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HBR/McKinsey M-Prize: Leaders Everywhere Challenge
Challenge Begins
First Round Deadline
Final Round Deadline
M-Prize Challenge
Challenge Winners
We are delighted to announce the winners of the Leaders Everywhere Challenge, the second leg of this year's HBR/McKinsey M-Prize for Management Innovation. We owe a huge debt to all of the management mavericks out there with the courage, ingenuity, and sheer grit to take on the status quo—and the generosity to share what they've learned in the process. Thank you all!
The winners of the Leaders Everywhere Challenge (in alphabetical order):
Biggest-ever day of collective action to improve healthcare that started with a tweet
Story by Helen Bevan, Damian Roland, Jackie Lynton, Pollyanna Jones
A truly inspirational account of collective action across the world's largest health system (and fifth largest employer), England's National Health Service (NHS), with the goal of improving patient care. A battle plan for starting a social movement—energizing radicals, unleashing leaders, connecting far-flung actors—inside a hierarchical system.
Using Micro-Learning to Boost Influence Skills in Emergent Leaders
Story by Mark Clare
A recipe for turning an abstract leadership curriculum into sustainable behavior change and a refreshing practical perspective on what it means to exert influence when you are not in charge.
Reweaving Corporate DNA: Building a Culture of Design Thinking at Citrix
Story by Catherine Courage
A remarkable case study of building a culture of innovation and leadership across a global organization by equipping and energizing people with 21st-century leadership skills—curiosity, a bias toward action and experimentation, the ability to collaborate across boundaries.
Teaming at GE Aviation
Story by Rasheedah Jones
A powerful, path-breaking approach to self-directed work and participative management. This detailed case study unpacks both the mechanics and the human element of syndicating leadership in a complex manufacturing environment—and scaling that model globally.
A Tale of Two Captains: Making the Case for the Universal Applicability of Leaders Everywhere
Story by Charlie Kim and David Marquet
Interwoven narratives of embedding leadership as a core organizational capability in two very different settings—a nuclear powered submarine and an Internet startup. Packed with granular detail, replicable approaches and deep lessons, this story makes the case for a considered, comprehensive approach to distributing leadership.
Don't remove their igloos!
Story by Peter King, Juanita Cardoza, and Carlos Largacha-Martinez
An entertaining and engaging story of building a highly adaptable, high-growth organization on the foundation of unrestricted confidence in every employee's potential, unrestricted freedom to contribute, and unconditional trust—the kind of culture that switches on the next generation of leaders and leads to remarkable results.
The 4-Hat Hack: How a micro change in your employee portal can yield mega results in Leadership
Hack by Joel Modestus
A bold yet practical hack of the typical company social network to unearth, cultivate, recognize and reward leaders and leadership—wherever it resides in the organization. A straightforward, shovel-ready experiment in expanding an organization's leadership capacity.
Rap a Tap, Tap Tap, Join TITAN and you are the leader
Story by Lalgudi Ramanathan Natarajan and Sumant Sood
An ambitious and wide-ranging approach to creating multiple channels for leadership development, featuring a clever portfolio of approaches for maximizing mobility, growth, and impact from the shop floor to the management ranks.
Who do people report to here?
Story by Richard Sheridan
A truly progressive story of replacing hierarchy with a team of highly-committed, trusting, and accountable colleagues. Menlo Innovation's totally original design for work yields a vibrant, intense, deeply human environment where nobody—and everybody—is the boss.
Challenge Finalists
Meet the eighteen finalists of the Leaders Everywhere Challenge, the second leg of the Harvard Business Review/McKinsey M-Prize for Management Innovation—a robust collection of real-world case studies and courageous experiments in rethinking the work of leadership, redistributing power, and unleashing 21st century leadership skills. Here they are in alphabetical order:
Story by Helen Bevan, Damian Roland, Jackie Lynton, Pollyanna Jones
Story by Mark Clare
Story by Catherine Courage
Story by Rasheedah Jones
Hack by Monique Jordan
Hack by Timothy Kane
Story by Charlie Kim and David Marquet
Story by Peter King, Juanita Cardoza, and Carlos Largacha-Martinez
Story by Mike Derheim
Story by Valerie Martens
Story by Lalgudi Ramanathan Natarajan and Sumant Sood
Story by Stephen Remedios
Story by Kevin Rosenquist
Story by Marcus Ryu
Story by Richard Sheridan
Hack by Max Shkud and Bill Veltrop
Hack by Kim Spinder
Challenge Brief
Never before has leadership been so critical, and never before has it seemed in such short supply. It takes extraordinary leadership to keep an organization relevant in a world of relentless change. It takes extraordinary leadership to navigate the complexities of global supply chains, industry ecosystems, and labyrinthine regulation. And it takes extraordinary leadership to unleash the human capabilities—initiative, imagination and passion—that fuel success in the "creative economy."
Yet for the all the effort that is put into selecting, training and assessing leaders, there still seems to be a dearth of truly top-level executive talent. Hyperkinetic change has a way of turning today's iconic leaders into tomorrow's bewildered bureaucrats.
When leaders come up short, as they often do, the problem may have less to do with them as individuals than with the top-down structures in which they operate. In most organizations, the responsibility for setting direction, developing strategy and allocating resources is highly centralized. Maybe that mattered less in a world where change was better behaved, but today, senior management's monopoly on "strategic leadership" can rapidly turn a leader into a laggard.
Get up and running with the Leaders Everywhere Cheatsheet
Beyond these structural limits are cognitive limits. Even the most malleable minds can only attend to so much. With 25 billion gigabits of digital information getting created every day, each of us is becoming ignorant faster. Senior executives have limited time and attention. A problem or an opportunity has to be big to elbow its way into a CEO's consciousness—and by the time it does, it's often too late for the organization to intercept the future.
That doesn't mean we should lower our standards when searching for C-suite executives. It does mean we should be working a lot harder to unleash the leadership talents of everyone else. Put simply, a pyramidal organization demands too much of too few, and squanders the leadership talents of those who don't have leadership "roles."
In the future, a company that strives to build a leadership advantage will need an organizational model that gives everyone the chance to lead if they're capable; and a talent development model that helps everyone to become capable.
So what does it take to dramatically enlarge the leadership capacity of an organization? Two things, we think:
- First, you have to redistribute power in a way that gives many more individuals the opportunity to lead.
- Second, you have to equip and energize individuals to lead even when they lack formal authority.
These two challenges are at the heart of the Leaders Everywhere Challenge.
What are some of the ways an organization might broaden its internal leadership franchise? Several leverage points come to mind. A company could ...
- Break big units into smaller units, thereby creating more opportunities for individuals to become full-fledged business leaders.
- Support the formation of informal teams and "self-organizing" communities where "natural leaders" get the chance to shine.
- Push down P&L responsibility and give lower level employees a lot more decision-making autonomy.
- Syndicate the work of executive leadership by opening up the strategic planning and budgeting processes to everyone in the organization.
- Use peer-based review and compensation systems to identify and reward leadership wherever it occurs.
- Systematically de-emphasize the formal hierarchy in favor of more fluid, project-based structures.
- Work to legitimize the notion of "bottom-up" leadership through communication and recognition systems.
- Distribute the work of critical staff functions by giving associates at all levels the opportunity to help reengineer core management systems and processes.
- Hold leaders responsible for increasing the stock of "leadership capital" within their organizations through coaching and delegation.
- And perhaps most importantly, systematically train individuals in the art and science of "leading without power." [*Read more here]
So now it's up to you. What is your organization doing to build its leadership advantage? How is it working to escape the limits of top-down power structures? What is it doing to equip and energize individuals to exercise their leadership gifts, wherever they are in the organization? How is it nurturing the sort of leaders others will want to follow in a post-bureaucratic world? And what are you doing to strengthen your own leadership capacity?
Submit a Hack (a disruptive idea, radical fix, or experimental design) or a Story (a real-world case study of a single practice, an initiative, or a broad-based transformation) on the subject of how organizations and leaders have tackled (or could tackle) two urgent challenges: 1) redistributing power in a way that gives many more individuals an opportunity to lead, and 2) equipping and energizing people to lead even when they lack formal authority.
Participation is open to any registered member of the MIX. Join here.
MIXers may (and are encouraged to) team up to co-author submissions. To work collaboratively, one MIX member needs to start a Story or Hack and then add other MIX members as participants by entering their names in the co-author field. All listed authors will have edit access to the Story or Hack.
Submissions may draw on secondary source materials but should be based primarily on first-hand experience or an original idea. In every case, be sure to credit all those who contributed to your story or hack and provide citations to external reference material.
The Leaders Everywhere Challenge will unfold in two stages: a preliminary submission phase ending July 14, 2013 and a final round for the finalist teams ending August 30, 2013.
All entries will be judged by our panel of leading management thinkers and progressive practitioners, including:
- DeLisa Alexander - EVP & Chief People Officer, Red Hat, Inc.
- Gary Hamel - Co-founder of the MIX
- Richard Lyons - Dean, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley
- Carmen Medina - Specialist Leader, Deloitte Consulting, Former Director, Center for the Study of Intelligence, CIA
- Diego Rodriguez - Partner, IDEO, Founding Professor, Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, Stanford (d.school)
Winners will receive significant recognition as management innovators on the MIX, Harvard Business Review and HBR.org, the McKinsey Quarterly and McKinseyQuarterly.com. Winners will also earn the chance to appear at future live events hosted by the MIX and its partners.


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Department of Homeland Security cologne? A USB-powered toaster? Sure, these things don't actually exist, but this holiday season, go ahead and make your friends, family and new acquaintances at the TSA believe that they do. Satirical news site The Onion is offering a series of decoy gift boxes ranging from the items mentioned above to portable pet-feeding system designed like an iHome. Even though the box will still contain whatever last-minute gift you grabbed at the airport newsstand, it's what's on the outside that counts in this case, a few fleeting moments of holiday cheer.
Price: $7.99, or $37.99 for an assortment of six, at The Onion

subset: commoncrawl


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I'd love to share the red beans and rice recipe, but it's not there yet. I added too much tomato to the mix, making it too acidic. It was definitely edible, but it just wasn't up to the level of wow-I've-died-and-gone-to-food-heaven I was aiming for. Especially given the amount of time that went into it. And the fact that I used up all the rest of the delicious pickled pork Mike made a few weeks ago. Oh well.
Another disappointment this week was the photos of the savory French toast. Not pretty. Not appetizing. It's getting darker in the evening, so the natural light that makes photos gorgeous is fading, and I don't yet know how to compensate (if anyone has some tips, please share). So I deleted all my toast photos. Here are some photos of a stunning sunset we had a few days ago instead. Some of these look unreal.
Although things didn't work out perfectly on the cooking front this week, I am proud to say we didn't have to resort to picking up dinner from Chipotle (our go-to fast food restaurant because of their efforts to use ingredients that are as sustainable and local as possible). Don't get me wrong, I love their bowls, but it feels good to be the one who creates the food that goes on the table, you know?
I also came across several good articles to share:
- I read this article about boiled cider from The Washington Post a couple of weeks ago and tried the accompanying recipe. It took all day to reduce the cider, but it was so worth it. I have this delicious syrup that I have been using to sweeten our morning oatmeal, and I also added some to the red beans and rice. It's so sweet and intense; it's like a sunrise explosion of sweet apple in your mouth. I am almost out and plan to make more this weekend. Another plus is that making it gives the house that fall smell of warm cider.
- Here's a story about a family from Arizona that pledged to buy 100 percent local for an entire year. I come across stories like this from time to time where someone forgoes something entirely for a year or however long, and I have to admit I couldn't do that. I don't want to. I prefer to take a more evolutionary approach path to locavorism and sustainability by replacing, eliminating, or changing one thing at a time. It's what I can do. Still, these stories provide inspiration as well as ideas for what I could do better.
- Came across this story about a man who created his own bread starter, from which all his loaves of bread derive. I have tried making sourdough once--it was not a success--but I look forward to trying again some day.
- On the farming and sustainability front, the Agronomy Journal published results from the first long-term, large-scale study of the economic feasibility of organic farming versus industrial farming. As it happens, organic farming is profitable in the long term. These kinds of results are really starting to break down old arguments that industrial methods are the only economically viable methods. Think about these results in combination with the United Nations' study's findings Civil Eats reports that indicate organic farming is a viable method for feeding everyone on the planet, and toxic status-quo industrial methods start to look increasingly out of touch.
- Having grown up in Sweden where the potato is nearly as fundamental to the diet as rice is in China, this report from Marcus Samuelsson's website that the USDA plans to take potatoes off the menu just pissed me off. Writer Dylan Rodgers was none too pleased either and explains the importance of the potato throughout history.
- In contrast, this story about the pawpaw from NPR made me very happy. The pawpaw is a native fruit. Mike and I hunted for them last year to try them, but we were too late. We found a location with a whole bunch of pawpaw trees, but most were down by the time we saw them. I am just excited that someone is paying attention to a homegrown fruit. Wonder if a wander in the woods is in the cards for me?
So that's the article round-up for this week. And here's that recipe for a savory version of French toast I promised:
- 8 slices bread
- 1 cup half and half or cream
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup grated cheese (Cheddar or Parmigiano Reggiano)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground pepper
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- butter (for the skillet)
- Place bread slices in a glass baking pan
- Whisk together half and half, eggs, cheese, salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme. Pour the mixture over the bread in the pan. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes, but you can also start it the night before. (Flip the bread slices at least once to make sure both sides get a good soaking.)
- When ready to cook, take the bread slices out of the baking pan and let them dry off for a few minutes on a baking rack while you melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- When the butter starts to sizzle and brown a little, place two slices in the pan. Let each side cook until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes) and remove from the heat (keep them warm in an oven heated to 275 degrees Fahrenheit while you do the next batches). Start each batch with a new pat of butter or else they will stick to the pan a lot.
- Serve with caramelized onions and bacon (if you like). You can also add a tiny drizzle of the apple syrup I talked about up above. It's mighty good and makes a nice, simple breakfast for dinner.


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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Academic Publishing: Two Views
Image credit
1 comment:
- Alfred Brophy said...
Thanks for this, Dan. Very helpful and sobering discussion.
I'm sure we're headed for fewer monographs; the market won't support the current levels, I fear. But I'm not sure that the print runs of those lucky enough to see the light of day will be tiny--the economies of scale counsel in favor of decent print runs. That is, a print run of 200 is about the same cost as a print run of 1000.
What I've been wondering about is whether law books will continue their (relative) popularity. My sense (this may be wrong) is that academic law books do a little bit better than monographs in some other fields, perhaps because there's a slightly larger audience in academic libraries for them. That is, law libraries may buy some copies, as well as major academic libraries. This slight advantage (if indeed it exists) may be rapidly disappearing, as law school budgets shrink, along with everyone else's.
- June 23, 2009 at 6:29:00 PM EDT


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Don't be intimidated by the idea of going gluten-free, says Vancouver holistic nutritionist and culinary instructor Andrea Potter, who teaches cooking classes at Rooted Nutrition.
Gluten is a protein that has a binding property in baked goods, Potter says. It therefore acts as a 'glue' and traps air bubbles to make things rise. It also holds things together, so baked goods with gluten are generally less crumbly than gluten-free products.
Make sure you understand a bit about the chemistry of gluten-free cooking and baking, and you'll get great results.


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From devoted reader Stacy Moses
1 tablespoon parsley, minced
5 tablespoons margarine. melted
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
8 ears of corn, cut in half
Mix margarine, parsley and chili powder. Coat corn with this mixture and roast 40 minutes to 1 hr. (or until done) at 400 degrees, turning once (or often).


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In January of 1969, an oil well below the ocean floor off the coast of Santa Barbara ruptured, releasing millions of gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean. The slick spread over hundreds of miles and devastated the California coastline. This event is largely credited as the inspiration behind the first Earth Day on April 22nd, 1970.
Historically, textiles have always been a major source of pollution, especially in developing countries. In an effort to be more conscious of our carbon footprint, Classic Elite Yarns introduced the Verde Collection in Spring 2009 with Allegoro, Chesapeake, Solstice, and Sprout followed with Woodland and Katydid in 2010. This spring, Seedling became the newest member of the Verde family.
All the above yarns include organic cotton or have an environmentally friendly component. Allegoro and Katydid are made at a facility that meets the standards for GOTS certification. This means the processes used to produce them, from harvesting to milling to labelling, are fully certified under Global Organic Textile Standards. No harmful substances are used and all manufacturing processes are environmentally responsible, including the use of natural predators instead of harmful pesticides. Furthermore, all materials used to present these yarns, right down to the labels made from recycled paper, are environmentally friendly.
In celebration of this year's Earth Day and our day-to-day collective efforts to protect our planet, we are pleased to offer a collection of patterns using yarns from our Verde Collection.


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This page provides links to several writing rubrics currently used by Colby faculty. The first, developed largely by Professor Laurie Osborne, is the English department's statement on excellent college writing. The second is a rubric provided by Associate Professor Laura Saltz, director of the American Studies Program; the third comes from Assistant Professor Elizabeth LaCouture of the East Asian Studies Department; and the fourth is the rubric developed by Professor Michael Burke for the faculty writing assessment of essays written by incoming, first-year students. Laura Saltz's rubric was originally developed by the Harvard Writing Center and Elizabeth LaCouture adopted hers from the Princeton University history department. To see these rubrics, click on the links below.
Associate Professor Laura Saltz Rubric
Assistant Professor Elizabeth LaCouture Rubric


text: Hello everyone. I have a question for the videophiles in the room. I'm looking to get a new blu-ray player and I'm thinking about a sound system as well. Someone told me to go with a HTIB because usually it's cheaper, and believe me I am cheap. However I've also been told that's it's a waste of money and I'm better off getting everything separate for about the same I would spend on an HTIB. Has anyone had any experience with these or any recommendations? Any help would be much appreciated!


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The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life
The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life By James Martin, S.J. (HarperOne, 2010)
"Who is St. Ignatius Loyola, what is a Jesuit, and why should you care?" Concise, factual answers to the first two questions can be readily found in James Martin's book, but it's his consideration of the third that provides the heft for this guide to all things Jesuit.
Ignatian spirituality always has been intended not just for Jesuits but for the widest possible audience, writes Martin, a Jesuit priest, bestselling author, and culture editor of America magazine.
Drawing upon the wisdom of Jesuit saints, contemporary Jesuits such as Pedro Arrupe and Anthony de Mello, and his own community members and spiritual directors, Martin shows how Ignatian spirituality sheds light on everything from friendship to living simply to sexuality.
The wisdom of St. Ignatius can be especially helpful in making important life decisions about things like relationships and careers. Martin provides a spiritual backdrop and practical strategies for faith-filled decision-making. Good discernment includes identifying one's deepest desires, he explains, but also should factor in the reality of one's situation: talents, needs, interests, and circumstances. The latter should be seen as God's fingerprints just as much as the former, Martin says.
Prayerful imagination plays an important role in Ignatian methods of discernment, and Martin shows a variety of ways to incorporate it into one's decision-making. For example, St. Ignatius suggests imagining a person whom you do not know, then imagining what advice you would give this person regarding the same decision you are facing.
Readers interested in trying out Ignatian traditions of prayer will enjoy Martin's step-by-step explanations, particularly his walk-through of the examen, a simple, five-step prayer that is usually prayed in the evening as a way to review one's day.
Martin's personal stories of great insights from his many mentors could be a bit hard to relate to for a layperson without the resources for all that spiritual direction. Still, he is an engaging writer and successfully shares the wisdom of Jesuits past and present with many accessible stories and a healthy dose of good cheer.
This article appeared in the June 2010 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 75, No. 6, page 43).


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Classic Streamliners - TRAINCYCLOPEDIA
Purchases through our Merchant Links and Store help to defray the costs of operating the non-profit Classic Streamliners website, and at no additional cost to you. All of the staff at Classic Streamliners are unpaid volunteers who have all devoted thousands of hours of their own time to bring the site into fruition. We would like to sincerely thank all those who have already helped support this worthy cause. For more information click HERE.
Text: wikipedia.org. Images: Public Domain; http://www.commons.wikimedia.org (unless otherwise specified) and 17 U.S. Code § 107 fair use. References: Lewis, Robert G. The Handbook of American Railroads. New York: Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, 1951, 2nd Edition 1956. Site Map Contact webmaster HERE.


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'Celebrity Apprentice' receptionist joins EW's InsideTV Podcast
Donald Trump has been known to be prone to exaggeration, but I am not exaggerating in the least when I say that this week's edition of the InsideTV Podcast is THE BEST PODCAST IN THE HISTORY OF PODCASTS! Why? Because our guest is none other than Celebrity Apprentice boardroom receptionist Amanda Miller! The beauty outside the boardroom stopped by to join Jessica Shaw and me and answer the most important questions on every viewer's mind: Why the hell doesn't she have a damn computer on her desk? What is she writing in that little notebook of hers? And is she having a secret love affair with Adrian the elevator operator? The truth finally comes out! (Including the truth as to what Amanda does for work when she is not on the show.)
We also ask Amanda to dish on all the celebrities that have come through her reception area on the way to see Trump. Who's her favorite contestant ever? Which celebrities have tried to hit on her? And is she maybe just a little bit scared of Lisa Lampanelli? The charming and delightful Amanda answers all in what is truly a must-listen interview for any Celebrity Apprentice fan!
To join in on the fun, just click on the audio player icon below. Or, since we're on iTunes, you can subscribe for free and take the podcast with you. No iTunes? No problem. You can also download the entire podcast right here. And to send a question to the InsideTV Podcast team, follow us on Twitter @InsideTVPodcast. But first let us know what you think: Should Amanda get more screen time (or a computer at the very least)? And are you a little bit scared of Lisa Lampanelli? The message boards are open for business!


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Botanical and Cultural Images of Eastern Asia, 1907-1927
China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan
"A good set of photographs are really about as important as anything you can bring back with you."
— Charles Sargent to Ernest Henry Wilson, December 1906
The Arnold Arboretum's collection of eastern Asian photographs represents the work of intrepid plant explorers who traveled to exotic lands in the early years of the twentieth century and returned to the Arboretum with not only seeds, live plants, and dried herbarium specimens, but also with remarkable images of plants, people, and landscapes.
We invite all armchair travelers who have become desktop explorers to visit early twentieth century Asia through the archival images of our earliest plant collectors.
Meet the Explorers
|John George Jack was an educator who also explored and photographed the forest preserves and activities of the lumbering industry in Japan, as well as the forests of Taiwan and Korea.
|Ernest Henry Wilson visited dozens of countries, collected thousands of plant specimens (cuttings and seeds), and took thousands of incredible photographs which are available to view online.
|Frank Nicholas Meyer worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and through an arrangement made between Charles Sargent and David Fairchild of the USDA, sent the Arnold Arboretum plant specimens along with more 1300 photographs of plants and landscapes.
|William Purdom provides a rich ethnographic record of the people from Tibetan border region. He was interested in the anthropological and ethnographical aspects of the regions he visited, and took many shots of the people he encountered, documenting their dress and hairstyles.
|Joseph Hers was an interpreter for the Belgium Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Chengchow, and was superbly situated to collect and photograph rare plants endemic to that region.
|Joseph Francis Charles Rock took numerous photographs and, independently, studied the cultures and languages of the local tribes. Rock explored, photographed, and collected plants in Asia for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Geographic Society, the Arnold Arboretum, among others.
See what they saw
BuildingsPagodas, Shrines, Temples, and Bridges
Magnificent TreesErnest Wilson's photographs of Eastern Asia
Daily LifeBaskets, Food, People, Work
LandscapesBoats, Farms, Rivers, Villages


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By Karin Calloway
Related Menus
Spinach Salad with Bacon-Wrapped Scallops and Sweet Bacon Vinaigrette
I've always been a fan of the wilted salads made of iceberg lettuce and warm sweet and sour dressing. The retro salad was a way to dress up mundane iceberg for family dinners at my house in the 60s. Wilted spinach salads are a more elegant rendition of the classic, and my Spinach Salad with Bacon-Wrapped Scallops and Sweet Bacon Vinaigrette brings the salad into the new millennium.
The vinaigrette begins by cooking thick-cut bacon slices until they're still pliable. The bacon is used to wrap sweet sea scallops, and some of the bacon drippings will flavor the vinaigrette. Thinly sliced red onion is sautéed in the reserved bacon drippings until wilted and slightly caramelized, making a more mellow presence than the traditional chopped red onion garnish.
The scallops are oven-seared, and are made flavorful with a hint of Teriyaki baste and glaze, a product you'll find in the Asian ingredients section of most supermarkets. Any Asian-inspired thick soy-based glaze can be used.
The combination of the spinach tossed in the warm Sweet Bacon Vinaigrette and the sweet and salty Bacon-Wrapped Scallops make this salad company-worthy. Serve as the first course for a spring dinner party, or as a lovely spring luncheon salad.
Sweet Bacon Vinaigrette
Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Spinach Salad
Makes 6 servings.


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Bernanke Faces Opposition on Inflation Record
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was forced to vigorously defend his inflation record in day one of his two-day testimony to Congress. WSJ's Jon Hilsenrath joins The News Hub with a recap of the most important takeaways from the testimony.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the the ... lanky tall roasted in the Senate Banking is inflation I call it will have back and mall ... right here right now on the New Saab good afternoon and welcome I'm Simon Constable Paul things go pretty heated on the Hill today take a look at this exchange ... biggest ... Vicki Wilson's War works do not think that something you're rather proud of ... none of the things you said or ... directory ... for example um oh yes they are ... joining me now to discuss that with a Wall Street dolls Chief Economics correspondent on OLAF joining us from ... Washington a Sandy ... jux now a separate Berners fireworks ... said ... for most of the fat man on the lame opening fire ELX ... aam was passed in November nineteen so aam this was pretty interesting I mean did dovish or not what he think ... I would certainly has been that it has been done this since the financial crisis that I don't think ... I don't see how you can argue against that given their three trillion dollar balance sheet zero interest rates ... I did what we saw with Senator Corker going after him is basically the new world that the Fed lives and ... before the financial crisis ... you know basically ... everybody GFI Alan Greenspan and no one ever doubted or question him when ever burn Anqi goes to hell now he's going again tomorrow ... he's going to be up against it ... you know serious questions from one side of the aisle or another ... no it's actually worth noting that it was just Republicans and one African today ... I'm your sense of Democrats going after one too big to fail ... while ... so what one other things that everyone in in in the investing world is interesting is no longer know how much longer can we expect the money printing to continue at the Beatrice that the bank ... well he did address it to the extent that people were worried investors were worried that the Fed was about to stop ... he made very clear that they're not about the stock has been a lot of talk in the markets ... we just wrote a big story last week ... about the risks of financial stability you know whether the Fed might start getting worried ... that all this money popping that they're doing is causing markets to overheat ... yet basically what Draghi did today was he said are watching this very carefully ... but at this point the risks are not serious enough for him to get into the stock easy awful skin and ... so ... so the importance of this is that there's a meeting coming up the Fed's next meeting is marked nineteenth or twentieth ... I think it's very clear that the Fed is not taking its foot off the gas pedal that the ... market now one of the of things that we've all been talking about here is the sequester which is the of the bigger cuts and spending a mandatory cuts ... what impact did he say that would have on the economy ... brekkie has been saying ... the same thing for a couple of years now which is that ... when Congress in the White House ... plan out their budgets they have to avoid ... pulling back cutting back on deficits to aggressively in the short run ... but yet to come up with a real long term plans to deal ... with the story and our budget deficits ... basically what Congress is doing is just the opposite are cutting back aggressively in the short run ... Draghi said in a new CBO estimates to stay that doubt ... in the economy is barely growing at this quest years or we could ... get out one a half percentage points of ROE ... chop da for growth this year ... I'll what are cutting back growth in the Showground of doing nothing to look long run deficits and the Fed in Burbank and are really concerned that ... now we don't like yes the diving out of the sharp selloff in stocks and sad news of the Italian elections became apparent ... aam ... what what and what will the ... Middle East new government ... I mean a full for the US ... well you know that it says to the extent that this is gonna cause problems for Italy and cause problems for Europe and that has feedback effects ... tied to the U S economy ... yet in Europe has grown for a couple of years now and that's that's a drag on American exports ... and then there's also ... a risky it seems like every spring there's ... there's something happening in Europe which causes instability in financial markets which the Fed gets very worried about ... and so they're looking at that pretty closely to ... and I you know it's interesting that whenever that that gets worried about financial instability in Europe we we tend to get some new easing policy a few months after that ... interesting stuff thank you Brian much left later that John Hills


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December 19, 2013
Move slowly concerning relationships this week. People are a little edgy and they don't know exactly where you are coming from. Make full explanations. Don't assume that they know what's on your mind. Most of all, stay positive no matter what. Soul Affirmation: Clinging to the old will inhibit my growth this week. Lucky Numbers: 6, 8, 20
Exercise will work off some of your excess energy this week. Take a walk and remember that your world is made up of many beautiful parts. The part you are focusing on so intently this week is not your entire world. Proceed accordingly! Soul Affirmation: I celebrate with those around me. Lucky Numbers: 13, 29, 34
This week is a good week to dump any extra baggage that has been pulling you down. You have too much potential to throw away and waste your time on issues that will amount to nothing. Stay focused on your goals. Meet and spend time with people who will be able to help you reach them. Soul Affirmation: The word is in me. I bring it forth. Lucky Numbers: 7, 29, 44
This is a good week for exercising that clever mind of yours. Luck will be with you in all endeavors you start. Luck is with you always because positive outlook attracts positive vibrations. Soul Affirmation: I enjoy looking at the road of life sweeping just in front of me. Lucky Numbers: 30, 41, 54,
Your careless ways with money are going to be apparent this week. Financial mistakes you've made in the past will be especially painful. Don't conceal the pain from yourself. It is a warning that you should take steps to prevent future financial crisis. Soul Affirmation: I let my friendships guide my way. Lucky Numbers: 5, 22, 35
Take advantage of the great weather and spend time outdoors enjoying and relaxing with Mother Nature. Learn a new sport, and spend time with family and friends. Don't take travel matters into your own hands. Seek a professional who will be able to plan a wonderful vacation for you without breaking your bank. Cook up some goodies for your loved ones. Soul Affirmation: I change who I am by changing where I am going. Lucky Numbers: 3, 20, 23
Everything seems to be moving along in a very pleasant way this week. Friends are helpful, family is supportive, even the sun seems to be shining just for you! Enjoy this harmony and count your blessings. Finish a task at work. Soul Affirmation: The slowness of my week gives me time to refresh my energy. Lucky Numbers: 12, 26, 36
The bond that you established with your spiritual side works well in your relationship with a special person. Speak of the reality of the intangible qualities of life. Your lover will understand. Keep attention on the financial matters you've been dealing with. Soul Affirmation: I obey the rules this week and avoid hassles. Lucky Numbers: 3, 8, 24
If you need some time to yourself this week, take it. You'll be doing yourself an act of kindness. Since you do so much for others, why not treat yourself as well as you treat them? Your world is the way you are living. Live with love. Soul Affirmation: I get joy from giving good things. Lucky Numbers: 19, 39, 42
Remember that exercise is a wonderful tension-reliever if things get too intense this week. A walk over your lunch hour could make all the difference in how you feel this afternoon. Love yourself and reward yourself with perfect health and happiness. Soul Affirmation: Faith keeps me calm in the storms of life. Lucky Numbers: 44, 49, 51
You've done some of your own love homework. Hopefully you've had an opportunity to learn a new way of seeing the world and in that way you've found a way of loving that is more natural for you. The combination of sexiness and joyful focus can create you a wonderful love experience. Soul Affirmation: I get joy from giving good things. Lucky Numbers: 14, 23, 37
If you want to keep your positive outlook intact, avoid gossip and those who might want to just cry the blues for no good reason. You'll be happiest this week if you keep busy and keep your opinions to yourself. However, good advice is available from an older female relative. Soul Affirmation: Love is easier than breathing. Lucky Numbers: 12, 30, 50


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The second for Real Madrid this afternoon, a total peach:
Pick'n'go, double one-two, then blooter it into the top corner. Colombian world class.
PS: Look at what CR7 did to the Malaga defender Angeleri earlier in the match. Outrageous nutmeg.
The Daily IKN email digest, get all daily posts sent to you next day (& no ads)
James Rodriguez's goal
The second for Real Madrid this afternoon, a total peach:
JGMS does Sprott Junior Gold Miners ETF (SGDJ)
The most visited IKN post this week is...
The Friday OT: Richard Burton reads Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas
Part one here. The rest follows on, thanks to the magic of Google.
Shooting geologists in Peru
We wish them a speedy recovery.
NioCorp (NB.to)
UPDATE: On-subject (so read Setty's first) JGMS landed well with "Tommy's Mommy recommends disclaimers"
Foran (FOM.v): Absolutely nothing for the BCSC to investigate here
Chart of the day is...
...the gold/silver ratio:
Amerigo (ARG.to) 1q15 production results
NR here, chart here:
This is why ARG.to is so keen on this expansion, I suppose.
Argentina is still the best investment in the whole of the Americas
Rodrigo Rato and Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Good news and bad news for five influential Latin Americans
Aura Elena Farfán, the Guatemalan human rights activist at the forefront of the movement for justice and criminal proceedings from the civil war period (mostly 1980s).
Raul Castro: Old dude in Cuba.
Jorge Ramos: Mexican born journalist and head face of Univision News.
Pope Francis: Old dude from Argentina.
Jorge Paulo Lehmann: Very very wealthy Brazilian person (Brahma beer amongst many other things).
- Kim Kardashian and Kayne West are on the same list.
- Nobody under 50 years old gives a damn about Time Magainze.
Incredible news from IAMGOLD (IMG.to) (IAG)
Incredibly, Steve Letwin is still CEO.
I can't believe it. Can you?
Today I don't have to go to the dentist
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Glencore sinks NGEx Resources (NGQ.to)
Blue horseshoe loves anacott steel and...
...Simon Ridgway loves Focus Ventures:
Is he raising on an inside straight draw? Is he representing bullets? Or is he holding nuts? You be the judge. Data from here.
Chart of the day is...
...gold, hourlies:
Slightly unusual to say about this most frustrating of metals, but I will: That's both interesting and positive.
B2Gold (BTG) (BTO.to) 1q15 production
NR here, chart here:
Great Panther Silver (GPR.to) (GPL) 1q15 production: A broken record
"...common business sense also demands that you kick out fatcat directors for doing a bad job. These richly paid wastes of time don't care as long as they get their wedge, so the only way to protect shareholder value is to run a proxy on Archer and his band of good for nothings, vote them out, ask them to be careful the door doesn't hit their asses on the way out, stop fracturing company cash into their back pockets, mothball GMC and Topia, then wait until silver prices can justify their mining before turning the lights back on."
The reason Tommy Humphreys hasn't mentioned Niocorp (NB.to) this week
- All through 2014 Niocorp (NB.to) is pumped by Tommy Humphreys. The price climbs.
- But when real news comes out, i.e. the PEA on its flagship property, we hear nothing.
Disclosure note: Author participated alongside Mr. Smith in this financing and Niocorp has recently become a client. This is not investment advice and do your own due diligence.
Chart of the day is...
...zinc 12 months, which has crept back to within spitting distance of the U$1/lb line:
And that's better than I thought it would do. Chart from Kitcometals
Dear tech hardware companies: Your batteries are pathetic
Battery That Powers Through a Full Day - With up to 25 hours of heavy use,* the BlackBerry Leap will power through even your most demanding day. The impressive 2800 mAh battery and optimization of power consumption in BlackBerry 10 gives users more than a full day of productive usage.
The Tekoa Da Silva files: Ross Beaty
Tahoe Resources (TAHO) (THO.to) on the imprisonment of Carlos Morales
Oh Tommy, say it ain't so!
UPDATE: Make that 43% down.
Toromocho: Just when it looked as though things were coming together...
Timmins Gold (TMM.to) (TGD) 1q15 production numbers
Another sticky CUM quarter, CUM volume drooping badly, CUM production mechanism blockages
Copper Mountain (CUM.to) released its 1q15 production numbers this morning:
"...mill started the year on a positive note with an average throughput of 36,000 tpd in the first half of January, but later in the quarter the mill was forced to operate at reduced throughput rates as a result of another ABB transformer failure in February on one of the ball mills and a ten day disruption with the regrind mill..."
Tahoe Resources (TAHO) (THO.to) mine manager jailed for the mine's polluting of a river
1) Allow horse to bolt. 2) Close stable door.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Apr 13, 2015) - First Mining Finance Corp. (TSX VENTURE:FF) "First Mining Finance" or "the Company") announces that, in connection, with its recently completed Qualifying Transaction, it has appointed BDO Canada LLP to act as its auditor, replacing Crowe MacKay LLP.
In addition, the Company has engaged Future Money Trends, LLC ("FMT") to provide certain financial publishing and digital marketing services. In exchange for providing these services, FMT will receive an initial fee of US$30,000 and a monthly fee of US$7,000. The agreement with FMT is for a one year term and the Company has the right to cancel the agreement at any time. The Company has also agreed to issue FMT 100,000 incentive stock options in the fourth month of the term of the agreement.
The problem with Rob McEwen's NR today: He's making shit up
Basic rule of life (not just corpcoms): When in hole, stop digging.
Here's what Robbie Mac wants you to believe:
During the interview, I was asked: 'Is it a dangerous part of Mexico (at our mine site)?'"I answered: 'It hasn't been. I mean the cartels are active down there. Generally we have a good relationship with them.'"My answer was related to gaining access to properties we wish to explore (continues).But here's what really happened in the Q&A with BNN (for the record, this from IKN309 out to subscribers yesterday, because for the edition I made a point of getting what was said down on transcript):
The McEwen Mining (MUX) (MUX.to) laughshow continues
As Iwnattos correctly stated today:
And now, let's hand over to Robbie Mac for the next episode:
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Apr 13, 2015) - "Responding to numerous media reports, I want to make it perfectly clear, that neither I nor any member of McEwen Mining's (MUX.TO)(MUX.TO) management team in Canada or in Mexico have had any regular contact with, or have any relationship with, cartel members."On Thursday April 9, 2015 at 11:40 am EST I was interviewed on television by Andrew Bell of Business News Network about the recent gold theft from our El Gallo mine. During the interview, I was asked: 'Is it a dangerous part of Mexico (at our mine site)?'
"I answered: 'It hasn't been. I mean the cartels are active down there. Generally we have a good relationship with them.'"My answer was related to gaining access to properties we wish to explore. It is our policy to contact all property owners or impacted community members in an area to seek their permission and ascertain the appropriate timing to enter their properties to conduct mineral exploration. We respect their wishes as any good neighbor and responsible miner would."Unfortunately, my use of the words, 'good relationship', was careless and has created the entirely false impression with Mexican media that we have regular contact with criminal elements in their society. This is simply not true. I wish to apologize sincerely for any misunderstanding my words may have caused."I wish to acknowledge and thank the Mexican Federal and State governments, law enforcement agencies and the army for their immediate response to the theft. We will continue to cooperate with them fully.
"Most importantly, I want to thank the many employees at our El Gallo Mine in Mexico. The last week has been a trying time for our company, but particularly for those employees directly impacted. Your professionalism, understanding and support of the investigation has been nothing short of outstanding," said Rob McEwen, Chief Owner, McEwen Mining.
PS: And don't miss out on the updated info today, right here
Checking in on Timmins Gold (TMM.to) (TGD)
"A very, very stupid group of mining people. If I were a holder this morning I'd be spitting mad, as it is I can relax and watch the fallout from the sidelines."
Apparently I need to be worried about a bubble in the China stock market...
...because I've been told to worry. Frankly, this is far more interesting:
First Majestic (FR.to) (AG) 1q15 production numbers
Fortuna Silver (FSM) (FVI.to) 1q15 production
NR here, charts here.
Another quarter done.
Chart of the day is...
The IKN Weekly, out now
Stephen Hawking sings Monty Python's Galaxy Song
Which you must experience, of course:
Linko here.
Checking in on Avrupa Minerals (AVU.v)
Bottom line: The quicker you work out the "heads I win tails you lose" business model of parasite Tommy Humphreys and all those of his ilk, the better it will be for your back pocket.
How Things Work, by Gary Soto
I really like this. From here


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Kiehl's Customer Representative -
Kiehl's is an ever-growing company with an entrepreneurial spirit, dedicated to outstanding service, unique experiences, and giving back to the communities we serve. If you share our ideals, we'd love to welcome you to our family.
As a Kiehl's Customer Representative (KCR) you are the face of Kiehl's and the first point of contact with the patron. This role requires a sense of luxury as you assist the patron with finding the product or service that is perfect for them. You will be responsible for driving retail sales within your store and working as a team to hit store targets.
Master Category Knowledge
Have a full understanding of all Kiehl's products and services
Attend, engage and participate in all brand training, and implement afterwards
Monitor Icon products on a daily basis
Be aware of competitor's products and activity, communicating relevant information to line manager
Have detailed knowledge and awareness of the beauty market
Execute Business& Operations
To be fully aware and accountable for achievement of personal targets.
Complete all personal paperwork accurately, legibly and on time
Be aware of and abide by store rules and regulations
Closely monitor stock levels, following retailer guidelines, raising issues to line manager
Assists the line manager and store management team in all aspects of the business
Prepare well for launches/activity
Drive Selling Process/Techniques
Deliver luxury service at all times, inviting patrons back for a return appointment
Maximise selling during heavy traffic periods; delivering a luxury service
Make appropriate, personalised product and sample recommendations
Have a strong focus on link selling and the recruitment of new patrons
Use confident communication and presentation skills when dealing with patrons. Follow the company's strategy on counter/in store, such as personalised customer consultations
Assist patrons by finding substitutions for returned merchandise and/or out of stock items
Regularly communicate Retail and KPI achievement updates to line manager
Foster Service Attitude
Creates long-term relationships with patrons and nurtures repeat business
Ensures customer communication standards are met
Completes all necessary steps of customer transactions
Implements customer record system for maximum customer and business benefit
Follow grooming guidelines to promote brand image
Maintain a clean and hygienic work area and adhere to hygiene rules
Fosters team spirit
Coaches peers when appropriate
Share know-how and experience
Work effectively with colleagues in store, in the field and at head office.
Fill in below which area you are searching in for a similar function and don't forget your e-mail address!
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© 2020 Hoop Industries Ltd. All rights reserved.
7 years and above
Known for…
Sports Activities
Take control of your listings on Hoop for free. Join 13,000+ family organisers that use Hoop to grow their business!
Enter your home location and ages of your children to find the perfect activity.


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The elegant interiors in a modern apartment designed by Quartet Arquitetura. some changes that enhance and rearrange the master bedroom and closet in order to make the area a unique and comfortable,
In our living room creates a "trip point", which features are most important, where they can display all the gadgets they brought from their travels.
visit the site : mytopinteriordesign


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Guest Host
Posts: 161
Joined: April 23, 2016, 01:32:10 AM
Flash Challenge: March 2017
We all make mistakes, some worse than others. But what about the monumental blunders that we spend a lifetime trying to fix. Marrying the wrong spouse and not divorcing until after children are born. Driving while drunk and having an accident that claims a life. Leaving the stove on when going to work that starts a fire, burning down the apartment building. Having a moment of indiscretion, which breeds a lifetime of regret.
Mistakes are a part of life.
Some may allow their mistakes to devastate and overwhelm them, while others may become victorious over them with good coming from it.
It is how we deal with mistakes that strengthen our character and that is what we will focus on in our writing challenge this month.
You can draw inspiration from your own experiences or experiences from people you know or from stories about people you've heard on the news or in a fit of creativity, create something entirely from your imagination. But everything in your story must be original fiction.
I challenge you...to write a story where your main character makes a big mistake and show how that character deals with the aftermath.
You may choose whether the genre of your story is science fiction, fantasy or horror.
Reach beyond the limitations you've set for yourself in the past and completely let go. Let's see what you can do!
(1) Your story must be about a character who makes a big mistake and how they deal with it's aftermath.
(2) 1,000 words or less, counting everything.
(3) One entry per author.
(4) The story must have a title with the author's name below it.
(5) Keep it clean.
(6) Everything in your story must be original fiction. Every name, setting/place, business, product, organization etc. must come from your mind and not previously exist prior to this challenge. The fun part of writing is the world building so go and build an exciting one.
How To Enter: Stories must be sent to Daniel Johnson by Private Message, and not posted into the forum. Click on my name and then click on the private message button and paste your story into the text box. Then click submit.
When entering your story, leave an extra line between paragraphs. All text must be the same size and font. You can use italics in your story. However, no colors, no bold formatting, no changed fonts or sizes, no artwork or any other embedded or external links can be used.
Stories will be posted without the author's name and will be listed in random order.
After this month's challenge, all entries will be reposted in the Flash Archive with the author's names.
Note: Only Registered Members who have posted at least one message may submit a story. Without that one post, the system will not let you send a PM.
Deadline: Stories must be in by Sunday, March 26, 2017 at 5 p.m. Central Standard Time (GMT-6). The stories will then be posted for voting that evening. Voting will close on Sunday, April 2, 2017 at 5 p.m (GMT-6).
Voting: The voting method will be announced when the stories are listed for voting.
Legal Announcement: By entering this challenge you are technically granting Aphelion: The Webzine of Science Fiction and Fantasy perpetual electronic rights to post and archive your challenge entries on our site. Otherwise, Aphelion has no claim on any author's works.


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Gel against muscle and joint pain
From now on you will receive our new product emmi®-bioMYO with the high-quality of extracts of buckeye, juniper oil and hellebore.
The usual buckeye (Aesculus hippocastanum) ist a species buckeye (Aesculus) that is planted along central Europe with its origin in the Balkans. The buckeye is know for its effects to be anti-inflammatory, astrigent, antibacterial, haemostatic, diuretic, anticonvulsant, expoctorant, pain-relieving and is purifying for the blood.
Juniper berries being blue-greenish, cone of the juniper, are growing on evergreen bushes or little trees, at a height to 12m. The slightly yellowish oil thats results through steam distillation with the dry berries, has a numerous physical and psychological effects. The juniper oil can be used internally and externally (not with the emmi®-bioMYO).
The juniper oil helps with up following pain: Joint, muscle and back pain, Rheumatism, Arthritis, tenseness in the neck and shoulder area, and even with sprain and strain juniper oil can do miracles.
The hellebore has its origin in Transylvania and Galicia. The perennial plant blossoms between January and March and its crimson coloured blooms are a nice contrast to the white snow. This plant is also known as "Christmas rose". The hellebore is an old rediscovered medicinal plant. Because of its anti-inflammatory characteristic the hellebore can also be used to treat illness of the rheumatologic category (Arthritis, Arthrose and collagenosis).
The treatment with emmi®-skin is possible as well and even recommended to achieve your goals faster and more efficient.
The effects of the ultrasound are:
A reinforced circulation of the blood, a better cell metabolism and an augmentation of the threshold of pain. As the essential mechanism of action, it is said, that the sound waves cause a sort of deep massage by bringing movement into each of our cells. Especially with injuries with muscles or damage of the tendon tissue, ultrasound can prove its strength. Because the warmth often noticed during the application does not cause more inflammation, it can as well be used in urgent conditions. When muscle and tendinous fibre, usually parallel and aligned, is injured it is quickly diffuse and chaotic when healed. This reduces the pulling forces of those fibres. The sound waves lead to the effect of a massage, which restructures the tendons and muscles. This is how the resilience of the tissue is noticeably augmented.
emmi®-bioMYO combines the following advantages:
- easily to rub
- fast penetration of the active ingredient into the skin
- non-greasy, absorbs quickly and without residue
The gel contains the following high-quality extracts: Purple hellebore (Helleborus purpurascens), horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) and volatile juniper oil (Juniperus communis).
Apply gel on the body area to be treated and massage thoroughly (2 - 3 times a day). The treatment with emmi®-skin intensifies the effect.
1 Tube of 150 ml single packaging
Unopened 2 years | After opening, best before 12 months


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This little gift book is an 'oldie but a goodie.' Published in 1999 for Hallmark Cards, you can easily find this small, hardcover book in good condition in used book shops (a favourite haunt of most of my family and some friends) and of course online through used book sellers.
I think this book is particularly appropriate at this time of year, as the glow of the Christmas holiday period fades into the past fairly quickly and we return to work, with all of the stresses of commitments and demands on our time.
This book will give you heart!
It looks at the major questions that our pets want have to ask God (in English, so we can understand)
Here are just a few of my favourite doggy letters:
Dear God,
Must I bark, or can you hear my thoughts? – Flo-jo
Dear God,
When I get to Heaven, can I play Frisbee with my halo? – Nicky
Dear God,
Is it true that in purgatory there are 10 million cashmere sofas with porcupines sleeping on them? – Shannon


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Sharma Bullion is the most trusted name in the market when it comes to getting the real value for your gold. Gold buyers in Doncaster trust our brand. We strive to make our customers happy by keeping their interests in mind. We make sure that we provide the most competitive rate for your gold traders in Doncaster in the market. We are very clear when it comes to the price we are willing to pay. We don't quote a higher price in calls and a different price in reality. We make sure to provide you the best gold price Doncaster. We prefer to keep this thing simple. If the gold meets our quality standards then we give the exact price we quoted initially without playing any gimmicks. If you get a written quote for your gold from anybody else, we will make sure to beat that quote and make you the best offer. We are the trusted partners of gold dealers in Doncaster. Coin dealers in Doncaster should be happy because we also deal in gold coins.
If you can't come to use then we provide the ease of at home service. Just call on this number and we will reach you within limited time. Call us now at this Phone Number: +61 488 786 680
|Scrap Gold Rates Per Gram
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|Scrap Silver Price Per KG
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|Generic Gold Buyback Price AUD
|Perth Gold Mint Buyback Price AUD
|Genric 1oz $2,536.07
|Perth Mint 1oz $2,536.07
|Genric 2oz $5,072.15
|Perth Mint 2oz $5,072.15
|Genric 100g $8,154.58
|Perth Mint 100 $8,154.58
|Genric 250g $20,386.45
|Perth Mint 250 $20,386.45
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Nobody can answer that, since nobody knows what the new ban will consist of!
I just picked up my SA48 FAL today from the shop and it got me to thinken this is a registered firearm what will happen when this gun ban goes into place,what loops will I have to jump through ect..(hypotheticaly if it did pass)
Nobody can answer that, since nobody knows what the new ban will consist of!
You would not be allowed to take your "assault" weapon with you as if it were any other long gun, you would now have to be going to or from a legal activity or it would have to be properly stored in your home.
That's probably the worst case and that's pretty close to how you roll in CA. A great many people in CA did not register their "assault" weapons, those that did, well they got a raw deal.
This is bullshit. We will not let this happen this time! We have a stronger NRA than in 94, more members, a Democratic Congress that remembers how they lost the house-the 94 ban. We have the internet to get the latest news for and against guns. We have the Heller SCOTUS decision on our side. We have not lost yet. Join the NRA-Cobrafreak
I hope this kind of stuff doesn't happen. We need to kick the LIBS out and put some Conservative's back in Office!
I'm not worried , the Brady Bunch has their hands full.
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
Another reason to write your Congress folks.
Free DC--let the good guys have guns.
There's no AWB bill in Congress , at all. It's not 1993 anymore.
We are winning.
Hey, R U in Cali? Your post helped me alot cuz I live in KY but family's in Cali and have been wanting to move nearer to them. But of course, I will absolutely not give up my PTR-91 or my AKM, I've got the folding, colapsible, cheekrest adj. ATI stock and it is the most comfortable I've ever used (fixed or folder) on an AK. You mentioned many didn't register their rifles, can they still find places to shoot them? do you have to have a friend in a rural area to shoot, or just be discreet at the range? I know the FAL/M1A people can mag-lock a 10-rd clip on while at the range, but since G3s dont have a dust-cover, it'd be quite hard to load that way.
Any Cali help would be nice.
I was living in the high desert, there were plenty of places in the desert that you could shoot and never see a cop. The fact is that if you move there, you will likely not be allowed to bring your "assault weapons" with you. That's the law. I would not encourage you to break it... Move to Nevada or Arizona where you can still keep your guns and your money. California is just not worth it.
Fact is that if you are caught with an illegal weapon in California, expect to lose it and expend many thousands of dollars defending yourself. You would be $$$$ ahead not moving there and risking it. If I, as a military service member, am required to move there, I will be placing my weapons in storage in my home state of Texas. I know that family is important, but until the climate changes, I say let them move to a free state.
If I am not mistaken, there is a clause that allows "out of state" military service members (Active Duty) who are being re-assigned to the PRK to bring thier "banned" weapons with them.
For anyone who wants to or has to move into the PRK, join Calguns.net. They are the most up to date on the laws and are of course gun-owner oriented. Gunco is great, but calguns is tops for getting the best info on PRK gunlaw.
In short, there are two "Assault Weapons" standards:
1. Roberti Roos, which is a list of banned weapons by make and model.
2. SB23 which bans by combination of "Evil Features".
Possesion of either is at the very least, a misdemeanor and can classify as a felony depending on a number of factors. Each weapon can constitute several violations, and since each violation is gun-related, can run you afoul of the infamous "Three-Strikes" law. Life in prison. HAve a nice day, and ask for lots of vaseline for your birthday.
I do not know if the cumulative "Three-Stikes" has ever been employed, but it is possible.
Calguns has an "Assault Weapons" flowchart that pretty clearly allows you to decide if your firearm is banned. This is something that ALL of you should look at, three simple changes or "improvements" to the law would make ANY semi-automatic centerfire rifle illegal. If you want to know how the rest of the lefty libs will go after your guns, the PRK is their blueprint.
Last thing: The PRK has more conservatives than libs. Simple fact. The rest are illegal aliens. The libs have so effectively gerrymandered the election districts that they have a lock on almost any election. Beware of the Census!!!!!! If O-Bummer get's his way and is able to affect the Census, it will be game over. Just a question of how fast.
Sorry, got side-tracked.
Peace, Love and Superior Firepower
Imagine whirled peas
Peace, Love, And Superior Firepower


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Latest Version 4.3 (May 18, 2017)
ADDED: Compatibility with WordPress v4.7.4
ADDED: Compatibility with WooCommerce v3.0.7
FIXED: Compatibility with WooCommerce Stripe Gateway
FIXED: Top cart image for variable product
FIXED: Ajax add to cart with first header structure.
FIXED: header.php
UPDATED: Translation file
IDStore Responsive Multi-Purpose Ecommerce Theme – is a professionally developed, high-quality, functional template for developing sites in WordPress. Image gallery, blog posts and all standard WordPress features are available. The clean and modern layout is well-suited to business and professional web sites, and with the WooCommerce plug-in the site can become a product catalog or ecommerce platform. The powerful and flexible theme has many features that are controlled via the settings module, and much more can be done with HTML & CSS to make your site unique and effective.
Unique and up-to-date design of the layout is good for business sites, and in combination with an effective WooCommerce plug-in – this is the best start point for professional site creation, with the full package of tools for the flexible marketing. Thanks to easy and handy settings in admin module, you may use your store also as a catalogue.
Included sliders provide easy display of new products and featured products. An opportunity to choose the fonts and colour schemes, variants of layout presentation, navigation, product and single product pages, helps to set the site as you like. Shopping cart and shop page use the Ajax technology that allows the site visitors to remain on the same page when they add to cart their products or when they are page through the catalogue. Included translation files make it possible for you to locate the template without any difficulties.
Magnificent design of our IDStore template includes a wide range of an advanced effects and qualitative detailed representation. The layout is well optimized, compatible with all the modern browsers. Included adaptive functions provide full support of site representation on desktop computers, tablets and mobile phones. In addition to the functionality of this template it is compatible with child theme and has custom.css that facilitates your individual theme modification.
IDStore Responsive Multi-Purpose WooCommerce Theme – is well-balanced combination of a powerful admin panel and super flexible design that will be an ideal basis for prosperous start or successful business growth.
If you like the theme, don't forget to rate it
- Fully Responsive
- Based on Twitter Bootstrap
- Advanced Theme Panel
- WooCommerce Plugin Ready
- AJAX Filter
- Improved Checkout Process
- Advanced Grid System
- Custom Product Page Layout
- Easy Installation with Video Tutorials
- Includes Amazing Revolution Slider Plugin
- Includes the Awesome Parallax Layer Slider Plugin
- XML with demo content
- A Lot of Shortcodes
- Vector Icons Plugin
- Custom Widgets (Twitter, Flickr)
- Unlimited Color Options
- Typography options
- WPML plugin ready
- Wide and Boxed layout
- HTML5/CSS3 code
- Cross-Browser Compability
- Well-documented
- Child Theme Compatible
- 2 Variants of Contact page
- Custom Registration Page
- Product Image Hover (swap and enlarge)
- Custom Headers
- Cloud Zoom
- Sizing Guide on product page
- Custom Tabs on product page
- Categories Accordion
- "Special offers", "SALE" and "NEW" products
- Advanced Banners
- Custom Blog Layouts
- Possibility to change layout for any post
- Google Maps and Charts
- Use IDStore as a Catalogue
- WooCommerce Shop Shortcodes
- Tabs and Accordion
- Video Shortcodes
- And Much More…
- Theme Package – IDStore_Theme.zip
- IDStore_woo_commerce_data.xml
- User Guide Documentation .html
- 9 layered PSD Files
- 24 patterns
Latest Version 4.3 (May 18, 2017)
ADDED: Compatibility with WordPress v4.7.4 ADDED: Compatibility with WooCommerce v3.0.7 FIXED: Compatibility with WooCommerce Stripe Gateway FIXED: Top cart image for variable product FIXED: Ajax add to cart with first header structure. FIXED: header.php UPDATED: Translation file deleted: woocommerce/single-product/meta.php file deleted: woocommerce/myaccount/form-edit-address.php file deleted: woocommerce/loop/result-count.php file
Version 4.2 (July 27, 2016)
ADDED : Google map API. ADDED : Compatibility with Woocommerce v2.6.3 FIXED : Cart popup. FIXED : Cart page. FIXED : Minor CSS bugs. UPDATED : Included plugins.
Version 4.1 (February 27, 2015)
ADDED: Compatibility with Woocommerce v2.5.2 FIXED: Demo theme options FIXED: Portfolio shortcode FIXED: Demo content FIXED: Product category image size FIXED: Add to cart shortcode FIXED: Minor CSS bugs
Latest Version 3.9 (June 27, 2015)
FIXED : Update PrettyPhoto to 3.1.6 to resolve XSS security issue UPDATED : Included plugins
Version 3.8 (May 01, 2015)
ADDED : Compatibility with WooCommerce 2.3.8 ADDED : Compatibility with WordPress 4.2 FIXED : SKU for variable product FIXED : Product variation image while add to cart FIXED : Minor CSS bugs UPDATED : included plugins DELETED : idstore/woocommerce/cart/cart-shipping.php DELETED : idstore/woocommerce/cart/cart-totals.php DELETED : idstore/woocommerce/cart/shipping-calculator.php files
Latest Version 3.7 (February 17, 2015)
ADDED: Compatibility with WooCommerce 2.3.x FIXED: Checkout accordion FIXED: Product category image FIXED: Pagination on shop page FIXED: Guest checkout option & footer FIXED: Minor CSS bugs
Version 3.6 (November 05, 2014)
ADDED : Compatibility with WooCommerce 2.2.8 FIXED : WooCommerce Registration FIXED : Demo Data installation button moved to Import/Export tab FIXED : Minor CSS bugs UPDATED : Revolution Slider plugin
Version 3.5 (September 12, 2014)
ADDED : Compatibility with WordPress 4.0, WooCommerce 2.2.2 FIXED : AJAX option on shop page FIXED : Minor CSS bugs UPDATED : LayerSlider to the latest version
Version 3.4 (April 23, 2014)
ADDED : Compatibility with WordPress 3.9 Fixed : Small CSS bugs Updated : Revolution slider plugin Updated : PO files
Version 3.3 (February 25, 2014)
ADDED: Compatibility with WooCommerce 2.1.x
Version 3.2 (December 28, 2013)
ADDED : New header type ADDED : Ability to set category for "New Products" and "Featured Products" sliders Fixed : Product lightbox gallery when zoom is enabled Fixed : Product image variations Fixed : Layered navigation with two and more attributes Fixed : Category Display Fixed : Option enable/disable guest checkout Fixed : Sale products short code ordering Fixed : Banner links on mobile devices Updated : Product images sizes options (moved from Woo settings to theme options) Updated : Revolution slider plugin Updated : Translations (added 'View As' and 'Showing x result of y')
Version 3.1 (November 24, 2013)
- Added : 3 hover styles for custom banners
- Added : Custom text for empty category
- Update : Rating style
- Update : Filter style
- Update : Alert boxes style
- Fixed : Minor CSS bugs
Version 3.0 (September 27, 2013)
- Added : Black Version
- Added : Black/white switching in theme options
- Fixed : Layered navigation with two and more attributes
- Fixed : Category Display
- Fixed : Option enable/disable guest checkout
- Updated : Product images sizes options (moved from Woo settings to theme options)
- Updated : Style CSS
- Updated : Translations (added 'View As' and 'Showing x result of y')
- Updated : LayerSlider (ver. 4.6.0)
- Updated : RevSlider (ver. 3.0.93)
Version 2.2 (August 28, 2013)
- Fixed : Internet Explorer add to cart on product grid
- Fixed : Checkout messages
- Fixed : "alt" atribute on product images
- Removed : Pagination before the products loop
- Updated : LayerSlider (ver. 4.6)
- Updated : RevSlider (ver. 3.0.93)
Version 2.1 (August 26, 2013)
- Fixed : Lightbox
- Fixed : Product Enlarge Image
- Fixed : Sizing Guide
Version 2.0 (July 12, 2013)
- Improved : Installation process (one-click installation)
- Added : Products List view format
- Added : One Page Checkout
- Added : RTL support
- Added : New Zoom plugin
- Added : Google Fonts
- Updated : Empty Shopping Cart Page
- Updated : Demo Data
- Fixed : Custom Menu Widget in Footer
Version 1.3 (June 15, 2013)
- Added : 3 New Header Layouts
- Fixed : Portfolio information
- Fixed : Contacts Map bug
- Fixed : Icons on iphone bug
- Updated : Twitter for new API v1.1
- Updated : Scroller Style
- Updated : Blog CSS
Version 1.2 (June 12, 2013)
- Added : Portfolio (different layouts)
- Added : Price Table Shortcodes
- Added: 1 New Header design Options
- Added : 2 Product Page Layouts
- Fixed : Minor CSS Bugs
Version 1.1 (June 10, 2013)
- Added : Pricing Tables
- Added : Blog Post Images Slider
- Added : Mega Menu
- Added : New Product Layouts
- Added : 4 new PSD files
- Added : New PSD with UI elements
- Added : Ability to disable Nice Scrolling
- Fixed : Slider XML
- Fixed : Variable Products Issue
- Fixed : Google Maps Navigation
- Improved : Blog Code
- Updated : .pot files
Get the theme here !


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Liveline Wednesday 27 May 2020
Discussion and debate with Joe Duffy.
Comedian Sil Fox was today cleared of sexual assault. He talks to Joe.
Ivor Callely talks to Joe about breaking his neck in a biking accident last year.
Have you got a story to tell? An issue you want to air publicly? If you'd like to talk to Joe on-air about an issue that concerns you then we want to hear from you.
You can email the programme at any time to email@example.com, call the office at 01 208 3263 / 2984 / 2980 or 3438 (or out of office hours and leave a message) or on 1850 715 815, Monday to Friday from 12.30pm – 3.15pm.
All topics are considered and all calls are welcome.
Call: 1850-715815 / 08457-853333 from Northern Ireland & U.K
Text: 51551
Presenter: Joe Duffy


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Hollywood's top TV stars delivered some of their best lines once the Emmy cameras stopped rolling and there was no script in sight.
Whether basking backstage, celebrating at after-parties or chatting with fans outside the Nokia Theatre in LA, Emmy winners and also-rans had plenty to say after the awards program. And as entertaining as the show was, the things said off-stage may be more revealing than anything practiced for days in front of a mirror.
"Here, do you want to hold it?"
- Aaron Paul, star of "Breaking Bad," to a female well-wisher got him to pose for a picture with his brand new award.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
"It feels like you're being celebrated for something that you're supposed to do."
- George Clooney, who was honored with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his tireless work for such causes as helping 9/11 victims, stopping violence in Darfur and raising money Haitian earthquake relief.
"The women I was up against are hysterically funny…So, yes, I am shocked….I really am just dumbfounded by the events of the evening."
- "Nurse Jackie" star Edie Falco, who won best actress in a comedy series to go along with the best actress in a drama that she won for her role in "The Sopranos."
"I hope that The Pacific and the other things we've done has shown that there is, in fact, a business model to go off and tell stories that only last nine or ten hours."
- Tom Hanks, who produced HBO's "The Pacific," which won for best miniseries.
"I'm thrilled about winning, but I'm starving. I must have some food."
- Sarah Hyland, of "Modern Family," as she ducked into a an LA restaurant after the show.
"My mom's thrilled, too, but not to the point of being teary. We're Swedes, and Swedes don't bawl."
- Glee star Jane Lynch after winning best supporting actress in a comedy.
"I had the best time out there. It was probably like a childhood dream to sing Bruce Springsteen in front of a stadium full of people. This is absolutely a dream come true."
- Emmy Awards host Jimmy Fallon, who brought down the house with his impression of The Boss.
"It's not our fault. We don't vote. It's not up to us. It's the voters. It's this mysterious Academy and no one knows who they are."
- "Daily Show" correspondent John Oliver on the show's Emmy domination.
"Today, I'm beyond my wildest dreams."
- Kyra Sedgwick, who won best actress in a drama series for "The Closer."
"I got to understand…the fact that he had this vision and that he was an extraordinary man."
- Al Pacino, who won best actor in a movie for playing assisted suicide advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian in "You Don't Know Jack."
"When you look at "The West Wing" and "Hill Street Blues," those are two iconic pieces of television history, so it's really fantastic to be near that."
- "Mad Man" star Jon Hamm after the show won best drama for a record-tying third straight year.
"It's more than I can take in….I feel like I'm gonna become a diabetic."
- Bryan Cranston, who won his third consecutive best actor in a drama series for "Breaking Bad."
"I don't think I've ever been as inspired by any character that I've played. I was deeply moved by Temple's courage."
- Claire Danes, who won best actress in a miniseries or movie, for HBO's "Temple Grandin."
Selected Reading: USA Today, reelrave.com, People.


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The light golden blonde hair colour is of a professional quality and designed to use at home. As pure as possible, without ammonia, sulfate and parabens. Thereby it's a very mild way of colouring your hair, less harmful for your hair and scalp and makes the hair shine beautifully. The pigment in this permanent hair colour makes sure that the colour stays good-looking and doesn't fade over time.
The colour comes in a tube of 60ml which has to be mixed with the activator as a ration 1:1. The colour and activator should be mixed with the enclosed brush in a plastic container (warning: do not use a metal container or metal cutlery! When the colour comes in touch with metal is will rust and remain unusable.
Our hair colour 9.3 Light golden blonde is a very beautiful light golden blonde hair colour with 100% grey coverage. If you like our colour 9.13 too, but wonder if this colour will give a good coverage, you could also blend the 9.13 with the 9.3 for a better coverage as the .3 colours, with gold, tend to have a very good grey coverage, even better than that of natural (.0) colours.
Tamar from Arkel about WECOLOUR
"Superb customer service and a great quality."
The package of hair colour consists of:
Colourcream 60ml, activator 60ml, shampoo 15ml, conditioner 15ml, plastic gloves, a paintbrush and an instruction flyer. The mix ratio of this hair colour is 1:1. This means, you should use the same amount of colourcream as activator. You can easily weigh this with a kitchen scale. Warning: do not use a metal container or metal cutlery! When the colour comes in touch with metal is will rust and remain unusable.
The ingredients of this hair colour:
Aqua (Water), Cetearyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Ethanolamine, Ceteareth-30, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Polyquaternium-22, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Toluene-2,5-Diamine Sulfate, 2-Methylresorcinol, Decyl Oleate, Sodium Sulfite, Parfum (Fragrance), 4-Chlororesorcinol, Sodium Hydrosulfite, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Every package comes equipped with an instruction flyer. The mixing ratio of colour cream and activator is 1:1. Shake the activator well before use. Mix 1 tube of colour cream with 1 bottle of activator in a plastic or glass bowl until you have an even mixture. If you only want to colour your outgrowth or when your hair is very short, you can use half of both the activator and the colour cream. Use the hair colour within 12 months after opening. Once you have applied the colour to your roots, continue applying the colour throughout the lengths and ends. Use the end of the brush to separate sections of hair. Per section, brush the colour into your hair and massage it thoroughly so it is evenly spread. Repeat this for all sections. When you are finished, leave the colour in your hair to develop for 35 minutes.
Here's a short list of tips and tricks for colouring your hair with the best result:
I have never coloured my hair before, so I was a bit scared to do it myself. After reading the instructions properly it all worked out well. My grey hair is completely gone, my hair feels vibrand and the colour is exactly as I expected. More natural than I could ever imagine.
I sometimes had a similar product added to my hair dye at the hairdresser, which I was super satisfied with. Now that I dye my hair at home with WECOLOR for price reasons, I have tried Colour Mask. I just added it to my hair dye. I have to say: I was very impressed with the result. My hair felt very healthy and soft after dyeing. For me, WECOLOUR Colour Mask is really here to stay!


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Alcoa is available under layer Game Lands. Please make sure that you have this layer enabled to view outline geometry and other attributes.
Alcoa attributes
|80.22 acres
|Game Land
|Percent Public Lands
|Public Lands
|0.00 sq ft
Alcoa covers an area that is 80.22 acres. Of this 0.00 sq ft(0.00 percent) is public lands.
North Carolina Hunting Regulations
The following website contains hunting regulations/seasons and details on purchasing / acquiring hunting /fishing licenses / permits. Please visit the following website directly to find more details regarding hunting regulations for North Carolina


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Hometown Hero – Michael Thorson
Military Service Branch: Army National Guard
Where Are They Stationed: Afghanistan
Submitted By: Alissa Thorson (Sister)
Michael is a loving husband and fantastic father of two(soon to be three)!! He joined the Army National Guard after moving back to Sioux Falls and completing four years with the U.S. Marines. Michael is an amazing brother. He's always there to help out when needed and would do anything he could to help out a loved one in need. I am very proud of my brother and miss him more and more everyday.


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Size: 6 pounds
Item L420
When entertaining with cheese, providing a diverse mix of tastes and textures will appeal to different palates. Included in this Party Planner is the timeless classic, Mountain Gorgonzola, prized for its rich, sharp, blue cheese taste. A safe bet for all palates, an aged Farmhouse Cheddar (one of the best you will ever taste), nicely contrasts the Gorgonzola with its sweet, tangy flavor. For decadence, we added a French creamy cheese (Fromager d'Affinois). Malagon with Rosemary, a savory sheep's milk cheese that imparts overtures of Spanish countryside herbs, grass and wildflowers, completes our cheese selection. The included crackers make elegant vehicles for these fabulous cheeses.
Next, we've selected 8 ounces of sliced smoked salmon, accompanied by cornichons. Serve on the included Crisprolls, lightly spread with Creme Fraiche. To enhance this presentation, decorate the serving platter with thinly sliced lemons and fresh dill.
Our Party Planner would not be complete without the included and delicious salami and pate. Serve with the accompanied intensely flavored Greek olives and Peppadew® Peppers.


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Campgrounds and RV parks that cater to Winter Texans in South-Central Texas anticipate a stronger winter season than last year, thanks in part to the Eagle Ford shale oil pipeline project, which has brought scores of construction workers into the area, according to a news release from the Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO).
"Last winter was about the best we've ever had and we're going to be about 20% ahead of that this winter, so we're looking really good," said Doug Shearer of Parkview Riverside RV Park in Rio Frio.
In addition to seeing the return of their Winter Texan visitors, campgrounds in the Texas Hill Country and other areas of South-Central Texas are filling up with construction workers involved in the Eagle Ford shale oil project, which is boosting campground occupancies during the fall shoulder season, Shearer said.
Other Hill Country campgrounds and RV parks also anticipate a strong winter season, including Hill Country RV Park & Cottage Rentals in New Braunfels. "We have a waiting list for both RV sites and park model rentals," said Bryan Kastleman, the park's manager.
Other parks are similarly upbeat.
"We did well last winter, but we're doing better this winter," said Teri Blaschke of Hidden Valley RV Park in Von Ormy. "People are making reservations further in advance, so we're being able to tell sooner what our vacancies will be. I do have spots here and there for travelers, but our long-term sites are already booked."
Blaschke added that she is putting in eight new campsites for the winter season and they are already reserved.
Further to the north, La Hacienda RV Resort in Austin is already booked solid for the winter season. "We've got a waiting list and we're turning people away for the 2012-2013 winter market," said park owner Ken Butschek, who added that his year-to-date revenue is up about 15 percent over last year's figures.
La Hacienda RV Resort has a mix of sites that are owned by RVers as well as elegant park model cottages that are available for rent. The park also has about 30 sites that are available for overnight use.
"We have a loyal group of repeat Winter Texans. But we're also seeing a lot of people who are trying out our park models," Butschek said.
Further east, Rayford Crossing RV Resort in Spring and Timber Ridge RV Village in Tomball are already booked for the winter season, said Gwen Craig, who co-owns both parks. She said she has waiting lists for her seasonal sites, although she has kept a few overnight sites available for travelers.
"Every year we've outperformed the prior year in occupancy and revenue," she said, adding that this year is again shaping up to be stronger than last year.
Thousand Trails RV Resort at Lake Conroe is also seeing a strong winter season, fueled both by Winter Texans as well as families from Texas that come to the park on weekends to take part in organized activities and special events.
"We're seeing younger crowds," said Terry Munoz, resort manager of the 360-site park. "Even during the winter the locals come out on weekends, so long as we have mild weather. We do a lot of themed weekends and activities."


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"Butter" stars Ty Burrell as a 15-time butter-sculpting champion who is forced to stop competing, leaving the door open for his wife (Jennifer Garner) to make a run at the title. But her dreams are derailed when she is confronted by a young upstart.
If the plot sounds familiar, that's because the film was inspired by the 2008 Democrat primary race, in which then Sen. Hillary Clinton's bid for the White House was derailed by a little known senator from Chicago named Barack Obama.
The film is just the latest movie about politics that's not obviously about politics, a rich tradition that includes some classics. Here are seven of our favorites:
"The Wizard of Oz," L. Frank Baum's beloved children's story appears to in reality be an allegory about the gold standard, and the American people (represented by Dorothy) being led away from the yellow brick road to the Emerald City, which represents the U.S. dollar. This interpretation was first put forward in 1964 by Henry Littlefield, but in 1990 Hugh Rockoff of Rutgers University really nailed it (PDF).
"The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover," Peter Greenaway's 1989 masterpiece stars Helen Mirren as the wife of a gluttonous and sadistic gangster who falls for a bookish man she sees at a restaurant, where the chef enables their liaisons. Greenaway said at the time it was "Maybe the only political film I ever made … a kind of diatribe against Thatcherite Britain." It's been argued that the Cook is the Labour Party (Britain's center-left political party), the Thief represents then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, The Wife is the British people, the Lover is left-wing intellectualism.
During Sen. Joe McCarthy's Commie witch hunt known as the House Un-American Activities Committee, director Elia Kazan and screenwriter Budd Shulberg "named names." Three years later they collaborated to make "On the Waterfront," which sought to justify their decision to rat on their friends and colleagues. The film is as brilliant as it is self-serving. "High Noon," Gary Cooper's 1952 Western presents the flip side to the HUAC hearings, showing the too rare man with the courage to stand up to McCarthy and his goons.
Yes, "There Will Be Blood" is about the battle between God and Money for the Soul of Man, but Paul Thomas Anderson's 2007 film is also a response to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, where an overwhelming force invaded an oil rich desert to extract its treasure at all costs. For a foreigner's very angry view on the Iraq War, check out "Howl's Moving Castle."
Writer-director Sam Peckinpah's special brand of violence was always in the service of some higher message, and in 1969's "The Wild Bunch" his target was Vietnam. The film's story of a band of thieves terrorizing Mexico evoked the war and the part it played in the loss of American innocence, society's growing passivity in the face of wrongdoing, and the cultural desensitization to violence. It's also one of the greatest Westerns of all time.
"Butter" and 7 Other Films About Politics That Aren't About Politics
"Butter" stars Ty Burrell as a 15-time butter-sculpting champion who is forced to stop competing, leaving the door open for his wife (Jennifer Garner) to make a run at the title. But her dreams are derailed when she is confronted by a young upstart.