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Pirelli Ambiente and Intesa Sanpaolo associates in renewable energy with entry in GWM RE II
The shareholder structure of GWM Renewable Energy II (Gwm Re II), the vehicle which controls the renewable energy activities of the GWM group, has been strengthened. Pirelli Ambiente, through its unit Solar Utility, has taken a 16.87% stake and Intesa Sanpaolo group has taken a 12.5% stake. GWM Renewable Energy will hold the remaining 70.63%. Pirelli Ambiente and Intesa Sanpaolo will participate in a project of international scale in the renewable energy sector. GWM Re II aims to become a significant player in the European renewable energy field. The company's portfolio already includes 42 Megawatts of photovoltaic capacity in Italy and in Spain, over 222 Megawatt of wind power operating in four countries, and 52 Megawatts under construction through the Danish company Greentech in which it holds a stake of around 20%. Solar Utility's entry will require a total investment of approximately 25 million euros, of which 10 million euro will be in cash and the remainder through the re-investment of the revenue deriving from the sale of its stake in GP Energia Spa, a joint venture constituted last year with GWM Renewable Energy into which Solar Utility conferred its photovoltaic activities. The agreement is part of Pirelli Ambiente's drive to simplify its holdings and identify strategic partners to develop its activities and to enhance the value of its know-how through minority shareholdings. Intesa Sanpaolo will enter the company with an investment of about 20 million euros, which demonstrates its great interest in the renewable energy sector and confirms its support for the country's entrepreneurship. "We are pleased with this Partnership, very much wanted by all, which brings together industrial and financial partners with the founding group which has an international mission thanks to the partners of Gruppo GWM and Gruppo Rottapharm-Madaus. With over 220MW in operation and 52MW under construction, including wind energy and photovoltaic, and active in 6 European countries, together with our affiliate Greentech, listed on Copenaghen's Nasdaq, we aim to shortly be among the Top 10 producers of renewable energy in Europe with a development of over 900MW and a prospective in the environmental and water treatment sectors of the highest profile at the international level. Intesa Sanpaolo's involvement will contribute to our development plan both in terms of ratings and coverage and financial support in the countries where the bank is present. The renewed commitment of the Pirelli group which is increasing its position in our Holding also adds to our potential both in terms of new technological solutions and its presence in emerging countries" said Mr.Eugenio de Blasio, chief executive of the GWM Renewable Energy group. Pirelli Ambiente is the Pirelli group company specialized in technologies and solutions for sustainable development and activities in the renewable energy sector and the energy efficiency of buildings. Last year Solar Utility, the unit constituted in 2007 to invest in photovoltaic, formed an alliance with GWM Renewable Energy which led to the conferral of its activities into GP Energia, controlled by GWM Renewable Energ SpA, ("GWM RE"), a company which invests in renewable sources held by GWM Group, an international financial group founded over 10 years ago by Sigieri Diaz della Vittoria Pallavicini. Intesa Sanpaolo is among the top banking groups in the euro zone, with a market capitalisation of 29.8 billion euro (at 30 June 2011), and leader in Italy in all business areas (retail, corporate and wealth management). Thanks to a network of approximately 5,700 branches capillary and well distributed throughout the country, with market shares above 15% in most Italian regions, the Group offers its services to about 11 million customers. Intesa Sanpaolo has a selected presence in Central-Eastern Europe and Middle Eastern and North African countries with a network of more than 1,700 branches and 8.3 million customers of subsidiaries operating in retail and commercial banking in 13 countries. Moreover, the international network specialised in supporting corporate customers is present in 29 countries, in particular the Middle Eastern and North African area and those areas where Italian companies are most active, such as the United States, Russia, China and India. PDF Version (367KB)


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Local schools take part in UK robotic LEGO®challenge
Posted by Press Office on December 21, 2017 in Events, general news · 0 Comments
More than 60 school pupils from across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight took part in an IET FIRST® LEGO® League Tournament at the University of Portsmouth this week.
Pupils from Meon Juniors put their robot through its paces.
The tournament was the culmination of weeks of preparation, where pupils worked in teams to design, build and programme a robot, and create an innovative solution to a real world problem.
The event on Wednesday (20 December) was one of 45 IET FIRST® LEGO® League tournaments that are taking place across the UK and Ireland. These are fun and exciting events where the teams have to put their robot through its paces, and communicate their ideas, sharing what they have learnt with the judges.
Pupils aged 9 to 16 from six schools and one after school club had to build a robot using a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® kit that they program to autonomously complete a series of missions on a specialised field and to score as many points as possible.
A team from Meon Junior were the overall winners of the competition for the third year running.
Organiser David Hill, Technology Outreach Coordinator at the University, said: "This event is a great chance to show how diverse, creative, and fun engineering can be. It is really exciting to help support schools and colleges in developing the next generation – the pipeline – for the future. The skills that these pupils develop, such as working in multi-disciplinary teams, applying problem solving and creative thinking, are just the skills that we think a Portsmouth student should have."
The event is a great chance to show how diverse, creative, and fun engineering can be.
In the 2017 FIRST®LEGO® League HYDRO DYNAMICSSM Challenge, the students learnt all about water – how we find, transport, use, or dispose of it. They had to demonstrate their skills in robotics, computer programming, teamwork, research, problem solving and communication, as well as needing to demonstrate the FIRST® LEGO® League core values, which include respect and friendly competition.
Mandy Workman, FIRST® LEGO® League IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) Education Manager, said: "Students who take part in FIRST® LEGO® League this year will experience engineering in action. The programme brings enjoyment to STEM subjects as the students get hands-on experience with robotics, and designing innovative solutions. Developing computer programming, teamwork, problem-solving and communications skills has never been so much fun.
"It's a fact that the need for engineers has never been greater. The IET supports FIRST® LEGO® League, because it equips young people with the skills that they need to become future innovators and engineers. FIRST® LEGO® League is the world's largest STEM competition with 32,000 teams in more than 80 countries and the IET are proud to be the operational partners for the programme in the UK and Ireland."
The winning team from Meon Juniors will now take part in the UK and Ireland Final at the University of West of England (UWE) on 24 February 2018. The top achieving teams at this final get the opportunity to represent their country at the International Championships in Hungary, Estonia and the USA in 2018.
For more information about this year's FIRST® LEGO® League competition, please visit http://firstlegoleague.theiet.org/index.cfm.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Statsrådet av Skandinavia
Coat of Arms of Skandinavia
Statsminister av Skandinavia
Main organ
Responsible to
Storting
Det Kongelige Slott, Christiania
The Statsrådet av Skandinavia (Council of State of Skandinavia) is a formal body composed of the most senior government ministers chosen by the Monark or by the Statsminister on behalf of the Monark, and functions as the collective decision-making organ constituting the executive branch of the Kingdom. It is referred to as the Statsrådet and simultaneously play the role of privy council as well as government cabinet. With the exception of the Statsminister, the Finansminister (Minister of Finance) and the Utenriksminister (Minister of Foreign Affairs), who retain their ministerial ranking in their own right, all the other members of the Statsrådet concurrently hold the position of Statsrådgiver (Councillor of State), and that of chief of the various departments, not formally being considered 'ministers', although commonly addressed as such. The Statsrådet normally convenes every week, usually on Fridays at 10:00 a.m. at Det Kongelige Slott (Royal Palace) in Christiania and is presided over by the Monark.
1 Functions and mandate
2 Duty of remonstrance
3 Requirements of membership
4 Current organization
Functions and mandate[edit | edit source]
The Statsrådet convenes to formally make decisions on matters of State, passing so-called Royal Resolutions or Orders in Council. Theoretically, the Royal Resolutions themselves are the King´s decisions, but by convention use to be those of the government. However, they require the contra-signature of the Statsminister, or, in cases relating to military command, of the Minister of Defence in order to be valid. Later, entire records from the proceedings of the Statsrådet is signed by all its members. This is done in order to remove all personal responsibility on part of the King, in keeping with Unionenslov, which states that, "The King's person is sacred; he cannot be censured or accused. The responsibility rests with his Council". Another feature of this system is that the King, when having sanctioned a decision, is referred to as King-in-Council, meaning the King as well as his council.
According to the Unionenslov, certain cases, such as appointments and dismissals of higher office, pardons, provisional measures and ratifications of treaties must be administered by the Statsrådet. Whilst not prescribed in the Unionenslov, the signing of bills and other regulations into law is the most important feature of the work being conducted during sessions of the Statsrådet.
Duty of remonstrance[edit | edit source]
The Unionenslov states that any member of the Statsrådet, if he or she is of the opinion that the "King's decision conflicts with the form of government or the laws of the Realm" is bound by a "duty to make strong remonstrances against it, as well as to enter his opinion in the records." The Article continues by stating that a Member who has not voiced such objections is liable of impeachment by the Unionsparlamentet should a decision made in the Statsrådet later be found unlawful. For the same reason, the aforesaid Article prescribes that all of the decisions made in the Statsrådet shall be put down in official records.
Requirements of membership[edit | edit source]
Whilst most members of the Statsrådet originate from within the Storting and will have their seats deputised during their time in office, they can also be members of the Landsting or even not belonging to the Unionsparlamentet. However, all members of the Statsrådet use to have the express support of the Storting.
Current organization[edit | edit source]
Incumbent
In office since
Statsministerens Kontor
Office of the Prime Minister Statsminister (Prime Minister)
Statsministerens Stabschef (Chief of Staff) Ann Nilsson
Jens Soderberg February 20, 2020
Utenriksdepartementet
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Utenriksminister
Minister of Foreign Affairs Cristina Björling February 23, 2020
Ministry of Finance Finansminister
Minister of Finance Tobias Ohlsson February 23, 2020
Ministry of Defence Forsvarsminister
Minister of Defence Göran Bildt February 23, 2020
Nærings- og Handelsdepartementet
Ministry of Trade and Industry Nærings- og Handelsminister
Minister of Trade and Industry Fredrik Trolgfors February 23, 2020
Energidepartementet
Ministry of Energy Energiminister
Minister of Energy Silvie Larsson February 23, 2020
Samferdselsdepartementet
Ministry of Transport and Communications Samferdelsminister
Minister of Transport and Communications Dagnija Repše February 23, 2020
Miljøverndepartementet
Ministry of the Environment Miljøvernminister
Minister of the Environment Lisbeth Brekk February 23, 2020
Landbruks- og Matdepartementet
Ministry of Agriculture and Food Landbruks- og Matminister
Minister of Agriculture and Food Kjell Jönsson February 23, 2020
Fiskeri- og Kystdepartementet
Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Fiskeri- og Kystminister
Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Eirk Riis February 23, 2020
Justis- og Sikkerhetdepartementet
Ministry of Justice and Security Justis- og Sikkerhetminister
Minister of Justice and Security Trond Støre February 23, 2020
Kommunal- og Regionaldepartementet
Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Kommunal- og Regionalminister
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Kâre Thorbjørn February 23, 2020
Kultur- og Kirkedepartementet
Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs Kultur- og Kirkeminister
Minister of Culture and Church Affairs Albert Björg February 23, 2020
Utdannings- og Forskningsdepartementet
Ministry of Education and Research Utdannings- og Forskningsminister
Minister of Education and Research Paula Schjøtt-Pedersen February 23, 2020
Fornyings- og Administrasjonsdepartementet
Ministry of Government Administration and Reform Fornyings- og Administrasjonsminister
Minister of Government Administration and Reform Peder Lauridsen February 23, 2020
Helse- og Omsorgsdepartementet
Ministry of Health and Care Services Helse- og omsorgsminister
Minister of Health and Care Services Grete Strøm-Erichsen February 23, 2020
Arbeidsdepartementet
Ministry of Labour Arbeidsminister
Ministry of Labour Anniken Olsen February 23, 2020
Retrieved from "https://wiki.conworlds.org/w/index.php?title=Statsrådet_av_Skandinavia&oldid=38749"
Politics in Skandinavia


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Click to copyhttps://apnews.com/e03454f5a00f4cbc8a74e5902f7c9620
Official: Sulfuric acid leaked from derailed train car
A freight train that derailed in an international tunnel connecting Michigan and Canada, sits on the track, Friday, June 28, 2019, in Port Huron, Mich. City Manager James Freed says the Friday morning wreck involved about 30 to 40 of the train's cars and caused "significant damage" to the track in Port Huron. Freed says thousands of train cars pass through the tunnel daily. He says trains are being rerouted to a crossing in Detroit. (Brian Wells//The Times Herald via AP)
PORT HURON, Mich. (AP) — About 13,700 gallons of sulfuric acid has spilled from one of about 40 freight train cars that derailed in an international tunnel connecting Michigan and Canada.
Canadian National Railway spokesman Jonathan Abecassis says the chemical has been contained Friday at the site and poses no threat to public safety.
Abecassis said the derailment occurred about 4:30 a.m. Friday and is under investigation. No injuries were reported.
The tunnel beneath the St. Clair River connects Port Huron to Sarnia, Ontario. The train was in Port Huron at the time of the derailment.
Port Huron City Manager James Freed said the wreck caused "significant damage" to the track. It was not clear when the tunnel would reopen.
Freed said trains are being rerouted to a crossing in Detroit.


On April 27th, I went to see one of the most rowdy bands alive, all on my own. Hollywood Undead is one of those bands you either really love or really hate, and to be honest, most people I know fall into the latter.
I discovered Hollywood Undead when I was around sixteen years old, back in my MySpace days, and absolutely fell in love with their playful and hilarious mix of emo rock and gangster hip hop. They rap about everything from partying in Ford Fiestas to pushing through hard times to wasting rent money on booze, so I knew it was going to be an interesting show.
Also included on their lineup that night were Misty Eyed and Deadset Society. I wasn't a fan of Misty Eyed, but Deadset Society is the best band I have ever seen live. Unfortunately, between the heavy bass, dodging the beach ball, avoiding rowdy concert-goers, and trying to pay attention to the show, these videos aren't half as good as the sound quality from the Black Violin show.
Still, the music is only half the reason I go to concerts. The other half is the energy, meeting people with similar interests, being in my element with other weirdlings, and… occasionally going home with a black eye. So, here are the bands and the snippets I got from their performances.
Okay, so technically, the beach ball did not perform at the Masquerade in Atlanta. However, it did serve as our primary source of entertainment as we stood waiting in the amphitheatre for about two hours for someone—anyone!—to serenade us.
It became such an instrumental part of the experience that you will see it appear on stage when Hollywood Undead performs. They and the kids throw it back to us several times—bless their hearts!
Misty Eyed is a local Atlanta act that seems to have been playing for a few years now. Below is a clip from their set.
A hardrock band from Canada, Deadset Society was originally called Never Say Never, but threatened with a lawsuit, they were forced to find a new band name. Here is Reid's explanation.
I could kick myself for the sound quality of these videos, as like Black Violin, this is one of those bands best enjoyed live. I like their studio recordings, but it doesn't capture the energy and talent I saw on stage. However, feel free to mute and watch the videos that don't play well to see if you are as inspired to kidnap Reid, as I am.
A while later, a fellow fan saw the tweet, reached out to me, and we proceeded to plan the kidnapping of Reid. We were quickly found out by the band! Their response?
If their toes so much as brush the threshold of the Atlanta city limits, I am going back to see them!
As amazing as Deadset Society was, the highlight of the night was still getting to see Hollywood Undead live for the first time. I loved that they played both their old and new songs, as I didn't know the new album nearly as well as the older ones. Here are some clips from their performance.
One of the strangest—but coolest—things to happen is when the band invited two little girls on stage to share in the limelight. Some may argue it may have been inappropriate based on the content of the band's lyrics, but I'm sure they didn't end up there without their parents' consent! Here is footage from their glory moment.
I still want to kick myself for not getting better footage of the show, but if I let myself judge an amazing experience by the recordings of it, I've truly lost my way in life. No shows for May or June caught my eye, but on July 31st, I'll be attending Vans Warped Tour right here in Atlanta.
Want to see more posts on the shows I've been to in the past few years? You'll find them all here. Until the next time, thanks for visiting my corner of the blogosphere!
Those little girls are definitely adorable!
Haha, you'll have plenty of company!
Their new location really suits them!


This week I've been travelling for work. I left Calgary early Monday morning, and I returned home late last night.
On Sunday night as I was preparing for my trip I briefly considered setting an "out of office" email alert and changing my outgoing voicemail message to advise people of my unavailability. I quickly dismissed this plan though, for the simple reason that I really wasn't all that unavailable. Sure I was away from my physical desk in Calgary, but I rarely work from there anyway. And sure my calendar was full, but that's not unusual either. Setting up unavailability alerts would have been a misuse of the tools available to me.
As I was thinking about all this, it put me in mind of a post I wrote about seven months ago titled Weird Workplace Etiquette. In it, I complained about the fact that nobody just picks up the phone and calls me without first sending me a message (or worse, booking some time in my calendar) to ensure that I'm going to pick up the phone and talk to them.
Now that I've had some time to think about it, the reason seems obvious to me. We can lay blame firmly on voicemail. Subconsciously or otherwise people hate it, because everybody's had a bad experience with it. Think about how it normally goes between a couple of busy people – you leave a voicemail for me in which you ask me to call you back, I call you back and get your voicemail, and so it continues ad infinitum.
Happily, this is pretty easy to fix in my opinion, and the ROWE course I took not too long ago teaches us the way: it's merely a matter of breaking some bad voicemail habits that almost everyone has. Even more happily, you (mostly) don't need other people to read my advice – you only need concern yourself with what you do. If you do it right, others should fall into line.
Everything starts with your outgoing voicemail message. What does it say now? I assume it's something along the lines of "I'm sorry I've missed your call, please leave me a message and I'll get back to you." To be blunt, that's not good enough.
Firstly, you're not sorry you've missed somebody's call. You were busy doing something more important than picking up the phone, and that's OK! Apologising for it is a meaningless platitude and everyone knows it, but more importantly it sets the wrong tone for what we're trying to accomplish. You're a (wo)man of action, not the kind of person who spews forth wet apologies for failing to be idly sitting around by your phone when somebody somewhere kind of vaguely hoped that's what you might be doing. If anything, you should apologise when you are available to answer the phone!
Instead, your outgoing voicemail message should reflect that yes, you were too busy to take the call and also yes, you're too busy to engage an endless game of phone-tag. Instead of asking callers to leave you "a message," be specific about what you're looking for from them.
The same goes for when you're leaving a voicemail for somebody. Just because their outgoing message is vague doesn't mean the message you leave for them should be too. Think about how you want somebody to react when they listen to your message. Do you want them to immediately get to work on what you're asking of them, or do you want them to have to call you back and speak with you first so they can find out what you needed? Tell them what you want, and tell them to get back to you once they have it!
I've been using these tips for a little while now and I have to say they're working well for me. Voicemail is a vastly improved experience as a result – although it's still under-utilised, because people still do all they can to avoid using the tool at all if they can at all help it. Most people never even get to hear my outgoing message and come to the realisation that I'm changing their lives for the better.
Regardless, the more I think about it the more I think I may actually kick things up a notch. Long-time readers may recall another post on this blog from the distant past in which I talked about how people (me) can't possibly hope to read, understand and respond to every email they get in as timely a fashion as they might like. Email, in a typical workplace (certainly in mine) is a vastly overused tool. Voicemail, though? Thanks to everybody shying away from it, a voicemail is out of the ordinary and will get somebody's attention. If I can do voicemail well, it could become a fantastic method for making my messages to people a higher priority than everyone else's.
All I'll have to concentrate on is not using it for evil.


Every coin has a flip side, and this is about the other side of addiction. We're all just having a grand ole time until the clock strikes twelve, Cinderella loses her glass slipper, and everything's turning back into a pumpkin. Excuse my analogy, but my point being is that addiction and alcoholism always rear their ugly heads at some point. Everything is all hunky dory, and then in the blink of an eye, it all comes crashing down. Some try to weather the storm for a while, and others seek help to end the nightmare. One way or another, if you've been at it for while, your mind and body are going to have become dependent on the substance du jour. When in active alcoholism, our entire being is wrapped up in the chemicals. We beat ourselves up to the point of no return and still expect to keep going. The human body can take quite a bit, but you're bound to lose at some point playing Russian roulette like we love to do. The thought of detoxing from alcohol or the other conglomeration of chemicals is a scary one.
As most of us know, alcohol is an over the counter beverage that you can acquire at most any grocery, gas, or convenient store if you are of legal age. Age is just a number for most alcoholics. Nothing will prevent us from wrapping our lips around the bottle if that's what we crave. Alcohol is known to be sold in many different shapes and sizes and strengths. Too much variety opens the door for too many problems. The devil's elixir is known to be an antidepressant and is used in most celebratory occasions, but at some spot on the timeline, the body becomes dependent upon it when having been drank in excess for periods of time. Alcohol cravings become a real thing and the mind starts getting clingy before the body decides to. Alcoholic thinking and dependency will take over and become this haunting trouble that lingers. The mind may be ready to "just say no" but the human body will be in pain without it. So the user finds themselves in this perpetual revolving door of needing to drink more and more because of the dependence developed. If our person in question stops drinking, they will begin detoxing from alcohol, and it will not be an enjoyable experience in most cases. It's never an easy step to cut off usage, but one that becomes necessary for some to maintain life on this planet.
Once we get to the jumping off point is where the changes begin. Either we continue on the same slippery slope, or we get help and do something about it. The latter of the two is preferable of course. So once we agree to help, now comes the cleaning up act. Coming off of any set of chemicals is never enjoyable. For some it's opiates, others it's benzos, but today we're specifically addressing the age-old drinking problem here- detoxing from alcohol. There's no way around it, that is just an ugly phrase right there. I wouldn't wish any form of detoxification on my worst enemies. It's an uncomfortable experience that can last anywhere from days to weeks, this is, of course, depending on how long you were actively using. Naturally, the more you were putting in your body is the longer it's going to take to rid the garbage out your system.
These were all things that I would usually be prone to dealing with at some point in my detoxification process. There will be no sugarcoating the fact that once the progression begins- the body will feel like it's dying. Everything in your mind will shout out that this is the end. Time will seem to come to a standstill as you feel not only poorly but just genuinely uncomfortable. Rest completely assured that it's not the end. Working in synchronicity with our bodies while detoxing from alcohol is crucial.
The harsh reality is that is not always possible to detox yourself from a home setting. It can be done, but the withdrawals can get so intense that even the strongest willpower won't be able to stay away from the cravings. If this is the case, it is recommended to search for help in various forms.
Often times, detoxing from alcohol is done at some sort of detoxification facility. These establishments can be found in treatment centers, some hospitals, and many are freestanding on their own operation. This can be a safe place to detox away from the sight and smell of alcohol while being monitored by a trained professional. I would recommend attending somewhere along these lines if the possibility is available. Having someone there to help assist you through the discomfort will make your life that much easier. Keep in mind that our bodies are depleted and at their wits end as we go through this, so staying hydrated and being fed are vital to the role of rejuvenation. Having somebody there for you will ensure that you're taking in the nutrients you're losing thru the different bodily fluids pouring out of you. Medical professionals will be able to monitor blood pressure, fevers, and other potentially threatening things that will occur while the mind and body are readjusting. They will be there to give you advice and talk you through the worst of times. If an institution as such is not financially feasible, do your research and look for some places that may be state ran. There are always options to better ourselves if you look hard enough.
You may be thinking to yourself that it's not worth the effort, but don't be fooled. Making it through the detoxification off of alcohol is one of the most rewarding things you can do. All the drugs and booze will bring is certified misery and torture to your mind, body, and soul. If you or a loved one has been struggling to make the next step towards drug or alcohol treatment, please call 866-433-1992 or visit www.anylength.net. We have trained specialists on standby ready to help you start sending your life in a direction that will have you come out on top feeling healthy and happy with the outcome of your future. The time to love yourself is now.


With over thirty-eight years of expertise in designing and making fine jewelry, Scott Reising Jewelers offers complete custom jewelry design, specializing in designing and making unique, one-of-a-kind pieces.
The use of technology in fine jewelry has changed greatly over the past thirty-eight years. Today we often use CAD (Computer Aided Design) software so that the design can be visualized before it is made.
We will collaborate with you in understanding exactly what you would like and we will show you a selection of diamonds and/or gemstones which would be perfect for your new piece. Once you have made your selection from our vast inventory of diamonds and/or gemstones and we have a thorough understanding of exactly what you would like to have made, we will use technology to assist in the process so you may see your finished item before we begin to actually make your very special, one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry.
In honor of the 60th anniversary of a couple's first date, we designed a special pendant incorporating the day and location of their first date where they shared an ice cream soda.
Scott Reising Jewelers purchased this incredible 8.01 carat blue sapphire from Sri Lanka and designed this ring for stock set with 152 diamonds weighing 2.00 carats set in platinum.
A customer asked us to duplicate the wheels of his rally car for cufflinks. With over 30 years of experience in design and manufacturing, Scott Reising Jewelers always welcomes new and exciting challenges.
Scott Reising Jewelers created this platinum and diamond necklace for a customer's birthday. Her husband came to us with the idea, and we took it a step further, making this special "I love you" in his handwriting for an even more personal gift.
A customer came to us wanting a unique giftfor her husband. Scott Reising Jewelers created a belt buckle to celebrate his horse's recent victory at the 75th Hambletonian Anniversary Competition. A photograph of the horse helped to design the sterling silver, rose gold, and yellow gold unique, commemortive piece.


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Aperio
Adding value through visual identity
While being dynamic and full of innovative ideas themselves, the Irish company aperio needed a way to overcome the dull perception of their field of expertise. They were seeking a unique approach to help their services appeal to a new generation of business owners. Quickly they understood that an exceptional visual identity would be critical for aperio to stand out from the competition.
Greatly impressed by the website we designed for TestArmy, aperio asked for help in redesigning their own website. Thanks to the great relationship we have with TestArmy, they suggested joining forces and working on the project as one team.
We knew however that refreshing and recreating aperio's image was a bit like solving an equation with more than one variable. The driving idea was to somehow visualize how these experts support small and medium businesses by combining knowledge of finance with experience and technology. So the new visual identity needed to be multilayered to hit all the right spots and convey our intended message.
All about contrast – Brand identity idea
The first step was creating a few mood boards, with one in particular presenting the client in a completely different light. Not only was this our own favorite, but aperio also felt this best reflected who they are. Our goal was to attract young entrepreneurs that value professional services as much as directness and a human element.
To achieve this, we decided that "contrast" should become the driving force behind the brand identity. From then on, contrast became our focal point and the best approach to compare a relatively dull sector with aperio's vibrant business attitude.
A picture is worth a thousand words – Website redesign
Next, still true to our contrast-based vision, we moved on to redesigning the website. The result – a strong, bold, and prominent site that was clear to use and really brought out the brand image w'd had envisioned. aperio was so impressed with the final outcome that they decided to maximize its potential by setting up a photo shoot that was all about highlighting aperio's openness and transparency. Additionally, we helped customize and create the images illustrating and explaining the company's offering and services which were then added to the website.
"The new brand developed for us has really helped to differentiate us in the market and our new website is already delivering leads for our business. We are delighted with the work delivered to date and have engaged them to provide additional services to help us improve our business further."
Brian O'Mahony, Head of Business Excellence
PPT presentations
company brochures
website development and launch
identity manual
website administration
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Q: Do CDN such as cloudfront have any limitation to maximum volume of cache that can be stored in a distribution? I am trying to understand the pricing of CDN in AWS, GCP and Azure.
One thing I am not able to figure out is, if there is any limit to total amount of cache which can be stored in a single distribution, and is there any added cost as the total volume of cache keeps on increasing.
To give my prospective:-
Usecase 1) Using CDN for delivering 1_000_000 files of size 100KB in a location daily, with retention time of 1day.
Total Volume of data present in cache (1year later): 1_00_000 * 100KB * 1 = 100GB
Total Bandwidth consumed (1year later): 1_000_000 * 100KB * 365 = 3650GB
Usercase 2) Using CDN for delivering 100 files of size 100MB in a location daily, with retention time of 1years.
Total Volume of data present in cache (1year later): 100 * 100MB * 365 = 3650GB
Total Bandwidth consumed (1year later): 100 * 100MB * 365 = 3650GB
(Note: Let's assume in the use case above all the files counted are always unique.)
So speaking of cloudfront, it will mainly charging me for the bandwidth, which is same for both the use cases. However in Usecase 2 the resources spent for storing the cache is a lot higher.
My question is am I missing something in the pricing, or CDN providers don't care about storage costs?

A: Regarding CloudFront. Cache size is virtually unlimited and you pay for it with transfer fees. The fact that you set "retention time of 1years" does not mean your files will stay in cache for that long. If AWS deems your files as in-frequently used, it will purge them well before they get 1 year old. From docs:

If a file in an edge location isn't frequently requested, CloudFront might evict the file—remove the file before its expiration date—to make room for files that have been requested more recently.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


As much as I absolutely love the snow, it really is inconvenient to run in. The slick icy sidewalks and my tendency to be a little clumsy have made running outdoors impractical this week. I've alternated between the treadmill, the indoor track and the concourse of our dome stadium for every run this week. So if anyone has any good suggestions for songs to add to my ipod, please share!
One afternoon, I chose to cross train on the elliptical instead of running my 4-mile afternoon shake-out run. I had to laugh when I walked into the fitness room and saw the other two girls working out while watching "Paula Dean's Best Dishes." The girls were literally moving in slow motion on the ellipticals while they watched Miss Paula whip up some kind of cookie-cake combination that was of course topped with ice cream, and probably melted butter. Not my idea of workout motivation… Since they were almost done I had to change the channel and was happy to find an oooold episode of Boy Meets World! I used to love that show; now it looks so cheesy. The corny story line, the funny clothes. Still, I'd happily watch 90's sitcom reruns over half of the crap that is on TV now. My cross training went by in no time thanks to Cory and Topanga!
This week's training has been insane and primarily by myself since my team is currently in Montana for the Indoor Track & Field Conference Championships. I would have loved to have qualified for the meet and be on the trip to beautiful Bozeman with them, but I knew that wasn't realistic after only training for 5 weeks. I am, however, within 10 seconds of my 3k PR and am taking full advantage of my time this week to push myself and ensure that I'll be heading to the Outdoor Track & Field Conference Championships in just 11 weeks where I can tackle the 10k again!
Posted on February 22, 2013, in Blogging, College, Fitness, Real Life Stuff and tagged college, healthy, running, training, winter. Bookmark the permalink.	2 Comments.
haha I love when people are moving in slow motion on the elliptical or walking on the treadmill with zero incline.
Just wanted to let you know you have been an inspiration to me. Also that o relate directly by appointment much coffee drinking. I'm am athletic training shoes and recently was reading and studying a chapter all about nutrition. In that I got to reading up on caffeine itself. Caffeine is good in small amounts at a time (so less than 5-6 cups of coffee) . It enhances the use of fat during endurance exercises this delaying the depletion of glycogen storage. The delay helps endurance performance such as long distant runners! So keep up that caffeine, and drink coffee before runs. #coffeelover!


text:
Q: how to make a field of a constexpr object constexpr too? cube is a class that from what i know can be both constexpr and not and for some reason c.get() is not constexpr because the second cout prints 5 which mean it changed the value of c to 5 instead of c.get() always returning 1.
class cube
{
private:
    int roll;
public:
    constexpr cube(const int& r) :roll(r) {}
    void set(int const& a) { roll = a; }
    constexpr int get() const { return roll; }

    constexpr void fun() const
    {
        (const_cast <cube*> (this))->roll = 5;
    }
};

int main()
{
    constexpr cube c(1);
    std::cout << "Old roll number: " << c.get() << std::endl;
    c.fun();
    std::cout << "New roll number: " << c.get() << std::endl;
    return 0;
}

EDIT:
in the comments some said that the fun() breaks it but here it's still not constexpr as you can see here gcc.godbolt.org/z/zoz7KEqqn
#include<iostream>
class cube
{
private:
    int roll;
public:
    constexpr cube(const int& r) :roll(r) {}
    void set(int const& a) { roll = a; }
    constexpr int get() const { return roll; }
};

int main()
{
    constexpr cube c(1);
    std::cout << "Old roll number: " << c.get() << std::endl;
    std::cout << "New roll number: " << c.get() << std::endl;
    return 0;
}


The Xyron Pro XM1255 12" Roll Laminator offers a professional-grade, cold laminating solution for schools, businesses and organizations that laminate regularly. The easy-to-use machine instantly applies dual laminate without heat or electricity. Simply feed the item up to 11.75" in width into the machine, turn the handle, and trim. No smell, no mess, no waiting. Film is sold in easy to use cartridges.
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Mike Rogers are back with new music and their track 'Over Love' is a vibrant one as the duo team up with gifted vocalist Carmen Rose. These three have created something very magical here and once you click play below you will immediately add it to your favourite playlist. I have.


Triggered by exposure to the blood of a Paragon, the genetic anomaly that Wolf harbors allows her to manifest vampiric abilities. Though she is respected for her skills and is well liked, the condition is thought of harshly by most of the soldiers in the Alley. Standing above her traumatic past, she refuses to allow anyone to ever get the best of her. Personal weakness is abhorrent, and she'll never again be put in the position where someone needs to suffer to protect her. In her strength she finds promise for the future and no one will strip her of that. With what time she has, she will do as much good as she can, and will use her abilities protect those she loves.
As a daughter of Brigadier General Felix Highlander, Estellia never had the option to be an Innocent. Raised at Alley Headquarters, she and her younger sister, Leda, were surrounded by the what was hidden from everyone else. By the time she turned ten, the young girl's savant-like ability to pick up new skills and knowledge had already drawn the attention of the Alley's Board of Generals. With the pride-filled blessings of her father, the Alley prepared her for basic training.
That same year, the Alley captured a powerful Anari. At least they believed they had. The moment it was brought back to the base, the vampire broke free and began to slaughter every soldier if could. It had been happenstance that Estellia had been in the courtyard, and with skill and bravery above her years, she killed the Anari just before it was about to murder the Head of the Board of Generals, Donovan Burke.
Though Estellia struggled with the Alley's training, when she hit puberty everything suddenly clicked. No longer was she fighting with an awkward body, but a machine that withstood immense punishment. It was that day, however, that her father's pride abruptly fell away. Returning from training, she had expected Felix to greet her as he always did, by mussing her hair and telling her to hit the shower before dinner. As he approached though, he came to a sudden stop. His hazel eyes went wide and he stared at her in horror. Not knowing what was happening, she stood and watched as his expression turn into pure hatred.
Two years later, broken not by his beating, but the pleas of her young sister, Estellia ran away from home. She hoped that in doing so the girl would be spared having to witness the violence in the perpetually worsening abuse.
In an ironic turn, it was a Paragon vampire who took her in.
From the moment Estellia mentioned that she knew he was a Paragon, William MacGregor dedicated his life to protecting her. Secretive about his reasons, he made sure she was never alone. When he couldn't be around, he enlisted the help of a Descendant from the Sato Clan to keep watch over her. The only clues she had to his reasoning was the awe he looked at her with, and the sadness behind those brown eyes.
By the time she turned eighteen, the Paragon became her lover. It was a relationship she had pursued and he had eventually fallen into. Though he loved her, William would never speak of the future. When she'd ask about him turning her, he'd tell her that he would in an instant, if it were his place to do it.
Shortly before her nineteenth birthday, a Descendant with bright-red eyes wounded Estellia in a random attack. To help heal the broken and lacerated arm, William gave her his blood. It was an act he seemed to regret doing even although it healed her wounds instantly. The moment his blood was in her body, something within her started to change.
She had been beyond human before, but William's blood had awoken something more and she developed the first signs of powers that should have been impossible for humans. Concerned about his regret, Estellia struggled to keep the changes a secret. As months passed, they kept coming even without more exposure to Paragon blood, and it was getting harder to hide them from his watchful eye and that of her protector, and a man she considered to be a brother, Jun Sato.
'Do what you need to, but live', those were the last words William ever spoke. They became the driving force behind everything Estellia has done. The Alley came for her when she was twenty-one and was determined to kill the Paragon who had her. Throwing herself in front of Felix's rifle as it was pointed at the man she loved, she was hit by the Alley's specialized bullets. When they exploded, they nearly severed her right shoulder.
If William had run as she had pleaded for him to do, he would have lived. Instead, he accepted his fate and used his blood to put her body back together. Too weak to stop him, she watched him take her place and burn to death in fiery blue flame. The damage she took had proved to be too much, however. As she slipped into death, giving up, she heard his voice. It was those final words that made her fight and kept her alive.
She woke from a coma weeks later. Locked inside a special cell made into makeshift medical bay, she had been confronted with all the Alley had been able to discover. She was no longer purely human, but an impossibility. A genetic mutation had allowed her to adapt the Paragon's blood and she had become something between the two species. With her knowledge, her skills, and now being what she was, they could not give her freedom. With no choice but to join them, Estellia closed her eyes to her past, cut off every one of William's friends and allies, and became Wolf – the Alley's most powerful weapon.
Vowing to do what William had asked of her, Wolf refuses to deal with the pain of what has happened. Instead, she uses it to drive her one encompassing need to never be a victim again.


As we reported back in July, the NFL channel on the Apple TV has received a nice addition. Originally spotted by MacRumors, the channel is now known simply as NFL and also supports users who have a Game Pass subscription.
With a little more than a week before its official unveiling, were hearing even more about the next-generation Apple TV. According to 9to5Mac, the updated hardware is designed to readily compete against other living room gaming consoles like the Nintendo Wii U and Xbox One.
For the second time in two years, Apple has announced another major partnership to help push iOS products into the enterprise. This time, a new deal with networking giant Cisco will create a "fast lane" for iOS devices.
Nomad, the company behind a number of impressive accessories madefor iOS (and watchOS) devices, has a brand new accessory available to preorder now. Called Roadtrip, the device is touted as "the first long lasting battery pack designed for your car," and it's available for the limited time price of $39.99.
Watch out, Cupertino. Because LG, manufacturer of, among other products, a line of smartwatches which work alongside Google Wear, has a luxury, gold-plated wearable hitting the market soon, with the device sporting a comparably reasonable price tag.
Manage all of your files across multiple devices, ram into robots with your krashsuit, and take a quick count with todays collection of apps and games.


text:
Texas Edition
The Texas Truth-O-Meter
"If you want to vote in" Texas, "you can use a concealed-weapon permit as a valid form of identification, but a valid student ID isn't good enough."
— Hillary Clinton on Thursday, June 4th, 2015 in a speech in Houston
Hillary Clinton says you can vote in Texas with a concealed-weapon permit, but not a student ID
By W. Gardner Selby on Friday, June 26th, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, campaigning in Texas, called for citizens to be automatically registered to vote at age 18. Speaking at Texas Southern University, Clinton also lashed out at the Texas law reached by the Republican-steered Legislature in 2011 requiring voters to present photo identification at the polls.
Rick Perry, the state's governor into 2015, "signed a law that a federal court said was actually written with the purpose of discriminating against minority voters," Clinton said. Mostly True, PolitiFact in Washington, D.C. recently found, noting that a federal judge had aired that conclusion, though the judge's ruling that the law is unconstitutional remains under appeal.
A reader asked us to consider another Clinton charge from that Houston appearance.
According to a New York Times account of her speech, Clinton said young Texans had been disenfranchised by the voter ID law. "If you want to vote in this state," she said, "you can use a concealed-weapon permit as a valid form of identification, but a valid student ID isn't good enough."
This claim took just a few key strokes and help from a state office to confirm.
Prior to the change in law, Texas law didn't require anyone to present a photo ID to vote. However, Alicia Phillips Pierce, a spokeswoman for the Texas secretary of state, confirmed by email that student ID's previously could have been presented to help officials pin down someone's identity for the purposes of voting though the law did not require anyone to present more than a voter registration card. The old law broadly said a voter could present a "form of identification containing the person's photograph that establishes the person's identity."
The Texas secretary of state's office says on its Frequently Asked Questions web page that the current ID mandate enables a registered voter to cast a ballot at a poll during early voting or on Election Day with one of seven types of a photo ID:
A Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS.
Texas personal identification card issued by DPS.
Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS.
U.S. military identification card containing the person's photograph.
U.S. citizenship certificate containing the person's photograph.
U.S. passport.
So, yes to voting in Texas with a concealed handgun license but no-go for someone presenting a student ID.
Nationally, the National Conference of State Legislatures said in March 2015, 14 of 34 states with laws requiring voters to show identification at the polls included a student ID option, including three states — Mississippi, Virginia and Wisconsin — that, like Texas, were described by the group as having "strict" photo ID voting laws.
Wondering if a student ID element was ever part of the legislation that became the Texas law, we reviewed the varied versions of Senate Bill 14, authored by Sen. Troy Fraser of Horseshoe Bay and fellow Republicans that advanced in the 2011 legislative session. We found no "student" mentions. Language permitting a state license to carry a concealed handgun to be offered at the polls wasn't in the original Fraser proposal; it was added, though, before the Senate sent the proposal to the House, legislative records show.
Voting by mail
We've noted before that Texas maintains a no-ID element for voting by mail, in 2013 rating True a claim the Texas law doesn't require a person voting by mail to present a photo ID. That's so, we found, for all but first-time voters who did not present a photo ID number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote. Those voters who seek to vote by mail can expect to be asked for a copy of their photo ID, yet even they don't have to do so if they are disabled, in the military or living overseas.
A registered voter wishing to ballot by mail must say she or he will be out of her or his home county on Election Day and during the early-voting period or she or he is sick or disabled or will be 65 or older on Election Day or confined in jail though still eligible to vote.
Our ruling
Clinton said: "If you want to vote in" Texas, "you can use a concealed-weapon permit as a valid form of identification, but a valid student ID isn't good enough."
The photo IDs accepted at Texas polling places include the state's concealed-handgun license and not any student IDs. We rate this statement True.
TRUE – The statement is accurate and there's nothing significant missing.
Click here for more on the six PolitiFact ratings and how we select facts to check.
About this statement:
Published: Friday, June 26th, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.
Researched by: W. Gardner Selby
Edited by: John Bridges
Subjects: Elections, States
News story, "Hillary Clinton Says G.O.P. Rivals Try to Stop Young and Minority Voters," New York Times, posted online June 4, 2015
Emails, Alicia Phillips Pierce, communications director, Texas Secretary of State, June 19, 2015
Web page, "FAQ," VoteTexas.gov website, Texas secretary of state (accessed June 18, 2015)
Web page, "Voter Identification Requirements, Voter ID Laws," National Conference of State Legislatures, March 24, 2015
Truth-O-Meter article, "Nearly all Texans who vote by mail need not present a photo ID," PolitiFact Texas, Oct. 1, 2013
Browse The Texas Truth-O-Meter
See all Texas Pants on Fire rulings
See all False rulings
See Greg Abbott's file
See John Cornyn's file
See Ted Cruz's file
Keep up to date with PolitiFact Texas


With our own farm and foragers, The Herbfarm restaurant is dedicated to a deep and ever-expanding exploration of the flavors of the Pacific Northwest. "Amber Waves" is our signature "beer of place." Until now, Amber Waves has been brewed just once a year for our unique "100-Mile Dinner." For one month each year, we source every last molecule of both food and beverage no more than 100 miles from our dining room. This effort entails making our own salt, growing our own wheat, and includes local vineyard work, as well as crafting our own beer, cider, mead, and wines. All of the ingredients for this full and balanced ale are grown no more than 100 miles from the restaurant. This PicoPak gives you a singular taste of the pristine Pacific Northwest in a beverage that many guests -- as well as professional brewers -- have said is one of the best beers they've ever tasted.


What is Strum by Strum?
The mission of Strum by Strum is to set a new standard in music resources so that students, teachers, songwriters, singers, and instrumentalists of all levels can learn, create, and collaborate with greater ease and more freedom.
Over the course of 10 years, Parker had taught hundreds of students. An important issue he continually saw them struggle with had nothing to do with their ability. The resources for learning guitar, both on the internet and in published form, were generally of poor quality. He saw material that was incomplete, contradictory, overly-complex, too specialized, non-standard, even dead wrong in some cases!
In order to address the issue, Parker designed a way to present songs on paper that was complete, easy to read, and consistent across all songs. After sharing these 'charts' with Michael and Neil, the three established Strum By Strum Music, LLC and began the task of moving from paper form to the digital sphere. Their goal is to provide students, teachers, and performers with information they can trust, coupled with easy-to-use tools to assist them with their musical goals.
Parker is an experienced musician who has been playing guitar since the age of 10 and teaching since the age of 16. His love for the guitar eventually led him to music school, where he studied music theory and composition. Throughout that time he has been lucky enough to play guitar in rock bands, classical ensembles, and even music theater!
His teaching career has included one-on-one lessons with students ranging in age from 6-65 and classes at the elementary, middle school, and college level. He loves the guitar more than ever and continues to write, record, perform, and teach to this day.
Michael Sirrine is from Parker, Colorado and has many years of percussion experience in jazz, orchestras, musical theater, and other personal bands. He also participated in choral groups in high school and college. By day, Michael does quality improvement and data analysis for a healthcare company. He primarily does the financial management and data analysis for Strum by Strum.
Neil is a web developer that works for the Denver start-up Craftsy. After growing up in a small town in New Hampshire, Neil studied Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan. Post-graduation, he eventually made his way into web development and music. He plays guitar and a bit of mandolin and bass.


text:
Around February 20, 1873
Selected Tales: The Power of a Story
Date(s): Unknown Location: ROCKBRIDGE, Virginia Tag(s): Arts/Leisure, Health/Death
In this day and age, newspapers rarely print fiction. Of course, there is the occasional magical story written by a third grade class that appears every once a week in the Arts and Entertainment section of the paper, but for the most part, fictional stories of real substance are not published in newspapers anymore. This was not the case in the 1800's. Appearing in The Valley Star each week was...
Alabama Legislature Introduces a Civil Rights Bill
Date(s): February 20, 1873 Location: MONTGOMERY, Alabama Tag(s): African-Americans, Race-Relations
As acquiring civil rights became a political mark indicating the party's commitment to its black supporters, the passage of these measures demonstrated the shift of priority and power that was occurring within the Republican Party. Indeed, the black constituency in the South greatly influenced and led legislation. Needing to consolidate the crucial black vote, Republican legislators pressed...
The Other John Adams
Date(s): February 17, 1873 Location: RICHMOND, Virginia Tag(s): African-Americans, Economy, Health/Death, Race-Relations
They were vultures, gorging shamelessly at the lifetime accomplishments of John Adams. Though he was not the founding father with the same name, this John Adams led an equally compelling life as a free black contractor and plasterer in Richmond. He was also one of the extremely few African Americans in the South who owned a substantial amount of property before the Civil War. Now, seven and a...
Augusta, Georgia Holds an Agricultural Convention
Date(s): February 11, 1873 to February 13, 1873 Location: RICHMOND, Georgia Tag(s): Agriculture, Economy
On February 11, 1873, the Agricultural Convention was held in Augusta, Georgia. The states of Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, and New York were represented. Roughly two hundred delegates attended this conference. At the convention, attendees discussed the economic condition of the South, and they also proposed and passed resolutions to remedy this situation. The main issues debated included...
Mississippi Passes a State Civil Rights Bill
Date(s): February 27, 1873 Location: HINDS, Mississippi Tag(s): African-Americans, Race-Relations
During the time of Reconstruction, strong Republican parties grew as a result of heavy reliance of blacks as their constituency. Generating the overwhelming majority of the party's votes, blacks became the majority of the electorate in Southern states, such as South Carolina, Louisiana, and Mississippi. As the black support increased, it was clear that policies and enactments had to be geared...
Congress Passes the Timber Culture Act
Date(s): March 3, 1873 Location: Washington City, District of Columbia Tag(s): Agriculture
Throughout the 19th Century, the American government as well as people continued to maintain the desire to push the move out West. Dealing with westward expansion and land ownership, the United States government passed a series of Homestead Laws over the decade in order to promote the settlement of Americans westward. In 1841, Congress passed the Pre-emption Act in response to the demands of the...
Congress Passes Comstock Act
Date(s): March 3, 1873 Location: Washington DC, United States Tag(s): Obscenity, Law, Congress
On March 3, 1873, Congress approved An Act for the Suppression of Trade in, and Circulation of, obscene Literature and Articles of Immoral Use. The Comstock Act created penalties for owning or selling anything deemed obscene. This included pictures, books, drawings, and drugs such as birth control. The act also defined penalties for any drug or medicine that had "immoral use."...
President Ulysses S. Grant Gives Second Inaugural Address
Date(s): March 4, 1873 Location: Washington City, District of Columbia Tag(s): African-Americans, Race-Relations
After reelection in 1872, President Grant presented his second inaugural address on a frigid March day the following year. Called "the most brilliant inauguration which ever took place in this country' by The Courier-Journal, the speech was witnessed by thousands of spectators who had been attracted to Washington simply for this occasion. The immense crowd cheered the President as he passed...
Black Representation Increases in Federal and State Governments
As Reconstruction progressed, blacks became more assertive and prominent in the southern Republican Party. African-Americans began to flex their political muscles despite common obstacles of white dominance. An example of momentary white repression occurred in South Carolina to black politician Robert B. Elliott, who later took a seat in the House. It is likely that South Carolina would have had...
Joseph Mersman: Diary of a Whiskey Merchant
Date(s): November 8, 1847 to September 25, 1864 Location: HAMILTON, Ohio Tag(s): Diary, Whiskey, Merchant
During the rise of the middle class during 19th century America, there are few direct portals into what the life of a working citizen was like. However, there are a few. One such book is the diary of a German immigrant who worked as a whiskey merchant in Cincinnati and St. Louis.
Joseph Mersman born in a little village in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg in 1824, immigrated to the...
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Next »


text:
That Call Before The Eagles Crash
President Buhari called the Eagles before their match
By Uzor Maxim Uzoatu
Superstitious Nigerians believe ever so vociferously that the crashing out of the Super Eagles from the AFCON tournament in Cameroun was all due to the video call made to the team by President Muhammadu Buhari.
It has been splashed all over the social media that millions of Nigerian ball fans were thronging to the betting points to bet against the Super Eagles knowing with amazing certainty that the call by Buhari to the team was bad luck that would ultimately lead to utter failure.
Superstition has never ever been my cup of tea, so I drank not a jot from the raging matter as I sat down to watch the Nigeria-versus-Tunisia knockout match on television.
A boon companion was quick to remind me that the bad luck call has led to the Super Eagles donning their ruinous dark-green jersey for the match.
I quickly reminded my friend that the Super Eagles wore the same jersey when the team defeated the much-fancied Egyptian team complete with bubble-in-the-attack Mohammed Salah.
The Tunisians appeared as sure losers on paper especially as many members of the team had reportedly succumbed to COVID-19 attack including the coach.
Tunisia had also lost two out of the three matches the team played in the group stage while Nigeria won all three matches in flying colours.
Many Nigerians predicted a trouncing of the hapless Tunisians – that's until the now controversial Buhari call came.
I believe it was Edmund Burke who said that 'superstition is the religion of feeble minds' while Goethe declared that 'superstition is the poetry of life.'
Man must perforce live with superstition, whether as religion or poetry, and the matchup of the national teams of Nigeria and Tunisia that share the moniker of 'Eagles' presented a can't-miss duel.
The early going of the Nigeria-Tunisia match saw the Super Eagles almost overwhelming the Carthage Eagles with relentless attacks.
The North African teams always had the pattern of being defensively compact and relying on surprising counter-attacks in dealing with the almost always more skillful teams out of West Africa.
It's a time-tested weapon, and it was easy to see that the Tunisians had set up the pattern of clipping the dangerous wing-play of Nigeria's dangerous wingers Moses Simon and Samuel Chukwueze.
Coach Augustine Eguavoen apparently did not get enough hang of the Tunisian ploy by employing wing interchanges and opening up the opposition defence from the midfield.
Proponents of the bad luck matter would readily cite the instance of Kelechi Iheanacho receiving a yellow card very early in the encounter.
An upset was somewhat on the turf when both sides ended the first half on a scoreless note with Nigeria having no shot on goal.
It took only a couple of minutes after the restart for Tunisia to strike the death blow with a viciously swerving and bouncing shot from all of 25 years that caught Nigerian goalie Maduka Okoye napping.
The panic mode instantly overwhelmed the Nigerian bench, and Alex Iwobi who was brought in for Iheanacho got a straight red card after a VAR review and dodgy refereeing.
The Tunisians then resorted to their trademark time-wasting tactics to see out the match that Nigeria did little to salvage.
Whether one believes in superstition or not, it has to be admitted that Nigerians are more divided today than even in the time of the civil war.
The leadership of the country has done next-to-nothing to heal the wounds of hate except to latch onto football to earn a measure of adulation.
There is no doubt whatsoever that football is the greatest unity-inducing factor in Nigeria, and any victory by the Super Eagles always serves to forget the differences and the divides.
It's always said that one should not mix politics with sports, but nothing has been more political than sports all over the world.
Let's not forget that Honduras and El Salvador fought a war because of football in 1969 while involved in a qualification match for the 1970 World Cup. It's all captured in the book The Soccer War by the Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski.
The legendary football manager of Liverpool FC in England, Bill Shankly, remarkably said: 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you that it is much, much more important than that.'
The relevant lesson here is that Nigerian authorities ought to devote consummate attention to sports and football instead of resorting to a knee-jerk presidential call that may end up being damned as a curse or bad luck.
I don't believe in superstition, but superstition can never ever be banished from the beautiful game of football all over the world. The superstitions are all part of the fun and I here plead with agitated Nigerian ball fans to draw back the missiles aimed at my guy Augustine 'Cerezo' Eguavoen, Alex Iwobi, Maduka Okoye, President Buhari etc.
Please do take it as fun when you read posts such as this from 'madman' Azuka Jebose on Facebook: 'BUHARI'S CURSED PHONE CALL – Shey you see that Buhari na bad news for Nigerians. See how him phone call to awa Football team take dabaru us? Who send him to call? We were winning all games in the Africa Cup of Nations before him call us for this match against Tunisia. You people that campaigned and voted for him, how market na? Ndinmor!!!'
This calls for laughter, not anger.
*Uzor Maxim Uzoatu, poet, journalist and public affairs analyst, writes from Lagos
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Using waste to print marketing campaigns. Not 100% circular but a step in the right direction.
Natural-media techniques use natural materials such as water, sand, natural pigments and plants. With just a bit of effort, the materials used could also be made from waste streams moving them towards a circular economy model.
Up cycling or just repurposing waste so that it can be used one more time before being thrown away is within our reach. Some would argue that this is not 100% circular and I would agree but it is a big steps in the right direction. It certainly falls into one of the ten degrees of circular and that is a good thing.
Natural Media Experts works primarily with municipalities such as Amsterdam. Most cities including Amsterdam, base their tendering process on which supplier can offer the lowest price. Once cities begin to also include the environmental impact of the materials used and the way suppliers operate (sustainably vs business as usual) as part of their calculation, companies will finally have the "business" rational to invest in moving towards circular economy business models.
Below is a short video that shows how discarded Heineken bottles can be turned into a sand mix that is used as medium to print promotional messages.
Note: This is an unsolicited campaign for Heineken. We simply like the brand and their dedication to find ways to reduce their negative impact on the environment.
We use old Heineken beer bottles to make a sand-mix that can be used to create sharp, colourful prints that will last several days but can be removed easily. This is a new natural-media technique called SandBossing. This promotional campaign is unsolicited, unauthorised and was not paid fro by Heineken.


text:
Make Muscle MIDI Music!
By johnwmillr in CircuitsAudio
By johnwmillrCheck out my website!
About: Hi! While I'm busy, I think of projects I'd like to work on. Sometimes, when I have free time, I work on those projects. More About johnwmillr »
Whenever your nervous system needs to make a movement, it sends tiny electrical signals through neurons to control your muscles. The technique of electromyography (EMG) allows us to amplify and measure these electrical signals. In addition to being a useful clinical tool for diagnosing different neurological disorders, EMG recordings have been used more recently to control prosthetic devices.
In the hopes of becoming more familiar with EMG amplification and recording techniques, I thought it'd be fun to build an EMG amplifier that I could then use as a control signal for a different device. Rather than controlling a prosthetic arm, I decided to incorporate my interests in music and used the EMG signals to control a MIDI device. MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, and is the standard protocol for sending and receiving musical signals electronically.
Background Knowledge
This Instructable includes breadboarding a circuit, soldering a few wires, programming an Arduino, and interfacing with a MIDI device. If you don't have some of this necessary background, I recommend checking out some of the classes / Instructables below:
Safety Note
This project does involve connecting oneself to an electrical circuit. Take all necessary safety precautions. This paper from Delsys has a section on electrical safety as well as a useful description of EMG techniques in general. We'll be powering our circuit off of two 9V batteries; at no point should your circuit (especially when you're connected to it as well) be connected to AC power from the wall.
Step 1: Project Overview and Parts List
Our project is composed of three main components:
The 1.) EMG amplifier, 2.) the Arduino, and 3.) the MIDI device.
We'll build the EMG amplifier on a breadboard. If you're interested in a more in-depth look at the science behind the EMG amplifier and more detailed steps on how to build your own, check out my EMG audio amplifier Instructable.
We'll power the Arduino from the same 9V batteries that power the EMG amp. Most of the work with the Arduino will be on the software side.
I used an iPhone running Garageband as my MIDI device. The Arduino will send standard MIDI signals over a standard MIDI cable, so any MIDI device should work in place of the iPhone.
(2x) LT1167 (instrumentation amplifier)
(2x) LT1112 (or any dual op-amp chip)
(1x) LM386N (audio amplifier)
(5x) Surface EMG electrodes (two per muscle and one for a reference) (Amazon)
Arduino Uno (Amazon)
iPhone (or any MIDI device)
MIDI to iPhone adapter cable (if using an iPhone) (Amazon)
Various resistors, capacitors, and jumper wires
Breadboard (Amazon)
(2x) 9V battery
Soldering iron (Amazon)
Step 2: Assemble the EMG Amplifier
For a more thorough tutorial on how to build the EMG amplifier, check out my EMG audio amp Instructable.
We'll build an EMG amplifier capable of amplifying two EMG channels. We'll use one LT1167 instrumentation amp per channel. The LT1167 datasheet helpfully contains a schematic for a "Nerve Impulse Amplifier," which we will follow in this step.
Assemble the circuit
On the breadboard, assemble two copies of the nerve impulse amplifier shown above. The pictures of my assembled circuit should help guide you towards the end goal. I added passive 1st order low-pass filters to the output of each my amplifiers to help reduce noise. If you'd like to add them to your circuit, I used a 1 kΩ resistor with a 0.047 μF capacitor for a cutoff frequency of approximately 2,000 Hz.
We'll be powering the circuit off of two 9V batteries. The LT1167 needs a +V and -V (because the EMG source signal has both positive and negative values), so we'll connect the minus pin on the +V battery to the plus pin on the -V battery. The minus pin on the -V battery becomes the -V value. When using two 9V batteries, you'll end up with +V and -V being equal to +9 and -9 volts respectively.
The next step covers the electrode placement in more detail. The reference electrode plugs into pin 1 of one of the instrumentation amps, and the muscle electrode pairs plug into pins 2 and 3 on the instrumentation amps. The +/- orientation of the electrodes does not matter.
Note:If your circuit isn't working, you probably did something wrong! A good technique for finding a mistake in a circuit is to draw out the schematic for the circuit you've actually assembled on your breadboard and compare it to the original schematic. In that process you may find an error (as I did many a time).
Step 3: Prepare the Electrodes
As I mentioned above, we'll need a total of five electrodes for this project. EMG recordings are conducted with a differential amplifier, meaning we are amplifying the difference between two points of reference on the muscle. This means we'll need two electrodes per muscle. Additionally, we need a single reference for the muscle activity to be measured with respect to. Here is a link to some surface EMG electrodes sold on Amazon. The exact type of electrode isn't too important for our purposes.
Like I've shown in the picture above, place two electrodes on the inside edge of each forearm, parallel to the length of the muscle and separated by about 2 cm. Place the reference electrode on the bony part of one of your elbows, away from the electrodes on the muscles.
Twisted wire pairs
You'll also want to twist the wires on your electrode pairs as shown above. In addition to cleaning up the mess around your circuit, twisted wire pairs help reduce electrical noise picked up by the electrodes. By alternating the position of the wires back and forth, any external electromagnetic interference (e.g. 60 Hz from mains) will affect the wires an equal amount. The differential amplifier will then remove this common noise signal.
Step 4: Audio Amplifier (optional)
If you're interested in listening to the raw EMG signal (without any MIDI) you can add an audio amplifier to your EMG circuit. Use an LM386N audio amplifier chip and the necessary resistors and capacitors to assemble the circuit shown above. The video above demonstrates what a raw (well, there are some filters in the circuit, but it's mostly raw) EMG signal sounds like.
While this step is not necessary for triggering the MIDI signals, I do suggest you attempt it. Listening to the EMG signal can be a very helpful technique for troubleshooting and debugging your system. For example, if there is a strong 60 Hz interference from mains power, you'll be able to hear it much easier than you'd be able to detect it when sampling the signal with your Arduino.
The audio in my video is clipping a bit, but it's a pretty decent example of what a clean EMG signal should sound like.
Step 5: Prepare the MIDI Components
In order to send MIDI signal from the Arduino to the MIDI device, we need to solder up one of the female MIDI jacks. You should check out my first Instructable for a more thorough tutorial on setting up MIDI on Arduino.
Solder a 220 Ω resistor to pin 4 of the MIDI connector.
Solder a 10 cm wire from the resistor to the Tx connector on the Arduino.
Solder a 10 cm long wire to pin 2 and connect it to ground on the Arduino.
Solder a 10 cm long wire to pin 5 and connect it to 5V on the Arduino.
Once you've assembled the EMG amplifier and prepared the MIDI to iPhone cable, use two jumper wires to send the outputs of the instrumentation amplifiers to pins A4 and A5 on the Arduino.
Step 6: Write the Arduino Code
The basic pipeline for the Arduino code is as follows:
Measure the baseline noise level for both EMG channels
Loop continuously, measuring the voltage of each EMG channel
If the EMG channel controlling the note intensity crosses the threshold, trigger a MIDI note on
Use the signal from the other EMG channel to modulate the pitch of the note
I encourage you to try writing your own Arduino code to process the EMG signals. I know for sure there is a better control scheme out there than what I cobbled together! If you do want to start with my code, feel free to download it here. You can check out my GitHub repository to see the various iterations of my code while I was working on the project.
MIDI_EMG_Melodic.ino
MIDI_EMG_Drums.ino
Step 7: Put It All Together!
If all has gone according to plan, you should be able to control your MIDI device using the signal from your own muscles. Pretty exciting! Once you have the project working you can play around with different control schemes and explore different MIDI sounds.
Let me know if you try to make one of your own EMG-controlled MIDI devices! I'd love to hear how it goes and would be happy to help with any questions that come up along the way. Good luck!
Sensors Contest 2017
Make Noise Challenge
by rabbitcreek in Microcontrollers
alylic3
This is a sweet project!! Some friends and I are trying this out over the next week. Do you know if we would be successful in sending the EMG signals wirelessly from the EMG amplifier to the Arduino via an HC-06 bluetooth module? We're going to try to minimize the amount of wires we're hooked up to!
johnwmillralylic3
Thank you! My main concern with using a bluetooth module would be the potential for it to introduce a delay between flexing your muscles and triggering the audio output. There is a maximum acceptable delay of about 10 ms when playing electronic instruments. Anything above 10 ms could be pretty frustrating to play with.
If delay doesn't turn out to be an issue, then there shouldn't be any major issues with using bluetooth. The module may not transmit at the proper sampling frequency for EMG, but we don't really care about that for this application, as we're mainly just using the EMG signal as a trigger.
Let me know if you have any more questions! Good luck with the project.
EddyHeide
Littlebit like the Terry Crews Old Spice commercial :)
johnwmillrEddyHeide
Haha, thank you! Yes, a friend pointed that out to me while I was working on the project. I'd need a few more sensors to recreate his setup. And a few more muscles...


Watson, CW, School of Business and Management of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and University of Kent in England.
Waworuntu, Adrianus L.G., Department of Area Studies and in Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia.
Wibawarta, Bambang, Pengajar Program Studi Jepang, Fakultas Ilmu Pengetahuan Budaya, Universitas Indonesia.


The Wrabetz Laboratory is interested in the molecular genetics of myelination, studied primarily in transgenic mice. They have focused on the pathogenesis of inherited demyelinating neuropathies, and they have developed and characterized multiple mouse models of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathies.
The Wrabetz Laboratory is interested in the molecular genetics of myelination, studied primarily in transgenic mice. They have focused on the pathogenesis of inherited demyelinating neuropathies, and have developed and characterized multiple mouse models of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathies. By introducing authentic CMT mutations from patients into these mice, they are revealing the mechanisms of disease, potential avenues of therapy and the opportunity to test resulting medicines in preclinical trials for CMT. Dr. Wrabetz's laboratory is now translating this experience into the generation of new mouse models of Krabbe disease that carry authentic GalC mutations found in patients with diverse clinical phenotypes. These animal models will provide insight into the effect of different mutations on the function of the galactosylceramidase protein and on the pathogenesis of the disease. Dr. Wrabetz's work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health; Telethon, Italy; the European Community, the Italian and Great Britain Multiple Sclerosis Societies, the Mariani Foundation, the Cariplo Foundation, SUNY Brain Network of Excellence, and the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association.
2010 - 2014: PhD in Neuroscience, Paris Descartes University, France. UMR-S 1124 "New Therapeutic for Myelination"
2014 - University at Buffalo, MD/PhD program. Joined the Wrabetz lab where she is currently pursuing a PhD in neuroscience.
2013 - University at Buffalo Honor's College, BS in Biological Sciences and minor in Spanish. Worked as a Research Apprentice during undergrad and following graduation at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
View all of Dr. Wrabetz's publications on PubMed.
VerPlank J.J.S., Lokireddy S, Feltri M.L., Goldberg AL, Wrabetz L. (2018). Impairment of protein degradation and proteasome function in hereditary neuropathies. Glia 66(2): 379-395.
Kwon JM, Matern D, Kurtzberg J, Wrabetz L., Gelb MH, Wenger DA, Ficicioglu C, Waldman AT, Burton BK, Hopkins PV, Orsini JJ, Orphanet J (2018). Consensus guidelines for newborn screening, diagnosis and treatment of infantile Krabbe disease. Rare Dis. 13(1): 30.
Florio F, Ferri C, Scapin C, Feltri M.L., Wrabetz L., D'Antonio M (2018). Sustained Expression of Negative Regulators of Myelination Protects Schwann Cells from Dysmyelination in a Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1B Mouse Model. J Neurosci. 38(18): 4275-4287.
Sidoli, M., N. Musner, N. Silvestri, D. Ungaro, M. D'Antonio, D.R. Cavener, M.L. Feltri, and L. Wrabetz (2016). Ablation of Perk in Schwann Cells Improves Myelination in the S63del Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1B Mouse. J Neurosci. 36: 11350-11361.
Beirowski, B., E. Babetto, and Wrabetz, L (2016). Axon degeneration: Linking axonal bioenergetics to myelin. J Cell Biol. 215: 437-440.
Das I, Krzyzosiak A, Schneider K, Wrabetz L, D'Antonio M, Barry N, Sigurdardottir A, Bertolotti A (2015). Preventing proteostasis diseases by selective inhibition of a phosphatase regulatory subunit. Science 348: 239-242.
Fratta P, Saveri P, Zambroni D, Ferri C, Tinelli E, Messing A, D'Antonio M, Feltri ML, Wrabetz L (2011). P0S63del impedes the arrival of wildtype P0 glycoprotein to myelin in CMT1B mice. Hum Mol Genet. 20: 2081-2090.
La Marca R, Cerri F, Horiuchi K, Bachi A, Feltri ML, Wrabetz L, Blobel CP, Quattrini A, Salzer JL, Taveggia C (2011). TACE (ADAM17) inhibits Schwann cell myelination. Nat Neurosci. 14: 857-65.
Woodhoo A, Duran Alonso M, Droggiti A, Turmaine M, D'Antonio M, Parkinson D, Wilton D, Al-Shawi R, Simons P, Shen J, Guillemot F, Radtke F, Meijer D, Feltri ML , Wrabetz L, Mirsky R and Jessen KR (2009). Notch controls embryonic Schwann cell differentiation, postnatal myelination and adult plasticity. Nat Neurosci. 12(7): 839-847.
Gow A, and Wrabetz L. CHOP and the endoplasmic reticulum stress response in myelinating glia (2008). Curr Opin Neurobiol. 9(5): 505-510.


Progress against global diseases is typically slow, incremental and hard-won. But there are moments -- such as Wednesday's release of the World Health Organization's World Malaria Report -- when the cumulative effort of dozens of nations, millions of people and billions of dollars adds up to a true breakthrough.
With the new report, we have turned a corner in the malaria fight. We have reduced the rate of deaths from malaria among children under 5 by 51% from 2000 to 2012 -- halfway to our goal of ending death by mosquito bite. For the first time, the number of children dying from this preventable and treatable disease fell below half a million.
Progress against malaria is responsible for fully 20% of the reduction in child mortality since 2000. Malaria control has saved 3.3 million lives since 2000 -- 3 million of them children under 5.
I often compare the malaria fight to the moonshot. Both are human milestones, measures of our progress as a species and a society. And both were made possible by U.S. vision and leadership. The seeds of today's progress were sown under President George W. Bush with the launch of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in 2002 and the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative in 2005.


1 I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. 2 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; 3 A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;* upon…: Heb. upon bricks 4 Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;† broth: or, pieces 5 Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.‡ nose: or, anger 6 Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom, 7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.
8 ¶ Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all. 9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. 10 And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.
11 ¶ But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.§ troop: or, Gad** number: or, Meni, a pagan god 12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not. 13 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: 14 Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.†† vexation: Heb. breaking 15 And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name: 16 That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.
17 ¶ For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.‡‡ come…: Heb. come upon the heart 18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. 19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. 20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. 21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.§§ shall long…: Heb. shall make them continue long, or, shall wear out 23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. 24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.


A convenience food market located in Cumberland County has just come on the market. Despite the Sellers reduction in its hours, the store remains profitable and its upside growth is huge. Restore the hours, add a deli and sandwiches, add money orders and bill payment services and other financial services which are sorely lacking in the community and the business may well double in sales and profits.The rent is low, the lease is long and the market is needy.The seller, an octogenarian, would finally like to retire. Financing is available to a qualified buyer. Please contact the broker at 1-877-735-5224.
I saw your business for sale on BuyBusiness.com. Please send me more information about listing #92585 (Established Food Market For Sale).


This entry was posted in Advice and tagged business advice, Marketing, Resources, Small business, Small business tips, sms, sms marketing, Technology on January 22, 2019 by The Small Business Heroes Team.
By Jason Lark, Managing Director at Adobe Campaign specialist, Celerity.
Marketing has become more and more focused on reaching consumers on every device, SMS has often been misconstrued as one of the more outdated, limited and perhaps even invasive strategies. Some businesses feel they get a better bang for their buck focusing on TV advertising, social media, or email marketing campaigns where their messaging can be more expansive.
However, this line of thought is far from accurate. Recently, Google published a report indicating that 89% of consumers believe a positive mobile brand experience would encourage them to recommend or engage further with a brand. However, companies should also keep in mind that 46% of users claim they would not purchase from a brand again after an overly interruptive mobile experience.
This indicates that the need to finetune and personalise SMS marketing communications is more important than ever – if done correctly, it can be one of the most effective ways to engage consumers, drive conversions, and increase sales.
But complex SMS marketing campaigns aren't easy to get off the ground – especially for smaller companies. Here are a few best practices to improve your performance.
We never recommend using a single strategy or medium to reach your target audience. Instead, use SMS marketing to augment other parts of your campaign strategy. For example, a simple text can be used to send a link to an app, or the store where the end-user can install it. You can also send enticing offers such as discount codes to re-engage old customers – or send information on sales and special rewards to ensure that loyal customers stay with you.
Consider the example of Lacoste, which offers direct message rewards within its loyalty program. The brand sends a message to check the customer has received a gift of reward points, provides a link to its website to provoke sales, and suggests that they can earn more rewards if they share the information on social media. Here, SMS is just the first step in a multichannel journey.
This isn't just the future of mobile marketing – it's the future of marketing. Using data-driven tools, you can track the customer journey across multiple channels, identify potential friction points, and use analytics to refine the personalisation of your messaging and develop more specific and targeted audience segments. Get it right, and you can learn more about the customer and offer them detailed, tailored information.
If a consumer is going to hear from you across multiple channels, you need to put in the work of developing that interaction into a meaningful long-term relationship. This means more than just a message about a new product. When your SMS goes out, you need to consider the target's interests, requirements, and your ability to satisfy their needs and desires. Even for quick wins, you must keep all of this in mind.
The best way to do this? Be specific. You want to establish a single customer view of your target's preferences and behaviours across all brand interactions and touch points – personalising your communications as deeply as you possibly can.
Don't treat your consumers like a hive or a crowd. A user who gets a message from you that fits into their week at just the right moment is far more likely to engage. For example, if you are selling food, a 10am or 11am text just before lunch with a promotion may get that hungry worker strolling out of their office to your doors. But that same text might be less useful to a segment of customers that are not bound by office hours or the work week, like retirees.
Remember that you also are competing with several other brands, so whatever your message is, it has to be enough to get them to act and focus on your organisation. Consider what will make the user click through on your message and end up on your website, your app, message you back, or visit your store. Give that to them.
Use the impulsive nature of text messages to your advantage. The immediacy of the medium allows you to use timing to create compelling messages.
Let's say you're developing a customer loyalty program. If your consumer is close to the next level or earning a reward, a text message might be just the nudge they need to get them spending again. You are just reminding them of how close they are, making your marketing informative and useful.
Another option is to give your texts a sense of urgency. Don't just tell them that their favourite item is restocked – let them know that if they don't get it this week, it may go out of stock again. This encourages an immediate reaction, and works best for customers who have existing relationships with your brand.
Text messages need to be short and snappy in order to keep the customer's attention – so be direct. Don't just use a call-to-action (CTA): make the entire message your CTA.
And this CTA should be specific. Buy this. Redeem this. Visit us for before 5pm for a 50% off sale. This kind of messaging can get an audience inundated with advertising and marketing to actually engage and behave in whatever way you want towards your brand. Keep it simple, clean, and easy to follow.
These four tactics will lead to quick and easy wins for your SMS marketing. But they are just the tip of the iceberg. So, as you begin your mobile marketing campaigns, make sure you are gathering data and using analytics to help finetune your strategy. The more you listen to your customers, the more you can personalise.


Virgil Abloh has just teased a new sneaker collaboration with Nike.
The silhouette displays a blend of the Nike Vaporfly and Zoomfly and consists of race spikes, maintaining the Track and Field concept.
Virgil teased the sneaker with Bella Hadid on an Instagram story ahead of his SS19 Track and Field runway presentation taking place today at Paris.
The sneaker posted by Virgil was a woman's version of the sneaker and consists of a bold Off-White branding on the side with Nike's headquarters location Beaverton, Oregon.
The sneaker comes with a unique lacing system and brings out bright colors of pink, blue, yellow and a neon green lace.
Virgil has shared some of the scenes leading to today's runway presentation which included invitations that were sent out on race bibs.
Off-White™ Active® motto "Look your best. Race yourself."   -1 day until ss19 women's @Off____White runway show titled "Track & Field". functional bib invite with safety pins design.
those shoes and everything in this image took a lifetime to make.
the set design is low-key my favorite part.