text:
Ayesha Depala launches her eponymous label at her New Store at Nakheel Mall Palm Jumeirah, UAE. In addition, her brand houses ready-to-wear, couture, and bridal lines for the fashion-forward woman. Ayesha Depala has also retailed out of various multi-brand stores across the globe.
Saks Fifth Avenue Dubai
Harvey Nichols Dubai
Bloomingdales Kuwait.
Ounass UAE
Her garments have been worn by some of the most glamorous women in the world, including Aishwarya Rai, Deepika Padukone, Kajol, Madhuri Dixit, Kareena Kapoor, Elissa, Kendall Jenner, Yasmin Le Bon, Neve Campbell, Shilpa Shetty, Malaika Arora-Khan and Sonam Kapoor.
Her designs and creativity have been celebrated by Vogue India, Grazia Middle East, Tatler and Harper's Bazaar Arabia as one of the leading designers to emerge from the Middle East and India.
Furthermore, she has collaborated with both Lacoste and Kiehl's to design her own custom products and labels and has served as a brand ambassador for Montblanc Jewelry and Crème de la Mer.
Moreover, she has also worked extensively with Bollywood and was also appointed as [lead designer] for the movie "Aisha" featuring Sonam Kapoor.Throughout her career, Ayesha has been the recipient of many fashion awards (including Best Regional Designer (Grazia Style Awards), Best Asian Designer and Best Asian Boutique (Masala Awards) and accolades from prestigious magazines (including being named as one of the100.Most Stylish Asians in the Gulf (Femina Magazine) and Best Dressed (Harper's Bazaar UAE) she has also participated in India Fashion Week, India Couture Week, Chivas Fashion Week and at Who's Next Paris in Dubai.Ayesha was named one of the60.Most Influential Indians in the UAE. Moreover, she has also been appointed to be featured in the2016edition of Indian Super100, which is a tribute to business leaders, professionals and corporates in the Middle East and Africa.She has firmly placed herself on the Middle Eastern, Western and Indian Fashion landscape.
Awards and accolades:
Grazia Middle East awarded: Runner up in Best Middle Eastern Designer Category.
Grazia Middle East awarded: The Best Designer in the Middle East.
VOGUE India: Vogue's guide to the best expatriates of the UAE.
Masala Awards: The Best Designer in Middle East.
Masala Magazine: awarded One of the 100 Most Stylish Asians in the Middle East.
Femina Magazine: selected as India's Most Beautiful Woman in their annual India's Most Beautiful Edition.
Harper's Bazaar Middle East: Awarded the Most Stylish Woman in Middle East.
Gulf Business: Awarded One of the 100 Most Influential Asians in the GCC.
Arabian Business: Awarded 100 Most Powerful Asians in the Gulf.
Kiehl's appointed by Kiehl's to custom design a label for their iconic Crème De Corps lotion.
Crème De La Mer appointed as a La Mer's Regional Ambassador.
Montblanc: Appointed as The Montblanc's ambassador in the UAE.
Masala Magazine: Appointed as a judge for The Masala Annual Award Panel.


text:
Seattle plans to replace current Pronto system with electric bikes
The city has entered into discussions with Bewegen Technologies about turning the bike share system electric
By Sean Keeley@SeanKeeleyIsMe Updated Oct 13, 2016, 9:15am PDT
To say that the Pronto Cycle Share program has been a disappointment would be an understatement. After premiering to much fanfare, the bike share service run by Motivate never expanded enough to make a real dent in Seattleite usage (most bikes were ridden less than once a day between October 2014 and 2015). That led to a a situation where Pronto needed a $1.4M bailout just to stay afloat and the Seattle City Council ended up voting to buy the bike share system outright.
In an attempt to reboot so that Seattle can have the kind of bike share service it deserves and needs, the city opened up bidding to multiple companies and it appears that Quebec-based company Bewegen is in the driver's seat, or cyclist's seat.
It was announced in late September that Seattle expressed its intention to negotiate with Bewegen Technologies and all signs point to it happening. If and when it does, that means not only would Motivate be out but all of their equipment would go with them. They would be replaced by a fleet of electric-assist bicycles.
Bewegen's proposal calls for 100 stations (there are currently 54) and 1,200 e-assist bikes (there are currently about 500). Along with the locations and neighborhoods already covered by Pronto, there would be bike stations in Wallingford, Fremont, Queen Anne, North Capitol Hill, First Hill, Central District, North Beacon Hill, Mount Baker, Columbia City and Othello. Per their proposal, they would average about seven stations per square mile.
The electric-assist bikes can cover roughly 40 miles on a charge and even if the battery dies on you, you've still got a bike, you know? It takes about 90 minutes for a bike to go from dead to fully-charged. Ultimately, the electric competent doesn't do the work for you, it simply gives you a little boost, which will come in handy on some of those hills (Hi, Fremont Avenue).
There is a catch for going with such a bike share program, as Seattle Bike Blog points out.
...there is an additional catch with Bewegen's stations: They all have to be hard-wired into the city power grid. This may limit their location options even further than solar-powered stations like Pronto currently uses. So many of the stations you are currently familiar with may need to move. Bewegen has budgeted $10,000 per station for location and power-connecting needs. But this should definitely be considered a variable.
Once approved, Bewegen says it can change out the entire system within 16 weeks and could be fully operational by April 2017. The two sides are still in discussions so we'll wait to see if those deadlines are real, assuming the deal gets made to begin with.
Motivate is out. City picks young Quebec company for new e-assist bike share system [SBB]
Seattle gearing up to take bike share all-electric, to 23rd Ave in 2017 [CHS]
Bewegen Enters Contractual Negotiations with the City of Seattle [Bew]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I am very pleased to be delivering another strong set of results. There is no doubt that 2018 has been a year of prolonged political and economic uncertainty, and even against the backdrop of protracted Brexit negotiations the company is reporting continued net property income growth of 7.8%, total shareholder return of 5.2% and a 13.5% increase in the total dividend to 52.50 pence per share.
We purchased one freehold leisure asset during the year. This was financed by a combination of existing cashflow and recycled cash from two property sales and from equity sales. We sold one additional asset in December 2018 at a premium of 34.6% to the June valuation. This sale at such a significant premium to book value is a reflection of our ability to read the market and move swiftly to capitalise on opportunistic situations when they arise. At the year-end our portfolio value comprised 72% industrial/retail warehouses, and the remainder split between well-let retail, leisure and offices. We are also pleased to report that we sold our last residential asset during the year.
Gross property rental growth of 5.8% for the year remains robust and follows a particularly strong 2017. Contracted rent at the year-end was 1.2% up on the previous year-end; however, this was masked by the sale of our Southampton asset close to the year-end with an annual rent of £184,000. Adjusting back for this would have given an increase of 4.9%.
At the year-end we held a cash balance of £5.2m, along with a liquid equity portfolio of £679,000 (sold post year-end for £724,000) and undrawn banking facilities of £10.6m. This gives the company in excess of £15m capacity to take advantage of opportunities as they arise in 2019. The company takes a prudent view of bank leverage and, even if fully drawn, this facility would have accounted for less than 35% of the property portfolio value.
We have stringent criteria for new tenant acceptance and, at the year-end, all properties were fully let to a strong tenant base. Through a combination of stable income yields and active asset management, I am pleased to report a 4.0% increase in net asset value and an 8.1% return on equity for the year.
I would like to thank the team for their continued hard work throughout the year during challenging market conditions. We have a small but dedicated and experienced team at Highcroft and this sets us in good stead for the year ahead. The board supports the principles of good corporate governance, so, in order to ensure that we comply insofar as is practicable with the principles of the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code, we are proposing to introduce a new incentive plan for the executive directors in order to further align their interests with those of the shareholders.
The company's interim dividend was increased by 15.4% and, because of good revenue growth, efficient use of debt and containing our administration costs, we have increased the final dividend to 33.75 pence per share giving a total dividend of 52.50 pence per share, an increase of 13.5%. Our stated strategy is to increase dividends in excess of inflation each year and I am pleased to say we have delivered this every year since we converted to a REIT.
Highcroft is well-positioned with a high quality income-producing portfolio. However, we expect 2019 to be another challenging year. We operate in a very competitive landscape with continuing political and economic uncertainty, particularly around Brexit and its potential effects on market sentiment and tenants' ability to continue to pay our rents. We therefore remain cautious and diligent in our approach to ensuring we select the right properties to deliver long-term shareholder value.
This announcement contains inside information for the purpose of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014.
The tax assessed for the year differs from the standard rate of corporation tax in the UK of 19% (2017 19%).
The directors recommend a property income distribution of £1,744,000, 33.75p per share (2017 £1,550,000, 30.0p per share) payable on 31 May 2019 to shareholders registered at 3 May 2019.
The calculation of earnings per share is based on the total profit for the year of £4,926,000 (2017 £6,835,000) and on 5,167,240 shares (2017 5,167,240) which is the weighted average number of shares in issue during the year ended 31 December 2018 and throughout the period since 1 January 2017. There are no dilutive instruments.
In order to draw attention to the profit which is not due to the impact of valuation gains and losses, which are included in the statement of comprehensive income but not available for distribution under the company's articles of association, an adjusted earnings per share based on the profit available for distribution of £4,512,000 (2017 £3,348,000) has been calculated.
In accordance with IAS 40 the carrying value of investment properties is their fair value as determined by external valuers. This valuation has been conducted by Knight Frank LLP, as external valuers, and has been prepared as at 31 December 2018, in accordance with the Appraisal & Valuation Standards of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, on the basis of market value. This value has been incorporated into the financial statements at fair value categorised with level 2 inputs.
The independent valuation of all property assets uses market evidence and also includes assumptions regarding income expectations and yields that investors would expect to achieve on those assets over time. Many external economic and market factors, such as interest rate expectations, bond yields, the availability and cost of finance and the relative attraction of property against other asset classes, could lead to a reappraisal of the assumptions used to arrive at current valuations. Significant increases or decreases in estimated rental value and rent growth per annum in isolation would result in a significantly lower or higher fair value.
The preliminary announcement has been prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards as stated in the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2017. The accounting policies remain unchanged.
The Annual General Meeting will be held on 16 May 2019.
The above does not constitute statutory accounts within the meaning of the Companies Act 2006. It is an extract from the full accounts for the year ended 31 December 2018 on which the auditor has expressed an unmodified opinion and does not include any statement under section 498 of the Companies Act 2006. The accounts will be posted to shareholders on or before 23 April 2019 and subsequently filed at Companies House.


The detectors can automatically match codes with alarm host. It?s simple and fast.
The Context Plus XP95 Sounder Control Unit with Isolator is used to control the operation of a zone of externally powered sounders and to report their status to Context Plus-compatible control equipment.
The Context Plus XP95 Zone Monitor with Isolator powers and controls the operation of a zone of up to 20 series 65 conventional fire detectors from a loop of Context Plus analogue addressable detectors and interfaces.
The Context Plus XP95 Input/Output Unit with isolator provides two voltage-free, single pole, change-over relay outputs, a single monitored switch input and an unmonitored, non-polarised opto-coupled input.
The Context Plus XP95 Switch Monitor with isolator is designed to monitor the state of one or more single pole, volt-free contacts connected on a single pair of cables and to report the status to Context Plus compatible control equipment.
Straightforward DIL switch addressing. Attractive low profile design Excellent lateral sound distribution. Three evacuate tones (continuous, warble or sweep) and one Alert tone High (100dB @ 1m) and low (94dB @ 1m) volume settings A BS5839 part 1 2002 Clause 12.2.2 compliant locking facility A ?quick-fit? bayonet fixing arrangement ?Master? or ?shadow? mode operation (allows multiple shadow sounders to be given the same ID address as one ?master? sounder, a useful feature on heavily populated systems and to give synchronized sounding) A group addressing facility allowing multiple sounders to be activated simultaneously IP43 rated shallow and IP65 rated deep base versions are available.
The Context Plus XP95 20D isolating base senses and isolates short circuit faults on loops and spurs. The base is loop powered, polarity sensitive and accepts the XPERT card to set the associated device address. In short circuit conditions, the integral yellow LED is illuminated. The detector associated with the base remains active under short circuit conditions. Power and signals to the affected section are restored automatically when the fault is cleared. Under normal operating conditions, a low impedance is present between the ? IN and ? OUT terminals of the base, so that power and signals pass to the next base in the line. If a short circuit or abnormally low impedance occurs, the fall in voltage is sensed and the base isolates the negative supply in the direction of the fault.


The crown of thorns (Euphorbia splendens) is a succulent, flowering plant with bright green leaves and inch-long thorny stems. It is assumed by many people to be used to make the Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus during his crucifixion.
4/02/2017 · And for the Crown of Thorns Starfish, food means coral. Not just the animals that live there – the coral itself. Not just the animals that live there – the coral itself. The starfish is a problem because it eats the very creatures that make up the reef, and is difficult for other animals to stop.


I'm not done yet. I still have books to read, another class or two to attend, and I have to write an essay about the experience. It seems like people are most worried about the essay! Um? I think I've got that part covered.
For me, the certifying births were the big unknown because labor and delivery is really hard to predict, which means I couldn't really plan for them, and there was no guarantee that I would make it on time. I can control the other things on the "to do" list, but I couldn't control the births. I also couldn't control the fact that no one was ever pronounced "four centimeters dilated" when I was working as a doula. There were many women here were dilated to three centimeters and then six, or three centimeters and then five. There was a woman who refused frequent checks (and good for her!), but she wasn't checked until she was at 6 centimeters. The problem is that DONA requires doulas to be in attendance at 4 centimeters and beyond for their certifying births.
Here's the thing, as a doula, I don't really need to be there until labor has become more active. In fact, being there too early can be a bad thing. It's like the adage about how a watched pot never boils. In most cases, it's best for women to go about their days or sleep through their nights until the contractions demand their full attention.
The births I've attended for certification should count. I feel like I was fully there and fully a doula on those occasions. I learned a lot. Most recently I attended my first epidural birth, and yes, they are very different from unmedicated births. And yes, I can see how they can compound complications for the mom and baby. But, you know what? It was fine. And the outcome was fine. And, it's important for me to know how to doula in those cases too.
I'm lined up to attend a few more births as part of my certification *just in case*. My work as a volunteer will also help me gain a lot of experience, and, hopefully, at some point, I'll be there when the doctor or midwife announces that someone's cervix is dilated to four centimeters. But, if not, I'm hoping that it will all still count toward certification. It should. Like I said, I've definitely learned a lot and would feel right about reaching certification level at this point. I've found my voice as a doula, and I've received a lot of good feedback about the work that I do. As I've said before, I think this is a calling.
This entry was posted in doula, life, work on May 15, 2013 by sherewin.
Although the occasion was incredibly sad, it was also lovely. The mountains of Utah were at their best and the aspen trees were just starting to make bright green leaves. I had the opportunity to meet more of Z's extended family. It's a large and impressive family. The women are especially beautiful and the "aunties" are some of the most confident women I've ever met. Watching tens of people standing around chatting with the same noses and same coloring is kind of wonderful. Each one seems to have a musical talent, and they sang and played instruments all day.
Years ago, I fell in love with Z immediately. This time around, getting to know his family and seeing their genetic make-up seems more important to understanding who he is. It shouldn't matter. He hasn't been around some of these people in years. I know some of my extended family only peripherally. Some people are adopted. Some people choose their family. "Friends are the family we choose," etc. But, in this case–in our case–these people all matter, family matters and tells part of the story of who we are to each other together and apart.
This entry was posted in family, life, love, relationships on May 12, 2013 by sherewin.
The first week has been really hectic, but I'm hoping that I'll get the hang of this pacing soon. Last semester I taught 50 minute classes, which were way too short for me. The summer classes are both two hours long, and that's way too long for me. I need those lovely hour and fifteen minute classes. That's where the magic happens.
While this week is not one that I want to relive, and I have a ton of work to do in the next few weeks, I think it will be okay. My time in the trenches as an adjunct prepared me for this. I'm not sure if I would elect to do two new preps again next summer, but I think I'll probably teach in the summers again. I'm just hoping that I'll get some real vacation time after this semester is over.
The thing about teaching is that it never goes away. Yes, the hours are usually pretty good, with some flexibility, but the real workload never ends. Teaching means checking and responding to emails at all hours and grading through the weekends. Yes, I'll get a month off in the summer, but that month will mostly be spent working on scholarship for publication, which is a requirement of my employment. When I'm not actively working on work, I'm still thinking about work.* I still regularly negotiate the way my time is spent and the way I earn my money because, while it is certainly differently than an 8-hour shift at the plywood mill, academic work never ends. After the eight-hour shift, the rest of your day is your own. That is not ever the case as a teacher.
*One of my goals this year was to spend less time thinking about work during non-work-related activities, and I think I've improved in that tremendously since I've completed my PhD.
This entry was posted in family, life, work, writing on May 10, 2013 by sherewin.
I've wanted to learn to knit for years. My mom does almost every type of craft and DIY home project, but knitting was never one of them. My maternal grandmother, on the other hand, loved to knit and crochet. One of my most prized possessions is a blanket that she knitted for me before she passed away. She made one for each of her grandchildren. Although the blanket is not tightly woven, it is the warmest blanket I have ever felt.
Last year, a woman in my graduate program hosted a knitting night. I brought a huge set of straight needles, super bulky yarn, and learned how to knit with a small group of women, who were also in grad school. Since that first lesson, I have made many scarves, headbands, and potholders–all things that involve squares or rectangles. I've wanted to expand my repertoire for awhile now.
I had a little break this week, and so I took the opportunity to go down to my local knitting store, where they set me up with one very overpriced set of knitting needles on the round and a very overpriced set of double pointed needles. Paying extra was worth it though because I got two really good (informal) knitting lessons out of the deal–something that would never happen at a big box store like Michael's or Joann's.
This week I learned how to knit on the round and was able to make my first hat! Not only did I learn to knit on the round, I also learned how to knit on double pointed needles, how to knit a hat, and how to follow a simple pattern. All of these skills are going to be really useful as I continue to practice. Now, the hat is sort of a monstrosity. It's terribly misshapen, has a hole where I missed a stitch, and is way, way too big.
I'll get better, of course, and I'd eventually like to start making baby blankets and hats as gifts since I'm in the doula business now. I also want to be able to make stuff as gifts for family and friends. My knitted gifts are not very good yet (and I'm not just being modest), but I'm bored by most of the stuff available to purchase in stores. So, family and friends will have to bare with me while my skills improve.
This entry was posted in doula, family, life and tagged double pointed needles, knitting, super bulky yarn on May 3, 2013 by sherewin.


text:
By Eileen Fell Last updated Jan 26, 2023 0
Chevron last month reported its second-highest quarterly profit ever.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Energy giant Chevron
announced a $75 billion stock buyback program and a dividend hike on Wednesday evening.
Shares of Chevron were up more than 2% in extended trading.
The buyback program will become effective on April 1, with no set expiration date, the company said in a press release. The dividend hike increases Chevron's per share payout to $1.51 from $1.42, and that will be distributed on March 10.
Chevron's market cap was roughly $350 billion as of Wednesday's market close, meaning that the buyback would represent more than 20% of the company's stock at current prices.
This buyback plan follows a $25 billion plan enacted in 2019. The old plan will be terminated at the end of March. For the third quarter of 2022 — the most recent quarter that Chevron has reported — the company repurchased $3.75 billion of shares.
The new buyback plan comes after a massive year for energy stocks, as a reopened U.S. economy and Russia's invasion of Ukraine combined to drive oil and gas prices higher in 2022. Chevron reported more than $12 billion of free cash flow and $11 billion of net income in the third quarter alone.
Shares of Chevron rose more than 50% in 2022 even as the broader stock market declined.
Chevron was a hot stock in 2022.
The financial success of energy companies has led to criticism from politicians, including U.S. President Joe Biden, who threatened higher taxes on energy companies last year for their "war profiteering."
Chevron CEO Mike Wirth told CNBC in December that the company was "in contact" with the Biden administration on a variety of issues.
"Our goal of stable markets and prices that are affordable for the economy is something we share. How we get there, sometimes we have different ideas," Wirth said on "Squawk Box."
Breaking News: Marketsbusiness newsChevron CorpEnergyPolitics
Eileen Fell
Nikki Bella explains why she wore John Cena wedding dress for nuptials to Artem Chigvintsev
Musk's Twitter Reinstates Hindu Nationalist Accounts That Disparage Muslims


text:
Q: Proving the solution to linear programming problem is always the boundaries Show that the solution $\mathbf{y}$ to the following linear problem:
$$\min c_1x_1 + c_2x_2 + \cdot \cdot \cdot + c_nx_n$$
$$\text{subject to} \ \ a_i\leq x_i\leq b_i \ \ \ \ i = 1,2,....n$$
is:
$$
\mathbf{y}_i = \left\{
        \begin{array}{ll}
            a_i & \quad c_i > 0 \\
            b_i & \quad c_i < 0
        \end{array}
    \right.
$$
Any idea or suggestion on how to go about this probelm?

A: Rewrite the constraints as $x_i \ge a_i$ and $-x_i \ge -b_i$, construct the dual linear program with dual variables $\alpha_i \ge 0$ and $\beta_i \ge 0$, and note that the dual solution $\alpha^*_i = \max\{c_i,0\}$ and $\beta^*_i = \max\{-c_i,0\}$ is dual feasible and has the same objective value as your proposed primal feasible solution.
If you multiply both sides of $x_i \ge a_i$ by $\alpha^*_i$ and both sides of $-x_i \ge -b_i$ by $\beta^*_i$ and then add these up, you obtain
$$\sum_i (\alpha^*_i - \beta^*_i) x_i \ge \sum_i (\alpha^*_i a_i - \beta^*_i b_i). \tag1$$
By the choice of $\alpha^*_i$ and $\beta^*_i$, we have $\alpha^*_i - \beta^*_i = c_i$, and $(1)$ becomes
$$\sum_i c_i x_i \ge \sum_{i:c_i > 0} c_i a_i + \sum_{i:c_i < 0} c_i b_i,$$
and this lower bound on the objective function certifies the optimality of your proposed solution $\mathbf{y}$.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Topic: St. Augustine - 2 Tickets Needed!
St. Augustine - 2 Tickets Needed!
Thank you for the reply. I'm sorry for my late response. I am still looking but I'm picky, lol. Appreciate the offer but I want to be in row 1-3 and prefer pit 2 so I'm centered. I know, beggars can't be choosers, lol, but I'm gonna keep u the search.
Hey there, looking for the best tickets I can get (Pit Only Please) for the upcoming concert in St. Augustine. I'd prefer Pit 2 but will consider any Pit tickets you may be selling. Much appreciated!
Great suggestion. There are so many 70-80's tunes I bet they could cover and do the songs justice if not approve on them.
Topic: St. Augustine Tickets Wanted - Pit!!!!!
St. Augustine Tickets Wanted - Pit!!!!!
Hey there. I am seeking 4 Pit tickets for the upcoming TAB concert in St. Augustine on Oct. 21. If you have 4 you are looking to sell, please let me know. Tried my luck at pre-sale but was shut out and Ticketmaster, well you know Ticketmaster, it's a joke, lol.


We have added four more tutorial videos for the Nuage DAW from Yamaha and Steinberg. We added tutorials covering the cues, comm and monitor source sections of the Nuage Master Unit. We also added a video that was requested by one of our users, it is a brief overview of the nuage master and fader units.
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or tutorial requests please send them to: brad@pollsound.com. We will do our best to help you out and create engaging tutorials that will help you increase your workflow efficiency with the Nuage DAW.


The Children of Grace (COG) preschool at Grace Episcopal Church in Gainesville is holding a fundraiser for the month of September in honor of Childhood Cancer Month. Unfortunately, the 2016-2017 school year brings two children to the school who have been diagnosed with cancer.
At the heart of the Flush Away Cancer fundraiser is a child size potty, painted purple. The potty is placed in a family's yard and for a donation of $15 COG will come remove it. For $20 the family can request that COG remove the potty and place it in another family's yard. For $30 the family can request the potty to be placed in another family's yard and purchase "insurance" so the potty cannot be returned to their yard again.
All proceeds will be donated to CURE. CURE researches development of "targeted therapies", focuses on the training of future pediatric oncologists and researchers through the fellowship program at Emory University School of Medicine, and innovative programs that address the critical and urgent needs of patients and their families.
As with all their fundraisers, the preschool's goal is not only to support a worthy charity but to teach children to lead with a servant's heart. Children's cancer affects all ethnic, gender, and socio-economic groups. Therefore, honoring these two classmates and participating in this fundraiser allows the children to learn by example as well as encouraging the Gainesville community to help bring this lesson home.
Contact the Children of Grace preschool at cog@gracechurchgainesville.org to donate or learn more.


Montalto Castle lies in one of the loveliest and most unspoiled parts of the Chianti area of Tuscany. It has a rich past dating back over one thousand years. Much of the castle is from medieval times, with restorations of the 16th and 19th centuries.


text:
FEATURED CLOSINGS
FINANCING PROGRAMS
Venture West Arranges $16 Million Loan for Tucson, AZ Office Building
Venture West Funding Arranges $21 Million on Ralphs Grocery Store in Santa Monica, CA
2019 Commercial Debt and Equity Rainmaker List
Venture West Arranges $24.75M Acquisition Loan for 92-Unit Apartment Building in Hollywood, CA
Venture West Funding Arranges $19.8 Million Loans on Four Inglewood, CA Apartment Buildings
Venture West Funding Makes 2018 Commercial Debt and Equity Rainmaker List
Venture West Funding Arranges $21 Million Loan on Ralphs Grocery in Santa Monica, CA
Venture West Funding Arranges $50.90 Million in Loans on Two Los Angeles, CA Apartment Buildings
Venture West Funding Arranges $11.03 Million in Total Loans on Four Los Angeles Apartment Buildings
Venture West Funding Arranges $28 Million in Total Loans on Three Los Angeles Apartment Buildings
Venture West Funding Arranges $14 Million Loan on Thousand Oaks, California Retail Center
Venture West Funding Arranges $11.57 Million Loan on Decatur, Georgia Shopping Center
Venture West Funding Arranges $11.3 Million Loan on Cypress, CA Multi-Family Development Project
EL SEGUNDO, CA - Venture West Funding, Inc., a mortgage company headquartered in El Segundo, CA announced it has arranged a total of $28 million in financing to take out three construction loans on apartment buildings in Los Angeles. Two of the properties are located in Hollywood with the other in the Beverly Grove area of Los Angeles. The newly-built properties total 80 units and feature state-of-the-art amenities including tile/wood flooring, granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances. The borrowers are affiliates of Wiseman Residential, one of the largest multi-family developers on the westside of Los Angeles.
Matt Douglas of Venture West Funding arranged the financing through Luther Burbank Savings. The 5-year fixed rate loans include flexible pre-payment structures and low third party fees. The borrowers were fortunate to lock in rates in December prior to the dramatic rate increase. According to Mr. Douglas, "Our bank was able to fund as soon as the properties achieved stabilized occupancy." Michael Cohanzad of Wiseman Residential stated, "Luther was able to take a common sense underwriting approach given the strong relationship and quality real estate." The Venture West team worked closely with the borrowers and lender to ensure successful and efficient loan closings.
Venture West Funding was founded more than 19 years ago and has placed more than $8 billion in loan originations since 2001. Venture West Funding is one of the largest firms of its kind operating throughout Southern California, and specializes in providing mortgage loans secured by apartment buildings, commercial properties and single-family homes to a wide variety of borrowers. Venture West Funding is headquartered at 2301 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 3170, El Segundo, California 90245 (310.706.4450). The firm also maintains a full-service office in Orange County at 31371 Rancho Viejo Road, Suite 101, San Juan Capistrano, California 92675 (949.218.4002).


Nest 3rd Generation Programmable Wi-Fi Learning Thermostat: Take control of your home's heating and cooling without lifting a finger with this thermostat, which learns your habits and adjusts to automatically regulate your home's temperature based on your schedule. The Nest Leaf feature alerts you when you choose a temperature that's energy efficient.
ENERGY STAR Certified: The Nest Learning Thermostat is the first thermostat to get ENERGY STAR Certified by the EPA.
Customized compatibility: System Match activates features that work with your specific heating and cooling systems, and connects to most 24-volt forced-air, heat pump with AUX, dual fuel and radiant systems.


text:
Ok But What Does That Mean? More Adages Aphorisms And Popular Idioms
Every day in conversations across the country, countless colloquial phrases that most of us have no idea what they mean can be heard--still we use them. This article looks at the origins of several adages, aphorisms, figures of speech, and other examples
In Part I of, "But, What Does that Mean," we explored the origins of a number of adages, aphorisms, and popular idioms that have been part of common vernacular for--well, who knows how long! In this installment, we'll get to the bottom of a number of other sayings that when given a second thought compel us to ask, "But, what does that mean?" In many cases, without knowing their origin, many such phrases actually make no logical sense at all!
One popular saying of recent decades is the phrase, "The proof is in the pudding." This adage was used in numerous ad campaigns to sell a variety of products and can still be heard in conversation across the country today. But what does it mean? And where did it originate? Well, my enquiries show that this phrase was actually the utterance of the illustrious Chinese-American detective, Charlie Chan during the solving of one of his more baffling murder cases. It seems that while paying a visit on Chan's #1 suspect, one Mr. White, his host served the famous criminologist bread pudding and English tea during which Chan observed to his Number-One-Son Lee Chan, "Look! Proof in pudding! Fat black worms in humble desert meant to poison honorable Chan! Must be murderer!" At the time, of course, raisins were as yet unknown in Hong King and Chan had mistakenly thought he'd uncovered a clumsy attempt to eliminate him from the case.
A popular saying of the 1960s--but can still be heard today--is the peculiar phrase, "a dollar to a donut." But what is it referring to? Well, it seems this whimsical little phrase actually dates back to 1936 and the famous Best-out-of-Three-Falls wrestling match between Betty Crocker and Aunt Jamima held at Madison Square Garden. As legend has it, while both women were fledgling bakers vying for public attention and popularity, Betty repeatedly laid claim to "Aunt" Jean Jamima's secret family baking recipes. Not one to take a family affront lightly, Jean challenged Betty to a winner-take-all wrestling match--for all the fame, fortune and perks that go with it--the loser packing up her baking pans and moving to parts unknown (Wait for it . . .) Quite naturally, the betting line at the sounding of the first round bell was "a dollar to a donut." Luckily for the public, the match ended in a draw!
While the term "couch potato" has been adopted in modern parlance to refer to someone who spends far too much time sitting on the couch--usually in front of the TV--the term originally referred to an experiment conducted by Dr. Margaret Woot of the University of Vienna who in 1947 set out to see if anything would grow in the dust and lint that collected under the cushions and in the cracks of her davenport. Far beyond her wildest expectations, Woot actually succeeded in growing a potato-like mutant vegetable, but the experiment then went terribly awry when the ravenous spud quickly grew to enormous proportions and devoured Woot and all of her lab animals before being caught and dissected--or diced, as the case may have been. (An interesting historical side-bar is that the now world-famous kids' toy Mr. Potato Head was actually modeled after Woot's hideous creation!)
In a recent episode of the Simpsons, Marge used one of the more colorful phrases referenced in everyday conversation, "bosoms 'til Tuesday." If you saw the episode, you may have asked yourself, 'Well, what does that mean'? Well, according to my intensive research, in the original--unedited--version of Cinderella, after receiving her gown and glass slippers, Cinderella then asked her fairy godmother for two more strategically-placed touches of her wand--just to seal the deal when her Prince Charming arrived with the glass slipper. Unfortunately for both Cinderella and her prince, like all her fairy godmother's spells, this too had a time limit! (Wonder if the prince felt deceived come Tuesday morning!)
While many of us apply a romantic connotation to the term "pitching woo," historical evidence indicates that the reference is actually related to the famous adventurer and world traveler Marco Polo (above left) during his historic visit to Mongolia and subsequent meeting with the infamous scourge, Genghis Khan. Bent on proving his manliness through a show of physical strength, Polo challenged Khan to a game he called "pitching Woo." Woo (pictured right) was the fattest man in all Mongolia and said to weigh over 400 lbs. While history doesn't record who won this historic match, many believe this test of strength then led to the popular phrase, "Don't get your balls in a tangle!"
Much in the same vein as reading entrails, a method of prognostication common to many cultures throughout the world including several African tribes, the reading of "poop" is widely practiced even today. The root of the phrase, "Give me the straight poop," is thought to have originated with a warrior of the Zulu tribe whose fecal deposits had repeatedly warned of impending death--indicated by large curved droppings. Pictured here, this modern-day auger is explaining the finer points of "poop reading" and has just interpreted this small straight one as a good omen; perhaps one indicating the depositer will never have to worry about constipation!
While the phrase "bend over backwards" has taken on a wholly figurative meaning in recent times, my research shows that it is actually a reference to man's third officially recognized sexual position (after doggie and missionary), as depicted on cave walls dating back to 35,000 BP--and which also seems to have made Oo-gle the world's first pin-up girl! As demonstrated above, this position had both its major advantages as well as disadvantages--which is why, perhaps, it didn't catch on and isn't commonly practived in bedrooms around the world today.
. . . And where exactly did the phrase "When pigs fly" originate? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned for installment III of "But What Does that Mean"! Don't go away!!!


text:
The Billionaires Safe Word - BDSM Female Submissive Training ( Dominated By A Billionaire)
The Rec League: Historical Erotica & Erotica without Billionaires
Free download. Book file PDF easily for everyone and every device. You can download and read online The Billionaires Safe Word - BDSM Female Submissive Training ( Dominated By A Billionaire) file PDF Book only if you are registered here. And also you can download or read online all Book PDF file that related with The Billionaires Safe Word - BDSM Female Submissive Training ( Dominated By A Billionaire) book. Happy reading The Billionaires Safe Word - BDSM Female Submissive Training ( Dominated By A Billionaire) Bookeveryone. Download file Free Book PDF The Billionaires Safe Word - BDSM Female Submissive Training ( Dominated By A Billionaire) at Complete PDF Library. This Book have some digital formats such us :paperbook, ebook, kindle, epub, fb2 and another formats. Here is The CompletePDF Book Library. It's free to register here to get Book file PDF The Billionaires Safe Word - BDSM Female Submissive Training ( Dominated By A Billionaire) Pocket Guide.
What to Read After Fifty Shades of Grey | Ana's Attic Book Blog
ulvegixanum.cf/personal-development-and-self-help-in-russian/online-dispute-resolution-technology-management-and-legal.pdf The notes stopped. Ten thousand dollars, every month. A girl gets used to that, real quick. It let me pay the bills without going into debt. And then, after a year, there was a knock on my door. A sleek black limousine sat on the curb in front of my house. Samantha Kielty only thought she knew who she was and what she was made of. Logan only hopes Samantha is capable of handling his dominating, controlling ways… especially between the sheets… or in the shower. He will push Sam past her sexual boundaries, and she will bring out his need to possess her in every way.
But, can they find love within the inferno that burns between them? Warning: This ebook contains sinfully hot encounters between two and sometimes three, and even four consenting adults. Contains graphic material that is not suitable for anyone under the age of How It All Started… One day I was a high school teacher on summer break, leading a relatively uneventful but happy life.
Or so I told myself. It all began when my neighbor thrust a key to a storage unit at me. Now she was on her way to the airport to elope with a man she barely knew, and she needed me to clear out the unit before the lease expired. Why had she let these items so neatly packed, possessions that she clearly cared about deeply, be lost at an auction? I read onward until the last terrifying dark entry left me certain that something had happened to this woman.
I had to find her and be sure she was okay. Before long, I was taking her job for the summer at the art gallery, living her life, and she was nowhere to be found. I was becoming her. But there is one man that will call to me, that will awaken me in ways I never believed possible. That man is the ruggedly sexy artist, Chris Merit, who wants to paint me.
I so do. Chris is dark, and so are his desires, but I cannot turn away. He is damaged beneath his confident good looks and need for control, and in some way, I feel he needs me. I need him. Still, I keep asking myself — do I know him? Did he know her, the journal writer, and where is she? There is just him and me, and the burn for more.
Gwendolyn Kidd has met the man of her dreams.
🚦 Safe Words 🚦 - BDSM Basics Ep#2
Hawk Delgado knows more about Gwen than she could ever imagine. But Hawk is facing his own demons, demons that keep him from connecting with anyone. She is the queen of Alpha Males! See the recommended reading order of all of her books and links to my reviews here. Anya Gage has learned that to get anything good in life, you have to work for it.
She has no expectations, no dreams. Knight Sebring knows who he is, what he wants and what he likes. And he gets it. But he never expected something as sweet as Anya Gage to wander into his bedroom during a party he did not expect to be having to borrow his phone. Knight tries to leave Anya to the life she deserves of white picket fences and a man who watches football on Sundays — good, normal and clean. Knight teaches Anya that, just as with the bad, in life you should also expect the good.
Anton will accept nothing short of her complete surrender as he molds and shapes her to be sold to the highest bidder. Donovan will have her. Ahhhhhhh such sweet relief! Published: December 25, by Fanciful Erotica. Some devices that are not all that common in the bedroom of non-BDSM practitioners include thumb cuffs, toe cuffs, cock-and-ball cages and collars, pleasure tape, and spreaders exactly what you think it is. Some like to be dominated.
And he teaches her this by giving it to her. It can hand you dreams on silver platters, but it can snatch them right back and hand you nightmares. One thing Isabelle knew for sure fate was consistent with was taking away everything she ever loved. For the last two years Isabelle has been slowly clearing the clouds of her past. Happiness is finally on the horizon. She has a thriving business, great friends, and her life back. All she has to do is jump over the last hurdle…her ex-husband.
When problems start causing her to fear her new life, and memories that are better left forgotten start rushing to the surface the last thing she needs is a ghost from her past to come knocking on her door. How will Axel and Isabelle deal when all their cards are put on the table and everything they thought was true blows up in their faces?
See all of my reviews here. After leaving the big apple and her bad memories for Tennessee, November starts working for her dad at his strip club doing the books. November wants nothing to do with Asher but too bad for November fate has other plans. Asher Mayson has never had a problem getting a woman that is until November. Now all he can think about is making November his and keeping her safe.
See all of my reviews. Damien Stark could have his way with any woman. He was sexy, confident, and commanding: Anything he wanted, he got. And what he wanted was me. Our attraction was unmistakable, almost beyond control, but as much as I ached to be his, I feared the pressures of his demands. Submitting to Damien meant I had to bare the darkest truth about my past—and risk breaking us apart. But Damien was haunted, too. And as our passion came to obsess us both, his secrets threatened to destroy him—and us—forever. Her mind tried to fight a bloody battle against what her body already knew.
She wanted him, and she wanted him bad. On the heels of college graduation and the unexpected death of her mother, Emily Cooper moves to New York City to join her boyfriend for a fresh start. Then she meets Gavin Blake. A rich and notorious playboy, Gavin is dangerously sexy and charming as hell.
When their paths cross again through an unexpected mutual acquaintance, she tries to deny the connection she feels, but Mr. With her MBA newly in hand, she has her future figured out—move up at the nightclub she works at and stay away from any guy who might trigger her obsessive love disorder. A perfect plan. He wants her in his bed and makes no secret of it. Or maybe their less than ideal pasts give them an opportunity to heal each other and finally find the love their lives have been missing.
Determined to overcome a difficult past, Erica Hathaway learns early on how to make it on her own. Days after her college graduation she finds herself face to face with a panel of investors who will make or break her fledgling startup.
First published as the popular nine-part eBook serial, Brie Learns the Art of Submission is now available as a full-length novel. The renowned school is famous for its elite submissive instruction. She has no idea what will be asked of her or the boundaries that will be pushed. One thing is certain: Brie is about to learn more about herself in six weeks than she has over the previous twenty-two years.
From formal classes, hands-on practicums and weekly auctions, Brie will confront her deepest fears and desires. As graduation day approaches things begin to unravel, forcing Brie to make an unexpected choice of Master. Their paths cross at one of the darkest points in their lives. As they try to come to terms with the aftermath—forging an unbreakable bond—will they ever truly become masters of their own fates?
Or would fate become master of them? When Marc rescues Angelina Giardano from a disastrous first experience at his club, however, an uncharacteristic attraction leaves him torn between his safe, but lonely world, and a possible future with his angel. Angelina leaves the club behind only to have her dreams plagued by the Italian angel in a wolf mask who rescued her. While trying to protect Angelina from her abusive ex, though, Marc once again finds her at the Masters at Arms Club where she turns his safe, controlled world upside down.
Women: Ever had exciting fantasies of being sexually "devoured" by a stranger?.
My Top Ten Dark Reads?
My Boyfriends Back (Sex in the Library Stacks Book 2)?
The Last Sex Youll Ever Have.
Daisy Rose.
Characters will recur in later books to deal with old and new issues in their lives as the saga continues, and each book builds upon all previous ones. Sometimes main characters even need another book to help resolve deep-seated issues affecting their relationships. See my reviews. Sean Taggart is hunting a deadly terrorist, and his only lead is the lovely Grace Hawthorne. To get the truth, he is going to have to get very close to Grace, a task he is all too eager to undertake when he discovers her deliciously submissive nature.
Soon, Grace Hawthorne is living a double life. By day, she is the widowed mother of two college-aged sons. As passion engulfs her, a murderer strikes, and Grace learns that Sean has a deeply hidden agenda. Will Sean choose his mission and break her heart or be the Master of her dreams? All the ingredients for a few nights of mind-blowing pleasure are right there. He knows the line between love and lust. Notorious Nora Sutherlin is famous for her delicious works of erotica, each one more popular with readers than the last. The demanding British editor agrees to handle the book on one condition: he wants complete control.
And a dangerous former lover has her wondering which is more torturous—staying away from him…or returning to his bed? Nora thought she knew everything about being pushed to your limits. But in a world where passion is pain, nothing is ever that simple. City gave up on love when his heart was crushed in college, preferring to be the typical bachelor. He spends his nights hopping from one bed to another and his days working at his family tattoo shop, Inked. A chance encounter on a dark road makes him question what he had sworn off forever — a relationship.
A night of passion and lust causes them to question everything. Is City the knight in shining armor to the damsel in distress?
Can their relationship survive when a fantasy falls apart and a secret comes out that changes everything? She has over 30, reviews and ratings across Goodreads, Amazon, and other retailers. See my review for Throttle Me. She was the one who got away… Ten years ago, Brent Nichols let the love of his life slip through his fingers. Easier said than done… Shannon Paige has hardened her heart to the man she was once engaged to be married to.
Each full-length novel is sinfully sexy, deliciously dirty, and follows a new couple. When they come crashing together, they will have to learn that sometimes in order to hold on, you have to first let go. See my review of King and Tyrant Which is a duet. A Washington, DC, defense attorney, Stanton Shaw keeps his head cool, his questions sharp, and his arguments irrefutable. Men want to be him, and women want to be thoroughly cross examined by him. Until the day he receives an invitation to the wedding of his high school sweetheart, the mother of his beloved ten-year-old daughter.
Sofia Santos is a city-raised, no-nonsense litigator who plans to become the most revered criminal defense attorney in the country. Because she agrees to go with him to The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, Mississippi, to do all she can to help Stanton win back the woman he loves. What happens when you mix a one-stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage, and a gun-toting Nana? The Bourbon flows, passions rise, and even the best-laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart.
See all three of my reviews Sustained and Appealed were my favorites. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. A Beautiful Bastard. All over the office. A priest cannot marry. A priest cannot abandon his flock. A priest cannot forsake his God. My name is Tyler Anselm Bell.
Six months ago, I broke my vow of celibacy on the altar of my own church, and God help me, I would do it again. He paid thousands of dollars for one night to own me, but when my blindfold comes off, I want more. More nights, more rules, and more from this unavailable and uncompromising man. Rule number one, no questions. Rule number two, no lies. But, rule number three? The only purebred vampire left on the planet and the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who killed his parents centuries ago.
But when his most trusted fighter is killed—orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate—Wrath must put down his dagger and usher the beautiful female into another world. His tales of the Brotherhood and blood frighten her. Yet his touch ignites a dawning new hunger—one that threatens to consume them both…. This is the only Paranormal Series on the list, but anyone will tell you, these are perfect after fifty reads. I read these before the blog began. Seventeen years old when he broke my heart.
Seventeen days later when another picked up the pieces. Seventeen years together. Seventeen thousand problems. Seventeen days of reliving my past and finding a new future. Seventeen minutes until it all went up in flames. Seventeen breaths until I took my last. She crosses genres and can write emotional and hysterical. You can find all of her books here. It is a great read that actually makes you think about the power found in love not just sex! Thank you Vicki!
These have been on my TBR pile for a while, it sounds like you either love it or hate it, but I will add it very soon! Floor Time Stewart Realty. Sweat Equity Stewart Realty. Closing Costs Stewart Realty. I read these series too! Loved them even though the female protaganist was annoying AF in the last book!! Great love story series.
No kinky fuckery, just plain old vanilla, but still a great read. They are on my list of not-quite 5 stars to add to this list. The sequel of the book is Point of Retreat and it was just as good. Have you read it yet? One of my favorites. A dozen top summer romances , and top 6 books for the first 6 months of Some kinky fuckery but also a great love story! Well worth a read.
I love that book. You can also read my review here. I also read Bared to You after the Fifty trilogy and really liked it. The sex scenes are steamy but not graphic, and the interaction between the main characters Joshua and Sarah is so captivating. Waiting for the last book to be released! Also on my list of must reads? Well, judged is maybe not the right word? We should definitely call them out on that. It is not the standard of healthy BDSM or healthy relationships, and pretending otherwise is damaging. There is nothing wrong with going 'I am going to enjoy this one thing in fantasy even if I know it is not something that should be done in real life'.
If there was, I'm pretty sure I couldn't enjoy all my videogames either, cause murdering people for their possessions isn't exactly kosher and yet it is fine to do in Skyrim. The big difference is that neither the game, nor the makers of skyrim at any point went 'Haha, you should definitely go out and rob your neighbour'. Nobody who plays skyrim goes 'I can't wait for the day I grow up and get to sneak into people's houses and steal their stuff'. That is not what we see with Fifty shades however. The woman who wrote this book holds it up as both healthy BDSM and a healthy relationship.
There are lots of people who read it who genuinely want to find their Christian, even young girls. That is a dangerous attitude we are enabling and in a society where domestic violence is already far too common, that is something we need to work to dismantle. Before people will actually get hurt. I am all in favour of being more open about female sexuality. The very fact that female sexuality is endorsed so differently than male sexuality is half the reason that so many women have ravishment fantasies to begin with.
I mean, for fuck's sake. In America, we have far too many people who think the hymen is at the back of the vagina and that it even is a good indication of virginity , who think girls pee out of their vagina, and the clitoris, god, that is somewhere inside or something, right??? If we can't even have a frank discussions about the way our sexual organs look, feel and how they work, that says a lot about society. It is fine for women to feel liberated because Fifty Shades finally is taking female sexuality out of this forgotten corner and puts it out in the open.
But just because it is great that there is finally attention to it, that doesn't mean that suddenly the relationship in the book is healthy. And here are definitely ways to talk about how much you enjoyed the book without endorsing the abuse. I mean, if people were watching stuff like American sniper and going on facebook all like 'ohhh this movie is so good, i hope i get to snipe some people some day' that'd be pretty disturbing too. At one point, Christian gets the protagonist drunk in order to have sex with her — avoiding getting her consent.
At one point, he ignores the safeword — a code word that is meant to signal that everything needs to stop, and that consent is not given. Christian ignores it. He tracks her down after she initially interviews him. He buys her affection with gifts. He uses emotional manipulation to get her to behave the way he wants her to, including having sex with him.
In a BDSM relationship, both people know and respect each other's limits, they communicate, they outline in detail what they do and do not consent to, and they treat each other as equals outside of scenarios they are acting out. According to people who have read the book I have not, so this is all second hand , there's a few points where she feels pressured into trying something that she doesn't want to do and there are points where he ignores the safe word. If a couple isn't setting and respecting boundaries, then it's not a healthy relationship.
You're not wrong, but depending on the situation barring the sort play-resisting "no, no, yes, yes! He heeds her safeword, but makes her feel guilty over it, even equates it in a sideways way to the violation of someone having broken into their apartment. And she accepts it all because "he loves her" and she doesn't want to reject him.
None of it is done within bounds of their contract. A key idea in communities that embrace alternative sexual behaviors is "safe, sane, and consensual". This can be problematic in the world of BDSM, as is can be difficult to give or revoke consent if you can't move or speak, or if you are role playing a non-consensual situation. Great care must be taken to use safe words and other signs, to be able to communicate when something has gone too far.
I have not read the book or seen the movie, but I understand at one point a safe word is ignored.
Already to Harvest.
February 2013 Relationship Tips: Love (Dating With A Purpose).
Comments on "Fifty Shades of Grey": The money shot | The Economist.
Account Options.
Primary Sidebar;
Colonial Exploitation and Economic Development: The Belgian Congo and the Netherlands Indies Compared (Routledge Explorations in Economic History);
The BDSM community in general considers this one of the worst things you can do, and crosses over form consensual enjoyment to a sociopath taking advantage of a victim. I've never tried anything BDSM myself, but I did sit through the movie with some friends mostly to laugh about it at dinner after. From what I understand, whenever BDSM situations are planned, the people have a discussion, clearly discuss their boundaries, figure out safe words, and agree to stop if the other person asks them to or says the safe word.
They do this before anything starts so that their minds are clear, and trust that the partner will keep their promises. The girl in that movie definitely asked to stop, definitely said no to some of the stuff, and was definitely ignored. Which is a big no-no and straddles or crosses the line between BDSM which is, simply put, play abuse and real abuse. Look for "Sunstone" comics by Stjepan Sejic. It's beautiful from position of art and story, also it displays nicely what is BDSM-relationships and how actual people of blood and flesh carefuly develop this.
I and my gf kind of starting in this direction, and you know, there's nothing about glamour and stuff, and nothing about cruelty or sadism. Just I like to feel that she fully belongs to me, and she trust me even in dealing some small pains. I believe it's same thing for her - great feeling of letting yourself in someone's hands, without fear of being injured, mentally or phisycly.
Like, "even if I hurt you, it will bring you pleasure" and "I will not bring you real harm, I just want to feel that you deliver me such power, and you want to know, that I will never use it". I think, that's the whole sense of this game, if we avoid huge psychological concept of domination and submition. Sunstone is absolutely, infuriatingly fantastic. I really can't think of a better visual construction of BDSM mixed with romance and touches of comedy.
Sejic manages to show both the positive and the negative aspects of it by which I'm referring to problems like people not knowing their own limits or not following safe procedures. I can't recommend it enough, even before going to the whole hot lesbian sex aspect of it. Also, if anyone's really interested in BDSM related stories, Nana to Kaoru is also really lots of fun, as an ongoing manga series that shows a lot of different scenarios and aspects from the dom's perspective, like aftercare or the whole preparation behind building a scene. Curiously enough, the characters engage in BDSM without mutual romantic feelings, simply as a form of releasing stress, and there's a really deep exploration of their lines of thought, how they feel about what they're doing.
Oh, wow, I was just trying to think of the name of that comic. I love it, I've read through it twice. Yeah, that instantly got me. I've always was kind of about domination, that's just in my blood, so I always was kind of attracted by BDSM, still, as it pictured in porn, it was pushing me away - mainly it's just some violent trash, just for viewer's egoistic entertainment. Tnx to "Sunstone", I've managed to understand, what and how working inside of me, and why I keep attracted to this topic, and - yeah, somehow I find a girl, who feels the same - interested, but afraid. So we slowly moving, and yes, it's very thin line, and now I understand, how it can injure, if done wrong.
Sorry, couldn't resist I love that comic. I'm glad to see someone else mentioning it here. I enjoy the art, love the characters, and like the positive view of BDSM that it provides. The fact that it gets so in depth with the private feelings of both the main characters involved and many of the others too , and the important things that they have to consider in making the relationship functional and healthy, is just wonderful.
Lisa and Allison give me warm fuzzy happy feelings, and definitely in more than a sexual way. They're so cute! To head up this explanation: I Have read the entire trilogy, seen the movie, work in an adult store selling the books as well as light bondage gear , and have been in a BDSM relationship. Christian does not give Anastasia a significant chance to understand what he is asking of her.
Even knowing she is a virgin in every sense, he simply gives her a laptop and tells her to do some research. A real Dom would not do this. They would understand that they need to sit down with their prospective sub and explain in the minutest detail what they expect from the sub and what the sub should expect from them. They wouldn't just hand their sub a contract and send them off to find things out on their own. Christian also insists on controlling Ana not only sexually, but in every aspect of her life. But from what I remember, their contract was not that in-depth. Yeah he dictated a lot of stuff, but at any point she could have said no.
Stepping aside from the contract portion of the story, Christian is very controlling in almost every moment of the books. Your partner or Dom may and sometimes should be intimidating. If any relationship requires trust, this is it. Yes trust is just a DUH. But a BDSM relationship runs deeper. As a sub, you are literally giving your well-being to your Dom during a scene. Yes, everything has been agreed upon beforehand, but if your Dom cannot be trusted to show self restraint, this is not okay.
Also, I just have to point out, that quite often Christian leaves Ana to her own devices after a session with little or no aftercare. Just no. If a sub manages to enter into subspace during a session, it is important that the Dom be there to bring them back afterward. There is a huge emotional rush after an experience like this. While in subspace, a sub will often not notice what is being done to them, or the passage of time. Basically, it boils to this: Christian is more controlling than Ana agreed to, he is obscenely neglectful in many of his duties as a Dom, and I would also like to point out that in one of the final scenes from the movie, he fails to remind Ana of using the agreed upon safe words Yellow and Red when she demands that he show her the worst he could do to her.
He fails to explain to her the severity of what she is asking in this instance. He does not exhibit characteristics of a true Dom, rather those of someone who desires to control women for his own personal pleasure, and the pleasure of his partners is secondary. Essentially the criticism is that the domination, control, and crossing of boundaries extend outside the bedroom in an unhealthy way.
The only problem I've heard about the BDSM experience in the bedroom is that the woman uses the safe word in order to indicate that she wants the man to stop, but he doesn't stop. I would agree here. I haven't read the books but I saw the movie this past weekend and that's the impression I got from the movie. He seemed controlling and she appeared pressured.
I would say the differences would be the that true BDSM does not extend outside of the bedroom and that during sexual encounters the safe word is respected. The thing is though, even in those situations, even when one partner is the more dominant and seems to control the subs decisions, the sub still has the final word because they hold the safeword. They can blow these things off at any moment. In Fifty Shades of Grey that is not the case. At some point she seriously considers running to Alaska and he threatens that he will be able to find her. That is abuse. I needed that clarification too.
Not sure if that happens in the first book, but from the movie there was a lot that wasn't apparent. This is really the best answer in this thread. The big lengthy one up top overgeneralizes alot of things. This one tells it like it is. As someone that is polyamorous as well as into BDSM, the biggest point to these sort of relationships and just as important in every relationship is communication. The predetermination of safe words, what is ok, what is not ok, and when things need to be talked about is of utmost importance.
Not having a safe word or in Anastasia's case, not using a safe word can be very dangerous, and don't take dangerous lightly here, it can be dangerous, like juggling chainsaws on a moving car with three wheels dangerous. Not using or having safe words can not only cause lasting physical harm, it can kill. Many subs long to get to subspace, but at the same time, subspace can be dangerous. This means that the Dom has an immense responsibility to care for the sub and make sure they are not going too far.
In BDSM self restraint is as important as the dominance itself.
When a sub comes out of subspace, they often don't know what time it is, how long they've been in subspace, and all the emotion that they felt thorughout the entire scene can suddenly rush on to them like a wave. Subs coming out of subspace often break down into tears, or just want some affectionate touch, this is the Dom's responsibility, and is known as aftercare. A sub should never be afraid of a Dom, and a Dom will never humiliate or yell at a Sub outside of a scene, especially not in public.
A Dom is not quick to anger, they are restrained and if a Sub breaks a rule, the Dom is swift to act, out of duty, not anger. A Sub never feels they deserve to be hurt, they believe they should be punished if they've broken a rule punishment is not necessarily pain. A Dom will never ignore a Sub, in the end, the Sub makes the final call, if it's too much, it's too much, no negotiating.
Tl;dr: Christian expects Ana to simply do whatever he says, she doesn't fully understand what she's getting into they don't really discuss the aspects of what he wants from her very well , He simply wants control, not a legitimate, intimate relationship. Christian exhibits every hallmark of an abusive partner, not a responsible Dom. Proper BDSM has ethics, safeguards, and standards of consent that aren't present at all in the relationship depicted in 50 Shades of Grey.
Most notably, he creates a power imbalance and enforces it on her, using it first to get a relationship and then to keep it: he assumes power over her without her consent, then uses it to pressure and manipulate and groom her into complying, and later to interfere with her attempts to leave, to exercise any agency of her own, and to negotiate for herself and her own needs and wants and and her own status in the relationship.
Contrast this with BDSM as two or more equal adults agreeing to form a power imbalance or the appearance thereof based on mutual consent, with the subordinate s extending privileges of their choosing to the dominant and retaining the ability to set limits and withdraw or withhold consent to things they don't want. Most people with submissive or masochistic tendencies have likes and dislikes, a level of immersion that they're comfortable with, and a life, wants, needs, relationships, et cetera, beyond their sexual inclinations, which they value.
Most people with submissive or masochistic tendencies want the ability to be safe, to have their limits respected, to have their emotional needs fulfilledthey want to be indulging a fantasy, not finding themselves wrapped up in a nightmare.
Honestly, the most important thing a dom can be is safe for his or her subthe power imbalances, the script or roleplay, the painful or violent or forceful actions that occur within the scene, these are all bounded by consent, not tools to be used to undermine it. In 50 Shades, he doesn't seem to care what she wants, only about what he wants her to want and accept from him. He perceives her refusals and balking as obstacles to be overcome rather than decisions to be accepted. Her desires, too, he uses against her: his goal is to get her to give up agency, limits, outside relationships, anything in her life that she values, in order to keep getting her "fix" of pleasure from him.
It's compliance, not consent, at best, and he is the driving force behind it while she is the reluctant captive of it. People fantasize about this type of thing, and that's okay, and people roleplay this sort of thing IN BDSM scenes, and that's okay too. The problem is that he did not seek out and receive her consent for him to do all the things he did; he went out and started doing them and bullied and manipulated her into accepting it, and then he wouldn't let her refuse, and wouldn't let her leave.
He trapped her, and paid no attention whatsoever to whether she actually would want to be, or would choose to be, in the situation he forced her into. TL;DR: Consent as the free, informed, and ongoing choice to do something is the thing that enables BDSM to happen; it is the sub's protection against their sex lives turning from fantasies into nightmares and the dom's protection from charges of assault or abuse. He doesn't care what state she's in, her mood was irrelevant to him. And while one scene he shows his skills in reading body language, but in the rest, he is totally ignoring her feelings - as if trying to teach her that her feelings are irrelevant.
He behaves like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory - viewing her state of mind as a hindrance in getting what he wants, and unwilling to consider any part of the other person's position. He broke into her apartment when she was asleep - they were at a down point and he 'made it right' by walking in on her, and waking her up at the right moment. Doms, don't try this at home! Unfortunately, he's rewarded with kinky sex, so everyone will take the wrong message home from this scene.
Looking back from the end of the film, I don't think he ever answered a non-trivial question from her honestly and openly. He always dodged the issue and turned it back on her somehow. The final play scene showed her crying scared during a play, and then run away from him, and, while you may hear it argued she never "RED"'d, he had just not a minute before said "fuck the contract" - so she could've easily believed she no longer had a safe word.
Oh, and He ordered her to go on the contraceptive pill without negotiation. Before any contract signed or consent or anything. And she does. The amount of simple BDSM mistakes was surprising to me, as I'd read online that the actor had taken lessons and even attended local scene parties in order to get an understanding of what he was portraying.
He visibly used tightening slip knots for limb restraining, he does a partial suspension despite her stating that suspension is a hard limit, the only clearly portrayed flogging hit her lower abdomen, as did a crop, and the very first spank shown in the film landed squarely on the base of her spine.
He also was unable to separate play from sex and viewed them as one. A spread eagle rope bondage scene was shown - in which all 4 of her limbs where visibly restrained with slip knots. Now, I'm no angel when it comes to knot selection, but jeez, a percentage of the audience is going to try this for the first time within an hour of the credits rolling, and I suspect they wanted to show an easy knot so that the "50 shades of grey collection silk bondage rope" would sell well.
She states suspension is hard limit. If you connect the on-screen shots of her contract with the dialog, its actually her only one, as his only other suggested limits "anal and vaginal fisting" piques her interest and she asks that it be not included in the limit lits. He cropped and flogged her, on the front of lower abdomen. The area with lots of sensitive squishy bits and not much in the way of protection. This is not a good idea to hit - eg one of a partner's other partners gave her a few good hits with a small tawste in that area and 2 days later there are moments where we're considering a trip to the emergency ward due to pain.
The first spank shown in the film was targeted towards to arse - but fell on the base of her spine. As a guess I'd say they wanted to show her face and the first spank fall in the same frame, and chose a well layed out frame instead of something safe. Now, it wasn't a very hard spank, borderline sensation-play levels, but still, members of the audience are going to try this at home.
All play is sexual to Mr Grey. No play did he keep his pants on. I'm not saying I'm concerned with people who have sex during play - as even I do this occasionally - I'm writing here that it was shown that sex occurs every play. They used BDSM as a form of foreplay, and, at least not on screen, it was never shown as being stand-alone. I'd almost go so far as to say they only did fetishised sex with adequate foreplay, rather than BDSM. The unrealistic characters were difficult to fathom at times; Mr Grey was just a richer Mr Big, he had too many achievements under his belt, his employees are all hot chicks, and, while he wasn't a Mary Sue, his one imperfection was a slap in the face.
Something which urks me in many movies is the concept of a female supporting character being the reward to the male character for accomplishing the goal. Mr Grey was the reward for Anastasia. He was the bait dangled in front of her if she performed the goals of the story. The billionaire hottie partner was her reward for being a good little sub and, at the end of the day, taking the abuse.
Mr Grey is way to qualified for a 27 year old - doing a little cross-referencing with the billionaires list, I think the real life inspiration for the professional side of Mr Grey is actually Richard Branson They both own and actively manage a telecommunications company, both have pilots licences, both have helicopter licence, both are billionaire paradigm-shifters who surround themselves with hot chicks. Could Branson have accomplished all that by 27?
Not likely. After a quick Wikipedia browse, in the USA, you need 1, hours of helicopter experience and 1, hours of light aircraft experience in order to carry passengers, and you can't start till your No way could you get that much practice in that short a period of time while actively running your own company. The only male he employed was his driver, everyone else at his entire company was a hot chick in a short dress.
I'd love to see a sex discrimination audit of his company. And they didn't really seem to do anything beyond "Personal Assistant" and "Walk around looking sexy". Fortune here we come! The only good thing I found in the Mr Grey character from a literary perspective anyway was he wasn't quite a Mary Sue character with perfect attributes and no flaws. Turns out he was abused as a child and had his birth mother drink herself to death.
Everyone in the audience goes "oh, that explains it - he's fucked in the head because of bad upbringing - its not his fault he's an asshole". It perpetuates the cycle of abuse conjecture, and makes abuse victims feel predetermined that they're going to commit abuse. And then we have the filming annoyances and general fuck-ups; welts appeared before the crop touched the skin, over exaggerated camera angles, suspension with unsecured wrist cuffs, and makeup and contract sync symbolism overload. First crop was shown to run over her arse - there was already a welt on her arse If they've been doing other play not shown to the camera, at least allude to it, else you have a virgin whose "never done anything" who somehow has done welt-worthy kink.
Each shot of Mr Grey in her presence was from below. Good god do I know that chin well by now. The symbolism got old real quick. You could tell he was standing on a crate or something as other shots he was about the same height as her. There was a partial suspension by wrists shown.
Now, the cuffs they were using looked awesome - and I totally want to track them down because they were better than my suspension gear, however she was in them so loosely that she would've slipped out had she lowered her hands. She was shown with visible, natural complexion. Freckles, acne, normal hair, realistic human flesh, and, surprisingly, pubic hair. At first I was impressed at the lack of photoshopping and realistic appearance. Then, over the course of the movie, as she gets closer to signing the contract, her imperfections disappear, and as she chickens out, they come back. And while there was equivalent symbolism in American Beauty, this one was re-enforcing the concept of "single sub equals ugly" - which isn't a healthy message to put subconsciously into peoples heads.
So my visit went like this: about an hour in, I got my phone out and started noting the mistakes made in the film. These were mistakes made by most newbies, myself included. During which time the sub sitting next to me was face palming every other minute I was glad when the credits rolled, because another few minutes of watching the culmination of emotional abuse and I'd of had to of walked out to have saved the subs mental health.
Please don't go see it. Torrent a cam if you must, but for the love of all things kink this movie does not represent us. I'm just going to say this again, in the same thread, because I can't stress enough how amazing Sunstone is as a comic centered around BDSM.
Voyage dans les rêves (French Edition)
Amadi, the Phoenix, the Sphinx, and the Djinn
HOW CAN YOU STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH? - Sermons on Hebrews (I)
The dungeon of Lord Blackmoore (1st edition ): Erotic tales of Lady Sarah #1
Origine du nom de famille SAINT-LÉGER (Oeuvres courtes) (French Edition)
Interstellar Patrol


Built to mimic a WWI French farmhouse taken over by Yankee flying aces, offering classic American fare and mighty cocktails.
Monday 3:30-6:30pm: $2.75 house wine by the glass, draft beer, $3.25 domestic beer bottles, $3.50 margaritas, $9 draft pitchers.
Tuesday 3:30-6:30pm: $2.75 house wine by the glass, draft beer, $3.25 domestic beer bottles, $3.50 margaritas, $9 draft pitchers.
Wednesday 3:30-6:30pm: $2.75 house wine by the glass, draft beer, $3.25 domestic beer bottles, $3.50 margaritas, $9 draft pitchers.
Thursday 3:30-6:30pm: $2.75 house wine by the glass, draft beer, $3.25 domestic beer bottles, $3.50 margaritas, $9 draft pitchers.
Friday 3:30-6:30pm: $2.75 house wine by the glass, draft beer, $3.25 domestic beer bottles, $3.50 margaritas, $9 draft pitchers.
Aug. 13, 2008 @ 9:27 a.m.
This is a pretty fun place. Lots of happy people and even some dancing on the patio. But my favorite thing about the 94th is the Sunday brunch but not because of the eggs. The best thing is the group of swingers that meet there once a month for brunch and to talk a little too loudly about swinging. They are mostly older couples but man they know how to enjoy life like no group I have ever seen.
Nov. 13, 2008 @ 1:05 p.m.
March 10, 2009 @ 9:39 a.m.
I was very satisfied with my dining experience at 94th Aero Squad which is in the Kearny Mesa area. I was a little discouraged to go in because the parking lot was FULL. I found out that Friday nights is Hip Hop night. I had no idea but I could hear the music from the entrance and it sounded pretty good. The food was GREAT!! I would highly recommend going here to enjoy a nice evening.
Sept. 27, 2009 @ 5:34 p.m.
My family took my mom to 94th Aero Squadron here in San Diego for her 95th birthday but what a big mistake! They sat us at the very end of the restaurant where it was so dark, no windows and no air condition. We spoke to the manager that we wanted to sit by the windows or at least where there was more lighting and where it was cooler. We did not have to sit all together in one table but at least close together but the manager was not accommodating at all. We were even there before they were opened so there were plenty of seats available. Service was not great either. We had to call a few of times for someone to refill our drinks. We chose that restaurant because we were celebrating a very special occasion but needless to say, we were very disappointed. It was also the first time for some of my family members to try that restaurant but I can guarantee you, we will never go there again!
Sept. 27, 2009 @ 7:45 p.m.
Really! That theme restaurant is still operating after more than thirty years? I'd have not been a bit surprised to learn that it had folded back in the late 80's. My experiences are ancient history, but the food there was not the attraction. The gimmick was.
Sept. 29, 2009 @ 10:01 p.m.
Hey...it says at the top of this the cuisine is American. Isn't it French? Or "French American" or something like that?
I've been here about 15 times. The food doesn't do much for me, but it's one of my stepdads favorite places. And the theme is cool. A few of my friends that are pilots like going there. I believe at the bar you can listen on headphones, as you watch the planes landing at the nearby Montogomery Field.
I've always thought the food on their buffets (fathers day, or brunch), not to be as good as just ordering off the menu.


text:
Bundling Tenant Improvement Projects with High-Performance Goals
Tenant improvements tend to target interior design rather than the system components of a building. A tenant improvement might address relocation or installation of nonstructural walls, workstation layouts, and wall and floor finishes, as well as furniture, fixtures, and equipment.
However, each of these interior-focused remodeling projects creates an opportunity to review system operations, design layouts, and the construction process itself to determine where it is feasible to incrementally address sustainability concerns. By bundling necessary tenant improvements with other investments, you can realize returns in multiple areas such as tenant satisfaction, energy reduction, and lower operating costs.
Investment bundling: The benefits to be derived from high-performance investments can be maximized by implementing two or more complementary high-performance investments simultaneously,
Certain building systems and components require thorough analysis and consideration during tenant improvement projects to ensure a sustainable focus. These systems and components include energy management, air handling, water, lighting, and waste management systems.
In the case of energy and water use, submetering is often a solution pursued in multi-tenant buildings to allow management to pass along accurately apportioned costs for individual tenants. This system change does not require redesigning the plumbing layout, but is critical for tenants to monitor and reduce their own energy use. Many states and municipalities, including Washington, DC; New York City; and Chicago, have begun to require submetering. In addition, steps toward many industry certifications, including Energy Star and Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), awards points for submetering.
In addition to a focus on building systems and their key components in relation to sustainable tenant improvement projects, certain common practices should be employed to ensure project success. While seemingly small in terms of overall impact, these considerations are critical to building marketability and value:
Completing Building Assessments
Installing Additional Building System Monitors
Installing Additional Building System Controls
Evaluating the Functionality of Design Layouts
Revisiting the Typical Construction Supply Chain
Replacing and Renovating Finishes and Furnishings
Disposing of Project Waste
Let's examine in detail the first item on this list.
Completing Building Systems Assessments
Tenant improvement projects create an opportunity to assess all current building systems and identify underperformers. As buildings are often commissioned only when systems are initially installed, recommissioning systems and reevaluating water, waste, and energy practices can produce immediate sustainability gains.
This assessment may identify opportunities for recycling water for landscaping use. Building access, security, lighting, and parking may also be reconsidered based on information gathered during the assessment process. You might also discover, for example, that occupants use the building's back door, which closes more slowly, more frequently than the front door, but hardly ever use the side door.
A common recommissioning result achieved through the assessment process is the discovery that a system is not performing correctly. For example, one air handler may not be functioning at capacity, forcing others to take its load or causing inconsistent airflows in various office areas. Even when no action items are identified, a preproject assessment establishes a performance baseline that will later be used to evaluate outcomes.
An effective practice to enhance operations involves the installation of monitoring systems to track the use of resources by building occupants in a timely manner. For multitenant buildings, this presents an opportunity to install submeters or other evaluation tools to identify use at a more discrete level.
Submetering: The practice of installing meters within a zone or wing of a building to measure electricity, water, or gas usage that can be attributed to a specific business unit, division, or department.
Submetering also permits more direct billing of energy, water, and waste systems costs, which can support benchmarking efforts and drive occupants' proactive sustainability behaviors.
Along with submetering, sensors can be installed to provide additional weather and equipment-utilization data to examine user behaviors and overall efficiencies. Other types of monitoring tools may include cameras in entry locations. Adding cameras to these areas can offer data on foot traffic patterns, noise, and lighting levels to reevaluate building systems deployment in foyers and at delivery docks.
At a bare minimum, these various monitoring systems offer the opportunity to disclose discrete space and system-level data to tenants, owners, and operators that are not obtainable based on previous technology solutions focused on single-meter practices. This level of detailed analysis is also being demanded as building professionals seek to increase asset value and marketability by pursuing certification credentials such as the BOMA 360 Performance Program, BOMA BEST, Green Globes, and LEED.
Whether displayed in the lobby or evaluated by asset managers and financial analysts, these detailed building operational data sources provide useful discussion points for sustainability concerns and potential gains. The installation of aftermarket monitoring solutions across a large portfolio of buildings or units is useful to offer standard data for comparisons and opportunities to highlight outliers that may require additional attention.
In addition to meters, building systems controls are another consideration for pursuing high-performance building operations. Enhancing current building systems controls, with additions from the original manufacturer or third-party solutions, is another practice that can improve efficiency and operational gains. Such controls may offer energy-use or water-use dashboards and Internet connection devices that allow remote monitoring. Additional controls may include equipment and software that are not physically intrusive and could certainly be part of a tenant improvement checklist.
Depending on the age of existing building systems and the number of types of controls on-site, cost savings from energy reductions may be offset by the additional skills and manpower needed to install and maintain these controls. As a result, when considering additional building systems controls, one school of thought suggests that a comprehensive cross-system control solution will add the most value in terms of energy savings, and therefore CO2 reduction.
These solutions can be more complex in technical and support requirements, making return on investment (ROI) less achievable. The most financially feasible installations of aftermarket control systems often address multiple properties across a large portfolio, where constraints on room temperature, lighting levels, and water use can be set, monitored, and controlled at the corporate level rather than independently by regional building managers.
More often than not, the degree to which sustainability issues are considered is a function of budget and other resource commitments, including time. Focusing on a standard set of sustainable impact areas and standard operating procedures helps management and tenants to think strategically in terms of the best long-term solutions/
This article is adapted from BOMI International's course High-Performance Sustainable Building Principles, part of the BOMI-HP® designation program. More information regarding this course and the BOMI-HP® credential is available by calling 1.800.235.2664. Or visit the website, www.bomi.org.


text:
:root{

    --MAIN-TEXT-color:#323232; /* Color of text by default */
    --MAIN-TITLES-TEXT-color: #5e5e5e; /* Color of titles h2-h3-h4-h5 */
    --MAIN-LINK-color:#007eb3; /* Color of links */
    --MAIN-LINK-HOVER-color:#09425a; /* Color of hovered links */
    --MAIN-ANCHOR-color: #1cb3f3; /* color of anchors on titles */

    --MENU-HEADER-BG-color:#005981; /* Background color of menu header */
    --MENU-HEADER-BORDER-color:#006b99; /*Color of menu header border */

    --MENU-SEARCH-BG-color:#074f6e; /* Search field background color (by default borders + icons) */
    --MENU-SEARCH-BOX-color: #006b99; /* Override search field border color */
    --MENU-SEARCH-BOX-ICONS-color: #c8eaf9; /* Override search field icons color */

    --MENU-SECTIONS-ACTIVE-BG-color:#20282b; /* Background color of the active section and its childs */
    --MENU-SECTIONS-BG-color:#252d31; /* Background color of other sections */
    --MENU-SECTIONS-LINK-color: #ccc; /* Color of links in menu */
    --MENU-SECTIONS-LINK-HOVER-color: #e6e6e6;  /* Color of links in menu, when hovered */
    --MENU-SECTION-ACTIVE-CATEGORY-color: #585858; /* Color of active category text */
    --MENU-SECTION-ACTIVE-CATEGORY-BG-color: #fff; /* Color of background for the active category (only) */

    --MENU-VISITED-color: #006b99; /* Color of 'page visited' icons in menu */
    --MENU-SECTION-HR-color: #20282b; /* Color of <hr> separator in menu */

}

body {
    color: var(--MAIN-TEXT-color) !important;
}

textarea:focus, input[type="email"]:focus, input[type="number"]:focus, input[type="password"]:focus, input[type="search"]:focus, input[type="tel"]:focus, input[type="text"]:focus, input[type="url"]:focus, input[type="color"]:focus, input[type="date"]:focus, input[type="datetime"]:focus, input[type="datetime-local"]:focus, input[type="month"]:focus, input[type="time"]:focus, input[type="week"]:focus, select[multiple=multiple]:focus {
    border-color: none;
    box-shadow: none;
}

h2, h3, h4, h5 {
    color: var(--MAIN-TITLES-TEXT-color) !important;
}

a {
    color: var(--MAIN-LINK-color);
}

.anchor {
    color: var(--MAIN-ANCHOR-color);
}

a:hover {
    color: var(--MAIN-LINK-HOVER-color);
}

#sidebar ul li.visited > a .read-icon {
	color: var(--MENU-VISITED-color);
}

#body a.highlight:after {
    display: block;
    content: "";
    height: 1px;
    width: 0%;
    -webkit-transition: width 0.5s ease;
    -moz-transition: width 0.5s ease;
    -ms-transition: width 0.5s ease;
    transition: width 0.5s ease;
    background-color: var(--MAIN-LINK-HOVER-color);
}
#sidebar {
	background-color: var(--MENU-SECTIONS-BG-color);
}
#sidebar #header-wrapper {
    background: var(--MENU-HEADER-BG-color);
    color: var(--MENU-SEARCH-BOX-color);
    border-color: var(--MENU-HEADER-BORDER-color);
}
#sidebar .searchbox {
	border-color: var(--MENU-SEARCH-BOX-color);
    background: var(--MENU-SEARCH-BG-color);
}
#sidebar ul.topics > li.parent, #sidebar ul.topics > li.active {
    background: var(--MENU-SECTIONS-ACTIVE-BG-color);
}
#sidebar .searchbox * {
    color: var(--MENU-SEARCH-BOX-ICONS-color);
}

#sidebar a {
    color: var(--MENU-SECTIONS-LINK-color);
}

#sidebar a:hover {
    color: var(--MENU-SECTIONS-LINK-HOVER-color);
}

#sidebar ul li.active > a {
    background: var(--MENU-SECTION-ACTIVE-CATEGORY-BG-color);
    color: var(--MENU-SECTION-ACTIVE-CATEGORY-color) !important;
}

#sidebar hr {
    border-color: var(--MENU-SECTION-HR-color);
}

#body .tags a.tag-link {
    background-color: var(--MENU-HEADER-BG-color);
}

#body .tags a.tag-link:before {
    border-right-color: var(--MENU-HEADER-BG-color);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub