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IOU Financial Ranks No. 32 on the 2014 Profit 500 List of Canada's Fastest Growing Companies
MONTREAL, Quebec, June 12, 2014 – IOU Financial Inc. (TSX-V: IOU; "IOU Financial", "IOU", or the "Company") announced today that Canadian Business and PROFIT 500 ranked IOU Financial No. 32 on the 26th annual PROFIT 500, the definitive ranking of Canada's Fastest-Growing Companies. Published in the July issue of Canadian Business and online at PROFITguide.com, the PROFIT 500 ranks Canadian businesses by their revenue growth over five years.
IOU Financial, an online lender to small businesses, made the 2014 PROFIT 500 list with five-year revenue growth of 1,924%.
"The members of the PROFIT 500 are the elite of the country's entrepreneurial community," says James Cowan, Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Business and PROFIT. "Their stories are lessons in business strategy, innovation, management excellence and sheer tenacity."
"IOU Financial is honoured to be on the PROFIT 500 ranking," says CEO Phil Marleau. "This achievement reflects the strength of our lending platform and the dedication of our team."
About PROFIT and PROFITguide.com
PROFIT: Your Guide to Business Success is Canada's preeminent media brand dedicated to the management issues and opportunities facing small and midsized businesses. For 32 years, Canadian entrepreneurs across a vast array of economic sectors have remained loyal to PROFIT because it's a timely and reliable source of actionable information that helps them achieve business success and get the recognition they deserve for generating positive economic and social change. Visit PROFIT online at PROFITguide.com.
About Canadian Business
Founded in 1928, Canadian Business is the longest-serving, best-selling and most-trusted business publication in the country. With a readership of more than 800,000, it is the country's premier media brand for executives and senior business leaders. It fuels the success of Canada's business elite with a focus on the things that matter most: leadership, innovation, business strategy and management tactics. We provide concrete examples of business achievement, thought-provoking analysis and compelling storytelling, all in an elegant package with bold graphics and great photography. Canadian Business—what leadership looks like.
About IOU Financial Inc.
IOU Financial provides small businesses throughout the U.S. access to the capital they need to seize growth opportunities quickly. Typical customers include medical and dental practices, grocery and retail stores, restaurant and hotel franchisees and ecommerce companies. In a unique approach to lending, IOU Financial's advanced, automated application and approval system accurately assesses applicants' financial realities, with an emphasis on day-to-day cash flow trends. It makes loans of up to $150,000 to qualified applicants within a few business days, with affordable charges favorable to cash-flow management. IOU Financial's speed and transparency make it a trusted alternative to banks. To learn more visit: www.ioufinancial.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of IOU including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, dependence upon regulatory and shareholder approvals, the execution of definitive documentation and the uncertainty of obtaining additional financing. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. IOU does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For more information, please contact:
Philippe Marleau
Chief Executive Officer
(514) 789-0694 ext. 225
Mayco Quiroz
Chief Financial Officer
(514) 789-0694 ext. 298


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Established by the Risk family in 2009 to honour Kris Risk, a former student at Northern Secondary School who passed away April 2, 2008.
Kris was involved in numerous school activities during her time at Northern, winning awards for both athletics and school participation.
This award is to be presented to two graduating students, one female and one male, who will be pursuing their education at the post secondary level.
The recipients must demonstrate overall participation in school activities, athletics and community life during their time at Northern.
Amount of award: $250.00 per student

subset: commoncrawl


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send by a reader in Hastings [Edited by Moderator]
Jan Molenaar, RIP
May be he was no folk hero, but he wasn't a monster either! He was just an ordinary bloke protecting his partner!
Hundreds, possibly several thousands, of friends family even total strangers gathered to farewell Jan Molenaar at his funeral in Hastings today.
NZ SAS shot Molenaar three times, killing him with the first shot. The police initially said two of the three shots fired at him were fatal.
Now they have changed their story again: "Molenaar was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound when police entered his Chaucer Rd home on Saturday," one false report said.
He had returned home from a walk on Thursday last week to find the police bullies interrogating his Maori partner as they turned his house upside down looking for a cannabis plant.
He repeatedly warned the officers to live his partner alone, but they became cockier. As they were about to turn on him, the victim shot three of them. One died.
"Molenaar was initially taken to Ruahapia Marae near Hastings before being transported this morning on the back of a customised Ford V8 truck to Crestwood Chapel in the city." A report said.
"Family members rode on the back of the truck while a procession of motorcycles followed closely."
Tributes flowed for Molenaar in the Hawke's Bay Today newspaper:
"My dear son. May you be at peace with yourself. We all love you," his father wrote.
Perhaps, the most poignant tribute came from his Maori partner. Molenaar's partner Delwyn Keefe said she was the luckiest person to have had him in her life and he had left her with golden years to treasure.
"A great man with a big heart and a smile that would light up the world," she wrote.
His siblings thanked him for their years together.
"Bye for now big brother."
His body would probably be cremated to remove any and all evidence to prevent a future autopsy by an independent coroner.
As was totally expected, the Independent Police Conduct Authority has decided not investigate police actions that led to the armed siege Molenaar's home in Napier because, you guessed it, "he shot himself [sic.]"
You can't fool all of the people all the time!
Related Links:
- "Fallen Heroes" TV Commercial: The Ultimate pakeha Hypocrisy
- The 10 Police Questions
- How New Zealand Police Farce [and Rape Army] Nearly Started WW III
- Resign, Bitch, Resign!
- Police Farce Page 1 – Racist, rapist, violent, incompetent boneheads "brownheads"…
- Police Farce Page 2 – Nincompoop New Zealand police kill bystander
- Police Farce Page 3 – Only a police state can tolerate a police farce like New Zealand's


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Introduction: Cracker Barrel Chaos *Solved*
In this instructable I will show you my improvement on the classic peg game. You know, the wooden peg game at Cracker Barrel played with 14 wooden pegs (some of which are usually lost when you try to play at Cracker Barrel!). I have solved the problems of always losing pegs while playing (or storing) the game and having pegs knocked off the table when someone bumps the table.
If you enjoy this instructable then please vote for me in the contests. Also, comments are welcome, whether it is a new idea or constructive criticism.
Step 1: The Supplies
All you will need for this project is:
-peel and stick foam
-magnetic pawns
-a pencil
-a protractor
-x-acto knife
-compass (the math kind, for drawing circles)
-sheet metal
-a dremel with a metal cutting disk
Step 2: Cut the Foam
Use your pencil and protractor to outline an equiangular triangle with 6 inch sides. Then, divide your triangle as shown on the photos below (or more simply, place the 15 pawns in an approximately equal-spaced triangular arrangement). Use your compass to make a small circle around each dot. Cut out the triangle and two more exactly like it.
Step 3: More Cutting
Use your x-acto knife to cut out each circle. Also cut a triangle, a little bit smaller than the foam triangle, out of the sheet metal.
Step 4: Stick to It
Stick the first foam triangle to the second, then, stick that to the metal triangle.
Step 5: The Final Product
Stick the final foam triangle to the other side of the metal, and thats all!
You now have a travel-friendly, portable peg game that doesn't suffer from the missing peg problem so common at Cracker Barrel!
(Patent Pending)
Participated in the
Toy Challenge 2


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Article content
As Ottawa becomes a culinary destination, classes are catering to a new generation of locavorian galloping gourmands. Julie Beun surveys the offerings.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Back To (Cooking) School Back to video
Le Cordon Bleu
What: Short and gourmet cooking courses for those keen to cross paring knives with the best.
Where: 453 Laurier Ave. E., (613) 236-2433.
Cost: $50 for a two-hour session and up to $179 for four hours.
Book: Online at cordonbleu.edu
The Urban Element
What: Hands-on cooking classes run from three to five hours. There are summer camps for tweens and teens, as well.
Where: 424 Parkdale Ave., (613) 722-0885
Cost: $115 for fundamentals; $165-$175 for comprehensive; summer camps $549 per week
The LCBO
What: Always wondered how to tell a full-bodied Tuscan wine from a jammy Aussie drop? Or how to cook real Cajun? The LCBO has a range of reasonably priced food, lifestyle and beverage courses to answer your questions.
Where: 543 West Hunt Club Rd., (613) 224-4333 or 275 Rideau St., (613) 789-5226
Cost: Prices from $250 for a knife-skills class (with knife set) to $60 for cooking classes; $100 to $130 for wine appreciation; $25 to $80 for other tasting classes.
Book: Call LCBO Nepean Crossroads, (613) 224-4333, LCBO Rideau, (613) 789-5226, for details.
President's Choice Cooking School
What: The PC brand offers courses on everything from desserts (taught by Château Laurier chef Pradeep Sultania) to food you eat with your hands. Other chains such as Sobeys and Your Independent Grocer offer similar classes.
Where: Virtually all major Real Canadian Superstores and Loblaws.
Cost: $30 per person.


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Support Learning and Insight
It's more important than ever to understand the
challenges facing financial executives. Support the
Financial Education & Research Foundation today.
The invoicing process had gotten so intense for the accountant at a Tennessee insulation manufacturer that she was replacing her keyboard every six months. She kept wearing the letters off.
Then her company adopted an automated invoice solution.
Month-end close time went from five business days to two. Report time shrank to almost nothing. The company stopped needing new filing cabinets every year. And, as she put it, got to "actually be an accountant."
Remove the drudgery
Accounts payable automation can do all that for you. For small to midsize businesses, a primary value-add for automation is the ability to speed up invoice capture and payment, provide visibility into every step of the process, and free up the AP team to do the work they love.
Ah, but how do you get there if you're mired in manual or semi-automated processes?
It can be challenging to create change if you're not in a decision-making position. It's especially difficult when your day job is already wearing you down to the nub. And, frankly, the idea of automation can be scary. For a lot of professionals, there's the nagging worry that it's going to take away their jobs.
We've built a guide to help you understand the ins and outs of how to build a present a business case for AP automation. In addition to some cost analysis and ROI worksheets – as well as other templates – here's some of the information you can expect to glean in the guide, "How to Build a Business Case for AP Automation."
For example, if you're not manually keying invoices or tracking down approvers, you can spend your time:
- Calling vendors and negotiating better payment terms
- Removing bottlenecks
- Reconciling company cash-flow projections with planned initiatives
- Moving payments into an ACH system
- Exploring virtual-card payment options that will give you cash back
- Case studies: You don't need a ton. Just pick 3–5 that are similar to your company's size and industry.
- Industry statistics: Have some figures on hand that demonstrate the value of automation for both the AP team and the business as a whole. For example, did you know that automation helps accounting/finance employees reduce invoice processing time by 16%? (It does.) Or that an integrated expense, travel, and invoice solution saves them each 500 hours per year? (It does.)
- Your own company data: You need to show your leadership team the high cost of manual processes by letting them know how much time you're spending on day-to-day tasks. This is the hardest data to gather, because you're already so busy. But it's also crucial. Benchmark the time you spend tracking down approvals and communicate how much time erroneous invoices are costing you. Your executive team will insist on that raw data. Yes, it can feel daunting. Yes, you can do it. Yes, it's worth it!
Let them know that with automation, everybody wins.
Want more? Check out the guide, "How to Build a Business Case for AP Automation," for a detailed walkthrough, worksheets, and templates to help you build your case.
Visit Website


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Win PalmPalm Hand Sanitizer!
Value: $30
Ends July 27, 2020.Official Rules
Share This Prize With Someone You Know Via:
Created to keep essential workers safe during the pandemic, palmpalm™ is a new, fast-acting hand sanitizing product made to support wellness everywhere and anywhere. Five (5) winners will receive a 3-month supply of palmpalm™ hand sanitizer. ($30 value)
Made in the USA, palmpalm™ is formulated in alignment with the WHO's recommendations and produced in an FDA-approved facility. Our safe, effective, and odorless germ-fighting formula contains 80 percent alcohol using a FDA-approved ethanol to target illness-causing germs. palmpalm is available for purchase online at FiveBelow.com.
Enter now!


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Podcast: Download
Lots of news this past week about the infamous Blurred Lines stealing case. Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams depositions were leaked and we got insight into what the jury actually heard. More witch hunt, less musical trial is our take … listen now!
Watch for our bonus Taylor Swift stealing podcast tomorrow!
Also, we started rehearsing on Periscope. Go follow us on Periscope or Twitter to get notices to watch us perform live.
Blurred Lines Parody — Shields Brothers
This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com. Get a free audiobook download and 30-day free trial!


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Geely Auto Group is a leading automobile manufacturer based in Hangzhou, China and was founded in 1997 as a subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Geely Auto Group sells vehicles under the Geely Auto brand and holds a 50% stake in the LYNK & CO brand.
World-class Research and Development
Geely's commitment to innovation and sustainability has led it to invest above the industry average in R&D and initiate green policies. The group's dedication to innovative research has put it on the forefront of new energy, safety, automotive intelligence, and autonomous drive technologies. In regards to sustainability, Geely sees the switch to new energy vehicles as essential to environmental sustainability and has announced its "Blue Geely Initiative" in which it aims to have 90% of its sales coming from new energy vehicles by 2020.


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In: Dirty data
Disparate, Dirty, Duplicated Data – Understanding the 3Ds of Bad Data.May 13, 2020
In a world fascinated with the limitless opportunities of AI, ML, and predictive analysis, data quality has become a significant challenge….Read More
Business Benefits of a Data Quality ProgramMarch 10, 2017
Many of today's businesses rely on quality data for their client needs and to keep accurate records of their business transactions, purchases,…Read More
Keep Your Company's Data in Check: 5 Quick TipsAugust 18, 2014
Did you know the business cost of dirty data can be as high as 10-25 percent of a company's revenue? Not…Read More
Infographic: Marketers and Dirty DataMarch 27, 2013
Now more than ever, marketers are grappling with understanding data and how it can help improve their company's bottom line. From…Read More
Dirty Data Debacle a $3.1 Trillion ProblemSeptember 20, 2011
With news about the nation's economy broadcast in American living rooms every day, there seems to be one piece of the financial…Read More


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6:15 PMAdd to Calendar
All 5k participants are encouraged to donate food for our neighbors in need between now and race week. What exactly is the 100 meal team challenge? Either 150 pounds of food or $25. A mixture of food and funds can be donated.
Together, we can fight hunger and feed hope in Central Florida by providing 140,000 meals for our neighbors in need!
• DONATE TODAY! Or contact Maureen Mikel at email@example.com or 407-514-1006
• Donation cans are available to collect funds at your organization. Collect money and take to Second Harvest or bring the donation to Track Shack during box pickup.
• For your donation to count toward your team total, submit all cash donations with this form >>
Challenge your team members to bring a canned or nonperishable food item to race night.
• OR - Email Bryan -- email@example.com to request a pick up of for your food collection
• Food drive collections on race day are:
- Location 1: Red Tent Zone - Christian Service Center truck on Rosalind Avenue near Robinson St.
- Location 2: Blue Tent Zone - Black top tent (Eola Drive near Robinson St.)
- Location 3: Gold Tent Zone - Black top tent off (Eola Drive near Central St.)
Help fill the Love Pantry! The Christian Service Center's Love Pantry strives to alleviate childhood hunger and food insecurity in Central Florida, as well as remove hunger as a barrier to learning. Children who are hungry can't learn. It's that simple. The Love Pantry program places an emergency food supply directly into Orange County and Seminole County Public Schools at no cost to the schools.
Each Love Pantry school is provided with a cabinet stocked with 23 common food items and 8 basic hygiene items, then, restocked weeklyby volunteers throughout the semester.
Proceeds from the Corporate 5k benefit the Track Shack Youth Foundation, which is a 501 ©(3) organization that promotes health and fitness by funding youth athletics and sports programs through a grant application process.
By participating in the Corporate 5k you're improving your quality of life and helping to provide opportunities for thousands of young people of all abilities to run, swim, play, sail, horseback ride, row, or attend summer camp!
Learn about the Track Shack Youth Foundation!
Use Facebook to Leave a Comment on IOA Corporate 5k - We'd love to hear from you!


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|This article is about a/an episode in Gekisou Sentai Carranger.
The Signalman Who Came From Space (宇宙から来た信号野郎 Uchū Kara Kita Shingō Yarō) is the twelfth episode of Gekisou Sentai Carranger. It is the opening of a two-part story introducing Signalman, a peculiar police officer hero who arrives on Earth.
Signalman, an officer from Planet Police, comes to Earth to take charge in taking down Gynamo and the Bowzock...while simultaneously causing nothing but problems for the Carranger.
It is a normal day at Pegasus. Minoru asks around for Kyosuke. As usual around, he is relaxing by a pond. On a tower, Zelmoda appears and takes Wumpers out of a jar, to let them catch some sunlight. Kyosuke spots them and transforms. The Wumpers are all laying around under the sun. Red Racer arrives on top of a stairwell on the top of the tower. The Bowzock and Red move to a warehouse to fight. Zelmoda makes explosions appear with his sword. Just when they have him cornered, they hear police sirens. From the smoke, arises a strange figure. Zelmoda freaks out and the Wumpers cower. The stranger presents himself as Signalman from the planet Police. He shows his license (Signizer). The Wumpers and Zelmoda go after him. He trasnforms the badge into Police Baton Mode and beats the Wumpers outside of the warehouse. Zelmoda does the same attack he did to Red, but it makes no dent on Signalman. He changes his weapon into its Gun Mode and shoots the baddies' legs for them to fall. Red is impressed. A green Wumper arrives with a car. Zelmoda commands all the Wumpers to go inside his jar. They run off. Signalman watches them off. Red Racer thinks it is his turn and runs off in his Red Speeder. Then all of sudden, Signalman comes sirens a blazing on his Polispeeder and tells Red to pull over. Red is surprised. Signalman gives him a ticket for speeding. Red tells him it is important because of the Bowzock. Signalman says that is no reason for going so fast and breaking the law. When asked for his name, Red does his usual presentation 'Gekisou Sentai Carrrrranger! Red Racer!' and Signalman imitates this whole thing. Then he asks what that is. Red nearly collapses at the notion of someone not knowing who he is. Red tries explaining him the story, but gets nowhere. Red gets mad at Signalman and blames him for the Bowzock getting away. Signalman is set to write Red another ticket. Before Red can hit him, the other Carrangers arrive to stop him. Signalman finally spots them and asks them if they are the 'Gekisou Sentai Carrrranger.' Blue says yes and bows to him, greeting him. Meanwhile at BB Salon, Gynamo is not thrilled to hear about Signalman. He thinks back to how Signalman gave some motorcycle-riding Bowzock tickets for not wearing helmets and lock them up in prison. Gynamo clashed with him one time and he vows to get rid of him. He folds a Bowzock flag in his hands. Instead of the Earth being in his way, he imagines Signalman. Everyone is encouraged. Zonnette is impressed. Grotch comes along. He has UU Uurin in a cage. Grotch takes off the chains and opens the door and feeds the hungry monster a traffic light to prep him for eating Signalman. Zonnette is scared by him. Smoke comes out of three holes on UU Uurin. Back on Earth, Signalman walks out of his Kobaan Base, a thin Police booth and his temporary home. He stretches. Later, Kyosuke is not so thrilled with Signalman. Dappu tries to have him calm down. Minoru hands Kyosuke two tires. An old lady approaches Signalman at his base about finding an address. Outside, while delivering the two tires, Kyosuke spots Signalman and the lady. He takes her bag for her. He calls emergency on his changer, Youko tells them, but they are surprised. Signalman arrives to some warehouses and the lady smiles and leaves. Lightning from the sky strikes him. The Bowzock come out and the old lady joins them, she turns out to be a white Wumper. Signalman shoots it on its right leg. The White Whumper cries and limps away as Gynamo talks. The other Carranger in their Speeders meet up with Red Racer. They get close and see the Whumpers fight Signalman. They all agree to help and present themselves. Signalman blows a whistle on them and tell them to not cross a line he makes out of his baton. He tells them he will handle it and approaches the Whumpers, who have been waiting patiently this whole time, to continue fighting. The Carranger are bewildered. Pink Racer is concerned and accidently walks over the line. Blue makes her notice. Signalman leaps in the air and kicks the Whumpers. Pink crosses the line again, but doesn't take notice to Blue. Yellow crouches down in awe. Blue crouches down too. Green tells them all to go. The team agrees but Red is not sure, but they leave and he trails behind. Just when they are gone, the Bowzock throw chains around Signalman's neck and legs. They then charge the chains with their weapons, shocking him. UU Uurin then arrives and blasts Signalman down. He approaches his prey but he blows his whistle, bugging his ears. The Polispeeder approaches on its own, it blasts at the monster and breaks its master's chains. He mounts his cycle and blasts at the Wumpers. He turns backward (against the law!) and blasts more Wumpers from behind. He stops the bike, gets off and blasts at the monster. The Bowzock are not pleased. Grotch gives the UU Urin two imo-youkan and he grows huge. The monster then grabs Signalman. Red pushes the reluctant others and they are shocked to find what has occurred. He throws down to them his whistle and Pink catches it. RV Robo is formed and they fight the monster, as he has the officer in his hands. They manage to grab the monster's hand, enough for Signalman to jump down safetly. The Carranger then use their finisher and UU Urin was seemingly destroyed. The Bowzock teleport away and UU Urin is somehow normal size again and disappears after them. Signalman then meets up with the Carranger and they put their hands together. Pink returns to him his whistle. He points to their Speeder Machines, saying that they parked in a no parking zone and that he is going to have to ticket them. They all apologize and hurry into their Speeders. They speed off and he runs after them.
- Kyosuke Jinnai (陣内 恭介 Jinnai Kyōsuke): Yūji Kishi (岸 祐二 Kishi Yūji)
- Naoki Domon (土門 直樹 Domon Naoki): Yoshihiro Masujima (増島愛浩 Masujima Yoshihiro)
- Minoru Uesugi (上杉 実 Uesugi Minoru): Yoshihiro Fukuda (福田佳弘 Fukuda Yoshihiro)
- Natsumi Shinohara (志乃原 菜摘 Shinohara Natsumi): Yuka Motohashi (本橋 由香 Motohashi Yuka)
- Youko Yagami (八神 洋子 Yagami Yōko): Atsuko Kurusu (来栖あつこ Kurusu Atsuko)
- Signalman (シグナルマン Shigunaruman, Voice): Hōchū Ōtsuka (大塚 芳忠 Ōtsuka Hōchū)
- Hazardian Dapp (ハザード星人ダップ Hazādo Seijin Dappu, Voice): Mari Maruta (まるたまり Maruta Mari)
- Beauty Zonnette (美女ゾンネット Bijo Zonnetto): Rika Nanase (七瀬理香 Nanase Rika)
- President Gynamo (総長ガイナモ Sōchō Gainamo, Voice): Hiroshi Ōtake (大竹 宏 Ōtake Hiroshi)
- Deputy Leader Zelmoda (副長ゼルモダ Fukuchō Zerumoda, Voice): Kyousei Tsukui (津久井 教生 Tsukui Kyōsei)
- Inventor Grotch (発明家グラッチ Hatsumeika Guracchi, Voice): Takashi Nagasako (長嶝 高士 Nagasako Takashi)
Guest Cast
- UU Wurin (ウーウーウーリン ŪŪ Ūrin, Voice): Takeshi Watabe (渡部 猛 Watabe Takeshi)
- Viewership: 4.5%
- The footage of this episode and the next episode was used for one episode of "Power Rangers Turbo," the monster wore glasses in one and didn't in another, so there were inconsistencies with the monster's appearance.
- White Wumpers are the rarest of the Wumpers. Usually they are part of a gag, demonstated by this episode.
- While Signalman is not the first Sixth/Extra Ranger in Sentai, this is the first time that one has a theme song which is played during their first battle, Shirobai Yarou Signalman; this will become a standard Sentai tradition for many Sixth and Extra Rangers from this point.
DVD Releases
- Gekisou Sentai Carranger Volume 1 features episodes 1-12.[1]
- The complete Carranger series was released in North America by Shout! Factory in 2017.
See Also
- The Millennium Message - Power Rangers counterpart in Power Rangers Turbo. See comparison page.


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Well, I've been busy. No excuse, I know. But here's what I think about what's going on in the world in brief, bulleted items and in no particular order:
- Egypt is in trouble, but I think it'll come out okay on the other end. It's going to take time, but when the people stand up as one, a lot can be accomplished. Wish we'd learn that here.
- I think the Steelers will win but I really hope that the Packers do. Should be a helluva game, either way. Too bad I'll be on a plane.
- I hate what humans are capable of doing to other humans, particularly children. It never ceases to amaze me that somebody can do these things. What kind of mind does that take?
- It's friggin' 67 out here and most of the rest of the country is buried in snow. This is why I live here. Don't see what the rest of you see living in all that crap out there… tornadoes? Hurricanes? Snow? Forget it. Now, where are my board shorts?
- I'm not sure who I like in the Oscar race, but my money is on The King's Speech… history, good acting, a weakness to overcome — and we're talking British royalty, which we love here. Done. What's a Facebook?
- I think Charlie Sheen is hilarious on TV. I do not find his life to be as funny.
- I'm happy for William and Kate. I think they'll do just fine. I feel sorry for Charles. I don't think he'll ever get to be the king. Poor bastard.
- I still hate reality TV. What was up with that whole Bachelor thing and the sad, sad Idol story? Thank you EW.com
- The rhetoric on both sides has gotten ridiculous. That's why I like this.
- Has Sarah Palin gone away yet? No? Damn it.
Well, that's all there's time for right now. But I'm sure I'll get busy with this again .. lord knows I need somewhere to vent.
Have a good one!


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Introduction: Steampunk-Inspired Functional Toy Crossbow Made From Parts of Two Other Toy Bows and Arrows Sets.
This is my attempt at making a toy Van Helsing Style crossbow.
Step 1: Steampunk-Inspired Functional Toy Crossbow Made From Parts of Toy Bows and Arrows Sets.
My inspiration for this project was the crossbow used in the movie "Van Helsing" ... I was at a dollar store and I saw they had both toy crossbow pistols and toy bow and arrows sets in the toy section. I bought several of both to try and craft them into a Van Hellsing-style crossbow prop. This is the initial result.
Step 2: Parts Preparation.
BOTH of these toy bows work by using a length of elastic as the "Bowstring"... I removed and saved the bowstrings and took both of the toys apart: Since they were both about a dollar each, the parts were cheap and relatively sturdy.
The first pic shows the bows I took apart. I then mounted the two curved arms onto sections of a no name erector set miniset that was also sold at the store: The arms had a hole at the base so they fit easily onto the bolts that were part of the set. I used the Bolts and nuts to secure the arms to a short section of metal sections... Then I used other pieces of the same set to make a mounting frame for the bow.
The second pic shows the crossbow pistol: It had a tiny bow in front and a very good trigger mechanism. I removed the bow and kept the body of it: I then cut a tiny hole in the bottom of the pistol in order to mount a wood dowel(Which came 20 to a package at the same store.) to make the stock. I then mounted wood dowels into the holes two different ways, just to see what would work or not.
The reason there are two of everything is because I intended to make one first, making mistakes along the way, then make the second one minus the mistakes I made on the first one.
Step 3: Modifying the Pistol.
I used tape to hold two of the wood dowels onto the sides of the pistol. There was a molded-in line along it so it was easy to line them up. I then used my moto-tool to drill all the way through the wood dowel, through the body of the pistol, and out through the wood dowel on the other side. I then widened the hole and glued a bamboo skewer through the holes to hold everything together. After that I used a smaller precut craft stick, also sold at the store, to bridge across the far ends of the wood dowels: I used tiny screws to hold them on, then I drilled a hole through the bridge to mount the bow onto it. The metal bridge mounted just in front of the bowstring is a bracket from the knock off erector set... I drilled a hole in each wood dowel and simply wired it into place.
Step 4: Making the Stock.
I used two sections of wood dowels glued together to make the spine of the stock. Another section of wood dowel and a bamboo skewer made the initial triangular stock shape.
Step 5: Finishing Off the Top.
I then glued two craft sticks together and used that to fill in the open space between the body of the pistol and the back of the bow arms. I cut them to fit and glued them into place.
Step 6: Finishing Off the Stock.
I then decided to try something... I had a plastic "Diamond Egg" left over from last Easter: So I drilled out the two holes that were in the shell to begin with, and threaded bamboo skewers through them. I drilled two holes through the back piece of the stock, then glued the skewers-and-egg into the stock. I glued down craft sticks onto the stock for a more finished look.
After that I spray painted the whole thing silver.
Step 7: Painting.
After the silver base coat dried, I used a darker metallic acrylic paint to accent details on it. And that is as far as I will go on this one... My Second one will be better because I have learned from the mistakes I made making the first one. The original elastic cord still fits on the crossbow and it can still shoot arrows: The arrows are too weak to penetrate even a sheet of paper, nonetheless they can still fly a good distance.
As it sits now, this is a great steampunk-style prop weapon for use with a costume. The elastic cord easily comes off and can be replaced with a string for contests or places that ban "Functional" cosplay weapons.
Participated in the
Heroes and Villains Contest
Be the First to Share
I like this one. this crossbow looks good.


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41 inch Wide Antique Chinese 2 Door Brown Cabinet
This brown lacquer antique Asian 2 door, 2 Drawer cabinet has very simple clean lines. The flush panel top is flush with all sides and has no overhang.
The flush panel doors and flat drawer fronts are all in line with the face of the cabinet, as is the simple shaped apron between the front legs.
Inside the cabinet is one removable shelf that was added during restoration.
41 inch Wide Antique Chinese 2 Door Brown Cabinet
Approx Age: 100-125 years
material: Wood / Elm
Approx Size: 41″ Wide, 18″ Deep, 43″ Tall
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text:
IRELAND - Ireland's Department of Social Protection has denied that six proposals put to stakeholders on changes to the country's wind-up order of defined benefit (DB) pensions - criticised by unions for not addressing "fundamental issues" - form a definitive list of ideas.
The department declined IPE's request to publish details of the review currently being conducted by consultancy Mercer, arguing that it would be inappropriate as long as the process was ongoing.
Discussing a recent consultation meeting with select stakeholders - understood to have consisted of 6-8 representatives of the pensions industry, including the Irish Association of Pension Funds - a spokeswoman for the department said: "A paper was circulated to a representative group of stakeholders for discussion on this complex and sensitive issue."
She added: "The paper outlines a range of possible alternative approaches on how the assets of a scheme might be distributed. This was not a definitive list, and stakeholders were invited to suggest alternative approaches or variations on those proposed in the paper. Stakeholders have since submitted proposals, and these are being considered at present."
The statement comes after last week's letter from the ESB Group of Unions in which union secretary Brendan Ogle outlined how the energy company's main pension fund would seek to wind up in the unlikely event that it was forced to do so.
Ogle suggested the superannuation fund impose a cap on pensionable pay and at first seek to offer all members - actives and pensioners - a minimum payment in line with the state pension.
At present, the wind-up order bestows absolute priority on pensions in payment, regardless of cost.
As a result, the submission estimated that actives would be left with only 4% of accrued benefits.
Ogle told IPE that all six options proposed in the closed-door consultation were "a variation of the same" - with a percentage of pensions in payments met before the benefits of actives were considered.
However, the union secretary was critical of the lack of cap on pensionable pay.
Of the six proposals, one of which was to leave the wind-up order untouched, he said: "None of the options addresses to us the fundamental issues that we try to address."


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Wooded, Private Setting
Perched in the Mayacamas Mountains this charming property offers ultimate privacy in a magical, wooded setting. The home features 2 Bedrooms and 1 Bathroom with an updated kitchen and sun room off of the living room. Sip your morning coffee on the redwood deck listening to the birds chirp and keep your eyes peeled for visiting deer. Warm up in front of the wood burning fireplace on chilly evenings. Recent improvements include refinished hardwood floors, interior & exterior paint, and new septic system. Enjoy the privacy of being tucked away on more than 4 wooded acres and the convenience of being a 12 minute drive to Hwy 12 in Rincon Valley and a 15 minute drive to downtown Calistoga. Perfect for a weekend retreat or a daily getaway from the bustle of city life.Visit 5418gates.com


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Chic frontman Nile Rodgers survives on only two or three hours of sleep a night.
The 60-year-old musician went to a sleep clinic when he was five years old to be treated for what doctors then thought was insomnia.
However, the medics soon realised young Rodgers was not sleep deprived at all but in fact "very aware".
"I only sleep two to three hours a night, maybe if I'm exhausted I'll sleep four, and the rare occasion I sleep five," he said.
"I feel like Rip Van Winkle. I just don't sleep, I don't need it - I've never needed it. I function very well, I'm 60-years-old and I feel great."
The Chic guitarist remembers tests being done on him at the sleep clinic and says he always felt fine.
He added: "After a week some learned young doctor said: 'Nile how to you feel?' and I said 'I feel great'. He said: 'Go home! You'll live a third longer than everybody else'!"
The star was diagnosed with extremely aggressive prostate cancer in 2010, but is now cancer-free and feeling healthy.
Chic Featuring Nile Rodgers will support Lionel Richie and Jennifer Lopez on the main stage at the British Summertime festival at Hyde Park today.


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Sur Gallery presents STANCE: Design Against Fascism in partnership with Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 3, 2018 7-10PM, Sur Gallery
Stance: Design Against Fascism Talk
Saturday, May 5, 1-3PM @ Sur Gallery
Educator and designer, Sheila Sampath in conversation with curator Rodrigo Barreda and participating designers, explore the curatorial vision, the theoretical issues, and the processes in conceiving and creating the exhibition.
The Possible Role of Design & Designers:
Wednesday, May 30, 6:30-8:30PM @ OCAD U Auditorium
Rodrigo Barreda in conversation with two of Toronto's most influential design leaders – Dean of the Centre for Arts, Design & Information Technology at George Brown College, Luigi Ferrara along the Dean of Design at OCADU, Dori Tunstall – look at the role design and designers play within the current political and economic context.
About the Exhibition
Nine Toronto-based artists and designers—working with themes relevant to marginalized and under-represented communities in Canada—reinterpret the 1973 Chilean poster art exhibition Por la Vida...Siempre! (For Life...Always!). The exhibition explores intersections of contemporary social issues and the resurgence of fascist tactics within a Canadian context as well as exposes the original Por la Vida...Siempre! posters.
STANCE: Design Against Fascism, brings current societal challenges such as polarization, radicalization, the rise of white nationalism and fascist tactics to the foreground. It creates a space for an audience to question how far we have truly advanced from the ideological dogmas of the past and how they continue to shape our current political, social and economic realities.
About the Artists
AURA Haudenosaunee (Oneida) artist, currently based in Tkaronto. She graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a BFA (Studio Art) and is a DTATI Candidate. Through her art practice, Aura uses mixed media, beadwork, street art, art as healing workshops, and digital Illustration to discuss intergenerational healing, identity, empowerment, and mothering. She looks to community to collectively explore personal storytelling and truth-sharing.
KAIATANORON DUMOULIN BUSH is a Mohawk/French- Canadian interdisciplinary artist from Montréal. Currently studying Indigenous Visual Culture at OCAD University and completed diplomas in Fine Arts and Illustration & Design. Professionally, she works in partnership with clients who seek to enrich Indigenous communities and empower Indigenous youth while her personal works grapple sexuality, violence, and identity.
VANESSA ECKSTEIN's clients include global brands such as Nike, Pepsi, and the Museum of Modern Art Miami, among many others. Vanessa's work has been exhibited in countries from Japan to Germany, most recently at the Bienal Iberamericanna de Diseño, Spain and is represented in the permanent collection of the Royal Ontario Museum as well as the Library of Congress, Washington. Vanessa holds an MFA from the Art Centre of Pasadena.
COCO GUZMAN received a degree in Comparative Literature from Paris VIII University, and pursued a degree in Art in Toulouse. Guzmán's work has been exhibited in the Americas, Europe, South Korea and Australia. In 2013, Guzmán and Paulie McDermid co-founded Collectivo Pez Luna/ Moonfish Collective, where they explore the intersections of poetry, queerness, theatre and drawing. Guzmán is currently pursuing an MFA at OCADU in Toronto.
CHIEF LADY BIRD is a Chippewa and Potawatomi artist from Rama First Nation and Moosedeer Point First Nation, currently based in Toronto. She graduated from OCAD University with a BFA in Drawing and Painting and a minor in Indigenous Visual Culture. Chief Lady Bird uses street art, community-based workshops, digital illustration and mixed media work to challenge the lens that Indigenous people are often viewed through.
LARA LUCRETIA is a Toronto-based illustrator, gardener, educator and printmaker. Skill-sharing, collaboration and community engagement is central to her art practice and gardens. Lara's studio, Jakarundi Graphics, produces anti-copyright imagery with political messaging - largely influenced by long-time work with Beehive Design Collective. Lara co-founded Upwards Art Collective and created An Illustrated Guide To Growing Food On Your Balcony.
FIDEL PEÑA is a graphic designer, creative director and the co-founder of Underline Studio. Underline develops branding, print and digital projects for a number of commercial clients, including Google, the University of Toronto and the National Gallery of Canada, as well as self-initiated projects that deal with humanitarian and political issues. His work has received numerous accolades from across Canada, the US and Europe.
NOËL NANTON founded typotherapy, a boutique graphic design studio in 2002. With more than two decades of experience, Noël has worked on many projects from such diverse sectors as architecture, arts and entertainment, education, fashion, financial services, government, health and medical, not-for-profit and retail. His unparalleled, award-winning graphic design and typography have been documented in many design anthologies around the world.
SETAREH SHAMDANI Designer & Strategist Setareh is a hybrid designer who explores the intersection of art, design, engineering, technology and business, all while maintaining a focus on inclusion and accessibility. As a civically minded tech enthusiast, she envisions new products and services by drawing a delicate balance between honouring her values and what is made possible with new technology.
About the Curator
RODRIGO BARREDA is a Toronto-based designer, and curator with over 25 years experience primarily working in the not-for-profit sector. He is a graduate of Advertising Art Direction from the Ontario College of Art & Design. His work has focused on the study and implementation of projects that address design for social services and social change. Barreda is currently Manager of Graphic Design at United Way Greater Toronto and Education Programming Director at Sur Gallery.
For further information or press inquiries please contact us at:
Gallery Hours:
Tues & Wed 10AM-2:30PM
Thurs & Fri noon-6PM
Sat 11AM-5PM
Location: Sur Gallery, 100-39 Queens Quay East, Toronto
Sur Gallery acknowledges the financial support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts and The City of Toronto through section 37. Sur Gallery acknowledges its co-presenter Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts as well as our partners OCADU and George Brown College. Sur Gallery also acknowledges the generous contributions of Mario Navarro, Roberto Cortez, Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos, Archivo Patrimonial de la Universidad de Santiago de Chile and Colectivo Diseñadores Gráficos de la Universidad Técnica del Estado Chile.


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London [UK], Feb 24 (ANI): British comedian and TV presenter Stephen Fry in a video has revealed that he had been suffering from prostate cancer and underwent a surgery last month to have his prostate removed.
Fry, who stepped down as the presenter of the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) film awards last month, described prostate cancer as an "aggressive little bugger" in the 13-minute clip, The Guardian reported.
The 60-year-old comedian explained that he had visited the doctor for an influenza vaccine and after undergoing a regular medical checkup. However, his health report revealed that his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were high and an MRI scan confirmed that Fry was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The doctors offered Fry two options- either undergoing radiotherapy or having his prostate removed surgically. Fry chose the latter and has been recovering since.
"It doesn't seem to have spread because what you don't want is it to spread from one area to another, but one of the lymph nodes had something that called for active surveillance. It all seemed to go pretty well. They took the prostate out, they took out 11 lymph nodes. The various bits that were taken out were examined and it turned out I had a Gleason score of nine, and considering 10 is the maximum, it was clearly an aggressive little bugger," Fry explained in the video.
"It's a bit of a business having an operation like that. There are five holes punctured in you, it's like being stabbed five times ... to the body, it's the same traumatic effect. It's all pretty undignified and unfortunate," he continued.
Fry thanked the doctors for saving his life and urged "men of a certain age" to get their PSA levels checked.
Meanwhile, Prostate Cancer United Kingdom thanked the 60-year-old comedian for "speaking about his personal experience" and emphasising the importance of raising awareness of prostate cancer.
Angela Culhane, chief executive at Prostate Cancer UK, said, "Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. There are over 47,000 men in the UK who, like Mr. Stephen Fry, are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year." (ANI)


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Calling all Hufflepuff's, Ravensclaw's, Gryffindor's, & Slytherin's!
Break out your Olivander's wand, dust off that "Defense of the Dark Arts" textbook, & brush up on your herbology because the wizards of Central State Brewing have brewed up enough #PolyjuicePotion for the lot of us!
Hop on your Nimbus2000, use the floo network, follow the Marauder's Map, or simply apparate to Emporium Logan Square on Thursday, January 24th at 6pm as we celebrate all things Harry Potter with a beer release costume ball & the second bi-annual Quidditch Pong World Cup!
"Polyjuice Potion" is a collaborative ale for wizards & muggles who solemnly swear they are up to no good. A sour brew concocted with plums, elderberries, & magical bits & bobbles.
Be safe in your journey through Diagon Alley however, as there are Death Eaters, basilisks, & dementors hiding in dark places!
We hope to see you all in our Logan Square castle at the end of January!RSVP on


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"Storms makes trees take deeper roots."
~Dolly Parton
There have been so many storms around the country recently. Some storms have come in the form of rain, snow, or wild tornados, and other storms have been human made. Regardless of the source, storms often feel out of our control, unpredictable, and overwhelming. We may be unable to avoid storms all together, but we can cultivate the skills to navigate them with grace and ease.
In reflecting on self-nurturing strategies to cope with these challenging times, I asked my Cultivating Peace and Joy Community to share how they remain centered and grounded when life becomes stormy and stressful. I was blown away by the insight and wisdom expressed and was inspired to share these empowering practices with you.
To begin, many people identified how important pausing and checking in with their bodies were for grounding. One woman shared that when she noticed feeling tense, nervous, frightened, or angry she pauses and takes a few deep calming breaths to center herself back into the calm-space of her heart. I love that phrase "calm-space of her heart" as it highlights that returning home to ourselves when we are overwhelmed by things outside ourselves is deeply grounding and nurturing.
Another woman shared that she takes a few deep breaths to find her center and meditates if even just for five minutes. I am so grateful for our ever-present breath. This beautiful tool connects us to our bodies, anchors us to the present moment, and even has the power to change our brain chemistry in only ten intentional breaths in and out. What anyone who has paused to breathe deeply in and out knows has been proven over the last thirty-five years of brain research on mindfulness.
One helpful mindfulness strategy I use to ground in the storm is STOP, which means stop, take a breath, observe, and then proceed. I have used this strategy in workshops, difficult conversations, and as an awareness developing exercise. It can be easily taught to children and reinforces that we have a choice when we have strong emotions and can center at any time. In this moment, I invite you to take a mindful pause – stop, take a breath, observe how you are feeling emotionally and in your body, and then proceed. Can you imagine how helpful this strategy would be if you remembered to use it when life is storming around you?
I love the wisdom another woman shared that when she is in a challenging situation she prays for guidance and then goes for a walk. She pointed out how being in nature is deeply nurturing, transforms her stress, and allows divine messages to come through. Being in nature when you have a storm brewing within can be deeply grounding and healing. Taking a mindful walk, connecting to the awe and wonder around you, watching the clouds, enjoying the birds and wildlife, and feeling your profound interconnection with the world around you can transform the storm into peace and wellbeing.
Some other women shared that they love to walk barefoot on the earth to ground or walk near water or on the beach to center. Other grounding techniques shared by my community include resting, eating healthy food, journaling, exercising, and even baking. My daughter used to love to bake when she was coping with chronic pain and I find cooking healthy food or making my new favorite baked oatmeal filling my house with the smell of cinnamon to be deeply nurturing and grounding. Other centering practices shared included praying, lighting a candle, connecting to the peace of God within, and sitting in a spiritual space. I love to walk the labyrinth in my backyard, releasing what is no longer serving me as I walk to the center, inviting in the quality of peace and calm at the center, and then taking that energy back out into the world as I complete the labyrinth.
There are so many different ways to ground in a storm. One women shared that she looks at what is on her plate when she is overwhelmed and then writes it out, prioritizes things, eliminates what she can, and then delegates, all the while breathing deeply. I so appreciate this process of clarifying what is important and then choosing to make decisions with clarity and calm. Some other women chose to clean or organize to feel more in control during the storm and find productivity to be centering.
Knowing what is centering for us when the world is storming around us and giving ourselves permission to nurture ourselves in this way is critical to cultivating resilience and the ability to survive the storm. Whether our strategy is to remember who we are and what we believe in, or listen to music, or soak in a bath, or simply pause and acknowledge we are overwhelmed and need to ground – any time we listen to what we need we are reconnecting with ourselves and grounding in the storm.
It is so easy to get caught up in what is going on around us and lose ourselves in the storm. When we intentionally come home to ourselves we empower ourselves to stay grounded no matter how stormy life becomes.
What strategies will you use to stay grounded in the storm? I would love to hear your ideas so please share them in the comments!
As Heather Stillufsen reminds us, "Keep walking through the storm. Your rainbow is waiting on the other side."
May you cultivate a myriad of ways to stay grounded in the storm as you nurture peace in the world from the inside out!
Sending you so much peace, love and gratitude,
Kelley Grimes, M.S.W.
Counselor, Author & Speaker
Sign up to receive daily reminders with our mobile app!


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The Bridge, a
So, what to do? Fortunately,
blessed with the Dallas
Furniture Bank (DFB)! As DFB's website eloquently states, it
"fills the missing gap" that resulted in Dana having an apartment, but not much
more. As the website explains, "Though many of our agency partners provide
housing for those in need, the resource of furniture is not provided to
approximately 90% of these families. At Dallas Furniture Bank, we believe that
living spaces should be filled. Furniture not only fills a house with practical
comfort, but also instills a sense of hope and dignity… resulting in increased
chances for self-sufficiency, higher levels of self-esteem, and long-term
stability." Dallas
Aliah Henry, CEO, Dallas Furniture Bank, Courtesy of the Dallas Furniture Bank
Dr. Iain De Jong, CEO, OrgCode, Courtesy of OrgCode


text:
Our expertise, experience and the energy of our staff will bring close personal and professional attention. Our high standard services will make a difference from the beginning. We make sure that every client is served by the professionals they deserve.
Companies who choose our company rely on competent advice and fast, accurate personnel. We provide total financial services to individuals, large and small businesses. Because we get new business from the people who know us well, client referrals have fueled our growth.
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QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor, graduated from Regis University with a MBA in Finance and Accounting.
Enkhbayar Bayandelger
Nickname Bay
Master of Science in Accounting candidate at Regis University.


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Weather stalls out Chicago Air and Water Show
CHICAGO (Fox 32 News) - Hundreds of thousands of people on Chicago's Lakefront to see the 61st annual Air and Water Show saw the aeronautics twice brought to a standstill Saturday.
There were two delays, one for weather after officials from the city's Office of Emergency Management said lightning was a concern at about 11:45 a.m. The show was eventually called off just about 3 p.m. due to weather.
"I've been coming [to the show] for 30 years, every year," said Denny Kenny, who traveled from the northern suburbs to see the show with family and friends. "This show would have been the best show" had it not been canceled, he said.
The last day of the show starts Sunday at 10 a.m. Tickets are free.


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Through our partnership with Skipton International, we created a central commissioning pot for visual arts projects in 2017 that anchored around creating new work and engaging the community.
'The Mural Project' was one of the projects launched from this pot. It was run by local graffiti artist Ben Robertson, in collaboration with Abi Overland and Will Bertram. The mural sites – the West-facing façade of 23 Colomberie Street and the side of the Randalls owned building between Seville St and Canon St – were areas that have been specifically selected by the artists in order to give them new life.
To create his designs for both sites, Ben engaged with people who pass by the immediate area regularly, including patrons of surrounding businesses, as well as posing the question online, asking them to contribute a sketch or words around questions including 'who are the people of Jersey?' Working alongside Ben, artists Abi and Will created original designs, inspired by Jersey life, culture and the islands natural landscape, to bring their own designs to the streets of Jersey.
The project encouraged the power of public murals to enliven, energize and uplift environments that may otherwise go unnoticed, and saw them have a real impact upon the attitude of passersby.
Following on from the initial Mural Project (1&2), ArtHouse Jersey partnered with Skipton International again in 2018 for part 3 of the Mural Project. During the summer of 2018, 10 Jersey Artists created artwork across the streets of St Helier, to enliven the town centre and reflect the creative spirit of the island.


text: David Gordon Wilson wears many hats. He served as a solicitor, then partner, then managing partner in Scotland, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Egypt, before returning to university to embark on a Religious Studies degree. His PhD at the University of Edinburgh focused upon spiritualist mediumship as a contemporary form of shamanism, and his monograph has recently been published with Bloomsbury, titled Redefining Shamanisms: Spiritualist Mediums and Other Traditional Shamans as Apprenticeship Outcomes. Wearing one of his other hats, David is a practising spiritualist medium and healer, and among his many connected roles, he is currently the President of the Scottish Association of Spiritual Healers


text:
For several adults nowadays, the possibility to engage in a college degree just following high college only was perhaps not possible. The reasons for this can vary tremendously, from military company, financial or work duties, family responsibilities, or to pursue different goals before dashing down to attend faculty. Sometime farther down the road, a number people woke up one day to realize we needed to gain that amount so as to accomplish specialist or personal targets. The truth is that career stagnation is allegedly one of the main elements impacting a person's choice to come back to college.
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Like conventional universities, you will find a few programs which may help further accelerate a student's progress. Most of the internet degree programs require 4-5 years for level completion. Students can opt to transfer previously earned credits from other accredited associations, & the majority of those can meet general education prerequisites. Students may also seek to test-out of certain classes by passing accepted assessments (CLEP comes to brain ). Another universities that offer online degree applications may take on applicable education required out the conventional faculty program (provided that because there are some continuing training credits attached to that class ). I had been fortunate to be able to translate military training to acceptable standard education studies. A number of schools may accept work or personal experience related to a schedule, frequently exhibited via an experiential essay. The very ideal information is to inquire about these programs prior to entry.


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Supreme Court of Nebraska
April 26, 2018
Wallace R. McCullough, appellant,v.Michelle A. McCullough. appellee.
Contempt: Appeal and Error. In a civil
contempt proceeding where a party seeks remedial relief for
an alleged violation of a court order, an appellate court
employs a three-part standard of review in which (1) the
trial court's resolution of issues of law is reviewed de
novo, (2) the trial court's factual findings are reviewed
for clear error, and (3) the trial court's determinations
of whether a party is in contempt and of the sanction to be
imposed are reviewed for abuse of discretion.
Attorney Fees: Appeal and Error. A trial
court's decision awarding or denying attorney fees will
be upheld on appeal absent an abuse of discretion.
Judgments: Words and Phrases. A judicial
abuse of discretion requires that the reasons or rulings of
the trial court be clearly untenable insofar as they unfairly
deprive a litigant of a substantial right and a just result.
Jurisdiction: Appeal and Error. A
jurisdictional question which does not involve a factual
dispute is determined by an appellate court as a matter of
Judges: Recusal: Appeal and Error. A motion
requesting a judge to recuse himself or herself on the ground
of bias or prejudice is addressed to the discretion of the
judge, and an order overruling such a motion will be affirmed
on appeal unless the record establishes bias or prejudice as
a matter of law.
Contempt: Final Orders. An order of contempt
in a postjudgment proceeding to enforce a previous final
judgment is properly classified as a final order.
Contempt. Civil contempt proceedings are
instituted to preserve and enforce the rights of private
parties to a suit when a party fails to comply with a court
order made for the benefit of the opposing party.
Neb. 720] 8. Courts: Jurisdiction:
Divorce: Contempt. A court's continuing
jurisdiction over a dissolution decree includes the power to
provide equitable relief in a contempt proceeding.
Contempt: Courts: Equity. Contempt
proceedings may both compel obedience to orders and
administer the remedies to which the court has found the
parties to be entitled. Where a situation exists that is
contrary to the principles of equity and which can be
redressed within the scope of judicial action, a court of
equity will devise a remedy to meet the situation.
Contempt: Words and Phrases. Civil contempt
requires willful disobedience as an essential element.
"Willful" means the violation was committed
intentionally, with knowledge that the act violated the court
order. If it is impossible to comply with the order of the
court, the failure to comply is not willful.
Words and Phrases: Appeal and Error.
Willfulness is a factual determination to be reviewed for
clear error.
Contempt: Proof: Evidence: Presumptions.
Outside of statutory procedures imposing a different standard
or an evidentiary presumption, all elements of contempt must
be proved by the complainant by clear and convincing evidence
and without any presumptions.
Contempt: Costs: Attorney Fees. Costs,
including reasonable attorney fees, can be awarded in a
contempt proceeding.
Jurisdiction: Appeal and Error. Before
reaching the legal issues presented for review, it is the
duty of an appellate court to determine whether it has
jurisdiction over the matter before it.
Appeals from the District Court for Sarpy County: Daniel E.
Bryan, Jr., Judge. Judgments in Nos. S-16-1086 and S-17-037
affirmed. Appeal in No. S-16-1187 dismissed.
William D. Gilner for appellant.
T. Peebles and Tosha Rae D. Heavican, of Brodkey, Peebles,
Belmont & Line, L.L.P, for appellee.
Heavican, C.J., Miller-Lerman, Cassel, Stacy, and Funke, JJ.
these three consolidated appeals, Wallace R. McCullough
appeals orders entered by the district court for Sarpy County
[299 Neb. 721] in the proceeding for the dissolution of his
marriage to Michelle A. McCullough. Wallace appeals, inter
alia, an order of contempt for failing to make childcare and
property division equalization payments, an order of contempt
for failing to pay child support, and an order setting the
amount of a supersedeas bond. We dismiss the appeal of the
order regarding the amount of the supersedeas bond, and we
affirm the district court's orders in the two other
March 22, 2010, the district court for Sarpy County entered a
decree dissolving Wallace and Michelle's marriage. In the
decree of dissolution, the district court ordered, inter
alia, that legal and physical custody of the couple's
children be awarded to Michelle, subject to Wallace's
parenting time; that Wallace pay Michelle child support of
$3, 005 per month; that Wallace pay a share of childcare
expenses incurred by Michelle; and that Wallace pay Michelle
$552, 124.89 to equalize the property division, payable at a
rate of $50, 000 per year plus interest until paid in full.
On June
12, 2012, Michelle filed a complaint for modification of the
decree of dissolution. She requested, inter alia, that
Wallace's parenting time be supervised and that proceeds
from the sale of certain property be reassigned to her. On
July 30, Wallace filed an answer and a counterclaim in which
he requested, inter alia, that he be awarded sole custody of
the children. On August 6, Michelle filed an answer to
Wallace's counterclaim in which she requested the
counterclaim be dismissed. On August 7, Wallace filed an
amended answer and counterclaim in which he further
requested, inter alia, a change in his child support
obligation based on a change in income and that he be given
credit for amounts totaling $268, 400 that he alleged should
be treated as having been paid toward the property
settlement. On January 21, 2014, Wallace filed another
amended answer and counterclaim in which he made additional
allegations and requests.
Neb. 722] On June 8, 2016, Michelle filed a verified
complaint for contempt in which she alleged that Wallace had
failed to pay child support, childcare expenses, and property
equalization payments required under the decree of
dissolution. The district court entered an order on June 13
for Wallace to show cause why he should not be held in
contempt ...
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Caturday Night Fever
Calling all cat (and disco) lovers!
ARTneo hosts Caturday Night Fever: A Disco Party from 9:30 to 1:30 on Third Friday, March 15th. The event includes a costume contest with prizes for best disco costume, best cat costume, and best disco-cat costume. The grand prize is a pair of cat ears by Bunny Paige.
There will be a cash (credit cards accepted) bar featuring Platform Beer, light refreshments, with music courtesy of DJ Sputnik.
This event is sponsored by 78 Street Studios and Bunny Paige.
Limited edition event posters by Eleven X Seventeen Poster Co. will be available for purchase.
A display of cat themed art by Cleveland artists will be on view.
This event is 18 and over.


text:
Clare Mackintosh's debut thriller I Let You Go has been on my TBR for several months, but I finally dove in. I know February is the month for romance, and it's also black history month, but a thriller is always a nice palate cleanser for me between books I feel more obligated to read. This one, though, turned out completely different than I expected.
About the book: one rainy evening, a five year-old child is walking home with his mother when an erratic driver comes out of nowhere and ends his life. The police have no leads. The car and its driver are nowhere to be found. The boy's mother moves away to escape her memories and the lack of answers behind the crime. But the trouble won't end for our main characters until the case is closed–and some of them may be in more danger than they think.
"I grip the edge of the table with both hands, anchoring myself in the present as the past threatens to take over. I can hear the screech of brakes, smell the acrid stench of burning rubber on wet tarmac. When Jacob hit the windshield, for an instant he was just inches away from me. I could have reached out and touched his face through the glass. But he twisted from me into the air and slammed onto the road."
This one starts slow. From all the reviews I'd read/heard, I had the impression that this book was a thriller with great plot twists. I wasn't really invested in any of the characters or their situations for close to 150 pages, though. I wanted to know who had committed the crime from the prologue and why, but there seemed to be no clues. I couldn't quite bring myself to care about the main detective on the case who is having trouble with his marriage or the woman who is so traumatized by the child's death that she moves to a secluded cottage near Penfach and takes up photography to pay her rent. It isn't until the first plot twist arrives around page 150 that the story becomes real intriguing.
I wish I could talk about the element of this story I loved most, because there's something so beautiful about literature that combines a great plot with masterful use of the writing craft. And yet, to explain why that slow bit in the beginning became my favorite part of the book would be to spoil perhaps the best plot twist this book has to offer. I was on the lookout for clues in those slow, early chapters, and I still missed entirely the great move Mackintosh makes with her writing. It takes a remarkable author to pull off such an elaborate twist–for the truth to remain hidden until a specific moment of the story, and then for the truth to seem so obvious and apparent once the curtain is lifted and the key detail emerges.
Those first 150 pages bored me. But as soon as I got through them, I wanted to turn around and read them straight through all over again.
" 'What's going on?' I ask him. 'God knows, love, but it's always the same. Up and down like a bleedin' yo-yo.' "
Part two (of two) feels like a whole different story after that first big reveal. Part one is sad. Part two is scary.
In the first section, we have alternating chapters in two first-person perspectives. Although there are important details gleaned from the detective's point of view, and he helps ground the narration through that first crazy plot twist, I never cared for him much. I would've been happy with a lot fewer details about his difficult son and his unhappy wife and his apparent unwillingness to to change anything in his life in any sort of helpful way for them. All those background details seemed unnecessary to the main portion of the story that truly interested me, and yet there were times when the story benefited from his perspective, so I couldn't begrudge his presence entirely.
When we hit part two, another layer is added. The reader is given a third perspective, a character who uses the second-person narration style to address his part of the story to one of our other main characters. This guy is charming at first, and then, oh, so creepy. He provides the missing pieces that our other main characters either a) don't know, or b) won't admit. This guy holds nothing back. His awfulness (hidden behind charm at first) is extremely compelling, and obliterates any lingering sense of boredom from the first part. Every bad character trait I could possibly imagine this guy exhibiting showed up on subsequent pages. As soon as I thought "Oh no, what if he does this?" he went and did just that. There were times I wish Mackintosh had drawn a line with this character–he becomes so completely evil that he almost ceases to feel human. But the reader still has alternating chapters in the woman's and the detective's perspectives to keep him/her on track and the story from seeming too impossibly far-fetched.
This story is dark. Its characters are sad or horrible or down-on-their-luck, or, at times, just plain blind. A couple moments toward the end seem obvious (who sends the victim home before capturing the dangerous criminal who poses a giant threat?) or easy (after Mrs. Peterson spends so long keeping secrets, she spills the whole truth at the first sign that an outsider has an inkling of what's been going on), the expert layout and the continuous plot twists keep the story unpredictable. Nothing goes quite how the reader thinks is should. Safety is always elusive.
"I hesitate. How can I explain that bad things happen around me? I would love to have something to look after again, but at the same time it terrifies me."
My reaction: 4 out of 5 stars. I liked the characters. I liked the plot. I loved the way the story was laid out. I wish I could talk more about how answers are concealed or revealed through the POVs featured in I Let You Go, but the plot and its construction are inseparable here and this is definitely a story best to begin without knowing much about it. This is one of my favorite thrillers since my first experience with Gone Girl four years ago, and I will definitely be picking up Mackintosh's newer release, I See You.
Further recommendations:
- For fast-paced thriller action and crazy plot twists, there's nothing like Blake Crouch's Dark Matter. Although this one's science fiction, I would definitely still call it a psychological thriller and it's probably my current favorite thriller of all time.
- Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner is another mysterious England-based crime novel. This one is for readers who like close looks at all the characters' lives, as in the first part of I Let You Go, and especially the detectives' perspectives. This crime is depicted almost entirely through the police investigation, but it's also an exploration of character and tragedy in the same way that I Let You Go explores those aspects.
Coming up Next: I've just finished reading City of Glass by Cassandra Clare, the third book in her Mortal Instruments series. This is the last book in the Mortal Instruments series that I've read previously, so I still have some interesting looking-back thoughts to compare, and then I'll be charting new territory (at least for me) as I continue with the fourth book next month. Stay tuned for more thoughts on Clary, Simon, Jace, and the Lightwoods, and their battles between good and evil in the Shadowhunter world.
What's a book that has surprised you this year?
The Literary Elephant


text:
The Washington Redskins fired head coach Jay Gruden early Monday following the team's 0-5 start.
The Redskins made the announcement via Twitter, saying Gruden had been informed of the decision in an early morning meeting with owner Daniel Snyder and team president Bruce Allen.
"Through the first five games of the 2019 season, the team has clearly not performed up to expectations, and we all share in that responsibility," the team said in its release. "Moving forward we are committed to doing all that we can collectively as an organization to turn things around and give our Redskins fans and alumni a team they can be proud of in 2019 and beyond."
Allen went a step further in a press conference on Monday afternoon, saying the decision to change direction was a necessary one.
"To make a decision like this is difficult but it was necessary. Our 0-5 start is not just disappointing, we had much different expectations for this beginning of the season," Allen said.
"We owe it to our fans, our millions of fans not just here in the great nation's capital but across the world, the players, the coaches and their families to do everything we can to win."
Redskins assistant head coach/offensive line coach Bill Callahan will be the interim head coach, Allen confirmed Monday.
"Under Bill's leadership, the programs he's going to put in, the discipline and execution, we believe we're giving him the best opportunity to beat the Miami Dolphins (on Sunday), and the rest of the year," Allen said.
Gruden was in his sixth season with the Redskins, compiling a 35-49-1 record that included Sunday's 33-7 home loss to the New England Patriots.
Entering this season, he had won at least seven games in four straight years, including a 9-7 mark in 2015 that saw Washington reach the playoffs.
When asked by reporters about his job status after Sunday's loss, Gruden said: "Nobody's told me anything. I don't have a concern. I'll just wait and see. If my key works on Monday, keep working, go attack the Miami Dolphins and plan on getting our first win next week."
Gruden signed a two-year contract extension in March 2017, putting him under contract through the 2020 season. He lasted longer than any of Snyder's six previous head coaches, with none staying longer than four years.
The Redskins drafted quarterback Dwayne Haskins No. 15 overall in April and are expected to have a high pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
They also have seven defensive starters who are 25 or younger.
"It'll be up to Coach Callahan who plays at any position, the same way it was up to Coach Gruden who's going to play," Allen said. "We're thrilled to have Dwayne here. We think his future is really bright.
"Whatever gives Coach Callahan the formula for success, I'm sure he's going to do."


text:
Influencer Andrea Chong, entrepreneur Tjin Lee and Sing! China's second runner-up Joanna Dong have one thing in common – they've all worn outfits from The Missing Piece and shared their photos on Instagram.
You'll recognise its cheongsams, dresses and jumpsuits instantly, thanks to the luxe fabrics and a signature cut-out on each side, just above the waist.
Related: Why Tjin Lee waited until she was almost 40 to have her first child


text:
Jae-Ho Chung
Chung Jae-Ho is Professor of International Relations at the Seoul National University. Dr. Chung has specialized in politics and policy implementation of Post-Mao China. He was Assistant and Associate Professor at the University from 1996-2004.
Area of Expertise: International Relations
Geographical Expertise - Region: Asia
Geographical Expertise - Country: China
Languages: Chinese, English, Korean
Field of Work: Academia, Non-Governmental
City: Seoul
Country: South Korea
Continent: Asia
Featured Experts
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text:
When someone says New Zealand, many people think "Lord of the Rings", and if you are visiting the North Island, you can get up close and personal with the magical world of Hobbiton. Hobbiton, located in Matamata, is the movie set for The Shire in the Lord of the Rings franchise.Book your private transfer to Hobbiton Movie Set and get lead into the magical world that serves as a backdrop for the beginning of the movies, driving through classic New Zealand farmland, looking out over the Kaimai Ranges, exploring the iconic house of Bilbo Baggins, and having a drink in the Green Dragon Inn. These tours are an absolute must if you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, but even people who have not seen the movies or read the books will be inspired by the lush green landscape and movie set that blurs the lines between reality and fiction.
What You'll Get
Pick-up and drop from any location within Auckland
• Pick-up and drop-off from Auckland Airport or Cruise Terminal
• Choose your own start time (from 6am daily)
• Van can accommodate up to 9 passengers, with 8 Medium Suitcases at the Cargo area
We offer an option for you to hire a van and have your own driver to transfer you to any location as you please.
• Cost effective and convenient for small groups
Offers more privacy and flexibility than traditional group tours.
Travel at your own pace, stay at one place for as long as you like.
Perfect for travellers with small kids or travelling with seniors that needs special assistance
Perfect for cruise ship travellers.
Pick-up and drop off from/to Auckland Airport, Cruise Ship Terminal and Auckland Accommodation.
Note: Hobbiton Movie Set walking tour includes stars, uphill and uneven surfaces and not the whole tour are wheelchair accessible. However, we can arrange for a buggy/golf cart to those with mobility requirements but this would need at least 2-3 weeks to reserve with the Hobbiton Office.
Additional Information
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infant seats available
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
- Refunds will not be issued if tour/activity is missed due to late or non-arrival of cruise ship
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- A maximum of 9 people per booking
- A moderate amount of walking is involved at the Hobbiton Movie Set Tour
- The duration of transfers are approximate, the exact duration will depend on the time of day and traffic conditions
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 9 travelers
- Round-trip private transfer from/to Auckland
- Local taxes
- Private tour
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
- Transport by private vehicle
- Hotel drop-off
- Hotel pickup
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (if option selected)
- Round-trip private transfer
- The listed price does not include parking fee if applicable.
- Entrance fees if applicable.
- Food and drinks
- Excess luggage charges (where applicable)
- Drinks
Departure Point
Pick-up from the following:
-Accommodation within the Auckland Region
-Auckland Airport
-Cruise Terminal
-Bus Terminals
-Others-to be advised
Departure Time
Choose your start/end time from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm daily.
8 hours
Voucher Info
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
The tour identified in this promotion is made available through Viator. Groupon is not affiliated with or sponsored by the Kiwi Scenic Tours in connection with this deal. Please contact Groupon customer service for all inquiries related to this offer. Inquiries placed to Viator will be directed back to Groupon.
This offer is not eligible for promo codes.
The Fine Print
7-day cancellation rights do not apply; no refunds or exchanges permitted. Voucher valid only for date and time listed; may not be exchanged or redeemed for other dates. Purchaser name and phone number must be provided at checkout; this information will be shared with Viator and the tour operator for purposes of order fulfillment. Groupon promo codes may not be used for this offer. Groupon voucher Terms of Sale do not apply. See the tour operators terms and conditions for this offer here. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised Goods and services.


text:
The YMCA Boulton Center has a night filled with laughs planned for April 5.
The downtown performing arts center will be hosting an extension of its Big Laughs Comedy series with an up and coming comedian show. The program will feature 10 comedians from Long Island and New York City, all performing their own acts.
"These are the comics you don't hear about but work harder and are just as funny as anyone out there," said the event's organizer and comedian himself, Tom DeCillis.
Each comedian will have an eight-minute set, with plenty of variety and styles.
"The audience can expect material from clean to edgy, but all very funny," said DeCillis, of Islip.
Boulton Center's director Michelle Rizzo-Berg added this show with the hopes to incorporate more of its kind in the near future.
"I was interested in working with up-and-coming comics because we are a great space for comedy," she said, "and what better place to work on material than a performing arts space."
The show begins at 8 p.m. To purchase tickets, click here or call the box office at at 866-811-4111.


text:
Vauxhall's affiliation into the PSA Group has got off to a promising start with the launch of the new Combo. James Dallas detects a renewed confidence.
If the new Combo light van is anything to go by then Vauxhall has a bright future now that the brand is part of the PSA Group.
The Combo, alongside its sister products, the Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo, burst onto the scene late last year and promptly scooped both the International Van of the Year and the What Van? Light Commercial Vehicle of the Year prizes for 2019.
PSA is putting light commercials centre stage, as Derek Wilson, LCV director says, "Vans are central to our plans in the next few years."
He admits there was room for improvement when he adds: "[The Combo] was our biggest under-performer with the previous model," which was based on the same platform as the Fiat Professional Doblo Cargo.
There is a new energy and optimism around Griffin House, Vauxhall's Luton HQ, and Wilson says the brand is looking for a 25% increase in LCV sales in the next 12 months.
But despite the Combo's impressive debut, CV product manager Brad Miller stresses that the Vivaro medium van – the next version of which will go into production in June based on the Citroen Dispatch and Peugeot Expert, although order books open in February – will remain the best seller.
Unlike the previous Combo, the current Vivaro, based on Renault's Trafic, has been a success. As recently as 2016 Vauxhall shifted 28,000 units of the model.
Vauxhall will continue to build the new Vivaro in Luton and Miller says: "The plant is a significant USP."
In its heyday prior to 2012, when the Doblo-based Combo launched, Miller says sales of the light van topped 15,000 a year and the aspiration is to get back to this level.
It's a big leap – last year Combo sales slumped to 2,539, although the new model did chip in with 191 registrations when it hit showrooms in November.
But Wilson claims Vauxhall had taken 4,000 orders for the new Combo by mid-January, "so it's ahead of the old one already".
The brand believes it now has a product that is leading the market on price, features, safety and economy and it has its sights set on returning to the top three of the sector.
Wilson acknowledges the boost that being crowned What Van?'s LCV of the Year has given the Combo.
"Winning the most prestigious domestic award is as good as it gets," he says.
With the Vauxhall brand aiming to make a comeback having lost some ground in the market in recent years, Wilson says there has been an uplift in its marketing spend across all channels, including TV, radio, digital and the press, and adds that they can use "the highly recognisable [What Van?] logo" within its campaigns.
Vauxhall has traditionally enjoyed a broad customer base, across both fleet and retail, and Miller points out the current Vivaro outsells both its sister vans, the Renault Trafic and Nissan NV300, in the UK. With the weight of the brand's heritage behind it, it would not be a surprise if the forthcoming Vivaro were to repeat this feat in the domestic market compared to the Dispatch and Expert.
Under the guidance of PSA, the manufacturer is seeking to step up its LCV focus in retail sales and aftersales.
This year it has launched 65 dealerships as Van Business Centres, having carried out the preparatory work in 2018.
These centres must adhere to defined standards and although many were already van specialists under the pre-PSA regime, Wilson admits that not all of the former van specialist sites were as focused as the job requires.
But he says it was not a case of ripping up the network but rather of finding the right balance.
"Sixty-five gives us geographical coverage," he explains. "It's not too many sites – we want vans to be integral to the sites."


text:
I was a bit of a party girl when I was young and I remember thinking that I knew it all. Noone could tell me what to do, It was my life I would live it the way I wanted... While I still feel that this is my life and I will live it the wau I want, I understand that I DO NOT know everything and I truly wish that I knew then what I know now... Things may of turned out differently. Or things could be just the same... I will never know!
What I Wish I knew at 18 Giveaway
Hosted by Pea of Sweetness
"What I Wish I Knew at 18" is an engaging, comprehensive, and conversational book written to help young adults achieve success in life. It provides practical, road-tested wisdom in essential life arenas as life perspective, character, relationships and communication, spiritual life, handling adversity, personal productivity, college academics, career selection and advancement, love and marriage, and managing finances. Through illustration, instruction, and reflective questions, the book reveals 109 success pointers. Unique in scope, universal in its message, and timely in its wisdom, "What I Wish I Knew at 18" is designed to serve as an invaluable life coach.
Check out the full "What I Wish I Knew at 18 book review on Pea of Sweetness.
Thank-you to our awesome Co-host At the Maple Table!
About the Giveaway: This giveaway begins on 3/29 and ends on 4/12 at 11:00pm (times are CST) and is open to US residents ages 18+. Please refer to the full terms and conditions in the Giveaway Tools.
The Prize: One lucky winner will receive the "What I Wish I knew at 18" book!
Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may be different than yours. My Kind Of Introduction is not responsible for prize fulfillment.


text:
Caltech and MIT snake oil sale:
"Entangled Light, Quantum Money"
Technology Review, September/October 2009
by Mark Williams
Some excerpts:
…Kimble made one easily graspable assertion: "Our society's technical base is information commerce. In the next 20 years, quantum information science–a fusion of computer science and quantum mechanics that didn't exist 20 years ago–will radically change that commerce."
The revolutionary technology that Kimble envisions is large quantum networks, resembling the Internet but relying on entanglement. What inherent advantages would promote the development and adoption of such networks?
Substantial ones….
MIT's Seth Lloyd has given some thought to the design options for quantum networks.
So Kimble has a reasonable argument that quantum networks are feasible. And the advantages that he envisions–absolute data security, no latency, and a further exponential gain in computational power–would hardly be negligible in the world of information commerce.
Futures traders who use near-instantaneous quantum networks will have clear advantages over those who don't.
Other commercial applications are possible as well. Scott Aaronson suggested one of them in a paper called "Quantum Copy-Protection and Quantum Money."
The first generation of money emerged with the invention of coins in Lydia nearly 3,000 years ago, its second generation with the paper bills of exchange issued by the banks of Renaissance Italy, and its third with electronic money and the virtual economy of the modern era. If scientists like Kimble and Aaronson are correct, quantum networks may soon give rise to a further generation of money.
Replacing the classical internet by a quantum one is a really dumb idea; doing so would be phenomenally expensive and totally unnecessary. There are known classical cryptographic codes called "post-quantum cryptography" which cannot be broken by a classical or quantum computer, so there is no need for "quantum cryptography", or a "quantum Internet", or "quantum money", ever. Why should a carpenter replace his perfectly adequate steel hammer (classical networks and classical encryption methods) by a pure gold one?
My previous blog posts on this subject:


text:
With the majority of protected species surveys completed, the question turns to what our team of ecologists will be doing in winter. Will all development has to wait until the new season?
Several UK species hibernate, migrate or reduce their activity during the cold weather over the winter months. This applies to bats, dormice, reptiles and amphibians, which hibernate in order to conserve energy while food is restricted. This restricts some ecological surveys, such as bat emergence/ re-entry surveys on buildings and reptile presence/absence surveys.
However, there are still a wide variety of ecological surveys that can be undertaken by agb Environmental during the winter. Some, such as Winter Bird Surveys are specific to the winter. The following surveys are possible through the winter:
- Preliminary Ecological Appraisal / Extended Phase I Habitat Survey
- Badger Surveys
- Bat roost assessments / building and tree inspections
- Dormouse Surveys (nut search)
- Otter Surveys
- Winter Bird Surveys
In fact, winter can be a great time to start considering ecology, to ensure that surveys are scoped and scheduled in for the new season, reducing overall project costs and risks.
Get in touch
agb Environmental can assist with surveys across the UK, with bases covering the east, south east and the south of England including London. Please contact Richard Parmee, Head of Natural Environment on email@example.com or Cassie Todd, Principal Ecologist on firstname.lastname@example.com or call the office on 01638 663226 to discuss the requirements for ecology surveys on your next development project.


text:
Medal Related Links
Contact Info / Websites
GunChassis's Medals
Total Medals Earned: 2 (From
1 different games.)
Total Medal Score: 15 Points
Hello Spells! Unlocked 10/12/18
5 Points Cast your first spell
5 Points Cast your first spell
Kitty Kitty Unlocked 10/12/18
10 Points Get smacked by the kitty
10 Points Get smacked by the kitty
Untapped Potential 5 Points Get any spell to level 5
Buster 10 Points Break through 50 obstacles
Lost Traveller 10 Points Travel backwards at least 500 feet in one run
Novice Traveler 10 Points Travel 5000 meters
Reach for the Stars 10 Points Reach the stars
Super Tender 10 Points Bounce chicken 1000 times on the ground
Animal Master 25 Points Get 30000 experience from creatures
Animal Trickery 25 Points Get 600 experience from creatures in one run
Coming Through! 25 Points Break through 5 obstacles in one run.
Exemplary Student 25 Points Get to wizard level 10
Experienced Traveller 25 Points Travel 50,000 meters
Spell Prowess 25 Points Get any spell to level 10
Tenderizer 25 Points Bounce chicken on ground at least 20 times in one run
Boarwarts Grad 50 Points Get to wizard level 20
Bookworm 50 Points Level all spells at least once
Master Traveller 50 Points Travel 500,000 meters
Power Overwhelming 50 Points Get any spell to level 15
Spell Mastery 50 Points Cast a power level 50 spell
Medals Earned: 2/20 (15/495 points)