010). Effect of pomegranate seed oil on hyperlipidaemic subjects: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. British Journal of Nutrition, 104, pp 402-406.
21 Lai CS, Tsai ML, Badmaev V, Jimenez M, Ho CT, Pan MH. Xanthigen suppresses preadipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis through down-regulation of PPARγ and C/EBPs and modulation of SIRT-1, AMPK, and FoxO pathways. J Agric Food Chem. 2012 Feb 1;60(4):1094-101.
22 Gammone MA, D'Orazio N. Anti-Obesity Activity of the Marine Carotenoid Fucoxanthin. Mar. Drugs 2015, 13(4), 2196-2214.
Adults aged 19+: 1 softgel 3x/day, 15-30 minutes before each meal.
Consult a healthcare practitioner prior to use if you are pregnant or breast feeding.
Consult a health care practitioner prior to use if you are diabetic.
Medicinal Ingredients (per softgel):
Xanthigen® Proprietary Blend ................... 200 mg
- Brown Seaweed extract (200:1) (Undaria pinnatifida) ................100 mg (20,000 mg crude)
Standardized to 0.85% Fucoxanthin
- Pomegranate seed oil extract (110:1) (Punica granatum)................100 mg (11,000 mg crude)
Standardized to 70% Punicic acid
Gelatin, glycerin, purified water, olive oil.
- Non-GMO
- Gluten free
- Dairy free


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Reigning for over 45 years is a bit of a slog. So many looming foreign threats. So many dashing male courtiers to fall from favour. So many bemused ermine to balance on the crook of one's arm.
This is what Elizabeth I's pale, pancake face tells us throughout 'Elizabeth I and her People', a new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery exploring her life and that of her subjects through portraiture. An exasperated and stoical queen, with pictorial symbolism slathered upon her like lard on Henry VIII's toast.
The oddly stiff portraits of the late 16th-century, depicting members of the monarchy and nobility as expressionless waxworks – if mildly irritated by their gargantuan ruffs – are distinctive in their uniformity.
The renowned 'Darnley portrait' of 1575 by an unknown artist was, in a rare occurrence, painted from life. This likeness of the queen was then copied in other portraits for the rest of her reign. Hence the repetitive nature of her expression throughout this painted history.
It's the costumes, with the historical portent they illustrate, that change. A remarkable image is a larger than life portrait from Hardwick Hall that shows the queen in an opulent dress covered in plants and animals. Sadly the exhibition doesn't tell us what all the crabs, ostriches, peaches and Loch Ness monsters represent, merely sticking to explaining the well-trodden symbolism of a pearl strategically perched to imply 'Virgin Queen'.
We learn that a pillar means fortitude, a serpent prudence, ermine chastity and dogs show fidelity, and swords, maps or globes display her strength against foreign threats, ie. troublesome Spaniards.
The paintings of her prominent courtiers are absorbing for the stories of their tempestuous relationships with their queen. The Earl of Essex, Robert Dudley and Walter Raleigh's friendships with Good Queen Bess fluctuated depending on their success in dalliances with other ladies of the court, or in any nefarious plotting of coups. Explorer Raleigh is depicted with a rakish earring and a crescent moon above him. The moon controls the tides as he is controlled by the queen.
A highlight is William Cecil, Elizabeth's most loyal adviser, having some me-time by riding a mule around his garden. It is hilariously out of proportion, a gaping cartoon eye on the animal juxtaposing with the old man's grave expression.
Regardless of the slightly dubious artistic prowess on show here, the stories of the royal court and beyond told through these portraits easily carry this exhibition.

subset: commoncrawl


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Guide to Istanbul
In this post, you will be able to see a travel guide around Istanbul, Turkey. This will cover my last days of being a tourist during my stay in Istanbul as I gather all the best parts in this post.
You can find my guide to Istanbul below in a vlog on YouTube.
Istanbul Travel Guide Vlog
Eyup Sultan Mosque
On our third day, we visited many holy graves around Istanbul, one of them was Ayyub Al-Ansari in Eyup. It was built near Golden Horn Bay in Eyup District of Istanbul. It is a very popular place for the local Muslim tourist, besides Ayyub al-Ansari's Tomb, there are also very old ottoman graves and tombstones around the Eyup Sultan Mosque.
If you have some spare time whilst here, it's worthwhile to visit the mosque and tomb. Also to sense the history, walk or ride the cable car uphill to the Pierre Loti Café to sip a drink while enjoying the panoramic view is a must.
Turkish Whirling Dervish Dance
To end the day, we went to see the most popular Turkish Dervish Dance in Sirkeci next to our hotel. As we arrived at the theatre hall. There was a small museum full of whirling dervish dancers to witness and read some of their historical features. As well as that, they gave out complimentary cold and hot drinks to everyone before the show began.
Time for the show, luckily enough from sitting down in the second row. I managed to switch my seats and have front row seats, as there were few empty seats available at the front. Therefore, I had a really good view and recorded most of it on my Sony Camera just to notice it did not save any of it. Boo!!!…Although, I did manage to record some live clips from my Samsung phone so you can enjoy some of the live action on my YouTube link at the bottom of this post.
The overall experience of the Dervish dance was good to witness but as they went on with their routine. I found the dance very repetitive after they performed the routine the first time around, which was followed by two more times with the same routine.
At first, on the big screen, there was a notice board saying no photography during the live performance. However, I felt as if there were no restrictions. After witnessing the DJ starting to film and although people were unsure whether to record or not. I went ahead and started to film once people saw me and a few others around there all started recording too, which I found quite funny.
Grand Bazaar
The colourful and historic Grand Bazaar is in the heart of Istanbul's Old City and has been so for centuries. Shopping around allows yourself to have at least three to four hours or even days to shop around so you can bargain around each shop.
The Bazaar has eight different entrances, each facing one of the city's most important historic monuments and there are more than 5000 shops located whether it be jewellers, antiques, carpets, copper or leather goods.
If you love traditional items like sweets, lights, jewellery and much more, this is one place you'll certainly fall in love exploring. Especially with their traditional lights, which are in many stalls as you walk around, which look simply stunning to capture at the Grand Bazaar. However, there is usually a lot of junk for sale at this place, unless you're looking to take souvenirs for your friends or work colleague be ready to bargain.
The opening hours here at The Grand Bazaar are from 9AM to 7PM but close on Sundays.
Address: Beyazıt Mh., 34126 Fatih/Istanbul, Turkey
Blue Mosque
On Friday, the Blue Mosque shut down for two hours for visitors during the time of Jummah prayers. All Muslims gather together during these times and listen to Iman's Khutbah before starting to fill obligatory Friday prayers.
After the Friday prayers, as a family, we went exploring around The Blue Mosque, where we saw the Hippodrome of Constantinople, Serpentine Column, Obelisk of Theodosius and had the opportunity to shop around the Arasta Bazaar. This place was a bit like the spice bazaar, where they sell spices, Turkish clothing and other old items but at a higher price.
The difference between Arasta Bazaar and Spice Bazaar is the pricing, due to Arasta Bazaar being government-funded and as Spice Bazaar being solely rented. Prices will be higher in Spice Bazaar but will not let that stop you from haggling from both areas.
Overall, I simply loved sitting down whilst admiring the views of the fountain between the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. As I managed to capture many beautiful landscapes. Also, experiencing the nightlife at the Blue Mosque was really calm hearing the waterfalls and noticing the views of the beautiful Mosque and fountain.
Blue Mosque Images
Nuruosmaniye Mosque
On our last days, we visited two extraordinary-looking mosques. One of them 'Nuruosmaniye', based in the neighbourhood of Eminou. We saw this on our visit to look for Suleymaniye Mosque. Very close to the Grand Bazaar, there is an underground, which leads straight into the Grand Bazaar. Funnily enough, we did not know where that tunnelled, but we went through it and spent hours shopping and exploring the Grand Bazaar.
Address: Ç. Nuruosmaniye Cad. No:26 34120 Fatih, İstanbul
Suleymaniye Mosque
Sulyemaniye Mosque: One of the grandest and most beautiful looking after the Blue Mosque. On the last day of our stay in Istanbul, we finally got to witness this mosque after exploring the Vialand theme park. Capturing moments from my camera and praying inside this mosque seemed really peaceful. I certainly loved the stunning interiors and was blown away by how huge this mosque was.
A 10-minute walk from the Grand Bazaar. Inside Suleymaniye was simply breath-taking. Outside of this mosque, there is a garden, where you have lovely views from the terrace of the Golden Horn and Bosphorus.
The best way is to take a tram to Beyazit-Grand Bazaar or Laleli-University, from where there is a short walk.
Address: Süleymaniye Mah., Prof. Sıddık Sami Onar cad. No:1, 34116 Fatih/Istanbul, Turkey
Thanks for reading my long-awaited last few days during my visit to the Istanbul post. I hope you all enjoyed these pictures, I shall be uploading my next visit to Bursa. Also, the fun times I had at Vialand Theme Park when I managed to squeeze in some time to post them too.
Feel free to leave your comments below. What do you think of Istanbul and what you'd like to see more of in my blog post or you can stay up to date over on my Instagram page?
Adil Musa


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Elle WoodsMonday, March 13, 2017
This weekend was all about reunions. I had the pleasure of watching my nephew's hockey game. He had a lot of pressure being the goalie as the overtime shoot-out took place. And while the team lost and didn't place first, I felt for him. Disappointment filled in his face. He must've felt, "if only I could've stopped that last puck". I wanted to run on the ice, give him a hug, and tell him it's okay. Later that day though, his smile was back on his face when him and my niece came over for a "play-date". My niece hasn't seen me since Christmas time, so she begged her dad if she could come over to "spend some time with me". Of course I couldn't say no! She's at the age where no matter what we did, she had her mind focusing on what we could do next. She amazed me though at her financial abilities during monopoly. She's growing up way to fast. Her handwriting is clear, her drawing of a butterfly is just adorable, and I can't believe how long her hair is getting. I sometimes feel guilty that she occupies all of my time and not my nephew. He always seems to want to play games with my other brother. Every once in a while though, he'll see what we're up to. Immediately my niece will push him away and make him "leave us alone." It makes me incredibly sad because it's as if he's not important. I hope he doesn't feel that way though. Needless to say, I had a blast with my niece, especially all the fun she was having with Snapchat. It was hard though saying goodbye. When my dad told she couldn't spend the night because Grandma wasn't feeling well, her eyes started to water from disappointment. I could tell that she didn't want me to notice because she wouldn't even give me a hug goodbye. It honestly broke my heart. I wanted her to know that, I'll be back and I won't ever forget about her.
My photographer boyfriend and I actually stumbled upon this location by accident. I had this one tunnel in mind, but the sun was casting weird haziness. Normally I'm a fan of hazy photos, but this one was just BAD! So we kept walking further down the path. I almost made us stop because I thought I found the perfect spot. Luckily I didn't because a little ways down, we found this look-out location by the water. It honestly was perfect. It reminded me of a beach, only with rocks for sand. I love the contradiction of the snow with the water. And the bridge in the background in way reminded me of Central Park. What's funny, is if you walk a little further down from where we shot, is where I shot photos of my boyfriend with his fancy watch. Little did I know that this spot existed. I honestly want to go back again and take some photos of us together.
Right now, just like everyone else in their mother, I'm obsession over rose/light pink. In my opinion, it makes a great neutral. When I put this rose jacket on, my boyfriend I look like I belong in Legally Blonde. I couldn't agree more. I feel incredibly girly in this coat.
During the fall, my go to jacket was a green utility one. Now for the spring, I think this jacket will be my new go-to. It's not the warmest. In fact, I would say it's more of an accessory than a jacket. It's still super cute though.
18 comments
Nice place for a sunny day walk! I love that cute jacket you have on. Yes it does not seem to be very warm, but for summer is perfect!ReplyDelete
Jovita from Black Vanilla
It was the perfect place for a walk!Delete
I love your pink coat and the photos are gorgeous!ReplyDelete
Gemma x
Thanks so much Gemma!Delete
Seems you had a wonderful and interesting weekend. Lovely pictures.ReplyDelete
Bernie, xx
The Style FanaticReplies
It was a heartfelt weekendDelete
Love your jacket, the pink is so cute! Shein has the cutest stuff :)ReplyDelete
Lauren Lindmark
Beautiful photos gal! Love the color of that jacket.ReplyDelete
xo Laura Leigh
Love your blush pink coat! So pretty.ReplyDelete
Bree xo | www.theurbanumbrella.comReplies
Isn't it a darling color?Delete
Your jacket <3ReplyDelete
Glad you enjoyed!Delete
I love this pink coat! the color is gorgeous!ReplyDelete
Thanks so much!Delete
I love your jacktet. The scnery is wonderful. Thanks for your sweet comment on my blog. XX, PippiReplyDelete
You're quite welcome!Delete
Beautiful pics! Love yor jacket!ReplyDelete
Thanks so much!Delete


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Things are looking good for Netflix. In the first quarter of this year, the company reports that it added 2 million subscribers--bringing its total to 29.17 million domestic subscribers. (That's more domestic subscribers than HBO.) The company also reported $1 billion in quarterly revenue--up 17 percent from Q1 of 2012.
The news indicates that the company's decision to create the original series House of Cards has paid off.
In a post last week, Peter Gasca breaks down the decision making process behind the creation of House of Cards. The show's success wasn't a fluke, he explains, but the result of Netflix's decisive and pretty brilliant analysis of data (viewing habits, including preferences, ratings, films viewed etc) generated by subscribers. Gasca wrote:
"What Netflix found was that their subscribers really enjoyed political dramas. They also knew that movies starring Kevin Spacey or directed by David Fincher (Fight Club) seemed to be very popular and highly rated. Using this data intelligence, the company that was in the movie delivery business launched into the movie making business and developed its first exclusive show."
Voila, House of Cards. A user generated recipe for success. And if Netflix did it once, Gasca points out, they can do it again and again -- in fact, the company already has several shows, influenced by user data, in the works.
Netflix's future looks bright, but things certainly haven't always been so peachy. Back in September 2011, Netflix was the target of scathing criticism when it raised its cost of subscription, ultimately losing over 1 million customers.


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In this era, after a stressful day of work, People look for the ways to relax their mind and body. Therefore, to assist people, and enable them to get rid of their stress, we started providing Yoga Classes in East Delhi as it helps individual get relaxed and stay fit in a better way.
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We have different programs of Yoga Classes such as Yoga for women, Yoga for kids, Yoga for seniors etc. An individual can choose from the programs as per the need.
Anyone who is interested in avail our facilities or wants to be the member of our classes can connect with us.


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Wildfires and mudslides have ravaged California, and for many families, the difficult process of moving forward has just begun. They've lost their entire lives to natural disaster, but local rescue groups are joining together to put at least one piece of the puzzle back in place. As the global force driving positive change for cats, Alley Cat Allies is passing out much-needed grant money to help animal organizations in California do what they do best.
One of those organizations, Outcast Cat Help (OCH), is working to reunite families with lost cats after their homes were destroyed. Families in the path of wildfire had only minutes to escape the flames. For many, their cats ran off and got lost during the panic and chaos. As the fires receded and families were left to sift through rubble, they were faced with the devastating possibility that their cats were gone forever. Terrified and injured, many pet cats fled to save their lives. They left without evidence of where they were going or if they were even still alive, but OCH is up for the challenge.
OCH is using grant money from Alley Cat Allies to buy and set up night-vision cameras and feeding stations. Volunteers watch the camera footage and compare the cats they see with cats reported missing in the area. When they make a match, they set up humane traps to help lure the fearful cats back toward safety. Many of the cats reported missing have been gone for months. Their families have all but given up, but OCH is determined to bring about more reunions and happy endings.
A family's cat named Nemo was missing for 87 days after escaping the fire that destroyed his Northern California home in October. The family set up their own traps near their home but had no luck. They contacted OCH hoping for a miracle. Volunteers spotted a cat that looked like Nemo on their cameras, and they set up traps to bring him in. After losing everything to the flames, being reunited with their beloved pet gave the family strength and encouragement to move forward.
Surfcat Rescue and Adoptions in Oxnard, Calif. is also using grant money to locate and reunite lost cats with their owners. They found Roni, a four-month-old kitten that barely escaped the fire. She had blisters on her paws, and her fur was singed down to the skin. It took three weeks to bring Roni in, but she's now recovering with a foster family.
The cats affected by the disasters in California are traumatized, terrified, and injured. They lost their homes and families, and many are too afraid to leave the false security of hiding places. As families start the painful process of picking up the pieces, a reunion with a pet they assumed they'd never see again is a glimmer of hope cutting through smoke. Alley Cat Allies' grant money is also being used to support California shelters feeling the strain of so many displaced animals. Together they're helping rebuild the community and reunite families.
Featured image source: Alley Cat Allies


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Here are some pictures from our users showing their love for our products! These are real photographs without any professional help and are a celebration of how customers use our products on a daily basis. It reflects the sense of comfort and intimacy that customers feel with our products.
Do click below if you like any of them. If you like to submit photos of how you use our products in your home or commercial buildings like the ones below, please email with the photo at: firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Thermocouples consist of two dissimilar metal wires joined at a hot junction; as temperature changes, a millivolt signal is generated. The most common alloy combinations are known as type J and type K thermocouples (ANSI/IEC code). Advantages of thermocouple sensors include low cost, small size, wide temperature ranges and faster response (than RTDs). Many installation styles are available.
Category Selection
Thermocouples have two dissimilar metal wires joined at the hot junction. As temperature changes, a millivolt signal is read at the cold junction. The most common types of temperature thermocouples are type J thermocouples and type K thermocouples. Advantages of thermocouple sensors include: low cost, small size, wider temperature ranges and faster response than RTDs. The disadvantages of using temperature thermocouples include: they are less linear and accurate than RTDs, a matching extension wire is needed, and thermocouples are sensitive to electrical noise.
Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTDs) have a linear increase in resistance as temperature rises. RTDs come in 2-,3- or 4-wire versions. A 2-wire RTD signal is affected by the distance to the controller. 3-wire or 4-wire RTDs can compensate for line losses.
AutomationDirect offers a variety of industrial thermocouple temperature sensors:
For more thermocouple products, see the Temperature Sensors & Transmitters Category:
For part listings and specifications, go to Shop Now
Thermocouple probes with IP66 NEMA 4X connection heads offer measuring ranges from 32 to 2100 degrees F.
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Heat Trace probes measure the surface temperature of process pipes to detect freeze-up or help maintain a viscosity level to ensure proper flow of the medium inside.
Thermocouple probes with hex nipples allow easy probe replacement and connection to a junction box.
Spring-loaded thermocouple probes with hex nipples ensure tip contact in thermowells and allow easy probe replacement and connection to a junction box.
Probes with an attached plug allow for quick and easy plug-in connections and provide measurements down to -328 degrees F
Probes with heavy-duty 6 ft. lead wire transitions allow easy connection to thermocouple extension wire and feature a wide measuring range from -328 to 2100 degrees F.
Flange mount probes are ideal for use with ovens, freezers, ducts, or any application where through-the-wall temperature sensing is required.
Probes with cuttable lengths provide utmost flexibility and can be trimmed to the required length of a specific application.
Melt-bolt probes measure the melt temperature of plastic as it moves down the barrel of an extruder or injection molding machine.
Immersion thermocouples are designed to be inserted into the medium being measured. Used throughout all industries but ideal for the plastics processing industry.
Bolt-on thermocouples feature a ring terminal or washer and are bolt or screw mounted for surface temperature measurements.
Threaded bolt sensors are thread-mounted and feature a 1/4-28 UNF threaded stainless steel rotating bolt for easy installation.
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Paul Bruce Dickinson made his live debut with Iron Maiden at the end of 1981, some two years after the band started its enduring relationship with EMI Records. He had viewed the group's early emergence from a ringside seat as lead singer with Samson, another of the bands in what the rock press dubbed "the new wave of British heavy metal." Since then, he has been not only Iron Maiden's definitive lead singer, but an author, sportsman, a solo artist for five years in the 1990s, a radio DJ and a pilot. In the middle of the most successful global tour of the band's career, he sat down with Billboard to discuss his, and Maiden's, life and times.
When you joined Maiden, how aware had you been of the band?
We effectively grew up together, musically, because I was in Samson, and all the bands were aware of everybody else, we all gigged together. It's fair to say Maiden had this momentum about them. It was like standing in front of a truck. They had that energy before they got the deal [with EMI].
But that took quite a while to build, didn't it?
It did, but a lot of that was Steve [Harris, bassist and founding member] trying to get the personnel right, trying to get the commitment from people. Once the deal was signed, the press leapt all over it. "Running Free" came out, and it cunningly snuck in under the radar of all the punk stuff. They must have had to restrain Steve, because he absolutely hated punk. The first album ["Iron Maiden," 1980] went to No. 4, which was an astonishing feat for a band like that.
I was in Samson; we were supposed to be going off on tour supporting Maiden. I got the date list and there were 50 or 60 shows, right the way through Europe. I thought, "This is unbelievable." We were still scrabbling around trying to find gigs in Newbridge Memorial Hall in Gwent [Wales]. That fell through, we never did it, which in retrospect was probably a good thing. Maiden came back, having made quite a serious dent in the U.S. market, which they never expected.
Then, before your arrival, the band did "Killers" in 1981.
I liked that more than the first album. It got sniffily received [in the United Kingdom], because it wasn't very punk. They wanted [producer] Martin Birch for the first album and didn't think they could get him. The irony was, Martin had noticed the band and was like, "I'd love to work with them." Anyway, it did happen on the second album, and by then Adrian [Smith, guitarist] had joined and was writing, so really the sound of the band just matured massively.
That was the album that really started to break them in America, and actually had a radio hit, "Wrathchild."
What were the circumstances of you replacing Paul Di'anno as lead singer?
Things with Paul hadn't been going terribly well, and they'd made the decision to get rid of him. So they came and took a peek at me. Clive [Burr, Maiden's then-drummer] had been in Samson for three years, and "Killers" was being made at Zomba Studios [in northwest London], which back then was Morgan Studios.
We were in Morgan, and Maiden were in the [studio] opposite. So we used to go to the pub and have a few beers and chat. I went over and listened to the Maiden record and Clive would come over and listen to ours.
Had you looked across at the band and thought, "I could do that"?
Oh, I did that the first time I saw Maiden play, in Camden [north London] at the Music Machine. It was like a four-act bill, we were supposed to be headlining and Maiden were third on the bill. They turned up and it was clearly their audience. Everybody left as soon as they'd finished.
I stood at the back watching and thought, "Christ, this is a great band. Imagine what I could do if I was singing with that band."
Were you cocky in those days?
Absolutely, I had an unfeasible amount of balls. Rod Smallwood offered me the chance of an audition, he didn't offer me the job. This was at Reading Festival.
I said, "Well, alright. First of all, if I do the audition, I'm going to get the job, so you need to figure out whether or not you want me onboard, because I don't want to be unless I can be a pain in the ass and have some opinions.
"I'm not going to be like the old guy. I'm going to have disagreements with Steve, because I've got some ideas about how I want to change things around. So if you don't want that, you'd better tell me now."
They asked me to learn three songs and I basically learned the lot, both albums.
So we turned up to the rehearsal room and let rip. Steve picked up the phone and said, "Could we get him into a studio today?"
They were still doing gigs with Paul. The atmosphere was a bit down. When they came back from Sweden, we popped in the studio, recorded three songs and that was it. That was "job done." We all went out and got very drunk that night.
It seems as though Maiden developed a common cause because the band members were, and still are, outsiders.
We are still outsiders. We always will be, because that's our essential nature. I can't imagine what it would be like to go to vacuous showbiz parties. It'd be a nightmare. It's just not what we're about. The show's the thing. Everything you need to know about Iron Maiden is onstage.
So when you joined, you hit the ground running.
There was no transition. It was zero to 100 miles an hour in one stride. That rush continued for five years, solid. It was No. 1 album ["The Number of the Beast," 1982], No. 1 tour, biggest thing on the planet. I'd never done a gig outside the U.K. until I joined Maiden. Unless Inverness [Scotland] counts. I'd probably only done 20 or 30 gigs in my life.
How did you develop your personal stagecraft?
It's one thing to project a confident air to the back of a club. It's another to do the same thing in a theater, then an arena, and it's quite another thing to do it in a festival. Before the days of camera and side screens, you were just a little speck. It was a rapid learning curve.
My aim as a frontman is always to try and shrink the venue, if you can, to turn that football stadium into the world's smallest club. At least you have to try. The essence of the Maiden experience is that we want to include everybody in it.
When "The Number of the Beast" hit No. 1 on the U.K. charts in April 1982, it knocked Barbra Streisand's "Love Songs" off the top. It was almost anti-establishment.
Yes, we had a bit of a history of that. With "Bring Your Daughter . . . to the Slaughter" [in January 1991] we did a service to the nation by knocking Sir Cliff [Richard] off the Christmas No. 1. I'm still waiting for my [royal honor as a] C.B.E. for that.
That leads into a question about the way you've always been viewed by the U.K. music mainstream.
The funny thing is, we were on Saturday morning telly, on "Tiswas." At the time, everything was so overwhelming. Some of it was, "Let's do this and see what happens."
But you were, and still are, regulars in the singles chart.
Oh, yeah, and if you listen to some of the singles we had out, some of them were pretty bloody good, quite catchy, like "Can I Play With Madness." People listen to the catalog and go, "Oh, it's Maiden, not a lot of melody." It's like, "Just a minute!" All of our songs are stuffed full of tunes.
You personally have always taken on challenges, whether it's fencing, broadcasting, being an author or being a pilot.
That's because I just have an insatiable curiosity about the nature of things, and I think the best way to find out about something is to try and do it. Flying wasn't on a list. It would be awfully good from the point of view of people writing about us if there was a plan, but there isn't.
The movie we're just doing ["Chemical Wedding"] stems from conversations in the pub with Julian Doyle [Dickinson's co-writer on the film and its director] 15 years ago. As it happens, we're now having the most successful tour in the band's history, the band is a global phenomenon, and in the same year, we get to release a feature film, followed shortly afterwards by another feature film with a documentary, DVD, all the rest of it. Fucking hell, it looks like a plan. It's not. It's totally random.
So you're probably not very good at sitting around daydreaming.
I'm very good at daydreaming. Ask any of my schoolteachers.
In the period when you were out of the band (1993-1998), did your solo work fulfill you?
The reason I left Maiden was that I genuinely didn't know if I was getting that buzz anymore from doing new stuff. Nothing bad happened, there were no disagreements. The machine ran like clockwork and that's when I started to get really antsy.
Also, the cult status of the band meant that whatever you did, people would go, in a patronizing fashion, "Oh, nice effort." I didn't think they'd have any problem finding another singer, but their subsequent career path hit a few oily patches on the road.
My own career fell off a cliff, and I decided I'd have one go at completely reinventing [myself], so everybody thought I'd gone raving mad, and I came up with an album called "Skunkworks" [1996]. It got great reviews, but the record company wasn't sure.
Then I did a record called "The Chemical Wedding" [1998], which was digging really deep into territory I'd never been to before, but keeping a rock sensibility.
I think it's fair to say it was a fairly groundbreaking album, did really well sales-wise and I could see myself having a successful global cottage industry as an artist. Clearly it was never going to rival Maiden. But at the same time, looking at Maiden, it was obvious something was going to crack.
How did you develop as an artist during those solo years?
I was a much deeper musician by the time I got to "Chemical Wedding" than I ever was during the latter two or three albums with Maiden. I was much more serious about it. Roy Z, who was my producer and collaborator, said, "You've got to go back. You've done it, you've changed yourself around, it's worked. But the world needs Iron Maiden."
And I thought, "It does." Then we had a meeting, myself and Steve. He was a bit leery at first. His main thing was wanting to know, if I came back, that I wasn't going to leave again. I said, "Quite the contrary—if we glue it all back together again, we could do stuff that's better than we ever thought possible. It could be bigger than we ever dreamed of."
And that's pretty much the way it's turned out. It's a really exciting place to be at the moment.
What's it like for young bands out there just starting up?
We were brought up in clubs. Then you had this transitional phase of bands who looked wonderful on the cover of Vogue. But now it's come full circle, and bands are doing their own little YouTube things, and everything's gone live in a big way, and it's all eye contact.
You've just got to go out and do it. There's nothing between you and the audience, and I see a whole generation of bands now that really have that ability.
And the global numbers on your ticket sales, can you believe those?
When bands start out, the excitement level is 100% and the experience level is zero. Usually there's a trade-off, and by the time they finish their careers, their experience level is 100% and the excitement level is zero.
We're in this situation now where the excitement is back up to 100%, but the experience is up there as well, so we can play these songs with all that experience backing us up.
So how would you compare Maiden now with the group of, say, 25 years ago?
The way we play the songs now is in many ways more powerful, it's more under control. It's not like somebody running so fast that their legs are running away underneath them, which is kind of what it was like in the '80s. This is a mature runner now who knows the pace and has always got something in the tank for the sprint when it's appropriate. We've reached that sweet spot.


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If the fashion sensibility "peasant chic" were translated to food, this would be a runway highlight. It's a melange of the penniless pantry, but manages to come out vibrant with flavor, and chock full of nutrition. A little funky, offbeat, and very magenta (is that an "in" color?), it's what I call making the best of the least — and the cheapest — ingredients. It's also filling enough for a one-dish dinner alone, but plop in a poached egg and have with a crust of bread the next day for a hearty breakfast, too.
I thought I was coming down with a cold a couple days ago, so I bought a head of red cabbage. I'm a believer in eating my way back to health — eating a lot, that is, of mostly healthy food. After a couple salads of shredded red cabbage, green apple slices and nuts (more or less like this recipe, with quince), I began to grow tired of the cold crunchiness. And, it was getting Arctic outside.
My plan was to make a soup that was more or less minestrone (probably my favorite soup) but with cabbage instead of leafier greens. Would the sweeter taste of the cabbage, and considerably tougher texture of it, work well in the same manner as, say, kale? I wondered. To give the soup a thin, tomato-based broth, I simmered the cabbage and basic mirepoix with my last jar of tomatoes that I put up in the summer, added herbs and bay leaves, and a rind of parmesan.
the last jar of tomatoes from the summer
The herbs, tomatoes and especially the parmesan seemed to turn the soup in the direction of the flavor I was seeking. But the cabbage definitely stands out in the end, as its wilted state is still pretty firm. It gives you a little more to chew on, rather than sip.
cabbage gets tossed in with a sizzling mirepoix
There is no reason why another type of bean can't be used in place of black-eyed peas, by the way. I just thought they were kind of attractive with their spots. Nature's "it" pattern of the week for me.
Red Cabbage & Black-Eyed Pea Soup
(makes about 6 servings)
1/2 small head red cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery with any leaves, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can crushed or whole plum tomatoes, crushed up by hand (if not using a home-canned jar of tomatoes)
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup cooked black-eyed peas
fresh thyme bundled in a bouquet garni with any other fresh herbs as desired
1 bay leaf
1 parmesan rind
salt and pepper to taste
about 2 Tb extra-virgin olive oil
Sweat the onions, carrot and celery in olive oil over low heat in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and sweat another minute. Add the tomatoes, bouquet garni, bay leaf, parmesan rind, beans and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Add the cabbage and let boil over medium-high for a couple minutes. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for at least 30 minutes. Check and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as desired. Remove bay leaf and parmesan rind and serve.
Cost Calculator
(for about 6 servings)
1/2 head red cabbage: $1.00
1 cup cooked black-eyed peas (from dried and soaked beans): $0.50
4 cups homemade vegetable stock: $2.00
1 jar tomatoes (home-jarred from bulk tomatoes): $2.50
1 carrot: $0.35
1 onion: $0.40
1 celery: $0.35
4 cloves garlic: $0.20
bunch fresh thyme: $1.00
parmesan rind: $1.00
bay leaf, salt and pepper, olive oil: $0.25
Total: $9.55
Health Factor
One brownie point: I don't really have anything bad to say about this one. I suppose fresh cabbage and other vegetables are more plentiful in the vitamins they do provide, but once cooked, you'll get to shovel much more of them your mouth at a time, because they've cooked down a lot. Though there is significantly less Vitamin C in cooked cabbage than fresh, it's still a nutrient jungle, with calcium and fiber included. The light, tomato-based broth gets a little flavor as well as sodium and fat from the parmesan rind, but you won't regret it. Drizzle a little olive oil on top for serving, too.
Green Factor
Five maple leaves: This was about half-and-half in terms of locally, sustainably sourced ingredients. The coldness (and slight illness) has made getting myself to the farmers' market less a charm, so I can only imagine how rough it must be for the farmers and staff who must stand there all day. Fortunately, most of the ingredients used here (except the cabbage, actually) were found there at one point, and keep well stored in the fridge. Or, in the case of the jarred tomatoes, in the pantry. It's that holed-up, staying in time of year.


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Three years ago, I reviewed Volume One of this series (Naxos 8.559758) by damning it with faint praise. I directed readers to Decca/London Ovation 430705-2 as the more desirable package for this orchestra in Copland. To my knowledge, that release did not receive much attention from the press, and for a few years Naxos focused on Slatkin 's career in Lyon instead of his work in Detroit. I loved Slatkin 's earlier Copland efforts on EMI, and I wrote that I hoped future installments of this Naxos series would be more interesting.
Thankfully, that 's exactly the case here. I happened to be in the audience for one of the performances of Hear Ye! Hear Ye!, and it 's just as enjoyable as I remember. I wrote: "…it's a marvelously crafted ballet score that is far less "populist" than the great composer's later works, although I disagree with Music Director Leonard Slatkin's claim that you can't hear echoes of those pieces ahead. In short, the ballet is a courtroom drama, and it's amazingly vivid. Think of it, older readers, as a Perry Mason ballet. It's got the tough and crusty feel of the 30's and 40's, mixed with some really engaging dance numbers and some rollicking musical "testimony". Along the way, there's actual gunshots, gavels banging, a twisted take on the National Anthem, and some genuine beauty, too. I hope that this shows up on Naxos with Slatkin's new Copland series, as the conductor notes it's only been performed a handful of times." Perhaps it 's not something I 'll play every day – or even every few months – but it strikes me as a legitimate addition to any Copland fan 's library. Also, there 's a controversial distortion of the National Anthem, which really isn't anything all that shocking. I imagine things were different in 1934. I honestly don't know why Naxos felt the need to individually track all 18 scenes, but it 's a thoughtful gesture for those who want to go back and sample parts of the work.
The Detroit Symphony has recorded Appalachian Spring before, albeit in the 1945 Suite. That performance was acclaimed by Amazon.com 's David Hurwitz (yes, he of ClassicsToday fame), as "the most beautiful on disc". Slatkin also has a stellar rendition on EMI with his erstwhile EMI forces, and that 's just two artists! Truth be told, every lover of musical Americana has a favorite version of this work, and this present one is excellent without being irreplaceable. Still, it makes a logical coupling, and at 72 minutes, the disc is more generous than many other earlier volumes in the American Classics series. As for the orchestra itself, the playing is both confident and (in the former work especially) brash and exciting. Appalachian Spring has admirable clarity but also lacks that last element of freshness and discovery. I 'm more than a little convinced that the music itself is to blame. At 37-plus minutes, it 's over 14 minutes longer than Doráti 's reading of the Suite. Not that time itself is a factor alone, but those extra 14 minutes aren't the most interesting from a musical point of view. Still, we must recognize that having the complete ballet in vintage Orchestra Hall sound (the Naxos engineers do very well) is a luxury in itself. Coupled with a genuine rarity, even for Copland specialists, this disc earns an easy recommendation, and is noticeably more interesting than Volume One.
Copyright © 2016, Brian Wigman


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Robot Game
Field Set Up, Missions, Rules
FLL Robot Game back to overview
On this page Introduction CITY SHAPERSM Field Set Up, Missions, Rules Referee Training Video
The object of the game is to shape your growing city with more stable, beautiful, useful, accessible and sustainable buildings and structures. Solve the real-world problems represented in the Missions to score points. Find an excerpt from the Engeering Notebook here - it shows you the setup of the mission models on the field, the missions of the Robot Game for CITY SHAPERSM and the rules of the Robot Game.
All details about CITY SHAPERSM challenge (Robot Game, Research Project, Core Values etc.) can be found from this year on in the Team Meeting Guides and Engineering Notebooks your coach may download from the Login Area. The buidling instructions for the mission models can be found in the login area as well as on Building Instructions.
While it's obvious that everyone needs to become an expert on the details of the Missions, it's also extremely important for everyone, vets as well as rookies, to know the Field Setup, Rules and the FAQ which are updated regularly. If you have questions about the challenge, please do not hesitate to contact us: email@example.com. Don´t forget to respect the other challenge parts as the Research Project, the Core Values and Robot Design! Look at the benefits of knowing all details…
|• have fewer questions
• have less rework
• have fewer surprises at tournaments
• score higher
• have more fun
|• operate in a fog
• learn a lot from… referees
• start over and lose time
• lose points
• get stressed
FLL 2019/20 Referee Training
On Oct 11th 2019 we have exclusively offered the FIRST® LEGO® League Referee Training for Central European Referees as a live stream. The video is now also available on our YouTube Channel as both a support for referees, organizers and teams. Take a look into it an get an overview about the most important rules and specialties of the CITY SHAPERSM Robot Game.


text: Pop Vision is a fun, energetic and affordable party band that specializes in top 40 songs spanning over the last ten decades. From classic rock, funk and soul to current pop, Rn'B and rock hits Pop Vision will have your party, wedding or corporate event rocking. They normally perform as a five piece band, but can do it as a four or three piece band; or even as an acoustic duo to accommodate any and every budget. First-class, professional and unforgettable entertainment for your event is only a click away!


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Soca Storm Episode October 6, 2018
Episode 115 New Music Flow
8:05pm - 10:03pm
Born of the disco era SOCA music is the #1 dance music genre in the Caribbean. It is the evolved form of Calypso music of Trinidad & Tobago a tiny Country and Island rich with culture and passion. Carnival is a big deal in the West Indies and SOCA Music is the booming sound that defines the season. Today, Carnival is an almost year round phenomenon with a circuit that stretches around the globe. This music is ENERGY, passion, and pace. Infectious rhythm, positive beats, that are sure to uplift you out of even the most somber states. I DJ #SOCACONDUCTOR endeavour to keep you, dancing in your seat, on the table, in the car with with an abundance electric hot weekly releases. We'll keep you connected to the extremely active and overwhelming music scene with music curated and delivered in weekly live music mix fashion for your listening pleasure. My purpose is to share the music and culture we are proud of. Coming out of the West Coast of Canada #Vancouver to be specific, with no commercial affiliation, this show is produced by me a 100% volunteer. Giving me the freedom to share my passion for music without the restrictions that commercial soca radio is under to play only specific tracks by specific artists due to contractual obligations. I can play whatever I want on this amazing station CiTR FM. Therefore you will hear music that you won't hear anywhere else! Track listings are always available at www.socastorm.com Please purchase tracks you enjoy from legitimate online sources to support the artists, producers, and talent who work tirelessly year round for what is our SOCA. Take a Listen, Subscribe to the Podcast, Share, Like, Download. Blessings #RPPSOUND It's Saturday, watch out STORM COMING!!!! Papayo!! #SOCASTORM Now on iTunes | GooglePlay | MixCloud | Stitcher | RSS | CiTR.CA 101.9FM #VANCOUVER


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CNN's MJ Lee reports that the company will remove Trump's merchandise from its stores.
"We are disappointed and distressed by recent remarks about immigrants from Mexico. We do not believe the disparaging characterizations portray an accurate picture of the many Mexicans, Mexican Americans and Latinos who have made so many valuable contributions to the success of our nation," the company said in a statement.
Trump said it was his decision to sever ties with Macy's, saying he was upset that many of his products were made in China.
We've reached out to Macy's for will update if we hear back.
NBC cut ties with Trump for calling Mexican immigrants rapists and drug runners. Those comments stemmed from a speech in which he announced his intention to run for president.
"Macy's has a special deal with Donald Trump. Trump is their de facto spokesperson," according to the petition on MoveOn.org. "They invest in developing Trump's brand, promote him in advertising, and sell his clothing line and fragrance at their locations. In the past, they have held major Trump-focused events at Macy's Herald Square."
Trump's clothing collection, which features primarily business clothing, included $70 dress shirts and $65 ties.
Macy's also sold Trump's fragrance, which is called "Success."
Trump has also been featured in a Macy's commercial.
Two years ago, people petitioned Macy's to fire Trump after he made comments that were allegedly sexist and denied the existence of climate change.
At the time, Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren defended Trump, saying "ours is a free society compromised [sic] of a wide range of viewpoints," according to The Huffington Post.
Other retailers who carry Trump's merchandise include Overstock.com and Amazon.


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Continental Villas Homes for Sale List
Continental Villas Homes for Sale Currently Active
Continental Villas Homes for Sale are located in our Arizona Homes for Sale search area. Search yourself or call an Arizona real estate agent at RCP. You can e-mail or call us for showings on any property.
Start Continental Villas Homes for Sale
End Continental Villas Homes for Sale
Are you looking for the best real estate company in Arizona?
Why is RCP the best real estate company in Arizona?
The best real estate company in Arizona will have the best customer care, professionalism, as well as an uncommon pulse on the real estate market. RCP's Arizona real estate agents are trained by an experienced real estate broker for contract writing and document preparation as well as being taught by a certified appraiser for valuation training. We feel RCP is the best real estate company in Arizona with services for commercial and residential. Explore our website! As the best real estate company in Arizona, we can help. You can search for horse property, custom homes, or luxury homes in Arizona. Finding land for sale in Arizona is easy and informative. Try us and see for yourself why RCP is Arizona's best real estate company with the best real estate agents. RCP is a full service Arizona real estate organization helping purchasers and sellers in residential and commercial real estate transactions. We also provide appraisal services from certified appraisers as well as your typical Brokers Price Opinion (BPO's) and much more. RCP agents also have experience in creative financing i.e. seller financing, lease options, mortgage wraps, seller carry backs, agreement for sale, contract for deed, option purchases, etc. See our creative financing page.
How to Sell Your House Today
How to Sell Your House as Fast as Possible
If you are looking to sell your house as fast as possible, here are a few ways and tips to accomplish your goals.
Step #1: Find out what your house is worth and at what price to sell your house. Call an appraiser, or better yet, call us! We won't charge you.
Step#2: Tell your appraiser or agent you want a very short marketing time. Marketing time has an effect on value. For an extreme example, let's say you have a house that is worth $100,000 and you listed your house today at $45,000 requiring a cash closing by the following day, you would probably receive multiple offers and could close within 24 hours. Now, that is a bit drastic, but you can see the point. If you need to sell in seven days, tell your agent or appraiser to value it accordingly. Your home's estimated value is always based on some expectation of marketing time. Usually a typical and reasonable marketing time is 0-90 days or 90-120 days, so you should sell your house at that value in that time frame. If your agent doesn't understand this concept, get another agent.
Step#3: Find a real estate company that has the marketing know how to accomplish the sale in the prescribed time frame. RCP can help! We will take it from here. We can sell your house.
Scottsdale Real Estate Trends and Factors Effecting Value
Scottsdale Real Estate Trends and Factors Effecting Supply and Demand
Scottsdale real estate trends & factors– this is a big topic, but we would like to touch on a few factors less talked about. Some of the major factors we see effecting Arizona real estate are:
Canadian buyers– when the Canadian dollar is strong in relation to the US dollar, the demand for Arizona homes will increase, supply then goes down, and Scottsdale real estate prices rise.
Snowbirds– the concept is similar as the Canadians, however, as more Baby Boomers retire, they seek out Scottsdale Arizona real estate due to the inviting weather.
Interest Rates– When interest rates fall more people can afford a house. The more people that can afford houses, the more houses are sold and the values go up.
US Dollar Strength in the World Market– this can effect Scottsdale real estate. As inflation goes up, the more people are paying for gas and food and the less money they have to put toward a real estate purchase or a mortgage. This means less buyers and the prices of real estate trends down. On the other hand, you have the devaluing of the dollar. As an alternative to holding stocks, that may be artificially inflated, people turn to gold, silver, or other real commodities like real estate. This can create more buyers and drive the prices down. Looking at these factors can help illustrate how the low income families will be able to afford less and not be able to buy real estate, while at the same time, the more affluent, who aren't as effected by gas and food prices tend to buy more real estate to protect themselves against a devaluing dollar. In summation, we tend to see more investors and less owner occupants as the dollar loses value. When the dollar is gaining in value the opposite happens.
Here at RCP we watch the trends. We can help you in your next real estate purchase.


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Motorola Razr HD Review - Software, Performance, Battery, Camera and Verdict Review
- Page 1 Motorola Razr HD Review
- Page 2 Software, Performance, Battery, Camera and Verdict Review
- Page 3 Camera Test Shots Review
Motorola Razr HD – Software
The Motorola Razr HD runs on Android 4.1, which is a relief as the phone was saddled with the older 4.0 version of Android when it was initially released in the US. Thankfully Motorola has backed away from adding too many unnecessary extras over the top of the vanilla Android interface. Nevertheless, there are a few tweaks here and there. For example, swiping right from the homescreen takes you to a 'quick settings' page where you can turn on and off stuff like Flight Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS.
Also, pressing the home button while you're on the homescreen brings up a thumbnail view of your various homescreens to allow you to reorder them via drag and drop. The company has also added a few handy widgets, including a cool Circles widget that shows time, weather and battery life on a series of interconnected rings. The cool bit is that these rings can be flipped. For example, if you flip the weather ring it displays the weather in another city while flipping the battery ring gives you one tap access to the settings menu.
Motorola's SmartActions app is another neat extra. It lets you to set up a series of rules that will cause your phone to perform actions. For example, you can set the phone up so that when it's on charge the screen automatically goes to maximum brightness and it updates background data all the time. Alternatively, you can set up a rule for your car so that when the phone is paired with a Bluetooth device (a speakerphone, for example) it'll launch the Vehicle Mode app and turn on GPS. There are a lot of different rules and actions you can configure, so it's a very flexible system and one that can be quite useful as long as you're willing to spend a bit of time setting up the different triggers and actions.
Motorola Razr HD – Performance
The Razr HD runs on a dual core 1.5Ghz Snap Dragon S4 chip, rather than the quad core processor you get on most of today's higher-end handsets. Nevertheless, it does have a healthy 1GB of Ram. There's 16GB of internal storage too, although you can bump this up to 32GB via microSD card. On the connectivity front the Razr HD offers built-in NFC and also support for LTE for 4G data speeds.
While the Razr HD might 'only' have a dual core chip, the S4 processor is certainly no slouch when it comes to performance. It completed the Sunspider web browser test in 1418.7ms, which compares favourably against the Galaxy S3, which finished it in 1956ms (lower is better).
It's fast for gaming too, clocking up 51fps in the GLBenchmark Egyptian Classic test. In comparison, the quad core HTC One X only slightly outscored it by hitting 53fps. The Razr HD was also very impressive in Linpack; its score of 245.155 way outclassed the HTC One X, which posted a result of 161.558Mflops (higher is better). However, it falls behind the One X in CF-Bench and Geekbench, with the One X posting scores of 14429 and 1533 respectively compared to the Razr HD's results of 7514 and 1412.
Motorola Razr HD – Battery Life
Motorola's Android handsets have developed a bit of a reputation for good battery life and thankfully the Razr HD continues this trend. The handset has a much larger battery capacity than its competitors. At 2530mAh, its battery is even bigger than the beefed up 2,100mAh capacity battery HTC added to it re-jigged One X. This really does help to give it much better stamina than the competition, as on a normal day we found it would usually end up with 50 to 60 per cent of the battery remaining, which was very impressive. Phonecall quality is also very strong, with the Razr HD doing a good job of holding onto weak signals.
Motorola Razr HD – Camera
The Razr HD has an 8.0-megapixel main camera on the rear, which is helped along by a single LED flash. There's also a secondary 1.3-megaixel camera on the front for video calling in apps like Skype. We'd say the camera is above average, but not quite up there with the cameras on the iPhone 5 and Galaxy SIII.
This is not because it doesn't take good photos, but more because it makes you work harder to get good results. Its autofocus can be a little wayward when light levels diminish and it doesn't always do a good job of capturing scenes with high contrast levels, such as a bright sky against a shadier foreground. You often have to fiddle with the controls to get better results. Sometimes it does help you out by suggesting that it should turn on HDR mode, but then like a lot of Android phones using HDR introduces a fair bit of extra shutter lag.
The phone can also be used to capture 1080p video, though. If you keep the camera still and there isn't; a huge amount of motion in the frame detail levels are actually pretty good, but as soon as you try to do a reasonably speedy camera pan frame rates and detail levels drop off significantly. This is something that affects most of the 1080p video modes on today's smartphones, so the Razr HD is far from alone in having this flaw.
Motorola Razr HD – Verdict
On paper the Razr HD may not look all that tempting given its fairly modest spec. However, in the flesh it's an attractive looking phone that feels more robust than the likes of the Samsung S3. It's got surprisingly good performance for a dual core phone too, along with excellent battery life. We think it's a strong contender if you're looking for a 4G handset, although we can't help but feel that it's soon going to be swamped by a lot of higher spec handsets from other manufacturers that will be available for a similar asking price.
How we test phones
We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We'll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.


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We're on the final stretch of the film fest and Day 7 is one of the three busiest days for me, with back-to-back screenings. It's been fun [and challenging too, I'm not gonna lie] wearing multiple hats as blogger/film critic/journalist the past few days. But I'm so grateful that everyone I've met so have have been so friendly and gracious, it's really been quite an exhilarating experience and that's why I keep blogging for the film fest!
So last Wednesday, I got to see one excellent documentary and two romance dramas of opposite spectrum. Speaking of documentaries, I will be combining all the doc reviews all in one post after TCFF wraps.
And here are the reviews from Day 7 …
Old Fashioned
The idea behind Old Fashioned may seem foreign to a lot people today (including to the filmmaker himself at some point), but depending on your world view, it's certainly not an improbable notion. The title refers to an antique shop in a small Midwestern college town, owned by a former frat boy Clay Walsh (Rik Swartzwelder). One Autumn day, a young woman named Amber Hewson (Elizabeth Ann Roberts) happens to drive into the town. Apparently it's [her] tradition that wherever her car runs out gas, that'll be the town she'll stay in, at least until she has to move again. And so she ends up renting an apartment right above Clay's shop.
Clay and Amber couldn't be more different. Clay with his permanently-tousled blond hair is taciturn and a loner, whilst the beautiful Amber is free-spirited and outgoing. Sparks didn't exactly fly in their first meeting, but there's definitely a hint of attraction. As it turns out, Clay has pretty much been living a monk-like existence for the past nine years, much to Amber's bafflement. When he comes up to her room to fix her broken stove, Clay insists that she stands outside the door with a blanket. "It's not normal," she balks at Clay's unyielding rules and relational theories. Perhaps more out of curiosity than physical attraction, Amber sort of *pursues* Clay by continually breaking stuff in her apartment just so he'd have to come up to her apartment. Eventually Clay agrees to go out with her, but only if she agrees with his terms.
I gotta admit that I think Clay is a bit extreme in his approach to relationships. In a way, Amber is kind of the voice of the audience as she asks the same thing we would if we were to meet someone like him. So as Amber discovers more about Clay – and vice versa – the film peels the layer of both of their past. Clay had spent his college days sowing his wild oats, whilst Amber had been traumatized by her past relationships that her first inclination is always to run away. For Clay, his heap amount of guilt pushes his ideological pendulum to swing so far the other way that he practically sabotages his own chance at true happiness. I like that the film didn't paint the protagonist as some high & mighty hero who's got everything figured out. Clay and Amber are flawed characters we can all identify with and the film shows just how fragile relationships can be without even mixing sexuality into it.
The film doesn't shy away from the faith elements, showing scenes and conversation about Christianity and the Bible, but they're not done in a preachy manner. In my conversation with writer/director/star Rik Swartzwelder, he mentioned that he wasn't interested in a faith propaganda story, but he was inspired by people he knew whose stories become the concept for the film. And so the spirituality element is organic to the characters and intrinsic to the story.
The film's beautifully shot on location in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, by David George. There's a rustic quality to the entire film, the whole vintage look is a nod to a bygone era, both literally and philosophically speaking. Most of the supporting cast feature local actors which adds to the authentic Midwestern sensibilities. My favorite is definitely Dorothy Silver as aunt Zella who's been trying to get Clay to lighten up and let go of his guilt. LeJon Woods as Clay's BFF is a lot of fun to watch as well, both of them are the comic relief of the film. But the revelatory star is definitely Elizabeth Ann Roberts who has an effortless screen charisma and sweet vulnerability about her that makes her perfect for the role. I'm glad Swartzwelder ended up casting her after months of searching, and Amber is truly the heart of the story. I think the characters are nicely fleshed out, though it's a bit tough for to picture such a serene fellow like Clay that he was a reckless womanizer, as the film barely show flashbacks of their past.
The ending is perhaps too fairy-tale-ish, but I can't help being swept-off my feet by the film's undeniable charm. I can even forgive some of the schmaltzy moments that drag on a bit, so I think the 115-min running time could've been slightly trimmed down. Overall I'm impressed by Swartzwelder's feature film debut, it's an enchanting romance drama I'd readily watch again.
It's interesting to see Old Fashioned and Comet back to back as both deal with romantic themes and both are feature film debuts from its respective directors. Their styles and approach to romance couldn't be more different however.
Set in a parallel universe, the film bounces back and forth over the course of a couple's six year's relationship. Dell (Justin Long) and Kimberly (Emmy Rossum) met as they were lining up for a meteor shower watch at a college campus. It's kind of a quirky meet-cute, as Kimberly saves Dell from being hit by a car. It prompted Dell to ask Kimberly out right in front of her handsome date (Eric Winter). Dell is honest and verbose to a fault, saying everything that pops in his head unapologetically. The constant bantering is amusing and frustrating at the same time, and the film pretty much consist of monologues and conversations of the two leads.
The unconventional time jumps employed here feels a bit gimmicky at times, though fortunately I don't find it as confusing as I thought I would. The bantering alternates turns to bickering and a screaming match in certain period of their lives, and both actors perform their roles wonderfully. Emmy Rossum impressed me in her stunning performance in The Phantom Of The Opera a decade ago, she barely aged a day it seems. Justin Long shows that he certainly has range, and his dramatic performance here is as convincing as his goofy, comedic side. They're both very natural and believable in their roles, and to me that's the strength of the film to keep me engaged.
The film plays with meta theory of dream vs reality but yet never quite shifts into sci-fi fantasy mode. I have to say though, the overly-stylized way the film is shot, with its transition and fancy camera angles, feels experimental to me. I'm not saying I didn't like it, in fact I think the film's cinematography is gorgeous. But at times it just feels a bit indulgent, it's as if Sam Esmail is showing off his directing chops when a less edgier style would perhaps work just as well here. The ending also ends abruptly and though I don't mind open-ended stories, this one just felt half-baked to me. It also doesn't help that I simply couldn't connect with any of the characters.
Still, I think the concept is interesting, which makes me wonder why this film was barely promoted by the studio. I mean there's not even a trailer out yet even though it's supposedly out in December, and even images of the film is scarce. I'd say it's worth a rent if you like the cast and in the mood of an unconventional indie rom-com.
Check out FlixChatter's exclusive interview w/ Rik Swartzwelder, Writer/Director/Star of 'Old Fashioned' discussing the story origin of his film, casting process and going against Fifty Shades of Grey next year.
Have you seen any of these films? Would love to hear what you think!


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Wall Street pushes higher on tech rebound as Europe slips
Wall Street started the day in positive territory as tech stocks rebounded following days of selling, while European markets headed lower.
In London, the FTSE 100 (^FTSE) had a bit of a rollercoaster session during the day, starting on the back foot, recovering around noon, and then dipping again.
It finished 1% as the UK government borrowed more than expected last month due to surging inflation.
In Paris, the CAC (^FCHI) fell 0.3% on the day while the DAX (^GDAXI) was 1.6% lower in Frankfurt.
Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that chancellor Rishi Sunak borrowed another £14bn ($17bn) in May, which was £2bn higher than City economists had forecast.
Read more: What is stagflation and can it lead to a recession?
Debt interest payments reached £7.6bn, thanks to higher interest rates and inflation, the highest for any May on record.
May's borrowing lifted the national debt, excluding public sector banks, to £2.36tn, or around 95.8% of GDP.
"Rising inflation and increasing debt interest costs pose a challenge for the public finances, as they do for family budgets," Sunak said in a statement.
"That is why we are taking a balanced approach – using our fiscal firepower to provide targeted help with the cost of living, while remaining on track to get debt down.
"Being responsible with the public finances now will mean future generations aren't burdened with even higher debt repayments, and we can secure our economy for the long term."
UK inflation hit a 40-year high of 9.1% last month.
Watch: How does inflation affect interest rates?
Across the pond on Wall Street, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 0.3% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq (^IXIC) climbed 0.9% by the time of the European close. The Dow Jones (^DJI) edged slightly higher.
Raffi Boyadjian, Lead Investment Analyst at XM said: "Shares on Wall Street closed marginally lower on Wednesday as investors were unable to shake-off worries about the US economy contracting in the upcoming quarters. But neither was there any panic.
"If anything, [Fed chair Jerome] Powell's acknowledgement of the real threat of a recession might have been taken as a sign by some traders that the Fed will adjust its policy if the data worsens."
It came as 229,000 people filed new unemployment claims last week in America, slightly more than expected, steading at near a five-month high.
The previous week's total has been revised up, to 231,000, while the four-week average of claim (which are a proxy for layoffs) nudged up to its highest since late January.
While the labour market remains strong and unemployment low, there are some signs of softening, with several companies announcing layoffs in recent weeks.
Read more: Just 100 days left to use your old £20 and £50 banknotes
Asian stocks ended higher on Thursday following the previous day's hefty losses, as some strength was seen in Chinese technology companies after the approval of a plan for more development in the fintech sector.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei (^N225) climbed 0.1% while the Hang Seng (^HSI) rose 1.3% in Hong Kong, and the Shanghai Composite (000001.SS) gained 1.6%.
Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor said: "Despite China's struggles in coping with the latest round of COVID-19 concerns which has resulted in lockdowns in key areas, the authorities have reiterated their stance to intervene with monetary stimulus if necessary, contrary to the tightening being seen elsewhere.
Watch: What are SPACs?


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Today marks our two-year wedding anniversary! I can't believe that we have been married for two years, yet at the same time it feels like we've been together forever.
I still don't know much about marriage but I can tell you that who you choose as a partner is the most important decision of your life. And I'm pretty darn blessed with who I ended up with. Here are a few of the candid photos from our wedding. I'm hoping to share a few every year.
And, in case you missed it:
Our Wedding Ceremony
Our Wedding Reception


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High-intensity training that increases strength, with the use of free weights and body weight resistance.
Functional training (cross training) is about completely different quality and level of effort. There is no place for monotony or the same old schemes. This way you can break your borders, know your inner "you" and keep going forward.
CROSS TREC project is a brand new product for all the functional training enthusiasts.
CROSS TREC is a new line of supplements and clothing.
It is a partnership programme for the boxes, trainers. It is a customized line of products for functional training.
CROSS TREC products are way different than any supplements for bodybuilders and fitness athletes. Doses of active ingredients necessary for keeping optimal regeneration rate fulfill an increased demand of athletes.
The special clothing line is made of the highest quality materials with a big focus on a functionality.
CROSS TREC is not only a brand itself, but it is also athlete education program on each advancement level. Educational materials are available online via crosstrec.pl, on Youtube channel and as online articles.
The part of it are also seminars and
Cross trec to nie tylko marka sama w sobie, to również edukacja zawodników na każdym poziomie zaawansowania. Materiały szkoleniowe dostępne sa online za pośrednictwem portalu crosstrec.pl jak i kanału Youtube czy artykułów.
The parts of it are also seminars and training camps, where the practical knowledge is presented.


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Lowe's Companies Inc. Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (LOW)
Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.
) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of B . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, attractive valuation levels and notable return on equity. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income.
- ACTIVE STOCK TRADERS: Check out TheStreet's special offer for Real Money, headlined by Jim Cramer, now!
Highlights from the ratings report include:
- Compared to its closing price of one year ago, LOW's share price has jumped by 35.98%, exceeding the performance of the broader market during that same time frame. Regarding the stock's future course, although almost any stock can fall in a broad market decline, LOW should continue to move higher despite the fact that it has already enjoyed a very nice gain in the past year.
- LOWE'S COMPANIES INC reported flat earnings per share in the most recent quarter. Stable earnings per share over the past year indicate the company has sound management over its earnings and share float. We anticipate these figures will begin to experience more growth in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, LOWE'S COMPANIES INC's EPS of $1.42 remained unchanged from the prior years' EPS of $1.42. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($1.66 versus $1.42).
- LOW, with its decline in revenue, underperformed when compared the industry average of 9.6%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly dropped by 2.0%. Weakness in the company's revenue seems to not be hurting the bottom line, shown by stable earnings per share.
- The return on equity has improved slightly when compared to the same quarter one year prior. This can be construed as a modest strength in the organization. When compared to other companies in the Specialty Retail industry and the overall market, LOWE'S COMPANIES INC's return on equity is below that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
Lowe's Companies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a home improvement retailer. It offers a range of products for maintenance, repair, remodeling, and home decorating. The company has a P/E ratio of 17.9, above the average retail industry P/E ratio of 17.5 and above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Lowe's Companies has a market cap of $31.09 billion and is part of the
sector and
industry. Shares are up 9.3% year to date as of the close of trading on Friday.
You can view the full
Lowe's Companies Ratings Report
or get investment ideas from our
--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.


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We have an extraordinary eye and sensibility. Many of our students who became top competitors, we identified the first time we observed them fencing, talked to them, saw them, or crossed blades.
Every student has accomplished what we projected early in their development or greater, and their development has always taken place using a very methodical, analytical, well-planned approach. Always viewing fencing from very scientific, analytic, experimental, and creative perspectives, has allowed us to innovate, resulting in becoming influential in the evolution of the sport, worldwide. We've also had many coaches who have approached us to share aspects of our perspective, with each very excited to share the news of their results.
Having trained with a few masters considered legends for developing many of the greatest fencers ofall time, our head coach, Al Carter, has become highly regarded for students' accomplishments. Here are just a few of several aspects that set us apart from every other club in the world.
Xcel Fencing is considered the United States authority on the methodology of the most accomplished foil fencing master in history, Maestro Livio DiRosa. Although it has been decades since Maestro DiRosa has been with us, still no other coach has achieved half of his legacy. He developed virtually the entire Italian Olympic Foil Team for two decades, as well as every coach in his lineage being respected as one of the most innovative, extraordinary and often sought out coaches in the world.
Having colleagues from around the world, we have yet to see anyone who has been able match our twenty year history of consistently creating fencers who have become top in the city & state in just one year, and top in the nation in one to two years - with several of our most competitive students becoming medalists at their first or second national or international events.
We are now limiting our number of students to try and ensure, we have the best suited student / parent / coach team and chemistry possible. We look at development as a long term endeavor, and strive to make it an optimal enjoyable experience or everyone. We aim to create our 'dream team'.
Shortly after beginning, we realized we had discovered what we would later consider our 'formula for success'. In looking at the results of our first competitors after 2 years of training - 1 had become a national champion, while 2 others were national medalists. In analyzing their success, we identified the common threads in their individualized approach, and continued to apply the same systematic approach resulting in a consistent outcome over the next 2 decades. In 20 years, every single one of our most competitive national and international students were those who believed in what we had to offer and followed our suggested guidance the closest.


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Post-LASIK ectasia, along with keratoconus and PMD, belongs to the family of corneal ectasias, and it's easiest to view post-LASIK ectasia as a keratoconus that develops after laser eye surgery.
In laser refractive surgery, corneal tissue is removed with a laser to correct the refractive error or astigmatism. A normal cornea tolerates this easily. However, if too much tissue is removed, or if the cornea is endangered by other causes (hormones, pre-existing or undetected disease), then ectasia following LASIK, PRK and SMILE can still occur years after surgery. This ectasia is very similar to keratoconus and even has the same symptoms.
We were the first to show in 2012 that this ectasia can even occur 9 years after LASIK. It is all the more important that the surgeon has a great deal of experience in detecting such risk factors before surgery.
Until 2007, the only option for treating ectasia after LASIK and PRK was corneal transplantation (keratoplasty). This operation is serious (it requires general anaesthesia) and carries the risk of rejection.
However, in 2007, the world saw the very first patients with post-LASIK ectasia successfully treated with CXL. Since then, CXL has become the global gold standard for the treatment of this disorder.
In contrast to keratoconus (which progresses and then can be quiescent), ectasia progresses after LASIK. It should be treated as soon as the diagnosis has been made.


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Paid by NameDrive
I had parked a few domains on NameDrive and also written a blog about the same.
But had been so busy with my regular work and testing other money making methods I was not checking the account at NameDrive and day before yesterday I received a mail from paypal saying that a payment of $22.39 was added to my account by Namedrive.
So for all those domain owners, NameDrive is sure a good deal to earn money while you are working on other things or as some people say earn money while you are sleeping
If you liked this post, then you can subscribe to our blog's RSS feed or Audio feed or by Email.


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Bomb Shelter in ParadiseFebruary 28, 2008
Isaiah 26:20 "Come, my people, enter into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast."
Luke 21:9 "But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by."
whenever one brings up a topic, such as judgment in the land, social-economic collapse, food shortages, upper atmospheric EMP blast resulting in nationwide power outages, martial law, the fourth beast diverse from the rest, Russian submarines sitting off our coast waiting for their orders, and "except those days be shortened, no flesh should be saved, most people suddenly realize that "they're late for a meeting" and quickly exit the conversation. Anything that suggests a diversion from a predictable course of events is unnerving to many who are looking to retire and travel the country in an RV with the left turning signal continuously blinking. For the few who will ponder such things, two schools of thought emerge and this has been a topic of discussion as of late.
( 1 ) The first is "prepare prepare prepare." This is the continual heaping of everything imaginable with the intention of being preparead for anything that goes down. (It's impossible to be prepared for "everything") Such will stock up on freeze-dried food, water, ammo, duct tape, Burkey water purifiers, can openers, flashlights, night vision goggles, first aid supplies, blankets, and a bug-out bag, in case they have to flee in a moment. They are determined to make it through anything and everything. I believe that there are those who are being called to make such preparations; although, possibly not for the reasons that they're thinking of.
( 2 ) Rely completely upon God who is able to sustain us; even in the midst of total geo-political meltdown and judgment upon those that repent not of the works of their hands. Psalm 91 offers insight to the truth that we should not be terrified by those things that are coming to pass upon the earth. While this is 100% scriptural, the tragedy is that many who profess this truth simply don't believe that ominous events are upon us. A brother from work was telling of a conversation with someone who, after listening to a few things replied "do you think that we're in the last days?" This is normal because, while the end-times senario is coming together day by day, most refuse to see it. The love of this world has resulted in widespread blindness; even among christians.
Yesterday, Steve Quayle made mention of this post on Dimitri Orlovs blog: http://cluborlov.blogspot.com/2008/02/five-stages-of-collapse.html Please be warned that this post is entirely secular and the repeated usage of a certain word will reflect this. It's a discussion of the steps that transpire when a nation is unravelling. Although the author leaves out the most important aspect; that being spiritual, it's an informative post and from it, one can see these steps coming to pass in our own land. The conclusion is this: the status quo is soon to be no more and the seemingly steadfast elements of society will fail. We must be prepared, spiritually, and know what the will of the Lord is. If he would have someone to store rations, they should do it as strangers may come by in need of sustainance. (A great opportunity to share Christ.) But we should never trust in the arm of flesh because, ultimately, it has a failure rate of 100 percent.
Just a side note. A nation cannot murder 50 million babies, who are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God, and expect to be blessed. If we only look at this single issue, it's obvious that this nation has been treading on very thin ice for a long time and is beginning to reap what has been sown. Earlier today, I was in Deuteronomy and it hit me as to how the Lord sets up certain nations and casts down others. Despite the best laid plans of politicians and nationbuilders, God is in control.
Proverbs 14:34 "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people."
Another post that is in need of mentioning here. (This one is from a saint) It comes from Richard Wurmbrand, but was featured on Peters blog. http://theagetocome.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/preparing-for-the-underground-church/ To many, this post may seem over the top, but when everything that we've known has dissipated, one can only imagine what's going to fill the vacuum. This writing by Pastor Wurmbrand has so many points that one could blog from it for months. For now, I'll simply link to the post.
Nahum 1:7 "The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him."
This verse is true; both in the fat years and in the times of trying. Regardless of the ambient situation, he knows them who love him and have placed their complete trust in him. If he leads us to do something and it seems completely opposite of common sense, we must trust him with all of our heart. Our own understanding, if we place too much confidence in it, can bring about a chain reaction of calamity and missed opportunities. But if we simply trust and obey; standing on the promise of Jesus to be with us always, even unto the end of the world, everything will work out. We really have nothing to fear insofar as the events taking place here or the threatenings of men who will all stand before God.
Well, I'll close this up for now. Even though the plant is in the midst of a strike and I have more time on my hands than normal, I must get some things done around here. I made a comment to Kimberly recently in regards to the sudden financial change. She mentioned praying about a sustaining of things as they are when I (kinda without thinking) replied "Perhaps the Lord is moving us elsewhere." She didn't really appreciate this, but it's completely how I feel. I look at American Axle, not as the mechanism whereby we are sustained, but as an anchor that's keeping us tied to southwestern Michigan. In the writing by Richard Wurmbrand, the importance of not loving this world is made crystal clear.
Well so long for now. This post is in serious need of editing, but for the moment, I'll just "publish dangerously!"
I wish to all, a blessed day in Jesus.