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There are days when it seems like the modern skepticism is on its last legs. Most self described "skeptics" might not know it, and certainly wouldn't agree, but it's looking pretty damned bad for them. And the reason isn't because the truth is harder to find than ever before or because more people are embracing the truth than ever before. No, the reason is that most self described skeptics are anything but skeptical, and they're in no way a part of the modern skepticism movement. Oh, they'll tell you that they're skeptical, they'll be the first to tell you that, but they seemingly have no clue what the word means.
Note the key bit in that definition. A skeptic is someone who will question or doubt all accepted opinions. The problem with too many skeptics these days is that they've decided that "accepted opinions" only means facts or opinions that are sourced to a government agency, an established "old school" media entity, the established medical community, or a longstanding institution of higher learning.
And that's not an entirely bad thing. Being an established authority does not automatically make one's information unassailable. Even being considered an "unassailable source" should not make one's information unassailable. Trust but verify is always a good way to live, especially when the information in question is vital or important in its nature. But the problem with many modern "skeptics" is that far too many of them have deemed their own accepted opinion to not fall under that category, to be unassailable fact, and thus they treat it as unassailable fact without question.
Being skeptical, certainly if you declare yourself to be skeptical of nature and especially if you declare yourself a fully fledged skeptic, means that you question and verify everything to your fullest ability, not simply just the information you personally deem to be untrustworthy because of personal bias while giving a pass to information you like for the same reasons of personal bias. And that's what too many modern "skeptics" do. They treat actually facts that they dislike as automatically questionable, if not outright lies, while giving far too much of a pass (or a complete pass) to claims and information that they like or that confirms their own personal bias.
Unwavering devotion to information because you like the way it makes you feel about your likes, dislikes, or beliefs or because it comes from a source outside of "the mainstream" does not make you a skeptic. It makes the "skeptic" in question as big of a sucker or an even bigger sucker than the people the "skeptics" call suckers. But this is the M.O. of far too many modern "skeptics" today.
And this form of so called skepticism is fast becoming a cottage industry in and of itself. There are websites, podcasts, and terrestrial radio shows devoted to this feeble brand of skepticism. And the new pseudo-skeptics out there use this cottage industry to pat themselves on the back for their ability to see the "real truth" out there and, more importantly and in reality, reinforce the beliefs that they wish were true rather than face the facts that actually are true. The thought process behind so many of these positions is so faulty, so full of fallacies, that one would think that any true skeptic would stop midsentence, realize what they were saying, and then laugh at themselves before course correcting.
Probably one of the most commonly used fallacies to justify embracing an alternative information source as legitimate while denying actual fact is the "They Lie!" fallacy, and one of the biggest sources for the use of this would most likely be the 9/11 conspiracy skeptics. Certainly the 9/11 conspiracy people are the easiest to poke holes into, so I'm using them as an example here regardless. But the basic pattern of their arguments and the fallacies behind them are in most of the pseudo-skeptic arguments these days.
The basic game with this version of fallacy is to consistently say that "The Government" lies. The government has lied in the past. You can point to government officials who have lied. It's therefore simple deduction that whatever the government says on the matter, whatever the "Official Story" on the matter is, it must automatically be a lie.
The two main problems that result from the embracing of this fallacy are that the pseudo-skeptic then (A) sets out to prove the government is lying and (B) determines that any information and information source that helps prove "A" is factual. And the problem with these two tactics is that this is anything but the skeptical path.
A skeptic does not set out to prove information is a lie. They set out to determine the accuracy of the information in question. There's a big difference in those two concepts, not the least of which is the mindset behind the goal. More often than not, a person deciding in advance that something is a lie and that they will prove that it is a lie will disregard any information, even accurate, factual information on the matter, if it contradicts their preconceived notions. After all, the government lies, it must lie, the government's official story must be a lie, and anything that doesn't reinforce this belief must likewise be a lie. And thus any information that contradicts the desired outcome, the official story is a lie, is disregarded out of hand without any real examination. Why? Because the government lies, and anything that doesn't help prove that the government lied must also be a lie. It's the ipso facto of the Bizarro world.
And the information embraced to help prove that the official story is a lie can be… uhm… yeah…
One of the most common statements I've heard come from 9/11 conspiracy theorists attempting to "debunk" aspects of the "official story" of 9/11, a statement that I've seen online, heard on radio by program guests and hosts, and seen spoken by prominent television personalities and hosts, has got to be one of the most historically and factually illiterate things ever spoken in modern times. This would be the claim that, if we're to accept the "official story" of what happened that day, we must accept that 9/11 was the first time in known history that fire has melted steel. Hell, I've even heard a guy who collects Feudal Era Japanese and Chinese swords, real ones, not the $35 to $85 knockoffs that you can buy online, throw this bit of silliness out there.
This amazing piece of "information" that gets passed around from "expert" to "expert" on the 9/11 "truth" should come as quite a surprise to blacksmiths, sword smiths, and metallurgists throughout history as fire is exactly what they used, and still use, to melt steel. Point this little bit of historical fact out in the middle of a good rant, and that will typically lead to the next problems with modern pseudo-skeptics. These problems are that they basically make facts up on the spot and fail to research anything that supports their belief.
The response you would get to the fact that fire does in fact melt steel is that modern steel is more heat resistant to simple fire, and proof of this is that jets and jet engines don't melt when flying. Therefore, you are told, fire, even fire fueled by large quantities of jet fuel would not melt steel. This certainly sounds good and is on the surface basically true, but "sounds good" and "basically true" would not be enough for a skeptic. A true skeptic would do research on the issue, real research, not simply reading a website that is written to support a fallacy and accepting it as gospel, in order to confirm this. And if the skeptic did this research they would find that the type steel used to start the construction of the towers in 1968 is not the exact same type steel used for the construction of airplane engines, airplane engines have an elaborate cooling system built into them to prevent the metals used from overheating, heat levels for controlled fuel use and raging fuel fires are radically different, and that the steel used in the towers would have weakened and partially or fully melted from the heat created by the combination of the burning fuel, burning wood and plastic found in the furniture and in the various other wood and petroleum based combustibles found in the average office building as well as that make up the materials in the average building.
But actual research is not the forte of the pseudo-skeptic. Their specialty is finding information that works for their theory, ignoring anything that undercuts their position, and seeking to prove their desired position rather than uncover the facts of the matter. But if you finally get them to admit, even if only partially, that the specific argument they're using isn't quite the gold standard of truthiness that they proclaimed it to be? You get one of two equally poor arguments from them.
The first of the arguments is a version of the "They Lie!" fallacy. You're informed that everybody lies, all of "them" do it, and that you're fool for believing their "official story" when the facts are so obvious. It's an interesting tactic as it doesn't address the fact that the inaccuracies they've just put forward have been utterly destroyed, nor does it in any way go toward disproving any part of the "official story" that they say is so full of such easy to debunk lies.
The other out they use is the more interesting one by far. They admit that this particular set of "truths" that they presented might be factually wrong, but that it's still basically correct. Essentially the claim is that it may well be a lie, but it's a lie that represents the real truth; certainly more so than the "official story" does. They'll then point to all of the other "evidence" out there, much of it from the same sources that just got so easily debunked out from under them.
This last bit is the funniest aspect of the nature of the modern pseudo-skeptic. Information from a government source, so they will tell you, can never be trusted, can never be true, because the government lies. It has lied before, and therefore it always lies to the people. They'll also say the same about the medical profession or any other target of their brand of pseudo-skepticism. But the pseudo-skeptic won't hold their own bias confirming sources to the same standards that they insist the "suckers" hold other sources of information up to. You can utterly destroy 49 "facts" from a favored source, so utterly debunk them that even they will grudgingly admit that the source had it wrong, but they will happily present you with fact #50 from the same bias confirming source without questioning how factual it might actually be or so much as checking up on the most basic of its assumptions.
One of my favorite forms of psuedo-skeptic nonsense is the idea that if something they wish to claim has been disproved can be faked, it therefore must be faked. That one is popular with some in the birth certificate brigade. It's funny, but I've yet to meet a supposed promoter of that idea who would willingly part with any dollar bills in his or her wallet. Hey, they're easy to fake, so therefore the ones in the wallet must be fake, right?
And there are more. There are so many more examples of the strange substitution for logic that passes for argument in the pseudo-skeptic community. But the two biggest flaws, the single biggest mistakes in the pseudo-skeptic thinking, as mentioned above, is that, despite their statements otherwise, they do not question all information, nor do they objectively seek the truth. It's from these two flaws that all else they do falls apart. If you unquestioningly accept information from sources that are alternative simply because they are not government, not the establishment, or are "alternatives" to the establishment sources and because it conforms to your bias or desired belief in something, you're failing in your status as a skeptic by not questioning even the things you want to be true as much as the things you desire to find false. If you automatically assume that something is a lie and set out to prove only that theory, you will never find the truth.
I'm not a scientist, but I'm a thinker
Glenn Beck
I love that quote. He's thrown it around quite a few times over his career. It's usually followed by an assertion that is mind bogglingly wrong and so scientifically or even historically off base that a 6th grader would be ashamed to have said it. But it makes "common sense" in a feel good way, and that's good enough for him and them. It's quite possibly one of the dumbest things ever said by Glenn Beck, and that's saying a lot given his career of saying dumb things, but it's a perfect example of one of the other great flaws in the pseudo-skeptic mindset. They're not an expert and have no expert knowledge on a matter, something they'll freely admit, but they're thinkers, so they don't need expert knowledge and they think it's fine to believe that something doesn't make sense because… well… just because they think so.
Now, I'm not saying that you have to be a scientist to talk on matters that venture into the realm of science. One of the biggest, and most popular, fallacies in pretty much any debate these days is the one of declaring that you must be 'X' in order to speak on 'X' matters or your position and input means nothing. But at the very least, one should do some basic research beyond "thinking" and looking for feel good common sense "facts" that confirm a bias.
Science can prove that some screwy things are true. Some of them are quite easily demonstrably true as well, but they don't conform to feel good common sense.
One example of this came in a discussion on Climate Change where a conservative television host laughingly dismissed what was being presented because the politician discussing the matter in a taped bit had in the past repeated such utterly foolish and nonsensical assertions as the idea that warm water freezes faster than cool water. It was, he and his co-hosts laughed, ridiculous, and simple common sense thinking disproved that easily. This history of believing such "nonsense" was then used as the reason to discount anything scientific that he had referenced.
But the thing is that warmer water does freeze faster than cool water. It's known as the Mpemba Effect. It's actually something that's hard to explain even scientifically, but it can be tested, observed, and repeated to prove that, yes, warmer water will freeze faster than cool water. It's a science thing. It's a weird science thing that doesn't fit well with "common sense" thinking, but it is a fact.
And there are a lot of facts out there that are like this one. They don't fit the mold of "common sense" thinking. You have to actually research the facts, not simply decide that they don't conform to common sense. A skeptic does this. The pseudo-skeptic relies on feel good common sense.
The problem with this, besides the above example, is that that pseudo-skeptic uses their "common sense" approach in place of facts, actually mistaking their "common sense" assumptions as fact. You can see this most glaringly in the "skeptics" that question the moon landing, or in things like the chemtrail conspiracy theorists.
Moon landing "skeptics" like to point to pictures of the flag planted on the moon and point to its changing position, its "flapping" on the moon, from photo to photo. This is, they tell you, impossible without a breeze of some kind. That's just common sense. And since there is no breeze on the moon, this is proof that the flag was planted and photographed in a large studio hanger. This ignores the basic fact that in a vacuum, a flag would still move if the pole it was on was shaken, and most of the "breeze" photos were taken while astronauts had their hands on the pole or just afterwards.
Likewise, chemtrails have become a big thing in conspiracy circles. But chemtrails are nothing more than contrail, a fact of aviation as old as the first high altitude propeller plane flights. It's basic science. Contrails are nothing more than clouds formed when water vapor condenses and freezes around small particles (aerosols) that exist in aircraft exhaust. Some of that water vapor comes from the air around the plane while some is added by the aircraft exhaust. With the right air conditions, proper levels of humidity, correct temperatures, you could literally recreate the "chemtrail" effect at ground level. Not new, not an evil government conspiracy, and not something that isn't explained by basic science.
But basic science isn't the realm of the pseudo-skeptic. There's "something" wrong, and these "chemtrails" don't look right, so in 2+2=22 fashion the decision is made that whatever "it" is that's wrong must be related to the "chemtrails" in the skies, and only "evidence" that supports this theory is factual. And, unfortunately for the reality based community, science is not something that supports the pseudo-skeptic's worldview, so scientific fact becomes lies from the government or lies from the institutions trying to hide the "truth" from us all.
And I could go on. And on. And on. And on. Oh lord could I especially go on if I got into the subject of self-described skeptics who fall into the Birther category, or, on the really goofy front, the skeptics who argue for the existence of certain cryptozoological creatures, paranormal activity, and UFO abductions that there's little to no factual evidence for. That's gotta be a major contradiction in concepts, but they call themselves "skeptics" because they take the position, especially on the UFO front, that it's all a government cover-up.
The simple fact is that I'm more of a skeptic than most of the people out there these days that I see calling themselves skeptics or claiming to have a skeptical mindset, and I don't try to hold a the skeptical mindset 24/7 in the way that some true skeptics that I've met do.
If you call yourself a skeptic, then you question everything. If you call yourself a skeptic, you don't set out to prove something you don't like to be a lie or something that conforms to your biases to be the truth. You simply set out to find the facts, and you follow them to the truth whether you ultimately find yourself liking the truth you find or not. If you call yourself a skeptic, you do not take the position that the "official story" must always be a lie while unquestioningly believing any source of information you find that likewise declares the "official story" to be a lie.
If you're a skeptic, if you're a true skeptic, you question it all, and you follow the truth wherever it leads no matter your personal likes, dislikes, opinions, or biases. Because if you don't, the fact of the matter is that you're not a skeptic. You're actually little more than one of the "sheeple" you accuse others of being. The only difference is that you've willingly allowed yourself to be led by a different sheep herder of your own choosing.


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Isobel Stenhouse explains her role as Art Director on 'Off to the Vet'. Have you seen our other Off to the Vet behind the scenes videos?
- Step 1: Story Boarding – Initial story ideas are sketched out
- Step 2: Animatic – Where the storyboard is cut together to see how the story reads and unfolds
- Step 3: Rough Animation – The timings and poses for characters are roughly animated
- Step 4: Animation Clean Up – The line is retraced and tidied to give a 'cleaner' look

subset: commoncrawl


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Blowing the Trumpets/ Yom Teruah, literally means to make a loud noise. This word can describe the noise made by a trumpet but it also describes the noise made by a large gathering of people. This is a day appointed by YHWH in the seventh month on the first day of the month occurring in the fall (Leviticus 23:24 -25). This month stands out as a month that brings in the last feast day of the year, Tabernacles.This day is a memorial which marks the beginning of "Ten Days of Repentance," these are the ten days of preparation for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), which falls on the tenth day of the seventh month. The Israelites were commanded to keep it as a Sabbath day/day of rest. No occupational work shall be done on this day and you were to have a holy convocation, a large assembling of people Numbers 29:1.
History of Trumpets
In the Hebrew culture trumpets play a significant role and were commanded to be used. The Creator commanded that Israel use two types of trumpets.
Two silver trumpets were used for Numbers 10:1-10:
the calling of the assembly
for the journeying of the camps
to sound an alarm
In the days of our gladness
In our solemn days (feast days)
In the beginning of the months
To gather the rulers whom judged the people Exo.18:13-27
To gather the congregation together
When going to war
The Shofar which is made from a Ram's Horn, was used on the seventh day after the seven priest went around the city of Jericho seven times Joshua 6:4-5
The prophets linked the blowing of trumpets to the future Day of Judgment:
Joel 2:1
Zephaniah 1:14 -16
YHWH instructed that only the sons of Aaron, the Levitical Priesthood, had the authority to blow these trumpets, Numbers 10:8.
The day of Atonement is the most important day to the Israelites. Yom Kippur means "Day of Atonement" which just means a day to set aside to "afflict the soul."


text: A Fallout 76 bug finder halted support for the game after Bethesda banned his gaming account. The incident is just one among many reported by frustrated community members. Growing tensions have led to a sort of civil a war between Fallout 76 players. An aggrieved Fallout 76 player and bug investigator announced that he is […] The post Fallout 76 Bug Exterminator Rage-Quits After Baseless Bethesda Ban appeared first on CCN.comRead More


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[UPCOMING CONCERT] 2013 INFINITE 1st World Tour 'ONE GREAT STEP' in Singapore!
The wait is finally over for Singapore Inspirits! After 3 years of waiting, INFINITE will be back this October for their first world tour, "ONE GREAT STEP"
2013 INFINITE World Tour 'One Great Step' Live in Singapore
Date: 5th October 2013 / Saturday
Time: 7:00PM
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Seating Plan:
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Standard – S$228, S$198, S$168, S$138
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Ticket sales start on 2nd August.
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Follow us via Twitter & Like our Facebook to get more updates about events that happening in Southeastasia (Main in Indonesia).


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You will discover numerous strategies out there in for immediate weight loss or fat burn method on the internet or any fitness center you might seek advice from. If you are contemplating excess weight loss system, you can find lots of variables you'll want to focus on just like the ordinary workouts, water intake and also the sorts of meals eaten.
What to do to burn belly fat?
- Stay away from consuming foods that include poor fats like ice cream, doughnuts, cracker, and cookies in general. Actually you ought to prevent eating foods that comes from an animal supply. Your diet regime is a vital aspect of slimming your waist. By only trimming a few calories daily your results will start to display. I commonly just modify a few of the points that I eat each day, and make healthier alternatives. I consume quite a bit of fruit instead of sugary snacks.
- Cut back on processed carbohydrates. These would include things like breads, pasta, rice, and potatoes. If I eat any of those it's often the complete wheat wide variety.
- Do not go on a crash eating habits, the target is always to have the ability to sustain the loss over the long haul.
- Minutes four to 5: Back to the Squat Thrust and Push Up only this time you will add the Side Plank. Right after finishing your squat thrust and push up, you will lift and rotate your left arm off of the ground and over your head. Your left foot will rotate and rest on top of your right foot. And you will rotate your neck so that you are looking up at your ceiling.
- Rotate back to the center and repeat on the other side. When completed, hop back into your squat position, stand up and begin again.
Keep thinking, no more belly. This may in turn prevent a fat belly. For example a low carb, low fat, or low calorie diet plan. I have an understanding of that it can be extremely annoying if you invest quite a bit of time staying away from your favorite meals and shed just a few pounds.


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An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another trilogy, written in alternating voices, set in a world with an invading/conquering military power that has overrun a more artistic, peaceful, scholarly people. What set this apart from others (see, for example, The Winner's Curse) is that the writing is a little better, with fewer clenching hearts, and the potential love triangle is done well. While neither Laia's nor Enis' lives hold many surprises, it will be interesting to see what happens in the next book.
ARC provided by publisher.


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It is always amusing to see how the best car brands compete with each other. In this video you see the legendary $150,000 Porsche 911 Turbo with 540 horse power competing in a race with the $110,000 550 HP Nissan GT-R (aka Nissan GTR). Can you guess which one is the winner and what is the finish line speed in Km/h ? Can they get to 300 Km/h ?
You might also enjoy watching the [VIDEO] which one is faster? … $370,000 Lamborghini Aventador or $100,000 Nissan GTR ?
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Market Research Reports, Inc. has announced the addition of "Global Power Electronics Market Outlook (2014-2022)" research report to their website www.MarketResearchReports.com
Lewes, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/17/2015 -- The market is expected to make the market over next decade due to expected growth in power demand for consumer applications, the global power electronics market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.75% and reach US$46.32 billion by 2022 from $20.46 billion in 2014.
The demand for renewable energy, smart grids and demand for multi-portable devices are the major factors driving the growth of the market. Economic uncertainty and Regulatory barriers are the major factors hampering the expansion of the market. The opportunity for escalation in the market lies in Power, Energy and Automotive Sector.
Global Power Electronics market is categorised by Technology, by Device, by Sector and by Geography. Based on Technology, market is segmented into GaN and SiC. Based on Device, market is segregated into Power Ic, Power Module and Power Discrete. Based on Sector, the market is classified into Residential, Commercial and Transportation. Market by geography, is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. Major market for Power Electronics lies in Asia Pacific.
The Key players in the market include Hitachi Co., Ltd, Toshiba Corp., Infineon Technologies AG, Fairchild Semiconductor, Rockwell Automation, Inc., Solicore, Inc, Alstom, ABB Ltd, Gan Systems, Inc.
For more information visit:
To browse more Electrical Components Market Research Reports visit:
About Market Research Reports, Inc.
Market Research Reports, Inc. is the world's leading source for market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest market research reports on global markets, key industries, leading companies, new products and latest industry analysis & trends.
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It's true!
Researchers are saying that if Americans cut their caloric intake and lost weight the energy crisis that is currently taking place, could be averted. That sounds too good to be true, but it's not.
On average, a normal American eats between 50% and 100% more calories than recommended.
All of those calories have to be produced, shipped and stocked. By the time you pay the plants to produce them and the truckers to drive them to their destination and the people at the store to put them on the shelves it's no wonder that things cost so much. If we used less food we'd have lower prices and we'd have more land for other things, instead of cultivating it all (which also costs money) to be used to grow more food.
One Comment to "Help The Economy, Go On A Diet!"
Vida Waldecker | January 16th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
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Following is a list of our restaurant reviews and a map of Downtown Tucson. The arrival of the Modern Streetcar has vastly increased the number of restaurants, good ones too, as well as their accessibility.
Mi Nidito Mexican Restaurant: A Guest Review
This week, a reader of our Southern Arizona Guide newsletter wrote about his experience at Mi Nidito Mexican Restaurant. His impression was decidedly different than my original 2011 review which you can read here. J.C., a local Tucsonan who wishes to remain anonymous, wrote in March 2020. "I just finished … Continue reading
Agustin Kitchen: A Dining Review
On an afternoon in mid-November, Neighbor Roy & I went to lunch at Agustin Kitchen. By no coincidence, I had a $25 gift card to spend there. We arrived at 12:30 pm and the place was not at all crowded. Had it been, it would have been pretty noisy as … Continue reading
Empire Pizza & Pub: How Good Is It?
We occasionally invite people of discriminating taste to write a dining review. Richard & Wendy Buckley, our guests from Canada were planning on going out to Empire Pizza for lunch. We invited them to write a review. Here it is. Wendy and I had a hankering for a pizza and … Continue reading
MiAn Sushi and Modern Asian Cuisine: A New Addition to Downtown Tucson
Editors Note: 6/3/19 Yup. Closed after 2 years. You might think that I could manage to follow my own rules for writing dining reviews. I only have a couple and they have served me and Southern Arizona Guide well for six years now. Dining Review Rule #1: "Thou shalt not … Continue reading
Self-Guided Tucson History & Dining Tour: A Walkabout The Old Pueblo
Note: if you have purchased the Self-Guided Tour you should have received an email with your password and receipt. If you have lost or forgotten the address or password, please let us know at [email protected] Be ready to supply your verification code or name and email. Otherwise Click on the … Continue reading
Senae Thai Bistro: A Dining Review
We had not written a dining review for some time and, because it was also our Wedding Anniversary, we decided to dine out to celebrate over Thanksgiving weekend (2016). Twenty-eight years not counting the 4 years we lived together while I tried to convince Ms. Karen that marrying me was … Continue reading
Charro Steak: Just How Good is it?
Charro Steak opened in Downtown Tucson in April 2016. I dined there soon after with Julie, the new marketing director at the venerable Rialto Theater. Charro Steak is the offspring of El Charro Café, the legendary Mexican restaurant on Court Street made famous by Chef Carlotta Flores. Opening in 1922, … Continue reading
Top 10 Margaritas In Tucson: Part Dos
In Part I of our List of the 10 Best Margaritas in Tucson, we reviewed the cocktails of lo Esencial and Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain. Our next tastings were Downtown, starting at Agustin Kitchen in the Mercado, then on to the Tap Room at Hotel Congress, and finally to El Charro … Continue reading
A Downtown Tucson Entertainment Adventure Without Having To Drive!
Now that we have a thoroughly Modern Streetcar, I thought it might be interesting to see if we could enjoy our Downtown Tucson entertainment without taking our car, thus avoiding parking hassles and the need for a designated driver. Our plan was to start at Agustin Kitchen at the Mercado … Continue reading
Does Pizzeria Bianco Serve The Best Pizza In Tucson?
Editor's Note: 09/18/2016 Sadly, Pizzeria Bianco Tucson has closed. You will have to go to Phoenix now. I have known audiophiles. I have known Francophiles. And now, after reviewing 13 pizzerias for our Top 10 List, I know a few people who self-identify as "pizzaphiles": those who love pizza. Apparently, … Continue reading


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This talk details various aspects of designing and developing videogames at Guerrilla. It highlights methods that are very similar to methods used in the CGI industry, and it illuminates some of the most important differences. It also covers the complete breadth of videogame development from artistic design to production pipelines and tool and engine development.
Enter the quiz for a change to win the Horizon Zero Dawn snow globe!
Guerrilla, 8 November 2018
Find Your "The Frozen Wilds" Character!
Guerrilla, 7 November 2018In honor of Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wild 's first anniversary, we've prepared a personality quiz for you!
Horizon Zero Dawn Sticker Pack Now Available for Apple Devices
Guerrilla, 7 May 2018The Horizon Zero Dawn sticker pack is now available for use with the iMessage app on iPhone, iPad, and other iOS devices.


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Internal Medicine Opportunity in Missouri
Our competitive package includes:
- Strong base salary with potential for incentive earnings
- National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment
- CME allowance and paid time off
- Paid relocation bonus
- Paid malpractice insurance
- Retirement plan with matching contributions
- Generous personal paid time off
- Minimal call rotation
We're seeking a dynamic Internal Medicine Physician to join established practices in Lebanon, Marshfield, and/or Springfield within southwest Missouri. The IM Physician serves as a cornerstone of the patient-centered medical home approach by collaboratively advocating for and referring to Jordan Valley's other integrated services including dental, vision, and behavioral health in addition to providing primary care. The IM Physician may also receive requests for consults from other primary care providers to assist with diagnoses and care recommendations for more complex medical issues.
In addition to the competitive compensation package, we offer flexible scheduling opportunities and a supportive environment to maintain work-life balance.
Founded in 2003, Jordan Valley Community Health Center is Missouri's largest community health center and served more than 66,000 unique patients with nearly 233,000 visits in 2018.
Jordan Valley has four locations in the Springfield, MO community with an additional five clinics in other surrounding communities. Mobile units and in-school clinics allow Jordan Valley to extend its medical, dental, behavioral health, and vision services widely across southwest Missouri. Other unique services include Community Health Workers, onsite pharmacies, and an Express Care clinic.
Jordan Valley practices a strong devotion to our communities by partnering to provide essential leadership in healthcare for the underserved. Through both the provision of primary care and the many special community events we host or participate in, we create caring relationships with our patients and communities based on compassion and respect.
Known as the Queen City, Springfield is Missouri's third largest city and serves as the keystone to a greater metropolitan area population of more than 450,000 people. Springfield's amazing schools position the city as the host to the state's largest accredited public school district and unique education opportunities for the city's youth. In addition to the city's urban appeal that boasts a growing job market with diverse industries, amazing entertainment, wonderful restaurants, and posh boutique shopping, Springfield is minutes away from the greatest outdoor activities including hiking trails, biking trails, river floats, and lazy lake days. Home to Missouri State University, Drury University, and many other universities, Springfield is a unique culturally dynamic yet close-knit community with cosmopolitan flair.


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Hard-fought double win for Rea at Misano WSBK
Misano, Italy – Defending champion Jonathan Rea posted his third World Superbike double win of the season at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, despite the best efforts of the Ducati Team riders on their home turf and his Kawasaki Factory team-mate Tom Sykes, who set a new record in qualifying with his seventh consecutive Superpole win at this circuit.
Of the South African contingent, Sheridan Morais endured the worst weekend; his Yamaha picked up a gremlin on the warm-up lap and he had to start the World Supersport race from the back of the grid. By lap 11 he'd made up 10 places, when the bike went sick again and he retired on lap 13.
Sam Lochoff, Dino Iozzo and Jared Schultz were among the 15 World Supersport 300 riders penalised for going out too early in qualifying, all of whom had to start from the back of the grid - but Dorren Lourreiro qualified third and ride a brilliant race to finish ninth, just 1.622 seconds behind the winner, while Lochoff, Iozzo and Schultz finished 18th 20th and 28th respectively.
A fantastic start for Rea shot him ahead of Sykes at the lights and, with an open track ahead, Rea proved to be unbeatable once again. He was the only rider to crack 1m35s at the start of the race, opening a comfortable gap from the chasing pack.
But there was plenty of movement behind him in the opening laps, with Aprilia star Eugene Laverty and Ducati Team leader Davies, who had blasted up the field at the lights from seventh on the grid, making quick work of Sykes, while Michael van der Mark on the first of the factory Yamahas also put his name in contention for a rostrum spot with a stunning start from 11th.
With Rea flying away into the distance, Davies finally managed to catch the Aprilia by lap 16. Laverty went very wide going into Turn 16, a mistake that Davies welcomed, going through onto the straight. It was Davies' third consecutive second-place finish and yet another solid ride by the Welshman.
While his team-mate Lorenzo Savadori's Aprilia RSV4 RF suffered from performance issues in the final third of the race, there were no such problems for Laverty, who took his second consecutive podium - after four years without a top three finish.
Van der Mark completed an excellent ride with fourth, almost two seconds ahead of Sykes and less than five seconds behind Rea despite his row four start, making it four manufacturers in the four top spots.
Ducati privateer Xavi Fores, in special 'tricolore' livery for the Misano race, was the top independent rider in sixth, ahead of the home duo of Marco Melandri (Ducati Team) and Savadori, while works Honda rider Leon Camier returned to the top 10 after a disappointing weekend at Laguna Seca in ninth and Argentinian Kawasaki privateer Leandro Mercado posted only his fourth top 10 finish of the season.
Alex Lowes on the second factory Yamaha, up to this point the only rider to score points in every race of 2018, crashed twice and was unable to finish. Misano doesn't like Lowes - it was the fourth time he'd crashed out here.
Rea took his second win of the weekend after a scorcher of a race; if Race 1 was a relatively comfortable affair for the defending champion, he had to dig deep for this one, making several stunning passes on his way to beating Van der Mark with three laps to go.
The opening laps were nothing short of all-out war, as Fores made a blistering run at the lights, flying into the lead, but a technical issue ended his race just two laps later. Meanwhile, Rea jumped straight up to fifth, but was then blown away by Davies on lap two. With Van der Mark making the most of the open track ahead, Rea got into it with the Ducati Team bikes. First he pulled an ambitious move to pass Davies in Turn 5, then he and Melandri both passed Sykes, before trading places several times on laps seven and eight.
Rea finally got clear and began hunting down the race leader, now more than a second ahead with and twelve laps. He caught van der Mark with five laps to go - and so did Melandri, hanging on to the Kawasaki rider's pace. With the Ducati suddenly breathing down both their necks and less than half a second separating them as they went into the closing laps, Rea made his move with three laps to go.
He showed a wheel into Turn 1, pulled a stunning pass down the inside into Turn 2 and made it stick on the exit from the Variante del Parco to take his hardest-fought win of the season so far.
Van der Mark had just enough left in the tank to defend his position from Melandri, taking second and delivering a fourth consecutive weekend with a Yamaha bike on the podium. Melandri couldn't repeat his phenomenal win from 2017's Race 2 at Misano, but a return to the rostrum in third left the Ducati rider and the home fans ecstatic after a few difficult races.
Davies finally came home fourth, not quite able to consistently match the front pace, in a disappointing result after a promising start, but ahead of Sykes in fifth.
After a disastrous Race 1 Lowes bounced back to finish sixth despite having to start from the back of row four, fending off a late charge from Savadori, who managed to beat factory Aprilia team-mate Laverty this time round, while BMW works rider Loris Baz came back from his early crash in Race 1 to post ninth ahead of Camier.POINTS AFTER NINE OF 13 ROUNDS WORLD SUPERSPORTS
Yamaha factory rider Federico Caricasulo took his first win of the season in brilliant fashion, ending a 12 year run without an Italian winner in the 600cc class at Misano, while Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta) made it a home double in second and championship leader Sandro Cortese, also on a Yamaha, completed the podium.
Jules Cluzel (Yamaha) shot out like a cannonball at the lights, moving ahead of pole-sitter Caricasulo before the entry to Turn 1. Cluzel's stunning start came with an added bonus, as championship rivals Randy Krummenacher (Yamaha) and Cortese tumbled down to sixth and eighth respectively, while Lucas Mahias on the second factory Yamaha crashed out one lap later.
Any jubilation for Cluzel was short-lived, however, as in a matter of seconds in lap four he was pushed back to third in consecutive corners by Caricasulo and the rising De Rosa - and his woes were compounded two laps later, as Cortese, now the fastest man on the circuit, found his way smoothly past.
The top three would remain unchanged from that point forward, despite the gap between first and third never increasing to more than a couple of seconds. Caricasulo didn't wilt under the pressure, keeping the MV Agusta of De Rosa at bay and confirming a superb return to the top spot of the rostrum.
Despite not finding the pace to match Caricasulo in the second half of the race, De Rosa posted his best-ever result in World Supersport and a fifth consecutive podium; amidst a sea of Yamahas, his efforts aboard the MV Agusta cannot be overstated.
With his third place, Cortese increased his championship lead to five points over Cluzel, who finally crossed the line fourth after riding alone most of the latter stages of the race. Krummenacher made it to the flag in fifth, thirteen seconds off the race winner, with Anthony West (Kawasaki), a former Misano race-winner, scoring his joint-best performance of the season in sixth, ahead of Kyle Smith (Honda) in seventh and again in the top 10 after changing team before Brno.
Eighth went to wildcard Lorenzo Gabellini (Yamaha), his first points finish in World Supersport after also racing at Imola. Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki) made a phenomenal start to his race, moving up to fifth inside the first lap, but by the end he could only make it to the flag in ninth, while Ayrton Badovini (MV Agusta) was the fourth and final home rider inside the top 10.
Manuel Bastianelli (Kawasaki) posted a stunning first win, fighting his way to the front near the end and just defending the top spot from a last-lap blitz by Mika Pérez (Kawasaki) with just 0.036s separating the pair, and Manuel González (Yamaha) taking his first podium finish in third.
After three races dominated from lights to flag by the respective pole sitters, the WorldSSP300 championship returned to a trademark last lap scrap at Misano, with the top fifteen riders separated by just three seconds. Several riders pushed amidst the chaos but it was ultimately the wildcard who prevailed, to the enjoyment of the Misano crowd.
Bastianelli rode full-time in WorldSSP300 in 2017, taking just four points across nine races, but here at the Riviera di Rimini Round the Italian turned up spectacularly for his home fans.
Mika Pérez had not taken a podium since the opening round of the season, but he overcame the huge group of riders in the mix as well as a six-place grid penalty to rise to the rostrum in second. Pérez chose to attack in the final lap, gaining several places and coming just metres away from making it to the top.
Fifteen-year-old González joined the two Kawasaki riders on the podium with his best WorldSSP300 result, beating Luca Bernardi (Yamaha) to the line for third. Luca Grunwald (KTM) did more than damage limitation in his climb from eighteenth on the grid, making it to the flag in fifth after even managing to lead the race at one point.
His spectacular fightback moved him up to second in the championship, 16 points behind Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki), who was 10th at Misano - but her lead remained nearly intact after her nearest rivals, Kawasaki riders Borja Sánchez and Scott Deroue, both retired from the race.
Maria Herrera (Yamaha) managed her best WorldSSP300 result with sixth place, ahead of pole-sitter Galang Hendra Pratama (Yamaha) who dropped back after a phenomenal start.


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Privacy statement Vesting Finance(short version) & disclaimer
Vesting Finance is a leading financial services provider. We provide a wide range of services, from customer acceptance to payment. We make appropriate payment agreements with consumers and reduce payments arrears. In this way, we ensure financial vitality and growth of businesses, and we prevent excessive lending to consumers. All this is done in a very careful and professional manner. Vesting Finance is the data controller with regard to processing the personal data originating from a number of companies that form part of Vesting Finance. These companies are: Vesting Finance Incasso B.V., Vesting Finance Servicing B.V. and Incassobureau Fiditon B.V., having their registered offices at Van Asch van Wijckstraat 55F in Amersfoort.
Note: This is the short version of our privacy statement. For the extended version, please click here.
What personal data do we process?
We need your personal data to be able to do our job. These include your name, date of birth, address, place of residence, email address, telephone number, bank account number, details of the agreement of your purchase or credit and (payment) information and financial details, current and past. We also need information in order to assess whether you have paid or are going to pay your account or debt (on time) and whether you are receiving too much credit. That is why we need to know if you have had any debts in the past, the amount of those debts and whether you repaid these debts (on time). That will give us an indication of how likely it is that you will repay your loan or credit. This is what we call a risk profile. We also store data that we collect via the internet, email, chat, apps or social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). We record telephone conversations to train and coach our staff and to record transactions. Vesting Finance processes sensitive personal data, such as personal data relating to criminal records, your health and your citizen service number (BSN).
Who provides us with personal data?
The following parties may provide us with your personal data: the Chamber of Commerce, the Land Registry, the Central Insolvency Register, public document verification and signalling registers, the Addresses and Building Database (BAG), the Personal Records Database (BRP), the debt counselling, the courts, the entries in the Dutch Government Gazette (Staatscourant) and daily and weekly newspapers and other public sources, such as social networks and other media. We also use non-public sources, such as credit/information agencies, debt collection agencies and clients with whom you have or have had a business or financial relationship and the database of Focum.
What do we use your data for?
Vesting Finance uses personal data for:
- Storing, managing and collecting invoices and debts. A debt is the obligation to pay back a loan or credit.
- Determining a credit score. A credit score indicates whether you are able to pay back your debts. In order to do this, we check your payment history. This is also called profiling or credit profiling.
- Running campaigns involving the creation of profiles in order to improve our communication with you and collect debts more effectively.
- Checking and completing the following personal data: name, address and place of residence, date of birth, telephone number(s) and email address(es). This information has to be correct. It must be possible for our clients to contact you when necessary, for example, if you have received too much credit. That is what we call excessive lending. In that case, we can adjust the amount of credit and reduce costs.
- Sharing your personal data with other companies such as our sister organisation Focum Solutions B.V. We also share your information with other business partners if necessary to provide our services. These may be credit/information agencies, debt collection agencies and bailiffs.
- Offering additional services to help our clients to make their own decisions about credit portfolios, for example, a creditworthiness analysis.
- Determining the value of a (credit) portfolio.
- Quick processing of information you have provided via a website or social media.
On what legal basis do we use your data?
We process your personal data on the basis of the following legal bases:
- You have given your consent for using your data, for example, for a check with the Dutch Credit Registration Office (BKR).
- We have or would like to enter into an agreement with each other, for example, a credit agreement.
- Vesting Finance must comply with legal requirements. These may be related to taxes, sanction legislation, debt, attachments, the prevention of money laundering, financing of terrorism, fraud and excessive lending.
- Legitimate interest This means that Vesting Finance can use your personal data if this is necessary for carrying out and improving its business activities such as collecting payments and creating profiles. If you are reluctant to provide us with certain information that is necessary for an agreement, we are allowed to take the necessary measures if the client can demonstrate that it will suffer damage as a result. Your assets may be seized, the agreement may be terminated, or both.
Profiling and automated decisions
Vesting Finance carries out campaigns. We use profiles in order to improve our communication with you and collect debts more effectively. Vesting Finance has a legitimate interest in drawing up these kind of profiles, because this information is important to prevent excessive lending and payment arrears. Any decisions with legal consequences that are made by Vesting Finance are never based solely on a profile that is formed from data that have been processed automatically. The profile is intended to help with decision-making, whereby the process always involves human beings. You can object to your profile being drawn up. We will then weigh up your objections in the light of the legitimate interest of Vesting Finance when drawing up and using a profile.
Who has access to your data?
We also transfer your personal data to other companies. These include our sister organisation Focum, credit/information agencies, debt collection agencies, regulators, lawyers, bailiffs, payment service providers such as IDEAL, banking institutions that arrange payment transfers, debt collectors within the context of our services and government agencies to which we are legally obliged to disclose your personal data, such as the tax authorities.
What are your rights?
You have the right to view and change the personal data that we have collected from you. You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data. In certain cases, you can also ask us to limit the processing of your personal data, erase your data, transfer your data to another data controller or have it deleted. If you wish to do any of these, please send a request to the data protection office, firstname.lastname@example.com and indicate that it concerns a personal data request. Please enclose a copy of your identity document so that we can be sure that you are the person submitting the request. Make sure that you black out your passport photograph and your citizen service number. This is to protect your privacy. Also provide your private address and the file number. You will receive an overview of your data or a response to your request within one month of your request. When we process your personal data on the basis of your consent, you can withdraw this consent at any time.
Right to make a complaint
You can make a complaint about the processing of your personal data. If Vesting Finance does not meet your request for access, correction, objection, restriction, deletion or transfer of your personal data, you can submit a complaint to the Data Protection Authority. If you are not happy with how the complaint is resolved, you can lodge an appeal with the courts.
Security of your personal data
Vesting Finance takes the protection of your data very seriously. We take measures to prevent misuse, loss, unauthorised access, unwanted disclosure and unauthorised changes of your data. The measures we take meet the general data security requirements. We have made agreements about this with the processors and regularly evaluate the measures taken and, if necessary, we will adjust them.
For many types of data, the minimum retention periods are the statutory time periods. If there is no statutory period, Vesting Finance stores the data insofar as necessary to provide its services. Your personal data will in any case be deleted or irreversibly anonymised eight years either after the date when final payment was received or after the date when we received your personal data.
Processing outside the EU and EEA
In principle, Vesting Finance does not process data outside the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). However, data are processed in the United Kingdom, which will fall outside the EU after Brexit. Vesting Finance will ensure proper data protection. We comply with the internal rules that apply to multinationals (Binding Corporate Rules) or we use European model contracts (Standard Contractual Clauses). Do you want to know which personal data are processed outside the EU and the EEA? You have the right to inspect your personal data. For more information, see the section entitled 'What are your rights?'
Vesting Finance uses cookies. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your computer, tablet or mobile phone when you visit the website. Cookies make it easier and faster to use the website. You can read more about this in the extended version of our privacy statement.
Questions and Contact
If you have any questions about the way we handle your personal data, please contact the Data Protection Officer of Vesting Finance and send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com or send a letter to: DPO, Vesting Finance, Van Asch van Wijkstraat 55F, 3811 LP Amersfoort.
Making changes to the privacy statement
Vesting Finance has the right to change this privacy statement at all times. This may happen, for example, in the case of new developments, business activities, online services, or if there are changes in the law or case law. We therefore advice you to check this privacy statement every now and then. You will then be aware of any changes that may have been made. You will automatically be notified of any major changes to the privacy statement.
Note: This is the short version of our privacy statement. For the extended version, please click here.
The information displayed on this website has been carefully composed by Vesting Finance. However, Vesting Finance cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information. Vesting Finance is not liable for any damage which has occured or may occur in connection with and/or results from the use of the web page or to the impossibility to use the web page.
This website provides information about products and services offered by Vesting Finance. Changes can be made without prior notice. Vesting Finance is not liable for problems related to the functioning of this website.
Although Vesting Finance makes every effort to prevent abuse, it is not liable for information and / or messages sent by users of the website via the Internet. Links to sites that are not maintained by Vesting Finance are purely to inform the visitor. lthough Vesting Finance is extremely selective in referring to other websites, it can not vouch for the content and operation thereof, nor the quality of any products and / or services offered.
The content of this website may only be used to obtain information. It is not permitted to reproduce the content of the site, transmit, distribute, disseminate or make available to third parties without express written permission of Vesting Finance.
How can we help you?
Would you like to know more about our services and how they can benefit your organisation?
Please contact us!


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As a former policy professional, I can appreciate more than most why proofreading a long report yourself might not always be top of your to-do list when there are several competing demands on your time. However, I learned early on in my career that it is, in fact, time very well spent and it became a lesson I passed on to others at every possible opportunity.
Good writing is important in lots of fields, but especially in influencing public policy. You might be a civil servant or a member of a political party, or you might be working for a lobbying group, business organisation, NGO or charity. Whatever your area of work, your words have the potential to influence the decisions taken by lawmakers at the national and international level, and their persuasive power (or lack of it) could have real-world consequences for millions of people.
When you're dealing with difficult issues relating to privacy, international trade, fighting crime or the intricacies of tax law, why should you also be thinking about spelling, grammar and punctuation?
Here's why:
Getting your message across
If you've ever witnessed an argument online, you'll know the distraction power of typos (or, even worse, factual errors). Regardless of how good someone's argument is, flaws in the way it's presented will always be picked up on and attacked by their opponents. After all, it's easier to criticise someone's spelling, punctuation and grammar than it is to counter a good argument. Why give your opponents the opportunity?
The lawmakers you're trying to influence are likely to be reading tens of documents just like yours at the end of a long day. Every mistake is a distraction that takes their attention away from the point you are trying to make. In an industry where your ability to make persuasive arguments is key, undermining your point with a catalogue of errors (however tiny) can be seriously harmful. It might even mean your paper stays at the bottom of the pile.
Building trust and credibility
Imagine for a moment that you are the lawmaker on the receiving end of your policy paper. They know that most of the decisions they make will have pros and cons and may be well received by one set of stakeholders but risk upsetting another. They also know that they will likely be called upon to justify their decision; to those stakeholders, to their colleagues, and perhaps even to Parliament. The arguments you set out in your policy paper might just be the ones they have to rely on.
Knowing that they can trust you, and the information you provide, is hugely important. When they face tough questions later, they want to know that they can be confident about their answer.
It would be difficult in their position to overlook repeated errors in your document. If you haven't checked this document for typos, how do they know whether you've checked the sources of your information? If you use the wrong acronym and don't notice, how do they know whether it's because you were simply in a hurry, or because you don't know enough about the area?
Tailoring your work to your audience
It goes without saying that you should avoid jargon and use plain English in reports or publications that are intended for a wide audience, but you should consider doing the same when you pitch a paper to lawmakers. While you likely know your subject inside out, the person you're trying to influence will probably have several areas of responsibility and won't necessarily have the same grasp of the details as you do.
Sometimes being the expert can actually make it more difficult to spot problems. You might be using an acronym or abbreviation throughout your paper without explaining its meaning. In your area of work, perhaps it's just common knowledge, but it's possible that it's not one your audience has come across. Or perhaps it could easily be confused with another project for which they also have responsibility?
What can a proofreader do for you?
You might consider that a few typos or potential misunderstandings are fairly normal in a long, complicated piece of work, but every single one can have a real impact on your message. Don't let small mistakes undermine your hard work.
A professional proofreader can help perfect your paper, report, website copy or any other text for publication, and ensure that it gets the message across exactly as you intended it to.
Find out more about the services I provide, and get in touch to discuss your latest project.


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By KABS KANU :
U.S. President Barak Obama will be visiting the Centres For Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) in Atlanta, Georgia tomorrow to announce wide-ranging U.S. response to the ebola outbreak in West Africa. The President will hold a briefing with experts and officials of the CDC.
President Obama is aware that unless urgent action is taken now, the disease will spread beyond any hope of containment and put the future of the afflicted countries at great risk. The disease could also spiral out of control and spread all over the world. Some experts are even warning that the disease could mutate and go airborne.
Obama's move comes days after the World Health Organization ( WHO ) sounded a warning that it does not have enough nurses and doctors willing to go to Africa to help fight the disease and last Friday the organizations Director General, Margaret Chan, told the media that "the number of new patients is moving faster than the capacity to manage them."


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The PlayStation Plus Free Game Lineup for January 2018 has been officially revealed. Looking back at the December 2017 lineup, gamers were offered the opportunity to download and play the likes of the Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition as well as Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends.
While last month's lineup was pretty decent, the team at PlayStation has exceeded our expectations with the PlayStation Plus Free Game Lineup for January 2018.
This month, PlayStation Plus subscribers can download the following titles for free:
PlayStation 4
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Batman: The Telltale Series
StarBlood Arena (PSVR required)
Uncanny Valley
That's You! (Europe and Australia only)
Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness (US only)
PlayStation 3
Sacred 3
Book of Unwritten Tales 2
PS Vita
Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness
Uncanny Valley
By: Darryl Linington
Follow @DarrylLinington on Twitter
Follow @ITNewsAfrica.com on Twitter


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Here's another installment of haikus dedicated to B2B sales and marketing. This edition addresses channel management and partner productivity.
Get TRED in your head
our model for optimal
channel performance
Thorough onboarding
shapes partner development
maintains momentum
Build a new front door
consolidated portals
drive more partner use
Survey and streamline
to know existing partners
qualify new ones
Partner-led demand
take a prescriptive approach
for program success
Jonathan Block is Vice President, Product Development at SiriusDecisions. He has has worked for more than 25 years as an IT and cybersecurity leader, product manager, and an industry analyst. He manages the global product development organization for SiriusDecisions' technology solutions. Jonathan built and managed agile technology teams that increased productivity, collaboration, cybersecurity and regulatory compliance. He also developed key models and frameworks that enable B2B organizations to understand, evaluate, and implement appropriate marketing and sales technologies. In addition, Jonathan has advised executives on the role of technology to help drive sales and marketing integration and enterprise alignment. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @jblock.


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Press conference on the enhancement of public service will be held 3 p.m. Friday, July 5 in the press center of the Government.
Chair of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Civil Service Affairs Anar Zhailganova will be the speaker.
Watch live broadcasts on PrimeMinister.kz and on Facebook, Twitter, Periscope and Pinterest, on the official YouTube channel, as well as in mobile apps for Android and iOS.


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Faced with an increasingly dire flooding situation, Ottawa declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon.
At a 4 o'clock news conference, Mayor Jim Watson said the army was sending 400 troops and Premier Doug Ford had pledged provincial support.
"We can no longer do it alone," Watson said.
A number of factors led to the emergency declaration, according to the city: extensive snowmelt from the Ottawa River's northern regions, a "significant rainfall" advisory issued by Environment Canada for overnight Thursday night, through Friday and into Saturday, and a forecast from the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board that waters could rise 11 centimetres above May 2017 flood levels over the coming weekend.
City manager Steve Kanellakos said the city simply doesn't have the capacity to handle what might happen in the weeks to come, which is why he went to the mayor to suggest declaring a state of emergency.
"The number of requests for help is increasing and the flooding threat is imminent," Kanellakos said.
The incoming Canadian Forces troops were expected to start providing help Friday in western communities, as West Carleton, Constance Bay, Dunrobin and Fitzroy Harbour appeared to be the most threatened so far. Canadian Forces officers were already embedded in the city's emergency operations centre and troops were also planned to be available to help in Britannia and Cumberland.
Anthony Di Monte, the general manager of emergency and protective services, urged people not to show up in flood-impacted communities to sightsee to avoid impeding city officials and soldiers trying to provide aid.
The city was set to open three emergency community support centres on Friday where visitors would be able to speak to representatives from the community and social services department and Ottawa Public Health. Representatives from the Canadian Red Cross and The Salvation Army could also help to triage residents' needs, answer resource questions and follow up on resident inquiries or direct them to the appropriate service.
The city is tracking costs, but it's focused on helping residents who need it. The state of emergency allows Watson to approve spending without going through the regular approval process.
"It's not the time to be the bean-counter," Watson said. "We've got to help the people first before we worry about the bills."
Across the river, the City of Gatineau had registered 636 people as flood victims as of Thursday evening. The registration was open to those living in areas affected by the flooding, who have suffered damage to their homes or buildings or who have had to evacuate or were expected to evacuate shortly.
The total includes 542 adults and 94 children from 306 households. About 150 of the registered residences are around hard-hit boulevard Hurtubise, another 135 are from the Pointe Gatineau district, and close to 20 are from Masson-Angers.
City crews were laying rock fill on Gatineau's boulevard Fournier on Thursday night in anticipation of rising water. About 20 Navy personnel were helping Gatineau firefighters with evacuations by water.
"The situation is changing by the hour," the city said Thursday.
Gatineau had opened two victim support centres at the Jean-René-Monette community centre at 89 rue Jean-René-Monette and the Masson-Angers service centre at 57 ch. Montréal Est.
Sandbags were available at sites across the national capital region, and maps were available online.
Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for much of the nation's capital calling for "significant rainfall" on Friday. The national weather watcher said rain, heavy at times, would move into the area Friday morning and continue into Friday evening. Total rainfall amounts of 20 to 35 millimetres were forecast to fall by Saturday morning.
Further upstream and to the west through central Ontario from Renfrew and Lanark counties and across to Georgian Bay, a heavy rainfall warning was issued with amounts in local areas as high as 50 millimetres.
The heavy rain was associated with a Texas low that was expected to track across southern Ontario on Friday.
Ottawa residents who need help on their properties to prepare for the expected flooding were asked to call 211 or phone 1-877-761-9076 to get in touch with Team Rubicon Canada and Ottawa Volunteer Search and Rescue (OVSAR). Both organizations were ready to help residents prepare sandbag walls or clean up where needed.
The City of Ottawa continued to ask for volunteers to help with flood preparations, and instructed those interested to report to the Constance and Buckham's Bay Community Centre between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, or the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum or Ron Kolbus Centre between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday.
Downstream at Hawkesbury, 95 kilometres east of Ottawa, residents were nervously circulating a rumour that police were about to close the bridge to Quebec — the only such bridge between Ottawa and Montreal.
The reason: Quebec's Ministry of Public Security was evacuating homes along the Rouge River in case flood waters break through a hydroelectric dam. If the dam were to break, a torrent could sweep downhill to the Ottawa River at L'Orignal, which is just upstream from Hawkesbury and its bridge.
Some patrons at the Tim Horton's a block from the bridge had heard the Chute Bell dam was already ruptured. Others heard it was still standing but with a major crack right through it. Everyone was expecting a roadblock that would sever the Quebec and Ontario communities any minute.
Jesse Marshall, selling gasoline at the bridge's south end, handled a steady stream of questions from customers worried more about a bridge closure than about the actual water.
"They're just asking if it's going to close," he said. "Some people feel that would be silly. But I feel some people underestimate just how much water is behind the dam."
And he underlined the uncertain feeling of waiting downstream from millions of tonnes of water.
Local residents feel "either it's really going to hit the fan, or nothing," he said. "It's not even meeting in the middle."
Water was gushing over the top of the dam and Hydro-Québec said the pressure exceeds the dam's specifications, which in theory will withstand a once-in-a-millennium flood.
Simon Racicot, director of production and maintenance with Hydro-Québec, told reporters the dam at Chute Bell was built to withstand what he called a millennial flood.
"That means a flood that happens every 1,000 years," Racicot said. Hydro workers discovered earlier in the day the millennial level of water had been reached.
"We are confident that the structure is solid," Racicot said. "But the protocols force us to warn people of the danger. We are entering into an unknown zone right now — completely unknown."
The largely rural section of river affected is in Quebec's Lower Laurentians region, about 140 kilometres west of Montreal, stretching about 18 kilometres south to the Ottawa River.
Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault told reporters the province's hydro utility is confident the dam could hold back its current water reservoir and is structurally sound.
"But we are expecting more rain over the coming hours and days, so the water levels of the Rouge River can rise," she said in Montreal.
Guilbault said there are 23 residences and 38 cottages in the evacuation zone along the river. Quebec provincial police tweeted they were helping about 250 people get clear of the affected area as a preventive measure.
Hydro-Québec said through social media that if the dam breaks, the water flow would have minimal impact on locations downstream once it joined with the Ottawa River.
The dam failure alert was to be maintained until 11:45 p.m. Thursday, according to the Quebec public security website.
Quebec Premier François Legault tweeted that those at risk had been advised and provincial authorities were keeping close tabs on the situation.
Further upstream, meanwhile, the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board warned that the worst of the water was yet to come.
Rising water levels have closed pathways, including:
• The Parliament Hill Pathway from the Locks to the Fleet Street parking lot;
• The Rideau River Eastern Pathway from the O-train bridge to the edge of the wooded area near the Bronson Avenue bridge;
• Both sides of the Transitway bridge at Hurdman station;
• Both sides of the Smyth Road bridge;
• The South pathway from Dominion Station to Maplelawn Garden;
• The Sir George Etienne-Cartier pathway from the New Edinburgh Club to Birch Avenue;
• Greenbelt Trail 42 sections B to E;
• Greenbelt P3 parking lot at Corkstown Road;
On the Quebec side,
• The Voyageurs and Champlain corridors, Gatineau River Pathway, Leamy Creek Pathway and Leamy Lake Pathway are still impassable due to snow;
• The path under the Lady Aberdeen Bridge is flooded.
The City of Gatineau has had to close several roads, including on-ramps to Highway 50.
Gatineau has a real-time map showing road closings (in red) at gatineau.ca/crue. It works best when you enlarge it.
Since Tuesday night, the Eastbound Autoroute 50 on and exit ramps at rue Saint-Louis have been closed. Several roads in the Pointe-Gatineau district are now also closed to traffic, as well as some road sections in the Lac-Beauchamp district and several streets throughout Gatineau are only open to local traffic.
City of Ottawa emergency community support centres:
The West Carleton-March support centre is at the Constance and Buckham's Bay Community Centre, 262 Len Purcell Lane.
The Bay community support centre is at the Barbara Ann Scott Arena, 2250 Torquay Ave.
The Cumberland support centre is at the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum, 2940 Old Montreal Rd.
All three centres will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
He was joined on Twitter by Ward 5 Coun. Eli El-Chantiry
Special weather statement: 'Significant' rainfall expected for capital, 20-35 mm by Saturday
Are spring floods the disturbing new normal?


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As autumn set in we're looking forward to open fires, cosy nights and celebrating the season with a cider (or two!).
At the moment, we are busy planning our first ever festival dedicated to the cider drinkers among you. It might be our first one, but we're certainly not planning on doing it by halves. We'll be championing 14 craft cider mills on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 October.
We've called in our panel of expert cider drinking friends who have have chosen ciders from as far and wide as Somerset and Devon, Wales and beyond. You'll be quenching your thirst with everything from heritage, fruit and mulled ciders to perries and scrumpies.
You can look forward to Ross On Wye's full-bodied Alpaca Perry (named after the alpacas that graze their pear orchards in Herefordshire), Westcrofts' medium dry Janet's Jungle Juice (which won a CAMRA award for its deep texture and fruity flavour) and Lilley's Gladiator (the strongest cider on offer at 8.5% abv). We're also pretty excited about Pulp's seasonal Damson or Beetroot & Orange autumnal ciders. We think these might well be the first sell out of the night!
After 6 years of the LS6 Beer Festival, we want our beer loving friends to be at home too, so we'll adding a selection of local beers and cask ales to the bar.
Local suppliers Bears Pantry will be there to dish up sausages, sides and veggie options, while Leeds Bread Co-op and That Old Chestnut satisfy your sweet tooth with autumnal spiced pumpkin loaf, stem ginger cake, chocolate tiffin's and doughnuts.
Manchester's Foxtales will take to the stage on Saturday and to make sure there's never a dull moment, Baewatch DJs and Dirty Otter DJs will be spinning their retro hip-hop, pop, disco and heavy soul too.
We've been working closely with Phil Kennedy and his team from The Real Cider Company based in Hebden Bridge. Paul knows everything there is to know about cider and he'll be sharing his passion with us, leading cider discussions and pulling a few drinks too.
We just hope we can follow though with the early evening sunshine we've promised you!
Left Bank Cider Festival 2016 runs from Friday 14 to Saturday 15 October 2016. Tickets available – Friday Evening (6-11:30pm) £6, Saturday All Day (12-11:30pm) £10, Saturday Afternoon (12-6pm) £6 or Saturday Evening (6-11:30pm) £6.
Tickets are available online via Eventbrite.
This is a fundraising event for Antioch Trust LTd. (charity number 1146734).


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A group of North American privacy, economic policy and consumer watchdogs has called on US Congress and regulators to impose a moratorium on Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency project.
An open letter addressed to legislators, regulators, and Facebook and Calibra employees says the Facebook proposal to create a new cryptocurrency as part of its broader Libra project raises profound questions about national sovereignty, corporate power, consumer protection, competition policy, monetary policy and privacy.
Neither the U.S. regulatory system, nor the regulatory systems of other nations or international institutions is prepared to address these questions, according to them.
The organizations also urged Facebook to put the implementation of the new cryptocurrency project on hold until the Congress and regulators have an opportunity to assess and react to a far more detailed presentation that has not yet been made public.
While some of the groups say that the proposal is too dangerous to be permitted to proceed, some others believe it should be permitted if appropriate controls and rules are in place.
They seek answers from Facebook to a long list of questions on governance; national sovereignty; law enforcement, including tax policy; consumer protection; privacy; competition; and systemic risk.
A pertinent question is about how will the Libra Association relate to national governments and intergovernmental organizations. "Will it consider the impact of its decision on particular national interests," the letter asks.
They fear that a decision to adjust the basket of reference currencies could have a major impact on the real value of fiat currencies.
The groups want to know what impact might Libra have on monetary policy in smaller and developing countries.
The letter expresses concern that Libra may provide an easy mechanism for money laundering, facilitate tax evasion and tax fraud, and be used as a tool to evade economic sanctions.
There are 33 signatories to the letter, which include the Center for Digital Democracy, Center for International Policy, Consumer Federation of America, Media Alliance and the Service Employees International Union.
Facebook Inc. earlier this month announced plans to launch a cryptocurrency called Libra in 2020.
The social media giant claims that Calibra will have strong protections to keep the users' money and information safe, and promises to take steps to protect their privacy.
On Tuesday, a group of Democrat lawmakers had asked Facebook to freeze the Libra project as House Financial Services Committee and its Senate counterpart are scheduled to hold hearings this month to determine how it would operate and what protections would be implemented to protect user privacy.
For comments and feedback contact: firstname.lastname@example.com
Tracking Coronavirus Vaccines In Human Trials
Biotech Stocks Facing FDA Decision In July 2020
New Drugs Approved In May


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Spring 2015 may be this year's most packed and most anticipated season with plenty of big name anime titles having their respective premieres. And with Winter 2015 now winding down to its last few episodes, Japanese anime character database, Charapedia, has asked its readers which Spring 2015 anime are they most excited about.
Just like all of Charapedia's other online polls, this one asked 10,000 fans for their opinions. Of these 10,000 voters, 55.3% were male while only 46.7% were female. Here are Charapedia's Top 20 most anticipated anime of Spring 2015:
20) Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
19) Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku
18) Ghost in the Shell Arise: Alternative Architecture
17) Knights of Sidonia: Battle for Planet Nine
16) My Love Story!!/ Oremonogatari!!
15) High School DxD BorN
14) Hello! Kin-iro Mosaic
13) Digimon Adventure tri.
12) Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid
11) Sound! Euphonium
10) Seraph of the End
9) The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan
8) The Heroic Legend of Arslan/ Arslan Senki
7) Labyrinth of Grisaia / Eden of Grisaia
6) Uta no Prince-sama – Maji Love Revolutions
5) Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma
4) Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works Part II
3) Nisekoi:
2) My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU season 2/ Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru. Zoku
1) Gintama (2015)
With its comedic charm and slapstick humor which can break the 4th wall, Gintama takes the #1 spot as the most anticipated anime of 2015, according to Charapedia. The victory is absolutely NOT an upset as the series is one of the most popular titles in anime today and has a strong fanbase comprising of both male and female fans.
#2 ranked My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, or Oregairu for short, has been dubbed the "Evangelion" or "Madoka Magica" for the romantic comedy genre with its darker and more realistic take on the usual highschool romcom tropes. The series second place finish is also unsurprising as the anime came from an obscure unknown series coming into Spring 2013 to being one of that year's most critically-acclaimed anime.
Ranks 3 -6 are also expected, with the returning Nisekoi, Fate/ Stay Night UBW, and UtaPri being known for having large fanbases of their own. The only new anime featured in the Top 5 is Food Wars: Shoukugeki no Souma, which is without a doubt on of next season's most anticipated new titles.
The rankings however have managed to have a few upsets with Labyrinth of Grisaia / Eden of Grisaia beating out the upcoming Haruhi spin-off, The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan. But the biggest upset in the rankings is the fact that Digimon Adventure Tri. did not even make the Top 10. The series has been loved by an entire generation, and it is kind of weird not seeing it in the Top 10.


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…and back to reality. The hubb and I head back to Virginia tomorrow (sniff sniff) and enjoyed the last of our meals with my family today. The food and company have been fabulous, but I think we're going to need a week of detox to recover from all of the decadent foods we've been consuming! Today wasn't too bad, but I did manage to fit 3 pieces of Pumpkin Ooey Gooey Butter Cake in. Here's today's eats…
Breakfast: Another fabulous smoothie, this one heavy on the pineapple, and a piece of the pumpkin ooey gooey butter cake.
Lunch: My momma and I went to Olive Garden while our hubbs were out fishing. Olive Garden is a tradition for us…we loaded up on the all you can eat salad, soup and breadsticks, my fave! We also had calamari to start. It was a fantastic lunch! 🙂
Snack: Another piece of pumpkin ooey gooey butter cake (unbelievable, I know).
Exercise: I went for a run this evening! It was so much more pleasant at 5pm than at 9am…we had a great breeze coming off the ocean and the sun was set behind the trees and houses. I only did about 2-1/2 miles running with some walking warm-up and cool-down. I'm REALLY proud of myself…I ran 4 times while on vacation and am planning a run tomorrow morning before we get on the road. Last year at Christmas, even though I was training for the 10-miler then too, I only managed to run once on our week-long vacation. Yay for progress!!! 🙂
Dinner: The hubb and I brought my stepfather sausages from our favorite farmer in Virginia, Babes in the Wood. We grilled them up and had leftover Indian potatoes and cauliflower, cranberries, and a huge salad.
I had 1/2 a hot italian link and 1/2 a bratwurst link. We also had some homemade nectarine preserves on top of the sausage after I took this picture, which was very tasty. My stepfather gave me a jar to take home to Virginia so you'll be seeing it prominently featured I'm sure…
Dessert: Another piece of pumpkin ooey gooey butter cake (they are tiny pieces, but this is really getting embarassing…).
After dinner my stepfather taught me how to can preserves!!! I'm so excited, I want to be able to can this summer when we get our garden going again. Tonight we made the cranberry "ketchup" I made last week (email me if you want the recipe) so that he could teach me his methods.
So I'll be on the road a good part of tomorrow and Wednesday. We've decided to get a hotel on the way back to break up the trip a bit (yay!) so depending on internet availability I may or may not have a Tuesday evening post. Rest assured, the eats won't be all that interesting as we hit Subway on our way up the east coast… 🙂 I am going to be thinking about some resolutions during the long car ride so stay tuned for some breathtaking, soul-defining thoughts when I'm back in VA……kidding. 🙂 What are you all thinking about for New Year's Resolutions?


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Mindworks Hypnosis & NLP/Seattle NLP Training
Last Chance for our $49 Early Bird Special
NLP for Sales & Biz Success 9/8/12
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Heads up! Our early bird special pricing for this Saturday's NLP for Sales & Business Success Seminar ends tonight. It's now just $49, but after midnight tonight, it reverts to our regular full price of $97. This amazing seminar is only offered once or twice a year, so the time to enroll is now.
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This powerful seminar/workshop will focus on the language of influence, both verbal, and nonverbal, gestures, body language, tonality, physical space, and how language connects with behavior. You'll learn quick techniques you can use right now, this minute, to enhance your business–and, indeed, your positive persuasive abilities in all aspects of your life.
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Invest in your success! In business, and in life. Enjoy the FULL day's experience for $97. Free parking. Refreshments provided. For more details, call Connie at (425) 564-8608 or email email@example.com or log onto http://www.seattlenlptraining.com to sign up now online!
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Master Hypnotists
Licensed Trainers of Neuro-Linguistic Programming
Mindworks Hypnosis & NLP


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Thank you for sharing Yashika!
RE: Rainbow Bridge, there's also a version for dogs, which really helped me out when Echo (my first dog and forever the best friend I ever had) died...
But I also found a few lines which I really like that would fit well here:
"I will not look back for there is sorrow,
I will not look for today for there is longing,
I will look forward, for there is our tomorrow."
"I have sent you on a journey free from pain, not because I did not love you, but because I loved you too much to force you to stay."
Thank you for sharing Yashika!
That was truly touching... especially the last part about loving them too much to ask them to stay. That was how it was with our Bella... still miss her sooo much it hurts.
That was how it was with our Echo - the vet asked us if we wanted her to try and revive her, but Dad just said no. Unfortunately, that little incident caused a bit of a rift between us...


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| 10.9°C Dublin
IRISH companies are proving to be resilient in the face of the recession with Enterprise Ireland this morning announcing record levels of exports for the year, despite the challenges 2011 brought.
Irish firms are celebrating record exports, which have returned to pre-recession levels.
Enterprise Ireland said employment has also stabilised in Irish exporting companies, which are using a renewed confidence to aggressively target opportunities in international markets.
The group's end-of-year statement for 2011 revealed new export sales are expected to reach in excess of 1 billion euro within weeks.
Frank Ryan, Enterprise Ireland chief executive, said companies that faced severe global economic conditions had emerged leaner, stronger and with a greater appetite for international growth than ever before.
"They have proved to be resilient and relentless in their pursuit of new market opportunities and they are to be commended on their success," he said.
"Enterprise Ireland is determined to continue to support their job creation initiatives and identify and help secure overseas business in established and high-growth markets."
Figures show employment in Enterprise Ireland client companies stood at 162,692 this year, including 141,228 full-time posts and 21,464 part-time.
Enterprise Ireland said new initiatives during the year included start funds for very early stage entrepreneurs, a 10 million euro international fund for attracting entrepreneurs from overseas, and the opening the group's first office in South Africa.
It revealed 2011 also saw a record number of Irish companies being acquired by overseas multinationals, including Research in Motion (Blackberry) and IBM.
However, Mr Ryan warned 2012 will be a year of continuing challenges.
Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton said creating an indigenous engine of economic growth is central to his plan for revitalising the economy.
"Enterprise Ireland, and the various supports it provides to domestic businesses, particularly in the exporting sector, will be key to this," he said.
"In these very difficult times, to have kept employment steady in the companies it supports, with increases in certain categories, is a creditable performance.
"Although 2012 will be another difficult year, this government is determined to continually improve our supports to domestic job-creating businesses through improvements in access to finance and reductions in costs. With the right supports I hope that these businesses can build on this year's performance and get more people back to work."
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton praised the achievement: "In these very difficult times, to have kept employment steady in the companies it supports, with increases in certain categories, is a creditable performance. With the right supports I hope that these businesses can build on this year's performance and get more people back to work".