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Satisfactory - Early Access Review
Ever feel extra productive, yet you're completely tired? Wanna do something nice, create something useful, yet you don't even want to get up from your chair? Then Satisfactory is your perfect shot. Latest title from the Coffee Stain Studios, Swedish developer team with short games list so far, such as Sanctum and Goat Simulator. But if you would wish for another weird, fun thanks to its bugs game like the Goat Simulator, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Satisfactory is still in Early Access stage, but even right after showing up for public it was a HUGE step for the developer. It's full with content, has beautiful and eye pleasing, yet well optimized graphics and the most important part - can provide you surprisingly rewarding fun for many, many hours.
At the very beginning after starting campaign, we are welcomed by high-end, beautiful animations and voice acted scenario introducing us to the world, it's rules, mechanics and the goal of our planetary invasion. Player is thrown out of some rocket-ish vehicle onto the ground with few basic tools and that's where the story of deforestation, pollution and absolute environment annihilation begins. Yay!
As in most of those type of games, we assume some roof over the head would be nice so we start of with some simple base. Being slowly, step by step introduced to EVERY. SINGLE. LITTLE. mechanic - and I mean it, you'll feel like a toddler learning your first steps being dragged by your mother, grandma and three aunties - you will be learning that you need to get resources. And to get them, you need to get machines. And to get them, you need to get resources. So yes, you're getting this right - you are one guy on an epic quest to replace yourself with machines so you can build more machines. And believe me, it's FREAKING FUN!
Of course it will get more complex with your gameplay time, which of course depends only on you and your creativity along with your space management. As you can see on the screen above, I heavily lack one of those. Dozens of new machines will be thrown in your face after each "Milestone" you achieve, but you decide how quickly it will be done, so no worries, you wont get overwhelmed too easily, just keep your pace. It's your call if you wanna go for quality or quantity of machines and resources farming, if you wanna go wide or high with your machines, pretty or practical. It's all your choice and you can try every scenario if you only feel like it. And that's how you just got 30 hours in the game.
Once you will feel like stretching your legs a bit, you can always go for exploration. You get to choose which of 3 worlds (for now, probably more in the future) you want to spawn and each of those worlds have not only different rules to survive and build - there are many different biomes in there to explore and many creatures to meet (and electrocute them a bit, please don't call P.E.T.A.). On your exploring adventure you will probably trip on few "Work In Progress" items, so we know that developers have many plans for future updates. Finger crossed for the constant support.
Obviously it wouldn't be an Early Access title without some bugs on the way, but oh boy it's not even comparable with their previous games. Yes, you might encounter an occasional floating tree, classic fall-through-me rock or maybe even game crash, but I'm sure you will be too busy having fun despite this.
I'm not going to show every machine, creature and biome in here to save as much I can for you to buy and play it yourself for that special first time with it. And belive me or not, there's A LOT OF CONTENT that I'm missing on and even if you will get bored of going through it alone after 50 hours, you can add another 50 by going through everything with a friend, as there's a multiplayer mode implemented! There's nothing but hope and prayers that devs will continue to support this game as the possibilities for its expansion are absolutely huge and this might be on the top of the list of this year titles if handled with care and seriousness by them.
TL;DR : Surprisingly great Early Access building game with sweet mechanics and pretty graphics that can provide pure, constant fun and quickly develop into tough to cure addiction. And you can bring your friends along to this endless hell of satisfaction. Totally recommended to buy even at the current state.
CJDance1May 11, 2019
Great article! I've been playing this co-op and it really sucks you in... 8 hours goes by in what feels like 30 mins!
For me, the game would be perfect if there was a little more combat (like Factorio) where your base gets attacked and you have to setup defense perimeters. I understand that's not everyone's cup of tea, but personally I hope they add this as an option at some point. In the meantime, they've promised big updates at the end of every month so definitely one to keep going back to!


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Clear Blue and Chilly
|The Dodecanese Express catamaran rode out Wednesday's northerly gale securely tied up in Yialos, Symi.
|The north wind cleared the air and suddenly we could see the mountains of Asia Minor once more.
|Clear blue and chilly - it is about 13 degrees today but much colder in the shade.
|An unusual sight - a toad on the road in Chorio.
|This is about as far as the commercial exploitation of Valentine's Day goes on Symi - some cuddly toys at the flower shop.
|The agricultural shop next to the town hall looks very spring-like at the moment and those are some florishing Kos lettuce seedlings on the stand on the left.
Here in Greece it is the run up to Lent and yesterday the traditional Tsiknopempti (Smokey Thursday) street party took place in the square in Chorio. In recent years it has been cancelled or rescheduled due to bad weather but this year it all worked out perfectly. The children (and a few old grown ups too) got to show off their fancy dress. The live music was a hit and it didn't rain on the BBQ so everyone was happy. To see some photographs taken by Susan Grzebisz, one of our Symi Visitor Accommodation team, please go to our Out and About page.
We are still working winter hours and as our office is having some essential work done that involves a fair amount of jack-hammering, please don't panic if we don't answer the telephone. The easiest way to contact us to book your summer holidays is by email at email@example.com and email@example.com and we will get back to you as quickly as we can.
Have a good weekend.

subset: commoncrawl


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ULLR Calling in the Snow
The ULLR Festival parade is one of the highlights in the winter for many people in Breckenridge. The celebration for the Norse god of snow brings out fun costumes and crazy floats as people parade down Main Street. This piece perfectly captures the feeling of the parade.
This piece measures 39.5" tall by 27.5" wide, including the frame. The piece is painted with acrylics and framed in a dark pewter frame made from sustainably sourced wood.


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With the new PAYE Real Time Information this year, many small businesses are finding it difficult to keep up to date with all the changes and requirements.
Instead of worrying and struggling, a simple way of keeping on top of your payroll is simply to outsource it.
It is best to contract out your company's payroll for a number of reasons.
1. Free Up Your Time: Outsourcing your payroll will relieve you of the burden of the responsibility of managing payroll so you have less paperwork and more time to focus on the more important profitable aspects of your business. Particularly in small businesses payroll processing takes up too much time of those whose main focus should be other key features of the business. Outsourcing your payroll frees up your time and resources to concentrate on strategic business areas such as recruitment, staff performance, marketing etc. that can affect your business productivity and profitability more directly.
2. Lower Costs: You can greatly reduce costs by outsourcing your payroll to a service provider. You can spend the valuable saved revenue on achieving key objectives of your business. It also allows you to get a clear picture of the actual payroll cost, and to ease cost burdens such as updating technology and staff training.
3. Avoid Penalties: Errors in payroll can not only affect your employees but can also lead to issues with the tax office, which may lead to penalties. If you outsource your payroll to a service provider that specializes in keeping up to date with current regulations, there is less chance of making a mistake than if you used in-house staff. If the service provider makes a serious mistake you could seek compensation for the error – something you cannot do with internal staff.
4. Speed: Payroll service providers are specialists that have advanced technical systems at their disposal. It means that they are able to process very complex payrolls very fast. Also, in case there is a temporary inflow of employees, they can handle it effectively unlike other employers.
5. Legislation: A good payroll service provider knows all payroll-related tax laws and other legislation inside out. It will take a lot of time and effort on the part of your employees to get on top of these laws. Once you contract your payroll out you needn't worry about this anymore.
Once you have decided to outsource your payroll the next step is to look for a specialist payroll service provider like Moorepay. By outsourcing your payroll to Moorepay you can save yourself time, money and hassle and ensure that you and your business are real-time compliant.
If you want to read more on outsourcing check out my post Key Components Of How To Outsource Effectively.


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Job description
Exciting job opportunity for a .Net Backend Engineer to work with cutting edge technologies (.Net Core, Microservices, TDD and AWS), and build responsive, data-centric web applications in an Agile environment using Scrum and Kanban.
What you will be doing
- Building products from proof of concept to production.
- Developing and enhancing server-side applications.
- Designing and developing robust, high quality sustainable code.
Job Requirements
- 5 years' software development experience.
- Experience with C#, .Net Core, Rest API's and Microservices.
- Experience with design patterns, messaging patterns, distributed systems.
- Experience with TDD as well as continuous integration and continuous deployment.
Bonus Requirements
- Knowledge of AWS
- Exposure to AI and Machine learning
To be considered for this opportunity you must have an EU Passport or a Stamp 4 Visa.
If you are interested in this job or other .Net Jobs, email your cv to email@example.com or call 01 9619705.
Following your application for this specific role, Sigmar may contact you regarding other positions that we feel you may be suitable for. If you do not wish to be contacted about other opportunities please let us know. For further information please refer to the Privacy Statement on our website.


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Who We Are
ShoutcastStreaming dot US was started in 2006 by 2 people who grew tired of using Stream Hosts that used servers that were always crashing or buffering.
So we decided to start out with 1 LINUX server and put our own stations on it. A few months later, other friends kept on asking about our stations and why we never buffered. When we told them we were running it ourselves, they requested that we let them on our server for a fee. From there we just kept on growing and growing. A few pitfalls the first year .. one Data Center in Chicago that kept on dying and another in France that had a fire and lost our server among others. But we learned a good lesson .. there are cheap Data Centers and then there are reliable Data Centers. After our 1st year, we only used those dependable Centers.
Each of our techicians have over 10 years of Internet Broadcasting. We have used SHOUTcast, ICEcast & Windows Media for our stations. So when you put in a ticket, we will know the answer. We answer all tickets within 4 hours and always make sure that you are happy with the solution.
Our support is rated #1 of all Stream Hosts by BroadcastingWorld dot COM.
Of course there are some things that we won't help you with. We do not do websites and if you need help to get your website modified, please don't ask us. But if you need help with Internet Broadcasting, then you've come to the right place.


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MyHeritage has released the full schedule for MyHeritage LIVE 2019 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The second annual MyHeritage user conference will take place September 6-8, 2019.
Attendees will have the opportunity to choose from three tracks: Genealogy, DNA, and hands-on workshops. The conference has a full line-up of international speakers and local experts as well as several MyHeritage staff members, including MyHeritage Founder and CEO Gilad Japhet.
See the full MyHeritage LIVE 2019 schedule
Geni's General Manager, Mike Stangel, will be presenting a genealogy track lecture, "Using Geni and How it is Different from Other Genealogy Platforms" on Sunday, September 8. A hands-on Geni workshop will immediately follow the lecture, so if you're interested in getting some hands-on help on privacy, collaboration, and merging on Geni, be sure to check it out.
The conference will be held at the Hilton Amsterdam, which is conveniently located near the museum district. Fun fact: The conference is taking place in the same hotel where John Lennon and Yoko Ono famously staged their "bed-in" for peace in 1969.
Save your spot and we hope to see you there!
Register now for MyHeritage LIVE 2019
Source: Geni.com


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City, NorthWestern Energy unveil new electric charging stations
By Martin Kidston/Missoula Current
Russ Fletcher and Scott Moses pulled their vehicles into the Park Place garage to find the parking spots empty. Chances are they'll be vacant most of the time, given how they're reserved for electric vehicles needing a quick jolt of power.
But that could change over time.
Joined by NorthWestern Energy, the city of Missoula on Friday unveiled two new electric charging stations, both of which are located on separate levels of the Park Place garage.
The collaboration between NorthWestern and the city marks the first of its kind in the state, and it's one that officials will be watching over the next few months to determine demand.
If it pans out, other electric charging stations will follow.
"NorthWestern came in, purchased the charging stations and hooked them up to a separate metering station to track their usage," said Rod Austin, director of the Missoula Parking Commission. "We can see how much they're being used and if there's a demand for them."
The Level 2 charging stations provide roughly 10 miles of charge per hour, though that's enough to get Moses to and from his hillside home south of town. The architect with A&E was driving a gas-guzzling pickup truck before he made the shift.
The old truck wasn't needed for his day-to-day errands, though it was easy to fuel. But with the charging stations now on line, powering up his Nissan LEAF is just a matter of time.
"Range anxiety is one of the major barriers to large-scale adoption of electric cars," said Moses. "But if I can plug in here and be able to charge my car, it's a great benefit for me. I didn't need that big pickup. I just basically needed a car to run my errands 90 percent of the time."
Chase Jones, the energy conservation and climate action coordinator for the city, served on NorthWestern's Community Sustainable Energy Working Group, which looked at new concepts and best practices around renewable energy.
Among its efforts, the group studied linking rooftop solar with electric vehicle charging stations. The new downtown parking garage came to mind from the start, given its large rooftop solar array, which powers 80 percent of the building's energy needs.
Jones said the charging station will make it more convenient for motorists who are looking to ditch their combustion engine for a carbon-cutting vehicle.
"Having this service available is both a huge benefit to the community and a key strategy in reducing greenhouse gas emissions," said Jones. "We hope this pilot project leads to more electric vehicle charging stations throughout Missoula, and broader adoption of electric vehicles."
Jones believes the project will lead to reduced emissions, resulting in cleaner air, cleaner water and improved public health – a point on which NorthWestern agrees.
The power company recently launched a large solar project with the city of Bozeman and will do the same with the city of Helena. It will also partner with Missoula Public School's in a $1 million solar project, according to spokesman Butch Larcombe.
The electric charging station is the only project of its kind installed by NorthWestern in Montana.
"We do think renewables make financial sense to our customers and meet local needs," said Larcombe, adding that the half of the 475 electric vehicles registered in Montana are in Missoula County.
"Missoula County has more electric vehicles than any other county in Montana," he said. "So this is a perfect spot for a charging station and for us to test the market. We'll see how it plays out, but we're really encouraged by this."
Contact reporter Martin Kidston at email@example.com


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Description: FOUR MODELS (TWO BLONDE, TWO BRUNETTE) IN BIKINIS MODEL FOR THE CAMERA, SIT IN JACUZZI TALKING/DRINKING, DANCE AGAINST SETTING SUN; DX EXT MS 4 models (2 blonde, 2 brunette philippino) modeling in their bikinis as photographers photograph their butts; DX EXT FS the 4 models come up stairs in bikinis, VAR 4 models sit together on a water slide & ride down to pool; DX EXT VAR 4 models playing around in a large jacuzzi, 2 models pop up flipping wet hair back (several takes); DX EXT FS 3 models in silhouette swim & play in pool against the backdrop of a yellow setting sun; DX EXT FS 3 models stand in pool talking to camera & trying to be sexy, 4 models rest in a jacuzzi; DX EXT FS one model brings the other 3 models in the jacuzzi some pina colada's, girls sit in jacuzzi drinking & talking VAR; DX EXT FS philippino girl in bikini poses under small waterfall, hawaiian girl seductively walks out of jacuzzi (we see her butt); DX EXT MS older philippino girl in red bikini steps out of jacuzzi (we see her butt), california girl does the same ; DX EXT CU on young philippino's crotch as she turns around & walks out of jacuzzi, she walks into jacuzzi, hawaiian girls walks in; DX EXT WS of small lake w/ fountain as sun sets behind mountains/ girls ride by in golf cart; DX EXT FS girls ride up in golf cart & say their lines into the camera; DX EXT MS of green fountain Z-OUT to show the EST of setting sun/orange sky in palm springs; DX EXT FS 4 models dance w/ the backdrop of the setting sun VAR ;
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Veterinarians to offer scoop on dogs
What are the most important factors dog owners should know?
A panel of veterinarians will discuss the topic at 6:30 p.m. Thursday during a program sponsored by Music City Quail Forever.
The program, which is open to the public, will be held in the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Region II Building at Ellington Agricultural Center on Edmondson Pike.
"This is not just for hunting dogs; it's open for just about anything to do with dogs," said chapter president George Carney, who works closely with chapter vice president Ron Crabtree. "Ron and I sit down and we brainstorm about what folks would like to hear about and then we get input from our membership."
Questions for the panel may be submitted before the meeting by emailing Carney at email@example.com.
Dinner will be served.
Comment on regulations: The TWRA is requesting public comments for its 2015 fishing regulations.
Anglers are encouraged to share ideas and concerns. The comment period is open until May 6.
Fisheries managers will consider the comments and may present them as proposals for regulation changes.
Comments may be mailed to: Fish Comments, TWRA, Fisheries Management Division, P.O. 40747, Nashville, TN 37204. They can be emailed to email@example.com. Include "Fish Comments" in the subject line of the email.
The new fishing regulations are usually set during the October meeting of the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Bass tournament: The fifth annual Two Rivers Ford Open Bass Tournament is Saturday on Old Hickory Lake.
Launch (6 a.m.) and weigh-in (2 p.m.) will be at Flipper's Bull Creek Landing in Gallatin.
The winner will receive $1,000, second place $500 and third place $250.
The fee is $60 per boat and an extra $10 to be entered in the big bass pot.
Money raised will support the Wilson County Sports Council Scholarship Fund, which is given to one male and one female high school senior in the county.
To enter, contact the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce at 615-444-5503.
Austin Peay tourney: The 20th annual Austin Peay Governors Bass Tournament will be May 10 on Kentucky Lake.
Check-in will be from 4-5:30 a.m. at Paris Landing State Park. The launch will be at 6 a.m.
Entry fee is $110 per boat (two anglers) before noon on May 9 and $125 after noon.
Weigh-in will be at 2:30 p.m.
Larry Etheredge and Steve Richerson from Clarksville won last year's $5,000 first-place prize with five fish, which weighed a total of 20 pounds and 1 ounce.
For entry forms or more information, call 931-221-7352 or 931-221-7127 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. or 931-624-2909 or 931-436-1044 after. You can also visit LetsGoPeay.com.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 and on
Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.


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Reasons To Be Cheerful Part II
#3 - The Brewery Tap
I don't feel anywhere near settled in a new place until I've found a drinking establishment I like. In Abingdon, it's the Brewery Tap.
Situated on Ock Street on the way into the town centre (an aside: Jenni commented that you can tell it's a posh area by the fact that no-one's thought to add a 'c' to the street sign...), the Brewery Tap is so called because it was the place to sample beers from the Morland brewery, which used to occupy the buildings immediately behind the pub. They're now flats, home to the friend who introduced me to the Brewery Tap's charms.
That ale-making legacy lives on; unusually - for a pub in Abingdon, at least - it always has a range of good beers on, one of which bearing the Morland name. Tribute is a current favourite. At £2.90 for a pint of bitter, it's not cheap, and probably enough to make any Northerners who might come to visit recoil with horror - but that's the going rate in Abingdon and it's certainly preferable to the standard big-brand lagers served up elsewhere.
Despite looking a bit dubious from the street, it's a splendid pub inside, all cosy rooms, stone floors and wood panelling, though with a smart modern feel that reminds me most of Mike's favourite the Cock & Hoop in Nottingham.
One thing it does lack is a good pub menu - food is only available on a Sunday, and only then a choice of roasts, though the ingredients are generally locally grown. I'm yet to try them out, being a far more regular visitor on Tuesday nights for the quiz, for which assorted regulars and staff take it in turns to set the questions for teams rejoicing under such names as The Robert Kilroy-Silk Appreciation Society and Fat People Are Harder To Kidnap. As for us, we're steadily improving, with a third place finish last time we competed - Barflies, watch your backs...
Saturday, August 04, 2007
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Excerpts - Beyond the Blue Bridge
The Fleet Musicians
The Royal Navy played a major role in 19th century Esquimalt, economically and culturally.
An excerpt from Beyond the Blue Bridge tells of the contributions of The Fleet Musicians:
Most Royal Navy ships of the line had a band or an orchestra keeping up a high level of cultural pursuits on long voyages or in isolated stations. Diaries of the 1850s mention musical and theatrical events on the Royal Navy ships, including "Splendid Theatre on board the Frigate Trincomalee" in June, 1853, attended by the Governor and his family, gentlemen from Fort Victoria and other notables like Mr. And Mrs. Skinner from Constance Cove Farm.
The Colonist noted on December 30, 1862 that "The Splendid Brass Band of HMS Topaze discoursed sweet music through the town last evening to the great delight of the masses parading the streets. The jolly tars occupied a wagon drawn by four horses."
The 1860s saw several ships with competent musicians on station, including the Tribune, Ganges and Sutlej providing many concerts. A letter to the editor of the Colonist in September, 1865, suggests the Sutlej band was the star turn:
"Sir, - I presume you are aware that the Sutlej Band performed on Foster's wharf at Esquimalt on Saturday Night ... for the benefit of the public ... It is but seldom we have the opportunity of hearing such a band as the Sutlej band ... It is a pity that so much breath should be wasted in discoursing classical music to the fishes and frogs in the bays and bogs of Esquimalt ..." The letter requesting that the Admiral allow the band to perform in Victoria, was signed C. Sharp
When the band did appear in Victoria the program included selections from Verdi, Rossini and Donizetti operas "rendered by HMS Sutlej Band, it is almost superfluous to say, ... in truly artistic style."
Lucky Esquimalt with its free concerts on Foster's Pier, also known as Isbister's Wharf. The Royal Canadian Navy continued the tradition with the HMCS Naden Band, formed in 1940. Band members played key roles in the development of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra from its inception in 1941.
(Condensed from "Wasted on the Fishes and Frogs" by Maureen Duffus, with notes from Professor Dale McIntosh, for Beyond the Blue Bridge)
Cricket at the naval canteen grounds, near Foster's Pier,
where HMS Sutlej band played. Clubhouse in background.
Back to Beyond the Blue Bridge


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Need the current tides for a location in Kauai for your web site? We have the current tides for 6 locations (Poipu, Port Allen, Waimea, Hanalei, Hanamalu and Nawiliwili) on the island of Kauai. Click on the Location name is see the daily tide display. If you just need to check the tides for today or any day through December 2010 click on the Location's tide search link. Have a need to print out an entire month's worth of tides for a Location? Click on the month tides link. What about tides and tide predictions - read more.
While we take a lot of care to make all of the information on our site as accurate as possible, we can't guarantee the accuracy of this tide data or be held responsible for any consequences arising from its use. Do not put life or property at risk based on this data.


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Ultrasound tests
Ultrasound (or sonogram) technology allows doctors to "see" inside a patientwithout resorting to surgery. A transmitter sends high-frequency sound wavesinto the body, where they bounce off the different tissues and organs to produce a distinctive pattern of echoes. A receiver "hears" the returning echo pattern and forwards it to a special computer, which translates the data into an image on a television screen. Ultrasound is better than x rays at distinguishing subtle variations between soft, fluid-filled tissues, so it is particularly useful in providing diagnostic images of the abdomen, breast, eye, pelvis, scrotum, and thyroid. Unlike x rays, it does not damage tissues with ionizing radiation. Improvements in the technology, application, and interpretation of ultrasound continue. Its low cost, portability, versatility, safety, andspeed have made it a popular medical imaging technique. Ultrasound remains faster and less expensive than computed tomography scans (CT), its primary rival.
Ultrasound technology can also be used for treatment purposes. The direct therapeutic value of ultrasonic waves lies in their mechanical nature. They areshock waves, just like audible sound, and vibrate the materials through whichthey pass. These vibrations are mild and virtually unnoticeable at the frequencies and intensities used for imaging. However, strongly focused, high-intensity, high-frequency ultrasound can also be used to destroy certain types oftumors, as well as gallstones. High-intensity ultrasound is useful for treating soft tissue injuries, such as strains, tears and associated scarring; theheating and agitation they cause are believed to promote rapid healing through increased circulation. Ultrasound is most frequently used therapeuticallyas a visual aid during surgical procedures--such as guiding needle placementto drain fluid from a cyst, or to extract tumor cells for analysis.
Ultrasound is valuable for finding the reason for abdominal pain, which can signal anything from organ malfunction or injury to malignant growths. In thecase of abdominal trauma, such as after a car crash or a fall, ultrasound canpinpoint the location, cause, and severity of hemorrhaging or locate a foreign object, such as a bullet.
In breast ultrasound, the sound waves pass through the breast and bounce backor echo from various tissues to form a picture of the internal structures. Its most common application is to investigate a specific area of the breast where a problem is suspected. A palpable lump and/or an abnormality discoveredon an x ray (mammogram) can be further evaluated by ultrasound. It is especially helpful in distinguishing between a fluid-filled cyst and a solid mass such as a tumor.
Breast ultrasound is often the first step taken to evaluate masses in women under 35 whose mammograms can be difficult to interpret because of their denser breast tissue. The lack of radiation used with ultrasound also makes it ideal for studying breast abnormalities in women who are pregnant, and it is effective in assessing breast implants for leakage or rupture. Breast inflammation, where pockets of infection or abscesses may form, can be diagnosed and monitored by ultrasound.
Ultrasound imaging equipment also allows eye specialists (ophthalmologists) to "see" the eye in great detail without the pain and risk of exploratory surgery or the limitations and uncertainty inherent in traditional visual examination. Ultrasound is used to detect and diagnose many eye diseases and injuries, to measure the eye prior to corrective surgery, and to treat problems. When presented with general symptoms, ultrasound can speed diagnosis if a serious condition is suspected. A special type of ultrasound, known as Doppler, caneven perceive and measure circulation in the tiny blood vessels of the eye.
Ultrasound can reveal the exact type, extent, and location of damage in the eye, from deformations and ruptures to internal bleeding, and so can assist emergency care efforts. Ophthalmic ultrasound imaging is also used routinely toguide the precise placement of instruments during surgery, and can be used directly for the treatment of glaucoma and tumors of the eye.
Pelvic ultrasound is most commonly performed during pregnancy. Early in the pregnancy, it might be used to determine the size of the uterus or the fetus,to detect multiple or ectopic pregnancy, to confirm that the fetus is alive,or to confirm the due date. Toward the middle of the pregnancy, ultrasound can confirm fetal growth, reveal anatomical defects, and check the placenta. Toward the end of pregnancy, it can evaluate fetal size, position, and growth.Doctors may also use ultrasound to guide them during diagnostic procedures like amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. Both of these tests use longneedles inserted through the mother's abdomen into the uterus or placenta togather cells.
Scrotal ultrasound is an imaging technique used to diagnose suspected abnormalities of the scrotum. It is the primary imaging method used to evaluate disorders of the testicles and surrounding tissues, such as an absent or undescended testicle, an inflammation problem, a fluid collection, abnormal blood vessels, or a mass.
Thyroid ultrasound is an imaging technique used for diagnosing suspected thyroid disease, such as a goiter. The thyroid gland is an organ located in frontof the neck that plays an important role in controlling the body's metabolism. Specialized thyroid ultrasounds, such as color Doppler flow studies, can add valuable information. By showing an image of the blood circulation in thegland, this study can assess some ambiguous masses in greater detail to further refine diagnosis.
Ultrasound studies may also be done periodically to assess the response of the thyroid gland to medical therapy. Patients who have received therapeutic radiation to the head or neck are also monitored at regular intervals using thyroid ultrasound, since they have a higher risk of thyroid cancer and other abnormalities.


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Friday, October 27, 2017
Paint Party Friday: Week 34, Year 7 Check-In
16 comments:
Adorable digital painting. Congrats Sharon. Blessings, JanetReplyDelete
Happy Paint Party Friday. I love this piece by Sharon Looking forward to seeing all of you the art this week.ReplyDelete
I love all the beautiful colors in the face Sharon has created.ReplyDelete
LOvely work from Sharon! Happy PPF, ValerieReplyDelete
Nice work from Sharon, luvthe green eyesReplyDelete
Happy PPF to all
much love...
Such a pretty creation from Sharon - congatulations on being featured!ReplyDelete
Happy PPF to everyone :D) xx
- AnonymousOctober 27, 2017 at 4:09 AM
wonderful creation from sharon,i love this art !!!ReplyDelete
to everyone a Happy PPF!
greetings Elke
Beautiful art by Sharon, the colors are enchanting and serene! Wonderful!ReplyDelete
happy PPF
lovely soft and colorful creation from Sharon. Happy PPF!ReplyDelete
LOVE the color and mood of this painting!ReplyDelete
Lovely work from Sharon!ReplyDelete
What a wonderful art piece!ReplyDelete
Isn't she the best!!ReplyDelete
Lovely art Sharon!ReplyDelete
Kudos to you Sharon for your digital painting. Love it so much and glad it was the random selection this week.ReplyDelete
Left message for you Sharon on your website. I love your crochet project too, reflecting the same colors.ReplyDelete


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This topic has 187 replies, 22 voices, and was last updated 11 months, 3 weeks ago by anisha.mullamuri.
March 1, 2016 at 2:55 pm #8223
Hello, my name is Jamie and I look after community contributions on behalf of ForgeRock. Why not take a moment to introduce yourself, and maybe a little about your involvement with the projects? This will often help forum members to provide you with better information, and help us all to get to know one another.
A bit about me;
I've been working at ForgeRock for a year and a half now, and have been lucky enough to work on some great demos of future tech for our summits. On the contribution front I was responsible for the engineering involved in the contribution of the OpenAM 13 RADIUS server functionality by the LDS Church (thanks folks).
My background; I have 20 years experience as software developer, and later architect working on defence projects, enterprise security software and enterprise big data software.
In my spare time I sing and play guitar and mandolin in a folk rock band. I also and love to ski, surf and cycle.
Once again, welcome to the forums.
March 14, 2016 at 7:53 pm #8541anirbanParticipant
- This topic was modified 6 years, 7 months ago by Jamie Bowen.
I am new to Open AM and Sync the AD users to open AM, Every time i used to go to Data Store and do reset to sync the users from AD to Open AM. Is there is Scheduler or Script by which I can automate the sycing of the users from AD to Open AM ?
A bit of me..
Consultant in Identity and Access Management.
Most of my carrier worked in Microsoft and exploring the Open AM platformMarch 17, 2016 at 12:34 pm #8650
Hi Anirban, and welcome to the forums!
Regarding your question; Syncing with data stores is what OpenIDM is for. It can keep a unified view of external data stores, run scheduled syncs etc. OpenAM is merely a consumer of identity information residing in a data store, in your case Active Directory.
There's no sync as OpenAM does not store identity information somewhere, but it does use the identity in the identity store to create sessions and tokens.
OpenAM is not a 'provisiong' tool. OpenIDM does all that really well and can handle workflows, syncing data stores etc.April 11, 2016 at 8:43 pm #9451[email protected]Participant
Hi Bowen, this is Anji and we just started adopting ForgeRock products(OpenAM, DJ and IG) for our Identity and access management. So I am working on evaluating FR capabilities for different use cases.April 12, 2016 at 9:46 am #9562
Hi Anji,
I hope you enjoy working with our projects!
JamieApril 13, 2016 at 12:48 pm #9597Bill NelsonParticipant
Hi Jamie,
I always joke that I have been working with ForgeRock since it was just a pebble (some people will get that and others are like my wife that feel that I have no sense of humor). Essentially, I was working with DJ when it was OpenDS (and before that the DSEE product), AM when it was Sun Identity Server (yes, I did say "Identity Server"), and IDM when its connector origins date back to Sun Identity Manager. You could say that I have been around the block once or twice and maybe even helped put up some of the houses on the block.
We are a ForgeRock partner specializing in training, services, and development for DJ, AM, and IDM. I have written much of ForgeRock's training materials and many of the people on these forums are our customers. I jump in from time to time to try to explain some of the more difficult concepts to the newer folks (must be the instructor in me) or just because I love getting a good smack down from Peter Major (not saying that I don't deserve it, mind you).
I sometimes go by the handle "idmdude" (don't laugh, it was available) and can be found blogging on ForgeRock and other topics at http://www.idmdude.com. You can find more about me at https://idmdude.com/about/ or see my company's website at http://www.identityfusion.com.
It would be nice if the forum's profile actually gave us the ability to describe our backgrounds, etc. It would help if I knew a person's expertise level before I responded to them in the forums.
Hope to see you again soon,
bill (aka "idmdude")April 13, 2016 at 3:00 pm #9605
Great intro Bill! I agree about the profiles. I'll see what we can do about that.
JamieApril 14, 2016 at 6:21 pm #9648s.purcellParticipant
Hello everyone
I work in a consulting firm as a software engineer and my clients are interested improving the security of their systems.
We're currently working on a study for them and OpenAM is the focus.
Due to the age of the system, we are using the C SDK to integrate the system. I've managed to get it integrated into our system. It is able to authenticate the users on a module type basis, but I'm not sure how to force it to use the authentication chain I've set up.
I had assumed that User authentication would follow the authentication chain in the realm. Am I missing something?
Cheers!April 14, 2016 at 8:24 pm #9650Bill NelsonParticipant
There is a default chain (aka "service") associated with a realm, it is called ldapService and consists of the DataStore as the one lone authentication module. OpenAM permits module based authentication but you have to specify that as a parameter and it is highly discouraged to leave that running in a production environment. So, when you log into a realm and don't specify the module specifically, you are essentially logging in to the chain.
If you want to use a different chain (by default) for a realm, you can create a new one, populate it with modules to your heart's desire and then specify the criteria in which each module is processed. Then comes the testing part – you can specify a non-default chain to use for authenticating against a realm with the "service" parameter. Once you are comfortable with your chain, then you can set it as the default for the realm and all authentication then starts using that new chain. I HIGHLY recommend that you test your chain before trying to associate it with the realm. Not doing so is an easy way to lock yourself out of your realm. Then, you WOULD hope that you didn't disable the module based authentication as you would need that to log back in, or you could log in against the top (/) realm, instead.
Notice how none of what I just mentioned discussed the SDK. That is because all of this is the default behavior when configuring OpenAM's authentication chains for a particular realm.
billMay 2, 2016 at 8:05 pm #10189praveenallaParticipant
I am Praveen. We started evaluating OpenIDM for our user management in february. I did POC for our requirement of synchronization and reconciliation of users created in OpenIDM. Our Management liked the solution and we decided to use this product going forward. I am right now in development phase and will be having many questions whenever I face a roadblock. Hope to get help from the users in these forums.
PraveenMay 3, 2016 at 6:25 pm #10230
Nice to hear we made the cut! Thanks for posting Praveen!May 16, 2016 at 9:21 am #10544sixartParticipant
Hi Bowen, I'm Dario and work in Sielte S.p.A (Catania – Italy). I am considering the possibility of using OpenDJ in the company.
DarioMay 17, 2016 at 3:47 pm #10578
Hi Dario,
Good to meet you. Welcome to the forums. I hope you can find what you need here!
JamieMay 18, 2016 at 4:59 pm #10614[email protected]Participant
Hi All,
As a System administrator I was quite familiar with SunOpenDS.
Seeing this fork and the development of features, I'm stunned!
Here's a summary what I been able to achieve, thanks to the opendj software.
* – LDAP authentication based on OpenDJ PTA (using MS ADS)
* – Works out-of-the-box for Solaris clients.
* – Also, Linux clients, with a little help from sssd
Especially, the netgroup implementaion using rfc2307bis works great +++
/thanksMay 20, 2016 at 6:21 pm #10669
Great to hear you're having a good experience! Would love to hear more about what you've done with netgroup!
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.


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I apologize if my question is not gentle, but I am in shock
Most of the topics are very old, 2014, 2009, 2007... Not good to someone trying to set an IcyPhoenix forum for the first time in this age.
There are no tutorials, no mods, and nothing else that can be useful to me. I wouldn't like to be posting and posting everything, because I have too many questions...
Please, tell me that this forum is reliving again with the last version of the forum.
Thank you very much for your patiente; I'd really like to make the forum works, but I need too much help


text: If you would like to subscribe to this site's list, click here. You'll get occasional exclusive updates and freebies, I won't bombard you with garbage. Also, I have a Facebook page where I put out tidbits for a select few. If you want to contact me directly, fill in the blocks below. I believe in interaction with my readers.


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Michael Locke
Shropshire, UK
Michael Locke graduated as a Plant Spirit Medicine healer in 2000, and, before his recent move to Shropshire, he had a practice in Cornwall.
For over thirty years prior to offering Plant Spirit Medicine, Michael worked as a carpenter/joiner and cabinet maker, and is recognized as a master craftsman in his trade. These days, he prefers to work with people rather than wood.


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Introducing Kale
In the world of Ops, monitoring is a tough problem. It gets harder when you have lots and lots of critical moving parts, each requiring constant monitoring. At Etsy, we've got a bunch of tools that we use to help us monitor our systems. You might be familiar with some of them: Nagios, StatsD, Graphite, and Ganglia. Today, we'd like to introduce you to a new tool that we've been working on for the past few months.
This tool is designed to solve the problem of metrics overload. What kind of overload are we talking about? Well, at Etsy, we really love to make graphs. We graph everything! Anywhere we can slap a StatsD call, we do. As a result, we've found ourselves with over a quarter million distinct metrics. That's far too many graphs for a team of 150 engineers to watch all day long! And even if you group metrics into dashboards, that's still an awful lot of dashboards if you want complete coverage.
Of course, if a graph isn't being watched, it might misbehave and no one would know about it. And even if someone caught it, lots of other graphs might be misbehaving in similar ways, and chances are low that folks would make the connection.
We'd like to introduce you to the Kale stack, which is our attempt to fix both of these problems. It consists of two parts: Skyline and Oculus. We first use Skyline to detect anomalous metrics. Then, we search for that metric in Oculus, to see if any other metrics look similar. At that point, we can make an informed diagnosis and hopefully fix the problem.
Skyline is an anomaly detection system. It shows all the current metrics that have been determined to be anomalous:
You can hover over all the metric names and view the graphs directly. Our algorithms do a good job filtering most of the non-anomalous metrics, but for now, they certainly aren't as good at humans at pattern matching. So, our philosophy is to err on the side of noise – it's very easy to scroll through a few more false positives if it means you get to catch all the real anomalies.
Once you've found a metric that looks suspect, you can click through to Oculus and analyze it for correlations with other metrics!
Oculus is the anomaly correlation component of the Kale system. Once you've identified an interesting or anomalous metric, Oculus will find all of the other metrics in your systems which look similar.
It lets you search for metrics, using your choice of two comparison algorithms, and shows you other metrics which are similar for the same time period.
You can even save interesting metrics into a collection (complete with your own notes), for example if a particular set of related graphs occurred during a complex outage:
Oculus will then search through all of your saved metric collections along with your other metrics, and will show you any matches alongside your regular search results. What's that? You're seeing the same pattern of graphs as you saved during that last site outage you had? Gee, thanks Oculus!
Going further into the juicy technical depths of each system is a tad beyond the scope of this introductory post, but we'll be sure to post more about it in the coming weeks. We will also be speaking about it at Velocity next week (see the abstract here), so if you're around, come and say hi! In the meantime, we are open sourcing everything today, and we are looking forward to feedback from the community. Go ahead and try it out! You can find Skyline and Oculus at http://github.com/etsy/skyline and http://github.com/etsy/oculus.
monitoring <3, Abe and Jon
Abe tweets at @abestanway, and Jon tweets at @jonlives
Update: It came to our attention that the "Loupe" name is also used by a commercial product, and so we have changed the name to Kale.


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This was the first recipe I tried from the new Hummingbird Bakery – Cake Days cookbook. It looked simple to prepare and didn't need a lot of strange ingredients (lemonade syrup, rosewater, violet essence to name a few!). Snickerdoodles are tasty cinnamon cookies, which are crunchy on the outside and softer once you bite into them. They are delicious. Honestly, if you like the taste of cinnamon, you will most likely love these cookies.
The cookie dough was very simple to make, just your standard butter, sugar, flour and egg mixture (with a few raising agents) and surprisingly, just a small amount of cinnamon. This dough isn't too sticky (like the double chocolate chip cookie mixture) and when mixed enough, comes together to form a smooth dough ball. Then, you are advised to refrigerate it for approximately 40 minutes before you work with it again. I'm assuming the reason for chilling the dough before it is rolled into small balls is to allow it to come together more, so it sticks to itself better instead of crumbling apart.
After 40 minutes, you take small pieces of the dough and roll it into a ball, then cover it well in a cinnamon sugar coating (this is where the main cinnamon taste comes from) and place it onto the baking sheet. The cinnamon sugar mixture doesn't stick to the dough as well as you would think, so I ended up sprinkling some of the mixture on top of the dough balls once I had put them on the baking tray. Luckily, the sugar did not burn in the oven!
I made approximately 20 cookies, I guess you can make more or less depending on the size of the dough balls you roll out. I made sure to space to well enough apart so that if they did expand, they wouldn't grow into each other and form a big snickerdoodle. From the pictures below, you can see that they did expand.. just not to the size I thought they would! I was judging this based on the double chocolate chip cookies as it used roughly the same amount of raising agents.
I'd say they best straight out of the oven, when they are still nice and warm, but they keep well in an airtight container too! I made 20 last night and there's probably about 5 left right now.. oops!
There'll be more new recipes coming from the new cookbook.. so watch this space.


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Do we really need an introduction for these pencils? I'm pretty sure they're a staple in everyone's makeup collection, at least a color or two. :)
Color selection
I think the main reason why everyone (I assume) is in love with these liners is the large selection of color! There are just so many great and fun colors to choose from! The variety of shades — brights or neutrals — together with all kinds of different finishes really make Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils stand out from the rest. Even the black, you'd think that black is black, but Urban Decay shows you there can be so many shades of black! And then there are these different shades of browns, greens, blues, purples, and so on. Chances are whatever color you are looking for, Urban Decay has it. :)
Formula & pigmentation
They are extremely soft and creamy, and they literally glide on very smoothly without tugging/pulling at the eyelids. I line my eyes everyday and I always look for a liner that is gentle and takes zero to no effort to use but still provides the richest, most intense pigmentation. Again, Urban Decay has that covered.
Being soft also means it can sometimes be difficult to draw a thin, crisp line. You may need to use a separate eyeliner brush to achieve the winged look. It also means that you need to sharpen the tip more often than you want to.
Some of them do deliver a rich, opaque color in one stroke (hello, Perversion!) while others may require a little building. They are mostly pigmented, though, and they do set quickly to a budge-proof finish. So smudge/blend quickly, if needed to!
Most of them have great staying power under normal circumstances. There are some colors that do smudge, especially in humid weather, and there are also some that fade, but the staying power can be greatly improved over a good eye primer. I hardly have any problems with Urban Decay eyeliners on a regular basis (but I don't have crazy oily lids, either).
A little pricey, yes. And that's why I buy them in sets! :)
Now let's see some swatches and a mini review of each color!
Note: Colors marked with " * " are discontinued.
- Perversion – matte deep black
True black. The blackest, most intense black I've ever seen. Creamy and glides on with ease. Extremely pigmented. Goes on fully opaque in one pass.
- Zero – medium black
Less black than Perversion but also looks more natural on the lids and not as harsh. Goes on smoothly. Decent color payoff.
- Oil Slick – grayish black with silver glitter
One of my favorites! I love sparkly liners. :) Not the most intense black. Glittery content may not be safe on the waterline. There is also a little bit of glitter fallout. Sheer but buildable.
- Demolition – matte deep brown
Very natural-looking brown. Creamy smooth and richly pigmented. Pairs well with most makeup looks I wear.
- Corrupt – dark metallic reddish brown with silver sparkles
As you may have guessed, this one is my favorite sparkly brown! :) Looks so flattering and really brings out brown eyes. Goes on smoothly considering the glittery content.
- Whiskey – matter coppery brown
Very creamy and just glides on. Completely matte but doesn't tug. Color goes on evenly. Nice pigmentation.
- Hustle – metallic brown shimmer
Nice light brown with a soft sheen. Super soft texture and glides on smoothly. Sheer pigmentation and not really buildable.
- Bourbon – glimmering dark brown with gold shimmer
Shimmery medium brown. Soft and flattering. Nicely pigmented. Perfect for a fresh-faced/natural makeup look.
- Smog – brown with a hint of beige
Really soft and smooth. But the color is too pale for my liking. Sheer pigmentation and difficult to build the intensity.
White, Copper, and Gold
- Yeyo – metallic white
Extremely white! Smooth and nicely pigmented but sheers out so much on the waterline. Better used as a highlighting pencil.
- Midnight Cowboy* – light champagne
Has a soft metallic sheen. Really light color and would be great for the inner corners. Color payoff is really sheer and not really buildable.
- Baked* – coppery bronze
Saturated color with great pigmentation. Creamy smooth. Looks great on the waterline as well as the inner corners.
- Lucky – metallic darkened copper
Talk about a pop of color! Intense color payoff and goes on fully opaque. I adore this shade because it's bright and very saturated.
- Eldorado* – bright yellow gold
This color just glows. The gold is so bright and rich. Extremely creamy and glides on very smoothly. I like to pop this shade in the inner corners as it looks a bit more interesting than plain white or beige.
Gray and Taupe
- Smoke – matte deep gray
Soft and goes on very smoothly. Good pigmentation. Not completely opaque but easily buildable for more intensity.
- Uzi – gunmetal gray with silver shimmer
My favorite sparkly gray! :) Soft and not too pigmented. Looks shimmery with one layer on but buildable to dark gray with a metallic sheen finish.
- Stray Dog – taupey gray/mushroom brown
Interesting color. A good balance of gray and brown. Sheer but buildable. Compliments a soft smokey eye really well.
- Mushroom – metallic taupe-pewter
I'm undecided about this color. It doesn't do much for my brown eyes. The color is too… nothing. It's too neutral. Soft and decent color payoff, though.
- Sabbath – matte deep navy
It's like a blue Perversion! Extremely creamy but not too soft. Insanely pigmented. Perfect color for a dramatic eye look.
- Binge* – medium blue with violet shimmer
Very unique blue/violet shade! Goes on sheer and requires some building to get a better color payoff.
- LSD – navy blue with turquoise sparkles
My favorite sparkly blue! Such a fun and beautiful blue for a flash of color. Sheer but easily buildable. Very soft. I noticed a little glitter fallout.
- Radium* – bright medium blue
A nice pop of color on the waterline. Good pigmentation and goes on evenly. Does not irritate my eyes at all when worn on the waterline/lower lash line.
- Electric – super bright iridescent blue
An even brighter pop of color than Radium! Looks really nice on the waterline. Soft and creamy and goes on almost fully opaque in one pass.
- Mainline – matte deep green
Very unique dark green. A "mature" color that provides a nice color to the lids without being too loud. Goes on opaque in one pass. Very pigmented.
- Junkie – metallic teal shimmer with gold sparkle
Very pretty sparkly green. The gold sparkle really adds a lot to the color, making it a fun shade to use. Creamy with excellent color payoff.
- Mildew – deep forest green
One of the most gorgeous green shades I've ever seen. Love this color. Goes on incredibly smooth. Nicely pigmented.
- Stash – metallic golden olive green
Very beautiful olive green. Color is rich and saturated. Very pigmented. Such a flattering color for a "sophisticated" eye look.
Pink and Purple
- Woodstock – sparkling hot pink
What a fun color! But I have to be a little careful where I place it or I could look like I've been crying! I normally just draw a short dash in the inner corners for a pop of color! Sheer but buildable. A little dry in texture.
- Asphyxia – metallic violet with silver shimmer
Such a pretty, pretty color but lacks pigmentation. Difficult to build and there is a good amount of fallout from the shimmery bits.
- Psychedelic Sister – matte bright purple
One of my favorite purples! Color is rich and saturated. Goes on a little dry and a little unevenly. Very creamy, though.
- Ransom* – bright purple with blue iridescent
Waxy texture. Sheer and difficult to build the intensity. This shade is a little too light for me and I don't reach for it much.
- Rockstar – deep eggplant
Has a slight metallic sheen when built. Soft, creamy, and really intense. I use this color a lot as it seems to go with anything.
- Empire – matte deep purple
You must own this one if you are a fan of purple eyeliners! Such a gorgeous deep, deep purple. Very soft and has excellent color payoff.
Comparison of all 33 shades
I hope my brief review and loads of swatches were helpful! These are all the colors that I have and while I try to grab a set here and there when I can, I still don't have a full collection! So I apologize in advance if the colors that you are looking for are not included in the comparison. It's hard to keep up with their releases sometimes! :)
So, tell me what's your most favorite color? :)
US$20 at Sephora ○ Beauty.com ○ Urban Decay
฿850 at Sephora Thailand ○ Central


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Dear Mexican: This is the second rant I've felt the need to send to you. I don't know if readers are allowed "seconds," but here it goes: Much has been said about the terrible things happening to the United States and its citizens because of the Mexican drug cartels. But what's the difference between the modern-day cartels and the Big Four of the period between 1492 and 1775?
I refer you to the kings of England, France, Portugal and Spain, who invaded the Americas during the above-noted period. The invaders didn't bring cocaine, pot or meth, but they brought various diseases that, if I read history correctly, led to the death of many thousands of native peoples. And, of course, they brought their heavyweight weapon, the one I believe that Lenin called the opiate of the masses: religion.
Today, many people and our economy are hurt by today's cartels, and I'm not defending them in any way, but it strikes me that the cartels of today are pikers compared to their predecessors, who killed an untold number of native peoples and stole a continent.
Mexica Tiahui!
Dear Wab: Sloppy seconds are always welcome here, cabrón! It was Marx who dropped the line about religion, not Lenin (he wrote of religion that it's "a sort of spiritual booze, in which the slaves of capital drown their human image, their demand for a life more or less worthy of man"), and the natives were muy religious, but otherwise, your analysis doesn't go far enough.
You forgot to mention how, like the cartels, the conquistadors fought each other for trade routes, killing each other and innocents in the process. How they demanded tribute from villagers, and terrorized them with public displays of brutality to keep them in line. How the conquistadors built empires that enriched only themselves, and created serfs out of the people they didn't bribe into submission.
The only real difference between the conquistadors and drug cartels is that the former did it in the name of Christ—and even the narcos aren't so pendejo as to pull that card.
Does it make any sense to you that, in some cities in Mexico, there are statues of Spanish conquistadors? After all, these were the same people who believed that they were superior to the Mexicans, so they had to force their ways on them—and then there's the whole slaughtering of thousands of Mexicans, too.
Lies My Maestro Told Me
Dear Wab: Of course it does: While the conquistadors raped and murdered countless indigenous folks, they represent order and progress to Mexico's elite, the very people who have the money to erect statues and are more than proud to claim direct ancestry to the barbarians.
Witness the furor that happened last year, when the city of Mérida in the Yucatan erected a statue to its founder, the conquistador Francisco de Montejo. Even though Montejo laid waste to the Mayans back in the 16th century, and even though the descendants of the vanquished protested loudly, the city's elites erected the statue. The same controversy happens whenever someone commemorates Juan de Oñate, the conquistador who swung his sword through New Mexico, much to the delight of the Hispaños who claim no Injun blood in their veins—but to the horror of everyone else.
But it's not just an elite-Mexican thing to side with the cruel—just look at the Southern love for the Confederacy.


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Chips are something which is the most essential aspect in POP! Slots game and without this in-game currency you can't join in the games and play the slots. You can earn some extra chips for free from the above given methods or by purchasing them the in-game currency for playing the mobile slot machines.
Experience (or XP)
When you spin or catch the balloons that come up while spinning the wheel in a game you earn XP. Once your XP meter in game is full you can climb on to the next level.
Loyalty Points
All myVEGAS Games have the feature of LOYALTY POINTS which simply means you can use these loyalty points in other games too or from other games to POP Slots! too. The best thing about Loyalty points is that they can be used in the real world.
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You may find exciting features of Pop Slots as follows
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his game don't need you to attach any payment details like PayPal, credit card, Mastercard, and Visa in order to start because it doesn't have any premium membership that needs to be activated before playing.
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If your luck in POP! Slots is great, you can claim some rewards that are super awesome but don't think, if you are good at POP! Slots you will be good in real life gambling with real money too.
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So download POP! Slots on your mobile devices (Android and iOS) to have some fun and amazing time while chilling at your home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn't my Loyalty Point count syncing?
In order to sync your Loyalty Points you have to enter the POP! Slots rewards store after that it will ping the servers and ensure your LP balance is updated everywhere till date in every app you play myVEGAS games on.
For games such as myVEGAS and KONAMI Slots it is advisable that you enter a game, it will ping the servers and will update your balance. PLAYSTUDIOS INC is continuously working towards providing a better environment for players around the world so that the highest LP balance that is up to date is displayed and synced.
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Changing your avatar isn't currently possible in POP! Slots. That means you must select the gender of your POP! Avatar before starting the game carefully.
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In case your game crashes when you have entered into a bonus round the best solution is force quit the app and reload it. The bonus round will be carried on and if you have won anything like free chips or rewards a message will appear on your screen. All you need to do is reenter the game and wait in the lobby of POP! Slots.
Your balance will automatically update if you have won the coins and the pop up message is just a confirmation to show you that you have won in the bonus round.
How are free spins, coins and chips calculated?
POP! Slots is a social game that's why the free spin rounds number are shared with the players in your bank of machines. The free spin, coin and chips wins is a combination of your average bet.


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Looking for a good location to setup your business ? We have great office space available for lease in Houston near the Westchase area. We offer competitive prices on traditional office and all inclusive executive suites. You can chat live with our agents to get a rate on space today!
Getting Around Westchase (Houston)
Technically speaking, Westheimer Road borders Westchase on the north, while Gessner Road bounds it on the east and Wilcrest Drive on the west. The Westpark Tollway runs on the southern edge of the district. However, we combine the Westchase district and the Westpark Tollway area into one commercial real estate submarket, which actually spreads further south and spans the length of the tollway. The Southwest Freeway and Sam Houston Parkway intersect with the Westpark Tollway.
Operating out of Westchase business space puts you within close proximity to major highways and about 30 minutes from both of Houston's airports as well as Katy, Memorial, River Oaks, Bellaire, Downtown and the Galleria.
The Scoop on the Neighbors
Leasing Westchase office space lands you among some of the area's most stable and well-known companies. Major employers in the area include Chevron, Halliburton, Jacob's Engineering, Dow Chemical, Honeywell, Cameron International, the BMC Software headquarters, ABB, and The Men's Warehouse headquarters. The Texas division of Safeway, operator of Randall's Food Markets, also has its headquarters in Westchase offices.
Within the disctrict, nearly 40% of jobs fall into the professional, scientific, management, administration, medical or education fields.
15.3 million sq. ft. in 108 office buildings
2.4 million sq. ft. of retail space
1.6 million sq. ft. in 21 service centers and warehouse buildings
4.2 square miles
81,000 employees
28,000 residents
20% population growth from 2000 to 2010
23% decline in crime since 2004
18 hotels with 2,642 rooms
66 residential communities
The Westchase district and Westpark Tollway area offer a variety of management, business, financial, and administrative jobs and continue to attract new blood to the region. Leasing Westchase office space – or office space along the Westpark Tollway, which runs through and beyond the district – affords your company and employees access to excellent mobility, aesthetics and amenities in an area that has seen strong growth in the past 15 years.
Westchase in Three Adjectives:
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Feeling blue? Seeing red? Looking green …
Our ancestors believed that colour held magical properties. They believed, it could be used to ward off evil spirits, attract good ones, and even heal the sick. While in this age our fascination with color has taken on new forms. Biochemists, psychologists, make-up experts, Interior Decoration consultants, and, advertising pros have studied color and found how it affects mood, health, image, perception, even heart rate. Designers use the colours for visual communication and putting forth their creative brilliance. Certain colours can prompt you to eat faster, increase your appetite, certain can make you feel full early, perceive objects differently, and even make you spend more money. Colours do have a visceral influence.
Small babies are attracted more to bright colors, and children often prefer solid, vibrant hues, adults tend to choose more subdued tints and shades of color: pink and rose or maroon instead of fire-engine red, or peach, melon or rust instead of bright orange. Colour therapy pros say that we need to surround ourselves with what we feel comfortable, that is most important. Certain colors can ramp up your mood, but only if they appeal to you. If they don't, they can do the opposite.
Blood pressure, respiration, and muscle tension all increase on initial exposure to red. But, this jazzy hue also boosts spirits and stimulates creativity, conversation, and the appetite (which is why it is used in many restaurants). Rooms with a lot of red feel warmer, heavier, and time seems to pass more slowly in them. Red may increase passion, but also aggression, anger, and restlessness. In clothing red conveys energy, power, and leadership, but can also signal romance and sensuality, depending on the garment.
An interesting note: when you have objects of identical shape and weight, most people will think the red one is heavier.
Some believe that the nature of the person is reflected through their colour choice.
Colours are used in design patterns for visual communication.
Interested in 'understanding Graphic Design for Human mind' check out http://understandinggraphics.com/design/10-reasons-to-use-color – Explains the use of colours in Visual Design..


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The BBC pays tribute to the Godfather of house music this weekend.
It's one year to the day since Chicago house legend Frankie Knuckles passed away, and the BBC has announced it will be showing its respects to the DJ on this Saturday's Radio 1 Essential Mix.
According to the Essential Mix's Twitter, the show will take the form of two unaired Frankie Knuckles mixes. One was recorded live in London and the other is an unheard studio mix from 2011.
The show will air at 4am on Saturday April 4. Yesterday Defected announced a two-disc retrospective of Knuckles' music for charity.


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For many of us, going on holiday is a major highlight of our year. It's a chance to get out of your routine, explore, experience and have a whole lot of fun. If lying around on a beach sounds boring to you, why not soak up the rays on your mountain bike and venture to trails unknown.
MTB touring holidays are becoming ever more popular. They offer professional guiding, amazing scenery, unfamiliar terrain and of course, the sunshine. Organised tours are also a great way to meet new people who too share the passion for the two-wheeled lifestyle.
We've rounded up a few guided mountain bike holidays around Europe to give you some idea of what you're missing.
Adventure Creators
Where: The Pyrenees
Founded by a team of dedicated outdoor enthusiasts, Adventure Creators offer a broad range of activities: horse riding trips, hiking adventures and mountain bike guiding. Nestled between the French and Spanish boarder, the Pyrenees offer outstanding views and many miles of trail fun.
Adventure Creators not only offer mixed guided groups, but they are one of the few to offer women's specific trips as well. This year they have two: Women's MTB Holiday and Women's MTB Coaching. Both trips start from 710 euros which include airport transfer, accommodation, guided riding and evening meals. You even have the option of hiring a full-suspension MTB if you didn't fancy bring your own.
For more information about Adventure Creators and the holidays they offer, head over to their website here.


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French Connections: John Mark Ainsley (Linn)
British tenor John Mark Ainsley and pianist Malcolm Martineau perform Friendly Persuasions on their 2016 album French Connections. The cycle was premiered by Mr Ainsley and Mr Martineau at Wigmore Hall. The cycle is dedicated to Malcom Martineau. Friendly Persuasions: Songs in Homage to Poulenc (Texts by Gene Scheer) 1. Wanda Landowska 2. Pierre Bernac [more]


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Podcast (tv-ate-my-brain): Play in new window | Download ()
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Chris of Lets Chat With Revill and Friends! Podcast and Dwight of The Broken Brain and Amygdala Magazine come together with special guest from That Pop This Life & Talking Shondaland Karly to discuss the two-part season 2 premiere, "eps2.0unm4sk-pt1&2.tc".
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I always say social media should be the handshake and invitation to continue the conversation somewhere else… And that somewhere else is your website. When is the last time you gave your website the love and attention that it deserves? It's the place we have the most control over our content and user experience and yet it's often overlooked and neglected.
Today I want to talk with you about 5 ways you can update your website that will make the biggest impact on converting visitors to actual fans and paying clients.
Give it a simple facelift
I think far too often entrepreneurs make updating their website this huge daunting task and guess what? They never get to it because it's too overwhelming and they just don't know where to start. Instead of overcomplicating things, let's spend a little time making small tweaks that could make a big impact.
The first step? Update that bio image. I'd place a bet that yours is a few years old and this simple step can make things feel fresher and up to date right away. Take it a step further and challenge yourself to update 5-10 other images on your site. Most people wait until they have time to rebrand or update ALL of their galleries or product photos, but even a few changes will make it feel like a whole new site.
Now that you've got some fresh images, let's take a look at updating some of the brand statements on your site and specifically your home page. Are they clear and concise? Do they even exist? If you don't have a brand statement check out some previous podcast episodes I've done on this topic like Episode 2 with my very own web designer, Jen Olmstead, about creating an unforgettable brand or Episode 59: Why You Need a Brand Not a Business.
And if you ARE rebranding and updating your site, you have to check out The Tonic Site Shop. My friends (and web designers) Jen Olmstead and Jeff Shipley designed a collection of customizable websites that are stunning and so easy to update. If you need a little bit of help in this area but can't afford to hire a designer 1:1, you can save $100 on a snazzy site template from our favorite designers.
Evaluate the opt-in process from start to finish
Slapping on a "sign up for my email list" is not good enough my friends. If we want to be successful in converting someone onto our email list, we have to be in their face about it. I can't even tell you how many websites I've been to where I've WANTED to sign up for more information and simply could not figure out how. We can't make this mistake because people do not have patience and will click away so fast, never to land on our site again. At a minimum, your email sign up form needs to live:
- Prominently on the homepage of your website
- On your About Me page
- Linked on social media pages
- In calls to action within blog posts
- Your email signature
Now for what I call the mom test: ask someone not familiar with your website to see how easy it is to sign up. Take their feedback and make adjustments if it's not a 100% seamless process.
How can we take signing up for your newsletter to the next level? You might have heard me talk about pop-ups. And I know, some of you are uncomfortable with how in your face this strategy seems. But here's the thing… I know I create awesome content that serves my audience and I want as many people to receive it that are interested in it. The fact is, so many people who would love my emails, just haven't heard that I write these weekly love letters. I want you to be excited about your email list and treat it like it's a gift for people (because it is!)
The other thing to note is that pop-ups just plain work. Their conversions are really successful and because list building is my #1 priority in my business, I'm OK if I'm attracting the right people and repelling the people that aren't the right target audience for my business. Currently, we're adding 1,200+ new people to my newsletter every month JUST with our pop-up strategy. We use a site called Opt-in Monster and it allows you to get really targeted about your strategy.
We have about 10 main buckets of topics we teach about and have a freebie related to each one. Whenever I blog or podcast about one of those topics, the correlating freebie has a pop-up attached to that blog post or show notes so that the reader (who we assume is already interested in this topic) can opt-in to get my awesome freebie that's in line with the topic.
You can also create a pop-up for any traffic that's referred to you from a certain site or a general topic if you are in launch mode and promoting something big and want every single person who visits your site to be notified of the opportunity. You can also install cookies so if someone has already opted in and visits your site often, they will not be bothered with future pop-ups. You can create rules that say "if this person opted in for this freebie, give them this pop-up the next time they visit" to cross promote other products or services. You can get really detailed here and it's a great way to make sure you're capturing as many people that visit your site as possible.
Change Your Headlines & Conclusions
Take a fresh look at all of your headlines and conclusions. Why is this so important? Have you ever read a compelling headline and wanted to know the answer so bad you simply scrolled to the bottom of the post looking for the quickest answer? My guess is the answer is yes, and this is why it is so important that you start and end every page on your site strongly.
The crazy truth is that if you don't have a strong headline, no one is going to read your awesome content. I always say we should start with the headlines and spend almost as much time crafting them as we do the actual content. What good is an awesome blog post if no one actually clicks through to read it?
One of the best ways to get better at writing headlines is to pay attention to what types of posts YOU actually click through to read. What words do they use? Are there any commonalities? Start to write down strong copy and tweak it and make it your own. Strong headlines are clever, they use triggers, spark curiosity and make us wonder what is waiting for us in the post. Here are a few ideas to get your wheels turning when it comes to evaluating headlines on your site:
Pique interest: 10 things you'd never know about… The #1 question I get asked about… The biggest secret to… 5 things everyone should know about…
Teach something: The best cheat sheet for… Free guide to… How to solve (insert problem)… Here's my exact guide to…
Spark curiosity: 12 things you'd never guess about… The biggest mistake you might be making… The never before told secret to…
It's not good enough to just have a strong headline, we also have to deliver with the content we promised. But the next most important part is a strong conclusion. If you look at all of the content on my blog, I'll end with a concluding paragraph summing up what the post was about, ask people to take action in some way as it relates to the post, include a way to opt-in to continue the conversation, and often end with a question to entice people to engage and comment on the blog.
How to take action on this advice: Check out your most read blog posts with Google Analytics and go back and breathe new life into them. Can you make the headline stronger? Can you add a more compelling conclusion? Do you have a way for them to opt-in to continue the conversation?
Update the #1 Visited Page on Your Site
Did you know that your About Me page is the number one visited page for websites? This just proves my theory that people want to buy from people and brands (not businesses) and they want to see the face behind the content they are reading.
When you write your bio copy, write it as though you're sitting next to someone new at a party and they just asked what you do. Imagine that they don't yet follow you on social media and have never heard your name or visited your corner of the web. They don't know who you are, what you do or how you serve the world. If you start with a boring title, you might not ever get a chance to share the "why" behind what you do or who are you are able to serve with your passion.
Instead, keep it light, use your own voice like you speak to your friends and share who you are beyond the work that you do. People will expect to hear about your product, service or business — what they won't expect is your personality and THAT is what will keep them reading. Remember that this page is not meant to be written for everyone, and instead you need to focus on writing for your ideal clients. If you're pleasing everyone, you're likely pleasing no one so remember that it's OK to attract and repel. Tell us something we don't expect, or something that makes us want to know more about you. This is the handshake that's meant to encourage a further conversion in the future. Here are some prompts I love to encourage my students to use when revamping their bios:
- Most days you can find me…
- I am mostly known for…
- People often refer to me as…
- I love serving the world by…
- The things I'm most passionate in life are…
- When I'm not busy _____ you can catch me _______
- As a _____ I've been featured/showcased/honored ______ (share your work)
And finally, do not miss the opportunity to have a way for them to opt-in on this page. If it's the only page on your site they ever get to, we need to make sure we capture them so we can continue the conversation. Include a link to your best freebie or at a minimum your email newsletter and also lead them through your site once they've learned more about you. What's next? Can you direct them to your most read blog posts to put your best foot forward? Maybe your goal is to grow one of your social media accounts — make sure you encourage them to follow you there!
Add social proof to your site
What is social proof? It's the testimonials and praise you've received from people who have worked with you in the past in their own words. They key here is to make sure that it is on every single page where people might make a sales decision and not just buried under a "reviews" or "testimonial" page. Why? Because people just aren't always going to click there and read them. We want this information to be present when they are making a decision if they should take any action with your business. Social proof can help drive people to make a decision and we want this to be in our favor, whether it's signing up for an email list, purchasing from us, or choosing to follow us on social media. Slide testimonials into your sales copy, on your bio page, in sidebars or footers of pages and anywhere else you can naturally integrate them.
If you need help gaining high quality testimonials, you can download my Testimonial Quickstart Guide for a step-by-step process to obtaining killer testimonials from your clients that will help prospects say "heck yes, I want to hire her".
A few other ways to add social proof is to include numbers where you can. People find safety in numbers. If "1,000 others" have experienced your product or service and you have that in your sales copy, people will find more comfort in making the same decision. Also, mention places you've been published or big brands you've worked with, etc. Scattering these details will help impact conversions and people choosing to work with you. Again, make sure this information is on pages other than just the formal testimonial or "featured on" pages that people likely won't get around to clicking.
So, that's it, Goal Diggers! You can take these five steps to evaluate your website and make small changes for a big impact today. Give your site a little facelift with new photos, dig into your opt-in process, improve your headlines and conclusions, beef up your About Me page, and don't forget that a little social proof goes a long way. I hope this episode inspires you to take a look at your website with fresh eyes and see it as a way to invite people to invest deeper into you and your business.
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The Charleston (South Carolina) Water System (CWS) has an historic past. The first cement-lined grey iron pipe was installed there by American Cast Iron Pipe in 1922. Its Hanahan Water Treatment Plant is built on the site of a steam pumping station that dates back to 1903. Its first water supply was an 1879 artesian well.
Today, a well planned capital improvements program is helping the utility keep up with growth in the Charleston area, and rehabilitate critical infrastructure.
Planning for the future
Kin Hill, utility CEO, says the influx of people moving to the service area has averaged as high as 38 people a day. "It's been unprecedented growth."
The major share of it is coming in the outlying areas of Dorcester and Berkeley counties, with current populations of 156,000 and 217,000 respectively. About 410,000 people live in Charleston County.
"We added 2,000 water taps and 500 sewer taps last year," he says. "Our water service is two to three times larger than it used to be, and we're now providing wholesale water to nine different accounts."
Capital projects officer Mark Cline points out that the rising population has resulted in high-density building and many high-rise buildings, which have put additional strain on the utility's older water and wastewater infrastructure.
Capital projects
In order to ensure available capacity to meet water demands associated with growth and fire protection, as well as projected growth-related wastewater flows, CWS is committed to making improvements to its treatment plants and the distribution and collections systems.
The current CIP investments total $98 million for drinking water improvements and $162 million for wastewater.
While many of the capital projects are associated with roadway improvements and pipeline and facility replacements, a number of them are extensive and involve significant funding and advance planning. For instance:
• At the Hanahan Water Treatment Plant, Charleston Water is replacing older, space-consuming sedimentation basins with new high-rate plate settlers with integrated flocculation cells. The supplier is MRI, and the cost is $50.4 million.
• The water plant is switching from vertical mixers to paddle wheel mixers, and also changing its chemical feed to improve flocculation.
• Twenty filters in the Storey Filtration Plant are being rehabilitated in an $11.3 million project. Granular media has been changed out, new underdrains installed (Phoenix underdrains from AWI) and the old air-scour system has been replaced with a badly needed air- and water-scour system.
• The Ashley River Transmission Line Crossing is another major project, replacing a deteriorating 24-inch water line that had been abandoned. Nearly 4,700 feet of new 36-inch prestressed concrete pipe was laid under the river, using horizontal directional drilling by the Mears Group.
• In addition to running new lines to service areas to improve service, Charleston water also cleans and rehabilitates older, existing piping. In the downtown area, some of the cast iron pipes date to the late 1800s. "Many of these lines are structurally OK," says Hill. "We scrape the inside walls clean and the reline them with cementitious grout, using rotary spray head and trowel technology.
• At the Plum Island wastewater plant, a $70 million project is improving process controls and the SCADA system, rebuilding the old primary and secondary sedimentation basins, and adding an anoxic selector zone to cope with increased ammonia flows into the plant.
• The network of deep tunnels carrying wastewater to the Plum Island plant is being replaced. Costing over $200 million, the project is now in its fifth of six phases, which involved digging a 1.6-mile long, 120-foot-deep tunnel, 8 feet in diameter, using the caisson method of construction to maintain a dry environment for workers. The new tunnel will have a capacity of 60 mgd.
• A new 75 gpm pump station is also part of the project. 430-hp Flygt dry submersible pumps rated at 15 mgd are being used to lift tunnel contents to the plant.
The planning behind these projects is comprehensive. "We master-plan our entire system," says capital projects officer Cline. "We operate on a 25-year cycle, with four- or five-year phases. We work with our staff and our consultants, and look at needs based on historical growth projections as well as replacement of existing assets.
"Then we vet and prioritize each project — core projects as well as priority repair projects."
The CIP plan and its projected funding is then taken to the city council for approval.
"We use revenue bonds, rate revenue including retained earnings, and impact fees to fund the projects," Cline says.
CWS is an independent public utility responsible for supplying drinking water and treating wastewater for the city of Charleston and portions of neighboring Berkeley and Dorchester counties. The water service area covers 450 square miles and includes 1,800 miles of water mains, ranging in size from 1 and 2 inches, to 72 inches in diameter, and also includes 9,000 fire hydrants.
The Bushy Park Reservoir — owned by the utility and located in Berkeley County — and the Edisto River are the raw water sources. Treatment takes place at the Hanahan Water Plant, a 115.6 mgd-rated conventional surface water treatment facility. The plant has been in operation since 1917.
The utility treats wastewater from an area of 250 square miles and 56,000 accounts at its main 36 mgd treatment plant at Plum Island. Wastewater moves through a system of 900 miles of sewers boosted by 200 pumping stations. It enters the treatment plant through either the West Ashley Tunnel or the Harbor Tunnel — deep underground interceptors 100 to 125 feet below the surface.