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Hi All,
We are excited to be launching the first Device Insider for 2018. If your new to the Device Insider, we have two members from our Brains Trust program who will be getting their hands on the new Samsung Galaxy S9 as well as the Samsung Galaxy S9+, who over the coming weeks will be posting in-depth reviews of each device as they have a chance to use them in their day to day lives.
This time around we have given the devices to @ForensicsGuru and @cf4 to review.
Watch this space for imminent un-boxing and updates on the ins and outs of both phones.
Please post below if you'd like the reviewer to keep anything particular in mind when they're writing about their first impressions or anything else you may be wondering about the devices.
You can find out more about the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Samsung Galaxy S9+ on our website.
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OK, let's start the journey...
First, an addition to my standard disclaimer (see bottom of my post): "I have been given Samsung Galaxy S9 by Telstra free of charge to review. The comments expressed here reflect my user experience and my personal opinion." It has not arrived yet, but I am excited enough to make the first post...
I have been an iPhone user since iPhone 4... It was not my own choice, it was choice of my employer at that time... Since then, I progressed to iPhone 8+ which is my own device now... Why? I have purchased many applications through all those years, and whenever I was thinking about jumping the ship, I realised it would cost me some extra money... Personally, I was never fan of anything with the (half eaten) Apple logo... But that's another story, and BTW, I cannot complain about the iPhone 8+ at all...
So, stay tuned for the next installment - unpacking the new toy... Since I received the news about being selected to review this device, I have read all the available reviews (both the good and the bad!), and I am really looking forward to forming my own opinion about this... I'll be looking not only at the device itself, but I will try to evaluate how hard it would be to move from iOS (Apple) to Android (Google)...
DISCLAIMER: I have been given a Samsung Galaxy S9 by Telstra free of charge to review. The comments expressed by me reflect my user experience and personal opinion.
My previous phone was a Lumia 950 XL. My last Android phone was the Nexus 4 so it will be interesting to see how far Android has advanced in the last 5 years.
On opening the box I was delighted to discover that among the accessories was a USB C to USB A adaptor for connecting USB drives to phone. There was also a USB C Male to USB A male cable for connecting phone to PC and connecting phone to USB Charger.
The phone was protected in the box with a soft protective caser which can be use as a protective case. A case is essential as the shiny body attracts finger prints and scratches.
This is the full list of items in the box.
Below are Pictures of the Packaging included accessories and documentation.
Setup is fairly easy
I installed a Nano SIM and Micro SD card first. I found it very fiddly getting the SIM and Micro SD card to sit in the tray.
Next charging battery took 50 minutes to charge the phone from 69% to full charge.
Connecting to WiFi Network, signing into Google and restoring backup Apps and Data from another device took about an hour including updating pre-installed apps.
While apps were being installed and apps updated I was taken to the "Protect your phone" screen. See image below. All the selections are self-explanatory except for Intelligent Scan.
Intelligent Scan is a combination of Face recognition and Iris Scanner. It first scans your face. If that fails to unlock the phone, the device then checks your irises. If both fail, Intelligent Scan will try to authenticate your identity using a combination of the two.
I elected to set up "Finger Print Scanner" which was easy to do using the online instructions.
A Pattern Pin or password must also be set up.
If you need to change protection mode go to Setting menu and then go to Lock screen and security
After setting up protection there is a prompt to set up a Samsung account which I skipped.
Everything went smoothly apart from the time zone setting which although set to auto was set to a time zone in the US. This was rectified by going to Settings > General management > Date and time.
Shortly after setting up the phone I was prompted to download and install a 500 Mbyte system update this only took 20 minutes compared to an hour on the Windows phone. Most of this time was still able to use phone.
In my next post I will be reviewing the camera. I will either examining the camera interface and settings and posting a few sample pictures of photos taken using the Galaxy S9 and as a comparison using my Lumia 950XL. With S9 wide aperture F1.5 and variable aperture I am expecting to see some great pictures especially in low light conditions.
I picked my S9+ up from the Telstra Shop in Traralgon today (Thanks guys, great customer service). So, yes, this is not a Telstra sponsored post, it is my personal phone and purely my personal opinion.
Upgraded after my 12 months was up on my Galaxy S8 purely because of the camera on my daughter's S9. Haven't taken too many shots yet as I'm still setting up my apps and getting connected to all my other devices, but if they come out like this one (had to crop it because the filesize is too large for Crowdsupport), then I'm going to have lots of fun with this.
Looks like it's going to be a clear night tonight down our way, so I'm getting the tripod with selfie stick attached and I'm chasing the Milky Way.
If anyone wants to have a look at the originals that I have taken, go to http://reviews.bakerweb.id.au/gallery and take a squiz.
For those of us who live in weak signal areas and those of us who have hearing issues, It would be very appreciated and very useful if the tests included the phones reception in strong and weak signal areas.
As you don't have access to a shielded room, a biscuit tin can be sufficient, or a concrete stairway in a muti storey building.
Also, how you hear it and how the other side also does. How loud is the ringer in noisy environments?
Is the reception in poor areas affected by where you hold the phone eg over the antenna. Many of us have hearing deficits.
Do the diversions work as does the ability to both use call waiting and do a status check as whether call waiting is active. eg *43# on, #43# off and status *#43#.
Is there somewhere to connect a Lanyard? Do all the menu functions work correctly.
How does it work to your ear, how does it work on speaker, and with the cable earpiece/mic provided.
As it's primarily a phone, and many of us have to use our phones in weak signal areas, such tests would be most appreciated.
Many thanks indeed
@ProfessorPhone wrote:
For those of us who live in weak signal areas and those of us who have hearing issues, It would be very appreciated and very useful if the tests included the phones reception in strong and weak signal areas.
As you don't have access to a shielded room, a biscuit tin can be sufficient, or a concrete stairway in a muti storey building.
Also, how you hear it and how the other side also does. How loud is the ringer in noisy environments?
Is the reception in poor areas affected by where you hold the phone eg over the antenna. Many of us have hearing deficits.
Do the diversions work as does the ability to both use call waiting and do a status check as whether call waiting is active. eg *43# on, #43# off and status *#43#.
Is there somewhere to connect a Lanyard? Do all the menu functions work correctly.
How does it work to your ear, how does it work on speaker, and with the cable earpiece/mic provided.
As it's primarily a phone, and many of us have to use our phones in weak signal areas, such tests would be most appreciated.
Many thanks indeed
I am evaluating S9+... But I am afraid I won't be able to do most of what you are asking for because:
An update on the reception. Just completed my daily trek from Morwell to Melbourne via VLine train and I only lost reception for 30 seconds of the entire journey (through a cutting in the Haunted Hills where everybody loses reception).
That puts the S9+'s performance as better than the S8+ and on par with the HTC U11.
In this post I will review the phones camera and review the rest of the phone in my next post. I did this because a lot of people will be buying the phone based on the camera alone although it does have a lot of good features.
Camera Interface
Rear Camera has the following operating modes.
The last two modes are not available by default. To enable these modes go to Camera settings > Edit camera modes > Shooting Modes > Rear Camera >
To launch the Camera App tap the Camera app icon or quickly double press the power button
By default the camera will open in Auto Mode (See image below)
In auto mode taking a picture or recording video is just matter of aiming the camera and pressing the capture or record button. There was virtually no delay between aiming the camera, pressing the button and the camera taking the picture or starting to record.
The only setting available in Auto Mode is exposure which can be set by swiping left or right at the bottom of image in portrait mode and right hand side of the image in landscape mode.
A continuous burst of images can be taken by pressing and holding the camera button These images are saved as a series of individual photos or a motion GIF.
Image of Camera in Pro Mode Iso Control selected
In Pro Mode you have full control over the camera.
These are the settings available in Pro Mode
In practice I found it almost impossible to use pro mode due to the short period of time that the activated control was displayed and also over sensitivity of the selfie vertical swipe gesture, The slightest vertical movement of the finger on the screen and the camera switches from the rear to the front camera.
Image of of camera app in Super Slow Mo mode
In Super Slow Mode has two modes auto and manual. In auto just aim the camera and press the record button. Normal 720P video at 30 fps is recorded until motion is detected the camera then records at 960 fps for 0.2 second after 0.2 seconds the camera continues recording at 30 fps until motion is detected and then records another clip of Super Slow Mo video.. The camera will continue to do this until the stop button is pressed. In manual mode tapping the Record button captures a short Super Slow Mode Clip.
Image of the Super Slow Mo Video Editor.
Below are the settings for the camera app. These settings are divided into Rear Camera, Front Camera and Common settings.
Rear Camera Video resolutions and Photo sizes supported
Front Camera Picture sizes and Video resolutions supported
Camera Samples
All the pictures have been taken without the assistance of tripod. The full size images have been reduced in size. Could not post full sized images due to limitations of this site.
The following photos have been taken at night.
Following photos were taken on sunny day
The following picture was taken at night using flash
Below is a Super Slow Mo clip sample.
Camera Conclusion
If you are looking for phone with a good camera this is the phone to get
The only criticisms I have with the camera are:
The camera takes very good photos in both low light and normal sunshine. The pictures are sharp with few artifacts and have a high dynamic range. In low light conditions there was a huge difference in the quality of the Galaxy S9 and those taken by the 950XL
In the next post I will review the rest of the phone
Really nice detail and information there @cf4
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OMG!!! @cf4, how am I going to match this??? Your review is so detailed...
And to all, my apologies... Something brownish hit the fan at work, and I have been working 24/7 to fix it... Playing with my S9+, but unable to write it down at the moment...
And as a spoiler - there is love and hate relationship already... Many things that I love compared to my iPhone 8+ and at the same moment many things I hate compared to it... Looks like my ideal solution right now would be to have both at the same moment...
The first impression
First, please see my signature for the disclaimer. Just for the clarity. I have received Samsung S9+ for free from Telstra to review and the opinions expressed below are my own.
I am bit late due to work commitments…
I am going to piggyback on @cf4 "Unboxing" post (https://crowdsupport.telstra.com.au/t5/Device-Insider-Product-Reviews/Mobile-Insider-Samsung-Galaxy-...) here.
I have found the packaging very similar to what I have got from Apple iPhone 8+ (contracted from Telstra personally, although, I have been on company paid contracts between 2001 and 20014) that I am currently using. Due to all sorts of circumstances, I have never ever used Android based mobile phone before and was always using Apple iOS based phones (I had a short experience with Microsoft Windows 10 based mobile phone, but that was so short it is nearly not worth mentioning). Because I need to be on call and depend heavily on what is working on my current iPhone, I decided to test based on a new user and got new prepaid SIM card for this. So, in my review, I will not be transferring anything from the existing phone to the new one.
Out of the box, everything was clear, except the headphones… Without "Googling" I was not able to ascertain, which earbud was right, and which one was left… At my age of 57, my eyesight was not good enough to see L & R on them… Neither was my wife who still has 20/20 vision… I think the marking should be better. iPhone headphones are white and use black characters on white earphones – using black indented characters on black earphones did not work for me… Sorry… Additionally, I really hate earphones, that require soft attachments. In my opinion, if I was going to rate, it would be:
But hey, at least there is a separate connector to connect the earphones, unlike the iPhone 8+.
Being IT professional, I did what they always do – tried to set up without ever reading any manual etc… It was sort of straightforward, though, convoluted… Why do I need to set up Google and Samsung accounts? OK, I already had a google account, so that was simple… Anyway… After initial setup, I reset to factory and tried to avoid all the "suckers" … Didn't sign for either Google not Samsung… Guess what – you don't get much… Updates do not work etc… Guess what again – it is the same with Apple… To get a full functionality, you have to give away your precious personal details (did I mention before I work in the field of forensic computing?) …
I have to admit, that I am impressed with this phone so far…
The initial set up was fairly similar to what @cf4 experienced. Fairly straightforward, eating good chunk of data allowance from the new prepaid account etc.
What I like and do not like…
First, please see my signature for the disclaimer. Just for the clarity. I have received Samsung S9+ for free from Telstra to review and the opinions expressed below are my own.
So, this post is about things that I instantly like and do not like.
Let's go for likes first:
Unfortunately, there are some dislikes too:
Well, I thought there will be more dislikes than likes initially, but after all, it looks there are more likes…Although this is not exhaustible – I am yet to go and try to do things like managing my VMware farm, do SSH connections through "jump hosts" using key only authentication (yes, I know this depends on quality of apps) and some other things I do on my iPhone (or iPad) currently…
There are also things that I am not sure if I like or dislike – many apps that I do use have slightly different user interface on iOS and Android… I am not sure which one I like more… Microsoft Office Apps for example, I am leaning towards Android way as it looks more like the desktop…
Stay tuned for the next instalment…
Isn't one tap on the recent apps button easier than pressing home button twice?
I found the fingerprint sensor location on the S8+ (to the side of the camera) was a much better location than the S9+. On the S8+, my finger was naturally in that position as it is where your finger tends to sit (off centre) to support the phone. The sensor below the camera is just awkward for me.
I think you'll find that the hard case will actually make it easier to find the fingerprint sensor as you get a bit of a guide from the case (at least that's what I've found with my daughter's S9 and Otterbox Defender case combination - great case btw, I'm very happy with it). I haven't got a case for my S9+ yet, I really should order it.
The Samsung Health app is great, I've been using it for a few years to keep track of my blood sugar and blood pressure. It also acts as a pretty good pedometer, so you can keep an eye on how much walking (or how lazy you've been) you have been doing.
I have had Bixby for just over a year and I still don't use it. I'm still an "OK Google" person. I'm sure Bixby will mature into something useful eventually, but for now it's more of a hinderance.
And finally, a tip on the camera on the S9+. With the 2 cameras on the back, to switch between the 2, you will notice a number 1 (or 2) on the screen. If you tap it, it switches between the 2 lenses. Not intuitive at first glance (took me about 90 seconds to figure it out), but quite a simple control. Defintely give PRO mode a go. If you want great looking photos without having to do editing on a computer, try it out. Also, the Live Focus feature works very well (see below). They are the same shot taken at the same time with different lenses.
@cf4 wrote:
Isn't one tap on the recent apps button easier than pressing home button twice?
It absolutely is, but the habit is too strong - I always go for the middle and double tap before realizing there is another one to use 😁
Just use it to record blood sugar and blood pressure (can be connected to compatible devices to automatically upload readings).
It does measure heart rate and Oxygen Saturation though.
Mobile and WiFi data performance
First, please see my signature for the disclaimer. Just for the clarity. I have received Samsung S9+ for free from Telstra to review and the opinions expressed below are my own.
So, this post is about some data performance. Being IT professional, I realise that unless I test against specially set up test-bed, it is not going to be ever 100% reliable. For that reason, I have spent lots of time testing – at my home, at my workplace and in Hobart CBD (mobile only as yet). I have been using Ookla Speedtest and Telstra Dashboard for some of the testing. I tried testing against different targets and I did run both devices at the same moment as well as separately.
Interestingly, I also found that https://speedtest.telstra.com/ gives slightly better results than http://www.speedtest.net/ against exactly same servers, particularly on upload… However, as I said before; these tests are highly susceptible to load variations etc.
Next, I am going to do some speed testing on my work network where I am often getting some "insane" speeds – I have access to AARNet backbone! Stay tuned!
First, please see my signature for the disclaimer. Just for the clarity. I have received Samsung S9+ for free from Telstra to review and the opinions expressed below are my own.
Yes, the camera in this device is impressive and I would recommend and support most reviews that I found on-line. However, my household owns two high end Nikon DSLRs plus one high end big format film camera plus all the equipment to produce black and white prints. That's what we use for our "serious" photography for which unfortunately we do not have enough time… Our mobiles are only seldomly used for selfies (being in our mid-fifties, we are not into it at all) and few quick holiday snapshots.
So, just a few generic points:
But to be honest, if I was not spoiled, I would probably rate the camera very high… The pictures I got out of it are brilliant and the range of features (see other posts) is incredible!!!
Then, to be fair – the fact that the Gallery App does not have a "trash bin" is so disappointing that I am not going into further evaluation… Just got burned myself – deleted picture that I wanted to keep… (And, yes, I do know about cloud backup etc – but I often travel overseas where I do not wish spend fortunes on mobile backup…).
DISCLAIMER: I have been given a Samsung Galaxy S9 by Telstra free of charge to review. The comments expressed by me reflect my user experience and personal opinion.
In this post I will be reviewing the following on the Galaxy S9
Call quality:
During calls the speech is loud and clear both when using the earphone and when using the speaker. Speech was still clear in noisy environments. The ringer is load and easily heard in a noisy environment.
The included earphone produced loud and clear speech during voice calls.
The speech quality in the send direction is also good.
Both call diversions and call waiting work
Cellular Network performance:
Cellular performance was good. Even in areas shown as 3G only on Telstra's coverage map the phone still connected to 4G at speeds of 8.5 Mbps down and 5.6 Mbps up. The position of my hand on the phone had no effect on reception.
In my local area cellular data speed varied between 38 -87 Mbps down and 10 – 39 Mbps up.
The Galaxy S9 has the best display I have come across. The colours just seem to pop out of the screen. The edges of the screen are curved which makes it possible to view the display from very low angles. There is only a slight de-saturation of the colours when the screen is viewed from very low angles. I did not notice any colour shift. The screen is bright and even in direct sunlight the display is clearly legible. There is good dynamic range the blacks appear black not grey.
Screen brightness can be manually adjusted to suit your needs. The screen will then automatically adjust to suit the lighting conditions. In my opinion the auto adjustment was too aggressive dimming the screen too much in dark conditions and increasing screen brightness too much in bright light conditions.
There is an option to filter out blue light either manually or using a timer
The screen native resolution is 2960 X 1140 (WQHD), this can be changed to 2220 X 1080 (FHD+) or 1440 X 720 (HD+). By default screen resolution is set to FHD+. In practice I found no difference between WQHD and HD+ so I set the screen to HD+ to conserve battery. (Setting > Display > Screen Resolution).
Phone Features
User Interface:
The phone operating system is Android Version 8.0.0 with Samsung Experience version 9.0 installed on top of it. I found the user interface easy to navigate and a big improvement over earlier Android versions.
A couple of differences I have noticed are:
The normal Android long press of recent apps button to initiate split screen mode can be enabled by going to Settings > Display > Navigation bar > Long press home button
Lock Screen
By default the lock screen is always on. I switched this off and halved the battery drain in sleep mode.
(Settings > Lock Screen and Security)
Emergency phone calls can be made by dragging the phone icon towards center of screen and the camera app can be opened by dragging the camera icon towards the center of screen.
Samsung Apps
Samsung has preinstalled some of its own apps. There is even a Samsung store app. Some of the apps are duplicates of the Google preinstalled apps and some of the others require a Samsung account. A good thing about the Samsung apps compared to Google pre-installed apps is they can all be uninstalled except for the "Galaxy Apps" which is the Samsung store
These are the apps I found most useful
The range of the 2.4 GHz band is only average topping out at 30 meters.
The 5 GHz WiFi band had a range of about 20 meters.
I noticed the strength of the WiFi signal depended on orientation of the phone. There is a10 dB increase in WiFi signal when phone body is parallel to WiFi source compared to when phone is head on to the source.
My internet connection tops out at 36/12 Mbps. Speed test using Home dashboard app returned bandwidth and speed results of 450, 36/12 (5GHz) and 116, 33/12 (2.4 GHz).
A speed test at the local library returned speeds of 180 Mbps down and 102 Mbps up using the 2.4 GHz WiFi band..
The battery is quick to charge. From 32% to 82% took only 44 minutes and it took another 30 minutes to fully charge the phone
I was initially disappointed with battery performance especially in sleep mode, fortunately there are plenty of settings that can be tweaked to conserve power. By tweaking these settings the phone lasted almost 48 hours without recharging.
These are the settings I tweaked.
These are the results the phone achieved doing the following tasks:
The GPS is accurate and quick
The main problems I have with GPS are:
Items 1 and 2 are common problems with all Android devices and were one of the main reasons I switched from Android to Windows phones. There are third party apps such as "Here We Go" that allow the phone's GPS to be used offline but there are still the annoying pop ups when connecting to WiFi.
If Location services are disabled by toggling the Location switch to off in the Quick Access settings Draw and an App is opened that requires location services there will be a pop up asking if you agree to enable Location services. If you agree the location services will be turned on and set to High Accuracy instead of the previous Phone only mode. Google only reveals this if the down arrow is tapped to reveal extra details.
I found the performance of the phone was very good.
The phone only took 5 seconds to power off and 50 seconds to power back on.
Apps and Web pages opened quickly.
The only problem I noticed is when viewing videos in the Stan app and apps were being updated in the background. Every time an up was installed the video paused for a few seconds. This happens on all my android devices and only happens when viewing videos in the Stan app. It does not happen on the Windows Phone.
Summing Up
The Samsung Galaxy S9 is an excellent phone. There are only a few things I disliked about the phone but there are many excellent features that I liked about the phone
What I didn't like
What I liked
I wanted to make one more post before @TommyR does recap and closes this thread.
I would like to acknowledge that @cf4 did much better job than I did. It is amazing how thorough his review is and how much detail he posted here... I've seen other reviews at very reputable sites (and here too) and they should all learn from you, mate! Well done!!!
I have had one of the busiest periods ever at my work during this period, so I did not have as much time to play with it as I would like to. So I concentrated on "getting to know Android and Samsung" and finding out differences between that and Apple iOS.
So, I'll try to do quick re-cap in dot points, in no particular order of importance and mix of pluses and minuses:
So the jury is still deliberating... I have iPhone 8+ on lease until October 2019, with an option to replace it in October 2018. iPhone X lost fingerprint that I like and has only facial/retina recognition that I don't trust as yet (same for this Samsung - did not even test it). There are things telling me "move from Apple" and there are things telling me "stay with what you know"...
It is similar to my computers. I grew up on mid/mainframes. Then I moved to Novel Netware SysAdmin and was later forced to Windows AD. I also used to administer Sun Solaris and nowadays I am doing RHEL and Ubuntu (mostly on VMWare)... And, of course KALI!!! If you don't know that one, please look at it!
BTW, I think that W10 is best ever OS for desktops/laptops... (I am ready to be stoned for that...) I used to swear on MacAfee, I hate it now... Oh did I mention I am 57!!! and that I have been working with computers in various roles since 1985? Yes, that's me...
Anyway, it has been enjoyable time... I still have 7 more days on the prepaid I got for the review and then... Not sure... I'm tempted to sell it - my wife is lofi user and it would be overkill for her... I am on contract (see above)…
Finally, I would like to once again acknowledge that : "I have been given this Samsung Galaxy S9+ by Telstra free of charge to review. The comments expressed here reflect my user experience and my personal opinion." I would like to thank Telstra and BrainTrust for this opportunity and I hope I will be able to contribute to this fantastic community in the future. I am aware that I am sometimes "straightforward" and "blunt" in my responses (being recently reprimanded for one post), but that's me - always honest and fair to the point where it can offend... You cannot teach this dog new tricks!!!
PS: I am happy to answer any questions - just PM me!!!
Since my last post there has been a system update.
"Build Number : G960FXXS1ARD1
Android version : Oreo(Android 8.0.0)
Release Date : 2018-05-02"
After this update the annoying pop ups requesting "Location Settings" be change to high accuracy that popped up every time the phone connects to WiFi have disappeared.
Still can't use Geo tagging in camera app and Google still tries to change "Location Settings" to high accuracy.
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text:
Is it just me or has street harassment reached an all time high?! Granted, as women we learn pretty early on that men will "cat call" us at any given time they deem appropriate once we've walked out of our homes. It doesn't matter if you're sitting in the car at a red light with your mom, or if you're a mother with your child in hand, at foot, in stroller, or on back, these factors will not deter some men from their quest to get your attention. Unfortunately, it has become common place that cat calling or street harassment is something that as women we "have" to deal with, preferably in silence. Those of us who identify as LGBTQ are also subject to street harassment, especially if we refuse to wear clothes that are gender specific. I personally experienced the most vicious street harassment, as a queer woman of color. From threats of rape & even death threats simply because I was walking with my partner.
Because the disrespect of women, especially Black women and LGBTQ persons is so widely accepted in our society, this treatment of us is normalized. All you have to do is turn on your TV,or listen to songs on the radio.
My encounters with street harassment have ranged from the laughable to emotionally crippling. Take today for instance, when a guy decides to tell me,
"You are very attractive but need to do 7 sit ups a day to be fine, especially since the summer is coming up."
Now, this ridiculous comment was meant to shame me for not acknowledging his numerous advances while waiting in line to get my food. Even though I was upset in the moment, I categorize this type of harassment as laughable. Mainly because the perpetrator himself was toothless, well at least all of his front teeth were gone, he had a pot belly, his locs were dirty, and he had B.O. I need you to resemble Tyson Beckford if you're going to attempt to judge my physique! Even then, you still have NO right! And not to toot my own horn, but TOOT:
Regardless of my physique though, I had to put this guy in his place. Especially, since I decided this year to stop & respond to the "cat calls", obscene comments, & loud kissing projected in my direction as a part of my healing process to reclaiming my sexuality.
"Excuse me what did you say to me?! NO, you need to do 7 sit ups a day! I'm fine, I don't need your approval! And, Why would you say that to anyone? Especially a woman! Learn to respect yourself and women because you obviously don't know how!"
I walked away slowly, or maybe it just felt like I was in slow motion, when you're fuming with rage time seems to stand still! Either way, he never said another word. I've noticed that most street harassment offenders don't expect you to respond at all, so when you do they're surprised.
For me, each response is a moment of unlearning for my perpetrators. I tap into my Buddha nature (if there is any left for the day) and find compassion amidst ignorance. I acknowledge that he has taken the easy road, eaten every spoonful of BS that's been fed to him on the TV, radio, movie screen, about me & women who look like me. And once my compassion has registered I explain: "Yes I am a woman, Yes I am Black, NO I am not pleased by your lewdness, which is a lame attempt to shame me & elevate yourself. I urge you not to believe every thought that floats through your consciousness, that is not truth." Although I must admit, at first it was hard. Mainly because I didn't know what to say.
Besides, my intention wasn't to add to the shaming or escalate the situation. I just wanted to be honest and make it crystal clear that I didn't appreciate what was said to me & at times to even offer some advice on how to acknowledge or compliment a woman in the future. I found out about some organizations that gave really great advice on standing up for yourself and others in street harassment situations. One org is HOLLABACK!
I also found some encouraging videos :
HEY SHORTY! by GIRLS FOR GENDER EQUITY
Since I've been responding to the harassment, some men listen to what I have to say & even apologize for their behavior. Others become even more obnoxious & vulgar, it depends on the individual. Unfortunately, most of the harassment came from Black men no matter what borough or neighborhood I was in. I also observed in my newly gentrified neighborhood that the white women were not receiving the same sort of harassment from Black men. No one was calling them a bitch or threatening to steal their phones because of not responding to a "hey baby!" It was more like, "Excuse me miss may I walk with you? Would you mind if I got your number?"
Stop the presses, what is going on here?! Are race & color stereotypes influencing how I am harassed too?! I asked around and found that other Black women in the community noticed that the white women did not have to endure the same type of street harassment as they did. And a few light-skinned Black women, depending on just how fair they were, seemed to experience "street harassment lite" as well or none at all. I think this last observation is definitely influenced by the colorism that plagues and divides the Black community. Which means light-skinned Black women are treated with more grace if you will, because historically they have been labeled as more desirable, attractive and delicate than dark-skinned Black women.
Spike Lee's School Daze: WAnnabees vs Jigga- Boos
Due to my constant battle with street harassment, I couldn't help recall two passages from one of my favorite playwright & activist's work, To Be Young Gifted & Black by Lorraine Hansberry. This book has been a source of guidance and wisdom for me over the years but now more than ever!
I began to meditate on the excerpt taken from her play, A Raisin in the Sun : "measure him right child…" Only I switch the gender pronouns for my own sake so the line reads:
" When you start measuring somebody, measure her right child, measure her right. Make sure you done taken into account what hills and valleys she come through before she got to where she is."
I believe that the complete lack of respect for Black women, especially when we're publicly harassed, stems from the fact that our society has never measured us right. The image of the Black woman is continuously smeared & society has gone to great lengths in order to depict the Black woman as one unworthy of respect.
Since slavery the Black woman's sexuality has been skewed in order to justify the abuse of her. So I understand how much strength, courage, integrity, & character it takes not to believe the lies. Moreover, the time, energy & dedication to unlearn something that has been ingrained in our psyches since childhood and in our society for centuries, is a full-time job in it self. Yet, its necessary if were ever going to shift to a more balanced way of being & operating in this world.
I've found that being mindful of exactly what message I'm being fed whenever I see a Black woman on-screen, in a magazine, described in songs on the radio, help me to use those moments as opportunities of unlearning.
The simple act of walking down the street as a Black woman and/or a LGBTQ person in America takes guts, takes, courage, takes heart. My goddess it takes heart & Knowing the truth of who you really are. Even though the "strong Black woman" stereotype creates the idea that Black women lack the vulnerability necessary to be affected by such things. That we can take any abuse in stride, from degrading street harassment to rape & other forms of sexual abuse, because we are that strong. Or that LGBTQ persons somehow deserve to be harassed because folks have warped ideas of our lifestyle, categorizing us as immoral. Thank goodness I have taken the time to measure myself right. I understand that we have been taught to feel shame around our bodies, our sexuality, taught not to speak out when sexually abused or sexually assaulted because nothing would be done. I have taken into account the hills & valleys Black women & LGBTQ people in this country have been through, thanks to the magnificent propaganda campaign against our very image. Although I acknowledge that we live in a world of isms: racism, sexism, colorism, classism, along with homophobia & transphobia that make it that much more difficult to measure us right, its imperative that we do.
"…I can be coming from 8 hrs on an assembly line, or 16 hrs in Mrs. Halsey's Kitchen. I can be all filled up that day with three hundred years of rage so that my eyes are flashing and my flesh is trembling— and the white boys in the streets look at me & think of sex. They look at me & that's all they think… Baby, you could be Jesus in drag— but if you're brown they're sure you're selling!"
Its heartbreaking to feel that Black men need to be included in this passage too. Its maddening to know that someone who shares my hue, my culture, & speaks of the injustice they too are susceptible to endure on a daily basis, can't understand the injustice they do to Black women when they harass us on the street. But I have to measure him right too, he isn't above being influenced by the propaganda campaign against Black women. It's a choice that we as individuals must make in spite of what we've learned consciously or subconsciously over the years, to start treating Black women & LGBTQ people with respect because we are worthy.

subset: commoncrawl


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You do have a good point there. I guess the best thing to do would be to bite the bullet and get a good logo to start with.
Still I get tired of seeing these ugly logos all over the place and thinking "I could do better than that. Shoot, I know ten people who could do better than that. And, you're a nationally traded company sporting that ugly thing?!"


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Railway Mushroom-Potato Curry
(from holy cow)
8-oz package of mushrooms, quartered
2 tsp canola or other vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1-inch piece of ginger, chopped
3 dry red chillies
1 large onion, chopped
1 TB coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 medium potatoes, diced
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 c tomato puree
1/4 c chopped cilantro
Instructions1. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds. Grind.
2. Heat 1 tsp of oil in the skillet. Add the garlic, ginger, chillies and onions and saute until brown spots appear on the onions. Add to the blender and, when cooler, grind along with the turmeric and some water to make a smooth paste.
3. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Add the potatoes and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until they start to turn golden. Add the mushrooms and and saute until they begin to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Now add the ground masala paste and the tomato puree. When the mixture starts to darken and express oil, add 2-3 cups of water and salt. Cover and cook about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Garnish with cilantro. Serves about 3.


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Browsing Working papers by Author "Ren, Carina"
Now showing items 1-1 of 1
Expo 2010 – Performing and regulating 'Danishness'Ren, Carina; Ooi, Can-Seng (Frederiksberg, 2012)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Using the concepts of auto-communication and micro-orientalism, this article argues that nation branding at World Expos produces and propagates notions of difference and otherness. By use of the Danish 'Welfairytales' pavilion at the 2010 Expo in Shanghai, we show how national Self is performed in two versions. One attempts to communicate 'the good Danish life' to the Danes themselves, while the other claims Occidental superiority. The case shows how the Danish exhibition is performed and regulated as sustainable and authentic and how in spite of its seemingly dialogical and interactive layout, a number of auto-communicative and micro-orientalist practices are enacted. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8557
Files in this item: 1Ooi_2012.pdf (163.7Kb)
Now showing items 1-1 of 1


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In a series of multi-media collages, Malak El-Shazly juxtaposes serene, brightly coloured paintings of rural scenes from Cairo's outskirts with bustling urban cityscapes, probing questions about the structure and dynamics of the "neighbourhood."
Where is home? Nohal Wahby exhibits paintings soaked in layers of fluorescent colour depicting figures scattered across the canvas. Are they standing still or are they in motion? Hanan El-Sheikh and Khaled Akl participate with a captivating wall-sized painting of Tahrir Square, with matchsticks sprinkled among the crowd. Will it burst into flames?
Visitor inspects artwork by Nihal Wahby, opening night. (Photo: 6 Contemporary Arts)
Visual artist Nihal Wahby had been concerned with the notion of freedom for many years before the uprising began in January 2011. She says her work gained its interactive and multidisciplinary qualities as a reaction to the revolution. The concept of freedom pervaded the lives of Egyptians, but perhaps most of all it pervaded the lives of artists, challenging them to think outside the "square" and to find alternative modes of expression.
"It was very difficult to merely take a brush and just paint like I used to," Wahby explained at the artist talk held at 6 Contemporary Arts on Wednesday 17 April. "I wanted to try new things, I became very experimental."
The artist says the pre-revolution period of her artwork was catalysed by a personal quest to define freedom. Yet the revolution materialised in her artwork as a collective existential crisis, in which the fears and hopes of an entire people were showcased.
In this collection, the artist inundates hazily defined figures with colour that drips across the length of the canvases. In one painting, blue figures assemble in a circle amid a sea of pink hues; in another, multi coloured men and women are strewn across a massive white canvas, bathing in faint fluorescent colour.
Wahby says the environment - the waves of resistance, hope, and change - were overwhelming. "My work reflects the changing dynamics of the street."
To mirror the collective cry for freedom, the artist's work stared engaging the audience. A project she exhibited in November 2012 at the Hanager Arts Center entitled the Tower of Hopes and Dreams, which invited visitors to pen their dreams on paper and place it in a makeshift tower, embodied that shift in style.
"My work has become a reflection of a reality that I'm living," Wahby says. "After the revolution, I was keen on creating something interactive, and on making the public a part of the artwork."
Nihal Wahby's canvases blend bright colours and feature multiple layers or washes of colour. But throughout, the figures steal your attention and tempt you to understand if they are standing still or constantly in motion. She explains that individuals are at the very core of her recent body of work. "I believe people are the catalysts for change; they are the source of all hope, movement, interactivity," Wahby says.
Paintings by Malak El Shazly. (Photo: 6 Contemporary Arts)
While Wahby's figures are always wandering in unidentified, faceless landscapes, Malak El-Shazly's multi-media collages build elaborate, dynamic backdrops for her anonymous figures. Toying around with perspective, El-Shazly creates busy compositions depicting busy streets, bright skylines, or broken roads that make you wonder; where is this painting set?
Despite the hints the artist leaves, like a chopped Burj Khalifa or the multi-coloured garments of Indian women, or the signs of Cairo's Metro, these collages are decontexualized and therefore universal. Gallery visitors on opening night exchanged guesses about the geography of these pieces.
To prepare for these works, which could be in Cairo, India, Dubai or Naples, El-Shazly flips through piles of magazines to choose random photographs that she ultimately weaves into a painting. Through creating multi-dimensional pieces, the artist challenges the viewers "to question how they view things."
Not all the pieces in her collection depict scenes from nowhere that could be everywhere; a few paintings are based on true stories. El-Shazly's development work in a village on the outskirts of Cairo, Kafr Hamayed and in Geziret El-Dahab, where she set up multiple art workshops for children, and acted as fuel for her artwork.
Photographs she took of the brightly coloured street decorations and buoyant children in these underdeveloped areas were catalysts for a series of charming paintings that contrast with her bustling cityscape canvases.
In these collages, El-Shazly relies on a brighter palette to give light and life to these impoverished areas. She says photography isn't always enough to give people "a sense of the spirit" of these places.
Like Wahby's work, El-Shazly allows members of the audience to read different stories into the paintings. The artwork in this exhibition does not impose one version of the city or of the community; they are all up for interpretation, and visitors responded by intently examining the paintings on opening night, as if expecting answers.
Project by Khaled Akl and Hanan El-Sheikh. (Photo: 6 Contemporary Arts)
Also enticing the visitors on opening night was a massive wall-sized painting co-produced by Khalid Akl and Hanan El-Sheikh, of the flammable symbol of Egypt's revolution, Tahrir Square, with a surrealist flavour.
The duo created a six-piece wall-sized painting of a Tahrir Square in the twilight zone, with matchsticks sprinkled across the space. This is the latest piece in what the pair dub a "transforming artwork," a project entitled "Wust El-Balad" or Downtown Cairo, revolving around Tahrir Square, which is presented in different forms in parallel to the political changes unfolding in the country.
As opposed to the projects of the two other painters, which both deconstruct reality and do not impose a certain context, this project is a blatant representation of the iconic nucleus of the revolution, yet with a twist.
A larger than life matchstick and a bicycle drenched in brown paint are placed in front of the painting, mimicking the scene at the centre of the painting.
"The bicycle stands for something that moves, and the match stands for energy," Khaled Akl explains. "We wanted to bring the force and energy together with the people who are taking all the action, because at this point they are not the same."
Even though the revolution might not have achieved all its goals, in some aspects, it was a bonding experience. Egyptians have become hypersensitive to the community in which we exist, and living in an unfettered bubble is a luxury that is currently on hold.
This exhibition highlights how the space in which we live has been forever changed by a monumental event that brought us together in some ways, and tore us apart in others.
Exhibition runs until 16 May
6 Contemporary Arts, 6 Salah El-Din Street, Zamalek, Cairo
© 2010 Ahram Online.


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Womens New Balance 574 Metallic Patch Athletic Shoe - Green / Mint
Style #: 401714
Mix up your classic sporty look with the new 574 Metallic Patch Athletic Shoe from New Balance! The 574 Metallic Patch Athletic Shoe features a mix of suede and canvas uppers with a metallic eyestay and removable hook-and-loop tongue patches for an easy, customized style.
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New Balance began as a Boston-based arch support company in the early 1900's, developed into a specialized shoe manufacturer in the 1970's, and has grown to become a leading global athletic products company. Today New Balance is a family of brands including New Balance, Dunham, PF Flyers, Aravon, Warrior and Brine. Since the days of selling arch supports to police officers and waiters, New Balance has been a brand concerned with meeting the needs of the everyday athlete. Part of producing superior footwear and athletic apparel is manufacturing it to fit all widths and sizes, because a better fit produces better performance. To ensure the best fitting, best performing shoes and apparel, we focus on improving our technology and production methods. We have maintained five manufacturing facilities in New England where we continue to rely on the skills and teamwork of our American workforce to produce a percentage of our athletic footwear. We have also remained strongly committed to a core set of company values that include integrity, teamwork and total customer satisfaction.


text:
Application Builder Blog Posts
COMSOL Multiphysics® Version 5.4 Named 2018 Product of the Year
We're raising a glass in celebration: Tech Briefs magazine presented COMSOL with a 2018 Readers' Choice Product of the Year award for COMSOL Multiphysics® version 5.4 and COMSOL Compiler™.
Keynote Video: Improving Process Understanding with Applications
When an organization's research spans across many industries, consistent product quality becomes the name of the game. That's why Huntsman Advanced Materials turned to simulation applications.
Simulation Applications Enable Digitalization at ABB Traction Motors
Here's a real-world example of optimizing R&D processes with COMSOL Server™: At ABB Traction Motors, engineers use simulation applications to analyze CFD and heat in electric motor designs.
Digital Twins and Model-Based Battery Design
By combining high-fidelity multiphysics models with lightweight models and measured data, engineers can create digital twins to understand, predict, optimize, and control real-world systems.
Digital Twins: Not Just Hype
The term "digital twin" has been called everything from just hype to a revolutionary concept. We use a jet engine example to explain the concept of digital twins and how simulation fits in.
Keynote Video: Enhancing STEM Education with Simulation
Ivana Milanovic uses simulation to teach undergraduate students in her science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses, as she explains in her COMSOL Conference 2018 presentation.
A Guide to Publishing and Licensing Simulation Applications
Interested in protecting the proprietary rights of the simulation applications you create and distribute? We walk you through 2 ways to set up licensing terms and conditions.
Keynote Video: Improving Synchrotron Light Sources with Applications
For synchrotron light sources, brighter is better: RadiaSoft LLC creates and deploys wave optics simulation applications to design improved vacuum chambers for a synchrotron upgrade project.
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text:
Which is your fave villian that Jim portrayed in
"Lemony Snicket?" and why?
You are here: Home ‹ Board index ‹ Movie Discussion ‹ All Other/Older Movies ‹ (2004) Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
[Poll] Villians
Discuss this movie. Available on DVD and Blu-ray.
11 posts • Page 1 of 1
[Poll] Villians
Which is your fave villian that Jim portrayed in
"Lemony Snicket?" and why?
Just watched "Housesitter"
With Goldie & Steve, there was a clerk or someone who reminded me
of the Stephano character. The voice or something like that.
I gotta say:
I LOVE the Count! Reading about him in the books after seeing the movie, I could imagine him doing all of those things, it was a clearer picture than Sham and Stephano.
"No time outs. Only DEATH!"
"I don't like to brag and I won't cuz I don't have to!"
i have to go for Count Olaf no matter what. Count Olaf is hot and i don't want to hear anyone argue with me on this (joking, obvious, but i want Olaf right now!!! --- spoiled little brat, i know, i've been told that before )
I find the Cond Olaf! very persistent it and and of any form it always runs in its objective to obtain what he wants!
My favourite has to be Captain Sham. When I watched that for the first time I just couldn't stop laughing. I also love Olaf though as he is the main one...
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text: Friday, April 29, 2011 CMS Proposes 'Group Therapy' Definition, Revision to Student Policy in SNFs Released yesterday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) proposed rule for Fiscal Year 2012 contains 2 recommendations of significance to physical therapists—changes relating to the payment of group therapy services and the supervision of therapy students. Specifically, CMS proposes to establish a standard that defines group therapy as therapy provided simultaneously to 4 patients who are performing similar therapy activities. The agency states that when a therapist treats 4 patients in a group for an hour, it does not cost the SNF 4 times the amount (or 4 hours of a therapist's salary) to provide those services. Therefore, if a therapist spends 1 hour with 4 residents in a group therapy session, regardless of payer source, then the time used to determine the appropriate Resource Utilization Groups, version 4 (RUG-IV) classification for each Medicare beneficiary receiving SNF care benefits as part of a qualified Part A stay, will be 15 minutes, or 60 minutes of total therapist time divided by 4. Regarding students, CMS proposes to revise its current policy such that a therapy student working in a SNF would no longer be required to be in the supervising therapist's line of sight. The agency invites comments on this proposed revision and states that it will continue to monitor the provision of therapy services in the SNF setting. CMS also examines recent changes in provider behavior relating to the implementation of the RUG-IV case-mix classification system and considers a possible recalibration of the case-mix indexes so that they more accurately reflect parity in expenditures between RUG-IV and the previous case-mix classification system. The proposal also includes a discussion of a non-therapy ancillary component and outlier research currently under development within CMS. APTA is currently reviewing the proposed rule and will provide a detailed summary in the coming week. Comments It is wrong thinking to believe that the only time spent on a group therapy session is during the group. A lot of planning takes place and then there is a lot of documentation to write afterward. The new proposal makes payment for group therapy worse that that for concurrent, with much higher stress on the therapist. This proposal is not acceptable. Posted by Debra Dreher on 4/29/2011 6:32 PM I do not see how you can only record 15 min of a 60 min time that the pt was participating in the group. That means that 45 min of their time is not counted towards minutues of skilled therapy? That is discounting the therapists skill involved in the group activity and the pt's benefit from the group itself. Group therapy is already only billed as 1 unit/resident participating, so taking away recording the actual minutes the person participated in calculating RUGs is ridiculous. Posted by Lori Anderson on 4/29/2011 9:29 PM Group therapy is beneficial for the resident, and the resident is involved the entire session. It is an injustice to penalize the business and the therapist by dividing the minutes. DO NOT ALLOW THIS TO PASS. Posted by Jim Bonds on 4/29/2011 10:10 PM I agree with the CMS proposal to revise its current policy such that a therapy student working in a SNF would no longer be required to be in the supervising therapist's line of sight. Given the education and training of PT and PTA students, I believe on site, readily available for consultation and assistance, is acceptable supervision for students. Posted by Jan Spigner, PT on 4/30/2011 10:58 AM Groups premits the low motivated patient to sit back,glide though a session, and not receive benefit from that group treatment. P.T.should NOT be a gym class. P.T. should be one to one skilled treatment which the P.T. adjusts/modifies per each patient during each treatment. Groups lower standards of care, enable corporations to over work therapists. I am in favor of the change. Posted by Marta "Marty" Krause,P.T. on 4/30/2011 12:00 PM Some group treatments are beneficial for the patients. It helps some unmotivated patients to participate more with group treatments. As long as the group treatments that the therapist is providing is a good quality group treatment, I think it is appropriate. Posted by Joseph Benzon Chua -> AKXaCO on 4/30/2011 4:12 PM As a physical therapist who is also a nursing home administrator, I disagree with extreme changes to the reimbursable treatment minutes reporting of Group minutes. CMS has not taken into consideration the time, planning, and scheduling the goes into putting together an effective group that is already non reimbursable. Effective group therapy can be very beneficial to specific residents and resident types. Having said that, as a consultant, I also have seen where some providers have over utilized and stretched the use of groups to create volume minute reporting-creating CMSs incentive to do this. We as a profession need to stand and speak out against the changes during the comment period and hold each other and the providers accountable for responsible utilization of reimbursement tools. I have spoken with CMS directly several times; they do not have a PT advisor in their ranks anymore and they simply don't get it. This will not change unless we educate them and each other on what is appropriate. I am pleased with the change to student reporting but it was a LONG time coming. There are other significant changes to MDS reporting between scheduled assessments proposed that will significantly negatively impact Therapy RUG levels. PTs need to read the proposed changes and speak out NOW. Posted by Tammy Kelly PT, LNHA, RAC-CT 3.0 on 4/30/2011 4:49 PM I agree with the proposal to no longer require a student to be in line of sight of the supervising therapist. As long as they are readily available, then there should be no problem with students working independently with patients/residents. In a busy facility with many patients, it's difficult to try and have the therapist everywhere when trying to ambulate or go and get a patient from their room for therapy. It's just a hassle. As long as there's no safety concerns regarding the student, then there should be no problem to accept this. Posted by Jessica Roell on 4/30/2011 5:16 PM For those who feel group therapy is a gym class, how many non-medicare beneficiaries attend group exercise for health. If they are a group of patients w/ stroke, PD, post-hip fracture should be leave this up to the gym teachers. I would hope not. How do you think we as PTs are going to manage the large # of beneficiaries as the # of elderly is increased & do it in a cost efficient manner. Can we do all this by individualized care? We need to be forward thinkers & consider alternatives to provide the necessary care that is not being delivered even today. Consider the benefits of circuit training to include functional mobility: bed, transfers 5x's, balancing, aerobic, strengthening, stretching. If we could add incentives for participation we can have healthier residents & perhaps reduce hospital admissions! Well planned programs--disease management-- should be reimbursed appropriately. But just seeing many patients at the same time should not be! Posted by Christine Brussock on 4/30/2011 6:48 PM Part A therapy has always been based on "time the patient participating in skilled therapy". Cost of the therapists duties has never been the issue. This is why documentation time and time coordinating with Dr's or nurses or family, etc, isn't covered if the patient isn't present and participating. CMS never cared about cost to the nursing home in these instances. But when it comes to activities that generate revenue, suddenly they feel the need to consider the "cost" to the nursing home? It's an obvious inconsistency, and of course it's based on the desire to cut Medicare expenses. Economically, this is backward thinking. One on one care is more expensive. We can argue if it's better or not - to me, if done right, limited group therapy is advantageous to the patient, but let's set that aside for a different discussion. Mandating one on one in all situations will drive up cost, or drive down utilization, either of which are bad for our patients, and ultimately bad for Medicare. Smart policy would make access to therapy easier, with fewer barriers, not harder. The big picture is this. The population is getting older, there's only so many dollars to go around, and frankly a shortage of therapists that are willing to work in long term care, especially in rural areas. Ever tried to hire a PT for a small town nursing home? If Medicare wants all of the future total knees and CVA's and Parkinson's patient's to have access to a physical therapist, there needs to be some sort of group therapy or concurrent or "non-one on one" option. Or, sadly, there just won't be enough hours in the day, and some people won't get the therapy they need. Posted by Shawn Docker on 5/1/2011 1:46 AM I don't understand this at all. Is CMS trying to kill therapy for SNF pts. If this change occurs there will definitely be a shortage of therapists because many will have to change jobs or careers to live Posted by G McCrory on 5/1/2011 9:19 AM I agree with the proposal to no longer require a student to be in line of sight of the supervising therapist. As long as the therapist is readily available in the facility, the student will be able to practice patient skills in a realistic environment, but only as they are competent. Posted by M. Muscarella, PT, DPT on 5/2/2011 2:06 PM If therapists were really worried about the patient welfare, the emphasis would not be on group therapy but on individual therapy. Patients in SNFs, more than in any other setting, need individual attention to get the same benefit from PT, than in younger adults. Instead of fighting the prposed group therapy rule change, we should fight for more reimbursement for individual treatment modalities. Posted by Raj, PT on 5/2/2011 3:44 PM I have some concerns reguarding the proposal to no longer require line of sight of the supervising therapist for students. Students are doing clinicals to learn, if it is a "hassle" maybe your institution is too busy to accept students. I also worry in these trying times that this will encourage the student to be used as an extra staff member instead of a student who is at your facility to learn. There is so much to teach a student and I don't think a PTA student will feel competent working with a CVA without direct supervision and I would be worried if the student did feel confident. I have been practicing for 29 years and I know when I was a student I was used more as an extra staff member and as the saying goes "If I would have known then what I know now." I was lucky to have a CI who came in before work and stayed after work to teach me because there was no time during the day.I don't know that would happen in our fast paced times. I feel we should be cautious of this proposal. Posted by Sherrie Coeyman on 5/4/2011 2:30 PM With experience in outpatient, acute care, IRF and SNF I only have a few comments to add. It is our judgement and clinical reasoning that allows PT's to provide skilled services. I teach my students to do the same and with my license on the line, I can choose to let students treat outside of my line of sight (in acute care). This proposal for students does not mean they will never see their CI, it means that it is within our judgement to given them that freedom when we deem appropriate. The many benefits of group therapy are listed above, using groups also allows for time to treat 1:1. It's a balance that we need to preserve to serve all of our patients best within our resources. Posted by Jan G, PT on 5/5/2011 1:38 PM It seems as though the proposed rule by CMS is in response to the overutilization of group therapy which can occur in therapy departments managed by rehab companies which are mandating it to increase staff productivity. It is similar to the reimbursement changes for concurrent therapy which previusly was the model used to maximize reimbursement levels and staff productivity. Posted by Diane Sweeney on 5/10/2011 8:11 AM I disagree with this proposed change for group therapy guidelines. I also disagree with therapists who feel that 1:1 treatment time is the only time that matters. I have worked in a SNF for a number of years and have found that some patients are not appropriate for group, and we don't put them into one, but many patients who are poorly motivated benefit from the group sessions as they feel part of a "team". The patients are more inclined to work together and often help to keep each other on track. This has a huge impact on them psychologically and will probably be taken away if the proposed guidelines are accepted. Posted by Jonathan K Young on 6/4/2011 8:40 AM To make an analogy, They think its fair to pay the same salary to a teacher that teachers 20 kids or 60 kids. Posted by Michael on 8/28/2011 1:42 PM What about our patients after 21 years in this business with client based model in my head....I know that our patients benefit greatly from group therapy...what about them. Posted by Mary Beth Steinke on 11/13/2011 3:42 PM


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IBM's certified software stack on these iDataPlex machines is a bit stale, however. Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition (with the Computer Cluster Service extensions for parallel HPC applications) is certified on these nodes, as is Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and 5, and the VMware ESX Server/ESXi 3.5 and 4.0 hypervisors.
Microsoft's Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 is out and much-improved over this dusty old Microsoft code, and ditto for SLES 11 SP1, which has been out since the spring. RHEL 6 is right around the corner, in theory. If Big Blue wants to make sales with iDataPlex dx360 M3s, it had better get on the stick with the software stack.
IBM is also now supporting 16 GB memory sticks in the dx360 M3 servers, boosting main memory to a maximum of 256 GB. Support for the new GPUs and expanded memory will be available on December 17.
The BladeCenter HS22 and HS22V (a blade with more memory slots intended for server virtualization workloads) can now use 1.35 volt memory, which burns at a lower temperature than the 1.5 volt parts. IBM is shipping 2 GB and 4 GB memory sticks in the lower voltage, which IBM says consume 15 per cent less energy for a given unit of capacity.
Both of these blades have already been updated to use the six-core Xeon 5600s; the HS22 supports up to 192 GB of memory while the HS22V supports up to 288 GB using 16 GB memory sticks, which do not yet come in 1.35 volts. These low-volt 2 GB and 4 GB memory sticks for the HS22 and HS22V blades will be available on November 2.
The Brocade 10 Gigabit Ethernet Converged Switch for IBM's BladeCenter
IBM also announced a two-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet converged network adapter for its blade servers and matching 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch module, which supports the Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) protocol for converging server and storage traffic on the same switch, for the BladeCenter chassis.
The base switch module comes with 16 ports, but you can use a software key (for a fee, of course) to upgrade to the full 30 ports in the switch module. That gives you 14 10 GE ports for the blade server backplane plus eight 10 GE ports and eight more 8 Gb/sec Fibre channel ports in total. The switch runs Brocade's Data Center Manager fabric management software, which is integrated with IBM's Systems Director server management tools.
For the System x3250 M3 1U rack server, announced January, IBM is offering customers a bunch of new two-core processor options, including the Xeon L3406 running at 2.26 GHz (30 watts) and the Core i3-550 running at 3.2 GHz (73 watts). IBM is also tossing the four-core Xeon X3480 spinning at 3.06 GHz and burning at 95 watts into the rack server.
IBM already supported the two-core Celeron G1101 running at 2.26 GHz (73 watts), the Pentium G6950 running at 2.8 GHz (73 watts), the Core i3-530 running at 2.93 GHz (73 watts), and the Core i3-540 running at 3.06 GHz (73 watts) in the System x3250 M3.
Lastly, IBM is renaming its pre-configured HPC clusters Intelligent Clusters, and is rolling out new switch and server options for them. The quad-socket, Opteron 6100-based System x3755 M3, announced at the end of August can now be part of prefabbed Intelligent Clusters, as can the S60 Ethernet switch from Force10 Networks, the IS5100 and IS5300 quad data rate InfiniBand switches from Mellanox, the Grid Director 4200 InfiniBand switch from Voltaire, and the rebadged Ethernet switches from Juniper that IBM sells under its own Ethernet Switch J Series brand. ®
Sponsored: Practical tips for Office 365 tenant-to-tenant migration


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Division: Fixed Asset Management
Disposal of properties by means of selling, donation and exchange
Receive request from Parastatal or Local Authority;internal discussion and approval by the Minister of Works & Transport;evaluation of property By Ministry of Lands & Resettlement;submission to Treasury (MOF) for authorization;Submission to Cabinet for approval
Submission to Tender Board for excemption; send the instruction to Office of the Attorney General to appoint the lawyer;both parties sign the Deed of Sale;
Lawyer to handle the transfer
Ministry of Works receives the new Title Deed; ministry of works inform the line Ministry of the registration and allocation of the property.
Ministry Works open the new file
Proposal of properties by means of selling, donation and exchange
By donation
Receive a request from the customer (parastatals & local Authorities); internal discussion and approval by the Minister of Works & Transport; valuation of the property by Ministry of Lands and Resettlement; submission to Treasury (MoF) for Authorization
Submission to Cabinet for approval;submission to Tender Board (MoF) for exemption;request the Office of the Attorney General to appoint the lawyer to deal with the transfer;both parties sign the Deed of Donation;Lawyer complete the transfer of the property in Deed Office;Ministry of Works receive confirmation of the Transfer;Close the file.
By Exchange
Refer to the same procedures as explained on exchange under acquiring of properties as part of procurement.
Allocation of Government land and houses to user Ministries for construction of offices
Ministry of Works receive a request from user Ministry;works together with the user Ministry identify the property suitable for the need as per request;internal discussion and approval by the Minister of Works and Transport;ministry of Works inform the user Ministry of the allocation;The user ministry take over the municipal bills as from he date of allocation.
Identification of Government properties in newly proclaimed towns
Ministry of Works receives invitation from Ministry of Regional & Local Government; Ministry of Works take a visit of properties and discussion with the relevant local authority;MoW compile a report and list of all Government properties in that town.
Forward the information to Ministry of Regional & Local Government for registration; Ministry of Works receives the Title Deeds for all those properties, and open files.
Registration of Government properties that are found not registered during normal operations
When a property is not surveyed, a request is forwarded to the Office of the Surveyor General for survey the land and frame a diagram for registration purposes I the Deeds Office.
There are cases where a subdivision was done, but the individual Ervens are not registered in the Deeds Office, In such cases certified copies of diagram are obtained from the Surveyor Generals Office and forwarded to the Government Attorneys Office to take out a title over property in favour of the Government of Namibia
Receive requests for office accommodation ,storage space , parking facilities needed from Government Ministries, Offices and Agencies locally;Identify and inspect properties together with prospective user/tenants;Negotiate with the private building owners regarding responsibilities and liabilities eg. rental amounts, date of occupation, duration of rental period, parking facilities etc.
If agreed upon the lease agreement is drafted and compiled by the Lessor; The lease agreement is forwarded to the Office of the Government Attorney for scrutiny.
After scrutiny the lease agreement is amended as per recommendation by the Government Attorney;After the amendments are made and agreed upon both parties sign the lease agreement;The user Ministries occupy the premises and monthly rental payments are made to the Lessor;All leases in other towns are presented by the concern : Works Regional Representative.
Request for the letting of Government offices ,storage spaces , open land and erven are received from Government Ministries , Offices, Agencies, private businesses and private individuals;After the identifying and inspection of the properties a lease agreement is compile by the Government Attorneys and sign by both parties.
Government Ministries, Offices, Agencies do not enter into a lease agreement as the properties are allocated to them. They only pay operational costs;The private businesses and individuals pay the monthly rental into the State Revenue Fund.
Contact persons for Lease and Letting
Mr. O. B. Du Raan – Tel: 208 8525
Civil servants and the public at large
Application for official accommodation;
Standard Lease and Letting Contract;
Tenants Lease Agreement
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ROCHESTER — If the Somersworth/Coe-Brown boys ice hockey team expected shorthanded Marshwood-Traip to lie down for them Friday night, then they were sadly mistaken.
Not mistaken enough to lose, but certainly the Bearcats knew they were in a game with the Hawks in a 5-3 win during the Brian Doucette Memorial Hockey Tournament at the Rochester Ice Arena.
Somersworth/Coe-Brown will play in tonight's final at 7 against Noble-Wells, which beat Pembroke-Campbell, 10-4. The Hawks will play in the 5 p.m. consolation game against Pembroke-Campbell.
The Siering brothers, Austin and Colby, scored two goals each to lead the Bearcats, including a pair 17 seconds apart in the second period that broke a 1-1 tie and put them ahead for good, 3-1.
"Those were huge," said Colby Siering, who scored the eventual game-winner in the third period.
"They were trying to compete against each other," said Somersworth/Coe-Brown coach Ron Siering. "Maybe they had a little thing going on."
Marshwood-Traip played without three starters, including two who were out injured — goalie Tyler Gagnon and forward Drew Hale. Leading scorer Peter Lajeunesse was also out of the lineup on holiday in Arizona, according to coach Eric Royal.
Despite those losses, the Hawks struck first in the opening period on the power play when Cam DuFault pushed in a puck in front off his own rebound of a nice top shelf shot that looked like it went in, but was not ruled a goal. Jake Scremin earned the assist.
Austin Siering tied the game up for the Bearcats 41 seconds later with a slapshot from the right point. Slovakian-exchange student Timo Jurenka, who misfired on a half dozen golden scoring chances, picked up one of his two assists on the play.
"Timo had a hard time hitting the net, but maybe it's because his family's in town visiting," said coach Siering. "Maybe he had a little bit of jitters. Overall, the boys played pretty decent."
The Siering brothers broke the tie in the second period with similar goals 17 seconds apart. Colby Siering scored on a rush from the left, going to the right corner for the 2-1 lead.
Brother Austin scored 17 seconds later, also unassisted, coming in from the same left side and going to the same right corner.
Marshwood-Traip's freshman back-up goalie Alex Weeks played very well, stopping 28 shots, including several breakaways.
"He did a solid job back there," Royal said. "He gave us a chance. We had some breakdowns in front of him, which led to some scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, they capitalized on them. He held his ground. He did a good job."
Somersworth/Coe-Brown goalie Peter Robertson made 18 saves.
The Hawks cut the lead to 3-2 in the third period at 2:54. Seth Lawrence's shot from the top of the right circle seemed to be corralled by Robertson in his midsection, but it slipped through and in for a goal. DuFault earned the assist.
The Hawks had the momentum, especially after Austin Siering was whistled for an elbowing penalty and then tossed from the game for jawing with the official.
"The call's the call. The referee is not going to change it," coach Siering added. "You just have to accept it and deal with it. We've got to grow up a little bit when that kind of stuff happens."
Colby Siering had his back, scoring a pretty short-handed goal with a nice backhand rush from Dakota Hippern that put the Bearcats up, 4-2.
"We got a little tired down the stretch and their minds went on them and we made some mental mistakes," Royal added. "Again at this point in the season we shouldn't be tired and out of shape. We need to be in better shape. We'll have to do a little more conditioning to get ready."
Somersworth/Coe-Brown put the game out of reach nearly two minutes later when Ben Bailey converted in close for the three-goal lead.
The Hawks had a goal called back when it was ruled to be kicked in. They added their final goal with 22.1 seconds to play when Troy Stevens scored from the right post, where he was perched all alone and stuck it in before Robertson could respond.
"That went our way with that," added Colby Siering about the Hawks playing shorthanded. "That helped us a lot. Lajeunesse is a good player with a lot of skills, so that helped us."
Somersworth/Coe-Brown, 5-3
Marshwood-Traip 1 0 2 — 3
Somersworth/Coe-Brown 1 2 2 — 5
Scoring: First period: M-DuFault (Scremin) 7:36, pp; S-A. Siering (Jurenka) 8:17; Second period: S-C. Siering (un.) 8:17, pp; S-A. Siering (un.) 8:34; Third period: M-lawrence (DuFault) 2:54; S-C. Siering (Hippern) 4:52, sh; S-Bailey (Jurenka, Gagne) 6:30; M-Stevens (J. Cagnina, Barrett) 14:37.
Goalies: M-Weeks (33 shots, 28 saves); S-Robertson (21, 18).


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Notary bonds and errors and omissions insurance policies provided by this insurance agency, the American Association of Notaries, Inc., are underwritten by Western Surety Company, Universal Surety of America, or Surety Bonding Company of America, which are subsidiaries of CNA Surety. American Association of Notaries, is owned by Kal Tabbara, licensed insurance agent in Texas.


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|Forward view
I'm breathing in sunshine. It's autumn now, with these evening rides home soon to be done in darkness, but this evening, everything was bright and warm, and I was spinning strong. All darkness and thoughts of darkness were pushed out with a flood of light rushing into me. The months of summer piled up behind me and drove me forwards. What supposedly lies ahead is shorter days, lack of light at commute time, and while inevitable, and welcome, that's not what I saw on this night. What I saw ahead down the road was this:
|The light charger, due west
To ride faster was good because it caused me to breathe faster, which pulled in more light, and stretched out the summer months piled behind me into a kite tail of knotted heat, keeping me stable and straight, headlong into the photonic flood. This same street at this same time will be dark soon, sure as the planet revolves with a tilted axis it will, I know that, but at this moment I opened my mouth and breathed in sunshine, deep of life and 93 million miles between us nothing in that breath of no season, no reason but to ride.
To hold my breath and keep that light inside me, that's what I wished. Plasma breath, a solar inspiration, to feel that heat surge through me out to my fingers, down to my toes, and radiating through my head into clarity and lightness and being. Autumn, I welcome you, and Winter just behind, because on this evening ride I breathed in some rays to get me through, charged up now, an illumined bridge across months to next summer, and holding tight inside the mitochondria of every one of my cells a couple thou of brightness.


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Heather Babcock adopted a puppy in 2009 when she returned from nearly a year in Iraq. Friends said it would be therapeutic, and they were right.
The Army specialist lost her grandmother at the end of the difficult tour of duty. At first, getting a dog didn't really interest her. But she knew someone with puppies, so she went to take a peek.
Two were left. Something about the outgoing, little male touched Babcock. She took him home to her Troy apartment.
Babcock trained the spotted pit bull and provided him a loving home. Her family lives in the South, so the dog supplied her with companionship as she made a rocky transition to civilian life. The pair formed a strong emotional bond. The soldier called him Trooper. Over time, he learned to read her.
"He knows when I'm in a crappy mood," Babcock explained Saturday at a pet event in Averill Park. "He'll bring a toy over, and I'll focus my attention on him."
But the 28-year-old woman now faces an unanticipated dilemma. She must deploy to Afghanistan in a few months, and has no one to care for Trooper.
Finding long-term foster homes for military pets is a common problem for service members without close family or friends. There are a few organizations that place the pets into homes. But some of the animals are given up for adoption, abandoned or taken to shelters -- where, in some cases, they don't make it out alive.
As Babcock prepares for a year of nation building and possible combat, she is desperately trying to find a foster home for Trooper. She is one of about 3,000 New York Army and Air National Guardsmen who will be sent to Afghanistan and Iraq in 2012. The New York National Guard has heard anecdotally about pet care problems, but has no program to address them.
The issue becomes more pronounced near military bases.
Fort Drum near Watertown, the home of the Army's 10th Mountain Division, sees a spike in stray animals when units are getting ready to deploy or soldiers change stations, according to reports. The Jefferson County SPCA took in 180 unclaimed animals from the military base in just six months in 2009.
Sgt. Heidi Dougherty a Fort Drum soldier in Afghanistan tried to get her chihuahua mix a foster home. Her friend in Virginia agreed to care for the pet, but because it didn't get along with her dog, the friend had to give it up.
"I was absolutely heartbroken," Dougherty said. "I do not have contact with the family who has Zeus. But I hope everyday that he is doing well."
The Animal Protective Foundation in Scotia is near the Stratton Air National Guard base. It gets two to three pets a year from airmen or soldiers who have no other option but to surrender their animals, spokeswoman Marguerite Pearson said. The shelter works to find homes for the pets and does not place a time limit on the stays as long as the animals remain healthy and good-tempered.
NetPets is a South Carolina-based organization founded by ex-New Yorker Steve Albin two days after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. It hooks up military personnel with volunteers who provide foster homes for pets. The free service has placed more than 18,000 pets in temporary homes nationwide, or about 1,800 a year.
Albin formed NetPets after hearing that some 25,000 pets that belonged to military service members were put down during the Desert Storm conflict of 1991. The pet owners had no choices but to give up their animals, Albin said. "Pets were put to sleep," he said. "In order to serve and protect, you have to kill your best buddy?"
To qualify for a NetPets home, dogs must be micro-chipped, spayed or neutered and have graduated with multiple training certifications. Military pet owners are responsible for costs of food, veterinary care, grooming, etc.
Many military personnel love their animals like family, and having to separate with them can be gut-wrenching, said Adam Goldfarb of the Humane Society of the U.S. "It's got to be a major emotional blow, especially when you're likely to leave the country for what, at a minimum, is an extremely stressful situation," he said.
Bernadette House of Albany struggled to leave her six cats in 2008, when the Army Reserves mobilized her to San Antonio for a year.
"It's really hard to find someone you trust your animals with," she said. House hired a cat sitter for one week a month, and her brother lived in her home the rest of the time. Two of her cats died from natural causes by the time she had returned.
Potential foster home providers often worry about getting attached to a dog, said Babcock, who brings Trooper with her almost everywhere on weekends. The 65-pound dog is white with brown and black spots and was remarkably calm Saturday. He's neutered and has taken numerous training courses.
Babcock comes from a military family from North Carolina. She joined the active Army at age 19 and came to the Capital Region in 2002. She volunteers with Out of the Pits, an organization dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of pit bulls. The fact that Trooper is a pit bull makes it harder to find long-term foster care because of the negative attention the breed has received, she said. Anyone interested in fostering Trooper may contact Babcock by email at email@example.com.
Babcock seems more concerned about Trooper having a home than her own mission. But she tries not to think about it.
"I don't want to lose a lot of sleep," she said. "He's my baby."
Reach Dennis Yusko at 454-5353 or email@example.com.


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Will Hussey's form last past the end of this series? Should he have retired from test cricket?
It seems to me that most of Hussey's runs in this series were off the spin of Swann or the trip of Finn. I think it is no coincidence that once Finn was dropped Hussey's form dropped off significantly in this series.


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Visit the forum if you have a language query!
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Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead, that is where your future lies.Ann Landers
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text:
Model #SGN-230
|List Price:
|Our Price:
General Description
We're committed to exceeding your expectations:
- Found it for less? We'll match the price
- 25-Year or Limited Lifetime Warranty
Our customers come first — we guarantee it!
One-piece top with steel corner gussets improve appearance and strength. Easy-to grasp recessed pulls that provide a sleek stylish look but these handles will never loosen or come off.
Accepts side-to-side filing of letter or legal files; front-to-back filing of letter or legal files can be made accomplished with purchase of optional rails.
- Manufacturer:
Global Furniture
Global's stated mission is to manufacture world-class products at middle-line cost. That goal is realized with a wide range of beautiful office furniture including file cabinets, desks, conference tables, executive chairs and guest furniture.
- Width:
- 30 in.
- Depth:
- 18 in.
- Height:
- 27.125 in.
- Weight:
- 103 lbs.
- Configuration:
Lateral file cabinets have horizintal drawers in which files are sometimes stored from side-to-side and sometimes front-to-back.
- Filling Type:
- Letter and Legal
- Green
- GreenGuard
- Number of Drawers:
- 2
- Warranty:
- Limited Lifetime
- Certified Green
- This item is a custom item and therefore orders are non-cancelable and not returnable.
- Cam locks.
- Full-extension, 3-stage ball bearing drawer suspension.
- Leveling glides.
- Ships fully assembled.
- Durable environmentally friendly paint finish.
- Lifetime Coverage: Our Limited Lifetime Warranty guarantees many years of use and enjoyment.
Note: Non-Quickship items are custom-made and are therefore non-cancelable and not returnable.
Indoor air quality certified
Hertz Furniture is proud to accept the "Outstanding Dealer Award" from Global Industries. Global acknowledges Hertz Furniture's success in satisfying customers with a wide range of top-quality furniture.
We're committed to exceeding your expectations:
- Found it for less? We'll match the price
- 15-Year or Limited Lifetime Warranty
Our customers come first — we guarantee it!
Shipping & Assembly
Full Pull Lateral Letter Legal File Cabinet -2 Drawer
|List Price:
|Our Price:
Product Family
This product is a part of Full-Pull Lateral File Cabinet by Global
There are 12 products in the family


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Today I have some new custom fashion illustrations to share, the first client being the lovely Sunny Hostin, CNN Legal Analyst, host and mom! Sunny commissioned a custom illustration to be used on personal correspondence cards. She told me she absolutely loved the finished sketch and promptly ordered it printed on personal notecards. Within just a week or so one of her friends reached out to me for one of her own, which I'm actually finishing up this weekend.
Fashion blogger Veronica Parga saw the custom illustrations I created for Love Gold and was eager to order one of her own to be used in her blog revamp and social media. Coincidently Sunny and Veronica chose the similar poses but the overall style couldn't be more different. Sunny is cheerful and light in a beach-chic coral printed caftan and Veronica is sultry rocking a glam-girl cheetah print jumpsuit and bold fuchsia pink lip.
For more examples and information on my custom illustrations check out the custom listings in my Brooklit Etsy shop and contact me for artwork usage rates.


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This week my colleague at NBC San Diego, Rory Devine reported on a new study describing where U.S. students rank in math proficiency. The final analysis of the report puts U.S. kids at "shockingly below."
According to the study most states in the United States rank closer to developing countries that developed countries. So, given these results, can the United States continue to be a world leader in science and technology?
One local elementary school principal says her school's second graders are already learning the basics of algebraic reasoning.
"They're getting this really good, solid understanding of what the relationship between numbers really is. It's going to help them later on when they have to have high level math."
Meanwhile a report out of Harvard shows the U.S. ranks 31st out of 56 countries with only 6 percent of all American high school students in both private and public schools having advanced math skills. It's even worse for California students with only 4.5 percent having advanced math skills.
The Principal's reaction? "My first reaction is what a pity. But then I think of places like Silicon Valley and all these other really inventive places all over the U.S so we can't possibly be doing such a horrible job in math that we aren't creating all these beautiful engineers."
The study does note that casual observers may be surprised by the findings, also noting that previous studies are much more optimistic.
But it concludes just as major policy initiatives need to focus on the needs of low performing students, they also need to focus on what one coalition calls the best and brightest.


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Mario Kart 7 online features detailed, classic tracks teased
Nintendo outlined the online, StreetPass, and SpotPass features for Mario Kart 7 today, along with teasing some of the new and classic courses for the kart racer.
Mario Kart has been a consistent hit for Nintendo's various platforms, and the company is hoping to replicate that success with the upcoming Mario Kart 7. Today Nintendo released new details on the latest kart racer, including new info on the online multiplayer, and StreetPass and SpotPass features.
You can race using the local wireless or a wifi connection, and Nintendo has added a Community feature to let players create groups. You can set specific rules to customize your racing preferences, and then share your community with others using the StreetPass. The StreetPass and SpotPass features will let you trade racing scores, win/loss records, coins, and ghost data. Community leaderboards are being included as well, and you can set up a 3DS Mario Kart Channel to keep up with all the latest news.
The game will support gyro controls for steering, and even a first-person perspective for those who prefer a more realistic experience while playing a game with rocket-powered turtle shells.
Mario Kart always slips in several legacy courses alongside the new ones, and this edition will follow the lead of its DS and Wii counterparts by offering an even split of 16 new courses and 16 retro courses. Some new courses take place on Wuhu Island from Wii Sports Resort, and Retro Studios has made a course set in the jungles of Donkey Kong Country Returns. The classics include Luigi's Mansion from Mario Kart DS and Koopa Beach from Mario Kart 64.
If you want to amuse yourself until the game comes out, try explaining to your non-gaming relatives why Mario Kart 7 is coming out almost 15 years after Mario Kart 64, and watch their eyes roll back in their heads. The game is due December 4.
Steve Watts posted a new article, Mario Kart 7 online features detailed, classic tracks teased.
Nintendo outlined the online, StreetPass, and SpotPass features for Mario Kart 7 today, along with teasing some of the new and classic courses for the kart racer.