Still thinking when to servicing aircon? To many, Singapore's warm and humid climate means the need to have an air-conditioned environment to ensure a certain level of comfort for the human body; more so on days when the mercury level soars high. Thus, it is common to find places like offices, shopping malls, transport systems and even homes equipped with air-con units. Working under a cooler temperature has its own merits, like a better state of mental alertness and higher productivity level without the energy-draining aspect associated with working under sweltering heat. Aircon servicing is not only needed but is a part of life for Singaporean.
For Singaporeans too dependent on air-con, it would be dreadful to be in places with malfunctioning air-conditioners. Workers' productivity and retail / F&B companies' profits will suffer a plunge as a result. Many at home will be unable to have a good night sleep if the weather proves too warm.
As air-cons circulate the air within the room, it is important to make sure the air in circulation is clean. There may be harmful bacteria and fungus growing in the air-con fan coil units. Dirty air carries undesirable bacterial content which is harmful when breathed in. This situation is aggravated by the absence of open windows in confined spaces. Young children, including people who are asthmatic, are extremely sensitive to unclean air. They may develop allergy symptoms and fall sick if they stay for prolonged periods in an air-conditioned room. Quite frequently, a stale or foul smell may be emitted as contaminants in the air get sucked in and flow out with the airflow.
Air-cons that are not servicing regularly will not function at the manufacturer's recommended conditions (for example, not cold enough as per the thermostat setting) and hence will lose their cooling effectiveness. Noise and vibration may also arise. Air-con leakage can occur, due to a blocked drainage system as dust particles collect on the fan coils and choke the drainage. All these will eventually lead to undue consumption of electricity, not to mention end users' unhappiness.
Therefore, it is prudent to keep our air-con units in tip-top conditions at all times. This calls for a regular maintenance regime. Air-con servicing provided by professional air-con servicing companies comes in varying degrees, depending on the makes of air-con used, the usage levels of the end users and other environmental factors. The basic ones involve vacuuming away the accumulated dust; removing and cleaning the filters; cleaning the condenser unit, evaporator coils, the blowers wheel and fan blades, the drain pan; flushing the drain pipe; checking for noise problems, the refrigeration system and electrical components. Many servicing companies also provide chemical cleaning for the air-con units, like chemical cleansing of the evaporator coils, which helps to remove stubborn grease and stains that cannot be easily removed by general cleaning. At the same time, the technicians will also carry out checks for any damages, such as those caused by leakage of the air-con gas; as well as making sure all parts are functioning properly. In overhaul cleaning, the air-con parts are dismantled and chemically washed to rid any blockages or bacterial presence. Additionally, the air-con gas is replenished. In general, it is recommended to servicing residential air-con units once every 3 months and once per month for industrial users.
A well servicing air-con unit works at its optimal operating condition saves electricity bills, provides a clean and healthy living environment that smells fresher, minimises the need for parts replacement to repair. The lifespan of the air-con unit can also be extended. Regular maintenance is no doubt the best way to prevent any problems from arising and to ensure a consistent flow of cool, clean air to all.


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Two teenagers reported missing from Salisbury found
UPDATED: Both Merary Paramo and Alexandria Naranjo Aguirre have been located unharmed, Maryland State Police said.
Police are seeking the public's help in locating two teenagers reported missing from their homes in Salisbury.
Maryland State Police said in a news release Marary Paramo, 16, and Alexandria Naranjo Aguirre, 17, have been reported missing from their homes in Beaglin Park Drive and Green Mor Drive in Salisbury.
Troopers from the Salisbury Barrack responded to an apartment at the Parkwood Apartments on Beaglin Park Drive Tuesday, May 14, for a report of missing persons/runaways, according to the release.
Paramo was last seen on Monday, May 13, at the Beaglin Park home, according to police.
When she left the residence that morning, she advised her parents that she was going to meet Aguirre. After that they have not seen or heard from her, police said.
Contact was then made with Aguirre's mother at her address on Green Mor Drive who told troopers that the teenager was last seen at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
At 9:30 p.m., Aguirre texted her mother indicating that she was at a friend's house, but did not reveal the location.
Police said they believe both Paramo and Aguirre are together and may be in the Salisbury/Fruitland area or possibly Ocean City. Both girls have been entered as missing persons.
Paramo, a Hispanic female, is described by police as 5 feet, 120 lbs, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a cowboy-style button down shirt and blue jeans.
Aguirre, also Hispanic, is 5 feet, 3 inches, 145 lbs, with black hair with green highlights and brown eyes. No clothing description is available, according to police.
Anyone with information about the girls' location is urged to contact the Salisbury Maryland State Police Salisbury Barrack at 410-749-3101, ext. 0.
More: Salisbury collected more than $1M in speed camera fines: AAA
More: Great white shark Cabot surfaces off Delaware

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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FCC launches mobile phone data protection software
Future Communications Company (FCC) recently announced the launch of a unique mobile phone application called Stop Thief. The security application protects user data on mobile phones when stolen, a better alternative than trying to figure a thief's phone number and location.
Source AME Info
Reference http://www.ameinfo.com/209963.html
Stop Thief also allows users to remotely erase pre-selected data on the stolen mobile phone.
Mohammed Al Beloushi, Sales Training Manager at FCC, said "We strongly believe in the protection of personal data on mobile phones. That is why we internally issued a decision calling on all employees to use this very important application".
Al Beloushi called on all mobile phone users concerned about the protection of data on their mobile phones to acquire the security application whose capabilities allow for it to alert a mobile phone owner when the SIM card on a stolen device is changed, in addition to identifying its location. "That's not all" added Al Beloushi.
"It also allows users to remotely access their stolen mobile phones with the options of erasing all of the data on their phone and locking it".
Al Beloushi went on to cite a few examples of some of the key features of the application.
Those include its ease of use, the option to alert up to three selected people of a SIM card change in a stolen mobile phone, denying unauthorized users access to a device protected by the application, and the ability to erase data on a stolen mobile phone remotely.
He also added that the application does not drain a mobile phone's battery nor does it require a lot of memory space, making a very appealing program that is already popular among thousands.
In his statement, Al Beloushi also said that FCC is keen on continually improving the security standards on its devices. It is this vision that drives the company to keep improving and present its customers with the latest in security due to "the unfortunate rise in all forms of theft in the world we live in today".


Octopus — mysterious, almost mythical creatures, which are associated with many legends and ancient tales. In the culture of the people living along the coasts, they are often identified with the masters of the ocean depths. Sometimes this sea creature associated with the underworld, so the tattoo octopus belongs to the evil, demonic style leather jewelry.
The main message that carries this tattooed — hope of immortality and rebirth , inherent octopus: the animals have three hearts and can grow lost limbs.
Tattoo octopus and other inhabitants of the deep sea image became famous thanks to the sailors — superstitious people who believed that such amulets are a reliable protection against the vagaries of various water element or shipwreck. That expedition researcher Glen Cook Islands Polynesia to give new impetus to the development of art «ta-ttau», significantly expanding the possibilities of representation of Europeans on the decoration of the body and the different patterns, which carries the meaning of a particular image.
Besides the main promise of immortality, such tattooed is identified with wisdom, eternity, variability, resourcefulness, strength of will . Another original meaning of a tattoo Octopus — is reflected in the twisted tentacles inexorable movement of time. At the same time a picture is versatile — it can be given exactly the value that you are investing in it. Those. Octopus can be depicted as a positive shade and creepy monster from the deep sea.
It is enough to look spectacular tentacles being realistic covering the human body, giving a frightening kind of headdress. Another popular option is the lord of the depths that something holds in its tentacles, as well as its combination with other existing or background depicting a specific portion of the life of inhabitants of the ocean.


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Specialist Promotion
Countries/Training
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)
The Islands of Tahiti
NICHE TRAINING
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)-Attractions & Activities
Home | Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)-Attractions & Activities
Culture and Events
Nature and Geography
FSM Tourism Contacts
Island Trek
The FSM offers an amazingly diverse range of natural ecosystems, from the world's lowest elevation cloud forests, tropical rain forests, agro-forests, freshwater "Redwood" wetlands, giant taro swamps, large and varied mangrove tracts, to some of the world's most pristine coral reefs, sea-grass meadows and estuaries and lagoons. Local guides can take you through a unique island adventure through one or several of these equatorial wonders in a single day due to the relatively compacted nature of these ecosystems, from waterfall to reef. Trails, such as the ancient stone walking paths of Yap, are readily accessible. Awesome mountain vistas to the cavernous bowels of ancient banyan trees await. The lack of any predatory animals, or of snakes, allows the whole family to enjoy these activities on land. Due to the nearly constant presence of both sun and rain, the shimmering greenery and foliage of the islands in FSM are unsurpassed. It is truly vibrant and alive. You have to see it to believe the actual splendor of the Caroline Islands.
Note: Many trails, lands, beaches and reef areas are private. When entering these areas, please follow
the designation of a local guide.
Bird and Flora watching
The islands are blessed with many indigenous bird species: the nightingale reed-warbler, the Truk monarch, the blue-faced parrot finch, the Pohnpei Lori, the Kosrae greater white-eye, to name just a few. The island of Chuuk in particular has become a mecca for the bird-watching enthusiast. In addition, each of the FSM States hosts indigenous and extremely rare flying fox (fruit bats) populations. Guides can bring the intrepid visitor to flying fox colonies where hundreds of bats sleep and congregate during the day, before this keystone species disperses across the islands at night. A profusion of tropical shrubs, flowers and trees numbering more than six hundred species of higher plants are found in the FSM States. Hibiscus, Hong Kong orchid, ironwood, eucalyptus, Honduras mahogany, papaya, banana, coconut and plumeria trees can be found just about everywhere.
Note: Many trails, lands, beaches and reef areas are private. When entering these areas, please follow the designation of a local guide.
Marine Activities
Scuba Diving & Snorkeling
FSM reefs and ocean are some of the cleanest and clearest waters in the world and are comfortable for diving and snorkeling all the year round. Schools of tuna, barracuda and trevaly, pods of dolphins, turtles, Grouper aggregations and colorful collections of many tropical fish are commonly found. Yap and Pohnpei are famous for their world-renowned reef passes that have large groupings of giant manta rays, where divers and snorkelers can encounter these magnificent and gentle creatures up close and personal as the mantas feed on nutrients and plankton year-round. In Kosrae, it is not unusual for the visibility under the water on and around the pristine fringing reef of the island to reach 60. There are over 172 types of hard coral and 10 types of soft coral, with an abundance of beautiful sea anemones and over 250 species of reef fish as well as other pelagic species that often venture near to the reef. Grey reef sharks, which are known to be quite harmless, are also a constant presence in and around the fringing reef. Chuuk Lagoon is the known as the wreck diving capital of the world and any diver worth his or her salt should dive the sunken armada of the Japanese Fourth Imperial Fleet at least once in their lifetime. (See the category of "Wreck Diving" below for further details on this world-class adventure.)
The sea floor beneath the warm, clear waters of Chuuk Lagoon is steeped in history. It is a major shipwreck site from WWII, with the hulks having been transformed into amazing underwater museums and wonders of nature, holding the very best of the undersea world and maritime history at one site. Dubbed "ship-reefs", the sites are as colorful as they are compact and offer hours of diving on each wreck.
By law, the underwater museum is intended for the enjoyment of the world's most adventurous divers and the respectful diver should remember to leave all artifacts and remnants on-site.
Sport and game fishing are literally unparalleled in the FSM, with some of the biggest sport fishing remaining in the world. A relatively new and undeveloped component of the growing variety of tourism activities within FSM, this is a niche that will get the juices flowing, from the novice fisher to the avid angler. One may also enjoy excellent bottom fishing, casting from shore, trolling, catching giant mangrove crabs, and a variety of other fishing methods. Fishing is quickly becoming a very popular activity for visitors in Micronesia. There are many fishing tournaments throughout Micronesia, and visitors are welcome to enter. Or contact a local guide of fishing-tour operator and enjoy a day of sun, sport-fishing and beautiful, deep blue waters and glimmering reefs on the ocean.
Waterfalls and Caves
PahnTakai Cave and Falls (POHNPEI)
It is a 30-minute hike into the rainforest to this huge overhanging cave and waterfall. The waterfall is 150 feet high and the cave more than 900 feet across. A large colony of bats live in the cave and there is access behind the waterfall that leads to the Kupwuriso cannons, relics from the WWII era. Indeed this is where the name PahnTakai, which means "underneath the rock", is derived from.
Kepirohi Waterfall (POHNPEI)
This is the most popular waterfall in Pohnpei. The large, open lake at the base is perfect for swimming, and is popular for both visitors and locals alike. Kepirohi falls is about 66 feet (20 meters) tall, 98 feet (30 meters) wide, and is made up of large, square basalt stones. It is truly breathtaking and should not be missed. It is an easy 5-minute walk from the main road along a stone path hedged by tropical flower varieties of excellent color and beauty.
Liduduhniap Waterfall (POHNPEI)
Nanpil River and Liduduhniap are twin falls with an upper and lower level and are a popular place to swim. It is only a short walk to the falls and there is a large pool, thatched huts and picnic area. The picnic area overlooks the falls from above and provides an awesome panorama of pure tropical jungle and mountain valley vistas./p>
Lehn Paipohn Waterfall (POHNPEI)
This waterfall feeds the deepest and largest lake on Pohnpei. It is more remote than some of the other waterfalls, but is an excellent area for observing Pohnpei's prolific plant and birdlife.
Sahwartik/Sahwarlap Waterfall (POHNPEI)
These two falls can be seen from a distance reflecting sunlight from large volumes of cascading water tumbling into the surrounding jungle. The smaller falls are called Sahwartik (shining faintly) and the larger falls, Sahwarlap (shining brightly).
Sipyen Waterfall (KOSRAE)
Sipyen Waterfall is a refreshing 30 foot cascade of mountain waters that bathers and photographers alike will enjoy. Located in Utwe, the waterfall offers a relief from the tropical heat. A small bath pool at the bottom rewards those healthy enough for the short five minute walk. Rocks can be slippery, so be careful when walking up the cleared path and in the shallow creek bed. The landowner lives nearby and it is courteous to ask permission before enjoying this site.
Saolung Waterfall (KOSRAE)
About a mile past Sipyen Waterfall and visible from the road, this waterfall is a tropical delight, with refreshing, clear waters year-round. At the base of the fall is a larger pool than at Sipyen Falls. The owner lives nearby and permission should be asked.
Wiya Bird Cave (KOSRAE)
A natural cave of impressive size with thousands of Resident Island swiftlet birds, it is the only residing place for this type of bird, which easily number in the hundreds. At the base of the cave is a pool of guano, accumulated over the decades, which locals use as a high-nutrient additive to the ubiquitous Kosrae home gardens in all of the villages. Legends say this cave to be home to a family of real giants, and that the cave goes through a tunnel to the other side of the island. Easy to get too just off the main road, it is truly a rare and awesome sight.
James Palsis Marine Park (KOSRAE)
The James Palsis Marine Park offers visitors a look at some of Micronesia's most pristine forests, mangrove and lagoon and sea-grass meadow ecosystems. Located between Tafunsak and Walung villages the Park is a community-based conservation area, recognized by the people and state of Kosrae for its outstanding and sustainable biodiversity. One may snorkel in crystal clear, 83 degree F waters over colorful reefs teeming with life, or stroll along the isolated beaches near Walung Village, which is only accessible by boat, or for the real adventurous, by foot over jungle trails forged by wild boar hunters. At the entrance to the Park, one may unwind at the newly completed picnic huts and have a BBQ, or just unwind and enjoy the aqua-blue waters moving in and out and the gentle breezes that consistently waft through. Toilet facilities and water available.
Utwe-Walung Marine Park (KOSRAE)
The Utwe-Walung Marine Park offers visitors a look at some of Micronesia's oldest and most diverse mangrove forests, as well as a series of highly unique deep marine lakes, small islets, and back-water mangrove channels. Located between Utwe and Walung villages the Park is a community-based conservation area, recognized by the people and state of Kosrae for its outstanding and sustainable biodiversity. In 2005, the area was designated as the first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Pacific. Take a canoe tour through the channel that runs the length from Utwe to Walung villages. You'll be amazed at the natural wonders and peaceful solitude of this vast area.
Nan Madol (POHNPEI)
Nan Madol consists of 92 separate islands covering 222 acres (90 hectares). Much of the ruins still remain in the form of enormous basalt "logs" assembled into walls and buildings. Nan Madol, the capital during the Saudeleur Dynasty, was also the center for politics and religion. It is said to have been constructed between 500 and 1500 A.D. It included the residence and tombs of the royal family, servant quarters, a guest house for visitors, and separate islands for funerals and storage. However, complete surveys have yet to be conducted, so many of the details are still a mystery, and that mystery is how these huge stones – some weighing more than two tons – were quarried, transported and finally assembled into what has been referred to as the "Venice of the Pacific".
Pohnpaip Petroglyphs (POHNPEI)
Pohnpaip (Pohn=on top of) (paip=large rock) is about 5 meters in height with a gently sloping surface covering about 30 square meters. Petroglyphs including a sword, the sun, the moon, people, fish, and human footprints are scattered about the surface. While the creators of these Petroglyphs are unknown, it is believed that they were carved long ago by visitors from another land.
Lelu Ruins (KOSRAE)
Considered one of the wonders of the Pacific and once an ancient ruling empire complex of the entire Micronesian region, a similar version of this ruin were replicated later in Pohnpei (Nan Madol) and other islands in the Pacific. Huge basaltic slabs arranged in order, making 20-ft walls that encompassed a capital city of Kosrae in the ancient times. In fact, if the fabled stories of Lois Becke – Trader, Journalist, Writer and the famed 19 year-old Super Cargo for the legendary pirate, Bully Hayes – are to be believed, the Lelu Ruins were an active ruling metropolis through the latter part of the 19th Century. The genesis of these ruins of large basaltic walls, channels, streets, tombs, and living quarters dates back to the 13th century.
Menke Ruins (KOSRAE)
Holds the temple of the Goddess of Breadfruit, Sinlaku, where she spent her last days before fleeing to Yap before the arrival of the Missionaries in 1852. The Menke Ruins are otherwise considered – according to famed, Visiting Archaeologist to the FSM, Dr. Felicia Beardsley – as the oldest such ruins in FSM, and perhaps even the entire Micronesian sub-region, pre-dating both the Lelu Ruins in Kosrae and Nan Madol in Pohnpei. What is perhaps the best feature of the Menke Ruins is the Menke Valley itself, which holds the pure and untrammeled Menke River and one of the last two stands of TerminaliaCarolinensis (known as "Ka" in Kosrae forest in the world. The hike itself is an excellent way to enjoy the best natural beauty that the high islands of the Caroline archipelago offer.
Mountain and Hiking Trail
Mt.Tonaachaw (CHUUK)
Iras is, at 229 meters, the loftiest peak on Weno. The mountain is the legendary home of the God, Souwoniras, and his divine son. Situated by the Wichon River and Falls, the Wichon Men's Meeting House is the site where Weno chiefs are reported to have met with Poomey, the eldest of the six brothers who were the first chiefs of Chuuk. The shallow pool at the base of the Falls is still used for bathing and sports, just as it was in historical times. The site of Poomey's dwelling on a mountaintop can be seen from and his gardens are nearby. Numerous Petroglyphs are etched in the exposed basalt above the falls.
Pohndollap (Sokehs Rock / Mt. Sokehs) (POHNPEI)
Mt.Sokehs is located just behind Sokehs Rock and is quite accessible. The old Japanese Army built various facilities here and the ruins have been quietly sitting deep in the jungle ever since. It is approximately 2 hours from the beginning of the mountain path to the peak (even after wandering around the battlefields). You will walk through some exceptional tropical forests as you journey to the giant cannons (think: Guns of Navarone) overlooking Palikir Pass, Pohnpei's famous world-class surf spot. For those hard-core mountaineers and mountain-climbers, the face of Sokehs Rock offers never-climbed sheer-face basalt routes waiting to be named and conquered.
YelaKa Forest (KOSRAE)
Yela offers the visitor that rarest of dreams: a pristine series of tropical island ecosystems nearly untrammeled since the beginning of time. Indeed, Yela, one of the last roadless areas in the Pacific, remains largely closed to the public due to lack of access. At the center of the area is the increasingly famed YelaKa Forest, a globally unique freshwater swamp dominated by hundreds of towering Terminaliacarolinensis (Ka) trees. These trees have been referred to by leading Micronesia conservationists as the "Redwoods of Micronesia". This is truly a one-of-a-kind experience and not to be missed. Contact the Yela Environment Landowners Authority (YELA) for access and an interpretive nature tour of the area.
Mt. Finkol Hiking Trail (KOSRAE)
Mt. Finkol is the highest peak in Kosrae, at more than 2,064 ft, and hosts the lowest elevation cloud forest on the planet. It is perfect for action packers. The hike requires a guide and the hiker must be in good physical condition to challenge the trail, although the climb is moderately easy. If you're up for it, in shape and the weather cooperates – Finkol is one of the top two or three wettest places on earth – don't miss the rare opportunity to climb Finkol. Usually, only one, or at most, two expeditions make the summit annually. It is a rainforest in its extreme beauty and full of excitement for hikers. The climb through the sinews of a series of gigantic banyan trees (think of a scene out of J.R.R Tolkien's, The Hobbit) just past the midway point is an experience for the ages. Once you reach the summit, you'll have panoramic views of a tropical island and fringing reef that are unmatched. The whole tour can take between 7 to 8 hours.
Mt. Oma Hiking Trail (KOSRAE)
This hike yields some of the most beautiful cultural and natural sites in Kosrae with tropical fauna, flora, cascading waterfalls, WWII caves. The summit is a few feet shy of Mt. Finkol and offers excellent and breezy vistas of the island. The tour may take 6 to 7 hours. Also available are short hikes of 45 minutes. This picture is the view from Mt. Oma.
Surfing and Kite Surfing
Surfing is a bona fide activity in Pohnpei and Kosrae in particular, where beginner and world-class surfers come to find the perfect and uncrowded breaking pipe-waves on the fringing reefs. It is the perfect waves that impress and attract professional surfers, who often travel with photographers and film-makers for major surf magazines to capture one of the world's best right-hand waves in Pohnpei. Kite surfing has also become a popular niche amongst the surf set in FSM. The best season is from October to March. Contact surf club operators in advance as the major surf points are reached by boat.
AThere is no experience quite like the solitude and natural wonder of a canoe or kayak ride through a mangrove channel. It gives one a unique perspective into the ecological wonder of Micronesia's wondrous and varied mangrove forests up close and personal. Traveling through these ancient native passage ways, one can find giant monitor lizards, the blue reef warbler, the Pacific reef heron, the red-breasted nectar-eater, and a host of other rare and unique avian fauna amidst the fantasy-novel settings that these forests provide. The quiet, glassy surface of the water also reveals an amazing array of colorful marine life below. It is an amazing and beautiful world.
Old Battlefield
Old Japanese Lighthouse (CHUUK)
On top of a hill with a fine view, the lighthouse was built in the 1930s by the Japanese Army. Offers a spectacular view of the island of Weno as well as other high islands, atolls and sand spits that dot the massive Chuuk lagoon.
Nefo Cave & Old Japanese Gun (CHUUK)
Used by the Japanese during World War II, a series of caves can be explored on foot. The well preserved remains of a large artillery gun can be found here.
Lenger Island (POHNPEI)
During the war, this island, located north of the main island of Pohnpei, was used as an important defense point and a marine flying boat base was founded here. The base was almost completely destroyed during the war, but afterwards it was restored and functioned as the official Pohnpei Airport until 1970.
Dolopwuropwur Guns (POHNPEI)
On top of the hill, which commands a beautiful view of Temwen Island, a battery and powdermagazine from the Japanese era still remains. The battery was installed to guard the channels around Pohnpei and, apparently, was never hit by enemy fire. Since the Japanese Army used this area as a base camp during the war, this site is considered historically important.
Xavier High School (CHUUK)
Xavier High School, managed by the Society of Jesus, is the first four-year high school established in FSM, built in 1953. Even now students come from islands all over Micronesia, and the educational standard is high. Many of past and current leaders of the nation, in both business and politics, are graduates of the school, which has commanding views in nearly every direction. In 1940, the Japanese Army requisitioned the church and used it as a command center.
Kosrae State Museum (KOSRAE)
The museum is located in Tofol. Artifacts from the excavations of Kosrae's famed ruins are displayed along with other exhibits on Kosrae's history and culture. The Museum is open and free to the public.
Giant Clam Farm (KOSRAE)
Originally a national aquaculture station where protected giant clams that reached up to 3 meters long were raised and taken out to various sanctuaries in the reefs off Walung, Okat and Utwe, the operation is now operated as a public-private partnership, known as Micronesia Management and Marketing Enterprises (MMME). MMME raises rare giant clam species primarily for export to the salt-water aquarium markets in the United States and Europe. Working with local producers in selected grow sights on the reefs of Kosrae, MMME also grows corals both for export and for planting on the reef. The facility also exports aquarium fish to the international market. 10% of all corals and clams produced are put back into the wild to help repopulate the reefs with the once abundant clams, a vital filter in the reef ecosystem, as well prized food source. MMME is located on the Lelu Causeway.
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There was the result itself, which put them third in the Premier League for the first time this season. There was the continued defensive improvement which clinched a second consecutive clean sheet. And there were the superbly taken goals from Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette.On top of all that, though, there was also another encouraging performance from the resurgent Mesut Ozil. The German made headlines for the wrong reasons earlier this season, losing his place in the Arsenal team as he struggled to win over Unai Emery, but the picture looks very different now. 2:38 Highlights from Arsenal's win over Newcastle in the Premier League Highlights from Arsenal's win over Newcastle in the Premier League Ozil has started three of the last four Premier League games compared to one of the previous eight, and it is not difficult to see why he is back in favour. Against Newcastle, he followed up his impressive displays against Bournemouth and Manchester United before the international break with more of the same.He could be seen drifting into pockets of space right from the start, and with the freedom to move across the pitch, he proved elusive to his black-and-white shirted markers. His performance was full of clever feints and touches, with one particularly eye-catching exchange with Alex Iwobi almost ending in a goal shortly before half-time.There were more bright moments after the break, including a perfect through ball to send Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in on goal. His team-mate's shot was saved by Martin Dubravka, denying Ozil an assist, but the statistics underlined his influence. Ozil ranked top for chances created (two) and also made the most final third passes (30) and crosses (five). Most impressive, though, was how he performed without the ball.Emery's reservations about Ozil have centred on what he perceives to be a lack of defensive effort and tactical discipline. In an exclusive interview in Sky Sports in January, he explained how he was using "friction" to get more out of the 30-year-old. Now, three months on, it seems the approach is finally bearing fruit."He has been all over the park tonight," said Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith as he named Ozil man-of-the-match. Indeed, his work-rate had certainly been impressive. Despite being withdrawn with six minutes still to play, he finished behind only Matteo Guendouzi and Ainsley Maitland-Niles for distance covered by Arsenal players on 9.9km.Ozil will never be the blood-and-thunder type who throws himself into tackles, but he was effective in regaining possession against Newcastle, too. According to Opta, he made 11 ball recoveries – the second-most of anyone on the pitch and his highest total in any Premier League game in the last two seasons. Only Aaron Ramsey regained possession more times than Ozil At one point in the second half, he even showed impressive strength to hold off Mo Diame in his own half, shielding the ball under heavy pressure and finding a pass to ease the pressure on Arsenal's defence.It's exactly the kind of hard work Emery has been demanding of him. The "tension" between the pair appeared close to breaking point at times earlier this season, but Ozil was greeted with a warm handshake on his substitution and the supporters in the stands sounded their appreciation too. The German could have a key role to play in the run-in.What did Emery say?"With his commitment and his quality, when he can find the best performance for the team, Mesut is playing like we want with the system and with how he is thinking tactically. He is working a lot and he is giving us his quality." 3:54 Unai Emery was very proud of Arsenal's togetherness and spirit Unai Emery was very proud of Arsenal's togetherness and spirit Ozil's reaction"Of course my work is to give everything on the pitch like today. I just want to help my team-mates to win the game. I thought we played very well as a team – not just me." The expert verdict – Andy Cole"You can tell by the heatmap that he is getting around the pitch now. It's as if he's saying to the manager, 'Look, I'm proving I can get around the pitch as well as control the game.'"As a centre-forward, you've got to want to play with him because his creativity is massive in a football match. If Arsenal can get him on the ball, they will always create chances." Play Super 6 Predict 6 correct scores for your chance to win £250K.


The redesigned report features a chart showing an examinee's performance compared with recent first-time takers from US and Canadian medical schools, the examinee's performance in individual content areas relative to their overall Step 3 performance, and information about the allocation of items across each content area.
You can view the new score report here [Understanding Your Step 3 Score Report]. Click on the comment boxes for explanatory/informational text. FAQs about the score report are also available.
The new examinee score report format will be implemented for Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) examinations in early 2019. A new score report format for the Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) examination is under development.
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Bolander Lifestyle
Home News A prickly visitor…
A prickly visitor…
NORMAN MCFARLANE
The prickly visitor that took Somerset West resident, Gavin Hardres-Williams, by surprise last Monday evening.
The last thing Somerset West resident, Gavin Hardres-Williams, expected to encounter when he went out for his early morning walk with walking-buddy Bill Mycock, last Monday morning at 6.15am, was a rather large porcupine.
Gavin, who lives in Mcleod Street, takes up the story: "I'd opened the gate, and as I was reversing the car out, I saw this porcupine casually walking in and down the driveway.
"I stopped the car and closed the gate, and he continued down the driveway to the garage so I followed him. He walked right around the house and then came back, went behind the dustbin and then to the far corner across the lawn."
Rather than trying to apprehend the intruder himself, Gavin decided to go for his walk, and deal with the matter later.
"I told my wife, Jill, what had happened and locked our dogs in the house, as I didn't want them coming face-to-face with the porcupine."
Gavin then met up with Bill, who upon hearing the tale, suggested Gavin contact Guy Pluck, who is apparently the go-to person in such cases.
Returning home at about 8am, Gavin went in search of his "visitor". "I searched everywhere, but to no avail," says Gavin. "I do have a shed in the garden, which is covered in ivy, and it is very close to the wall, so I figured he'd probably gone behind the shed and hidden there."
A phone call to Guy Pluck revealed that porcupines are masters at hiding themselves, so Gavin abandoned the search, and headed to the office for the day.
"My son, Gareth, and our granddaughter, Amelie, arrived for a visit in the early evening and we spent some time in the garden playing charades and board games, but there was no sign of the porcupine," says Gavin.
"They went off the bed at about 9pm, and I settled down in the living room with a cup of tea.
"I looked up and lo and behold, in walked the porcupine, almost as if he had come to find me," Gavin says.
"When he got to the carpet, he inexplicably froze, and didn't move a muscle. I went and called Gareth and Amelie so they could take a look, and Gareth actually tossed a cushion in front of the porcupine so it wouldn't walk onto the carpet."
Gavin eventually got hold of Guy, and while waiting for him to arrive, he took a piece of advice that Bill had given him during their morning walk: feed the porcupine an apple.
"I cut it in half, and put the one piece about two feet in front of his nose.
"He sniffed, then walked to it, picked it up between his front paws and ate it.
"I gave him the second piece to eat while we waited for Guy, who arrived at about 9.45pm, armed with the necessary porcupine-snaring equipment.
"Guy had a 240-litre wheelie bin, a blanket and a piece of rope," says Gavin, but as it happened the latter two items of equipment played no part in capturing the unusual visitor.
"Guy laid the bin down on its side and swung the lid open. I walked along the wall by the fireplace to stop the porcupine if he went that way, but he walked under the coffee table to the other side of the room, behind the settee, then between the settee and the standard lamp, and straight into the bin.
"It looked to me like he found the dark corner, which the bin provided, attractive," says Gavin.
Guy quickly dropped the lid of the bin, set it upright, and took it off to the Helderberg Nature Reserve where he released the porcupine into the wild.
Where the porcupine came from in such a built up area, remains a mystery, but Gavin has a theory.
"There is a great deal of road work going on in Irene Avenue, and I believe this fellow lived in the Geelsloot (there is a greenbelt behind Southey Vines, bordered by Dummer Street, Irene Avenue and Mcleod Street through which the Geelsloot flows) and was disturbed by the the roadworks."
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HomeReal Life Cam'Voyeur' Review
'Voyeur' Review
By voyeur August 8, 2018 Real Life Cam, Real Life Cam Voyeur, Reallifecam, RealLifeCam Voyeur 0 Comments
'Voyeur' Review: Netflix's Deviant Gay Talese Doc Can't Decide What it Wants to Look At
A debased take a gander at the longing to watch and the should be seen, "Voyeur" is so anxious to recount a decent story that it tells the wrong one.
Some time ago, some place in the traverse between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hunter S. Thompson, a smart group of privileged person columnists flourished by joining pre-war modernity with post-war sexuality. Having a place neither with the old world or the new, they were prophets of their present minute, a transitional gathering that helped establish the framework for a culture that wouldn't have the capacity to oblige them.
Gay Talese was maybe the most remarkable of the gathering. The back up parent of liberal superstar profiles, Talese hoisted a whole medium by fleshing a standard picture into a honest to goodness bit of writing; distributed in the April 1966 issue of Esquire, "Straight to the point Sinatra Has a Cold" may well outlast the magazine that paid for it. Talese turned out to be nearly as well known as the general population highlighted in his work, and his notoriety shielded him from whatever is left of the twentieth century; it appeared to be unbelievable that somebody who could compose a few thousand words about a sore throat could ever come up short on things to state.
Yet, now it's 2017, Talese is 85, and another narrative about the best catastrophe of his vocation discretely proposes that he's become superfluous, and that he's not dealing with it well. Fortunate for Talese, "Voyeur" shows up to a great extent neglectful of the way that it's work of art him in that light. Coordinated by Myles Kane and Josh Koury, the Netflix Original film appears have been imagined as an unusual meta-critique on the craving to watch and the should be seen, however it never appears realize what it's searching for.
What's more, even that may be a liberal translation, given how effectively the motion picture can be viewed as something of a messed up ad for the Talese book that propelled it. Be that as it may, before there was a book, there was an article in The New Yorker, and before there was an article in The New Yorker, there was a peculiar companionship between two horny old men. One is Talese, whose direct expounding on sexuality in America made him an undeniable focus for freaks looking for approval. The second is Gerald Foos, a worsen whiskery teddy bear of a person who reached Talese in 1980 with a lascivious story for him to cover. Foos said that he had fabricated a roadside motel in Aurora, Colorado for the express motivation behind keeping an eye on his visitors, and that — for a time of no less than 15 years — he had watched them through the vents each night, jerking off with one hand and fastidiously taking note of their conduct with the other. Foos likes to consider himself a DIY Alfred Kinsey, however he appears to be more similar to a person who simply didn't have the tolerance to sit tight for Pornhub.
Talese first flew out to the Manor House in 1980; a couple of decades later, Foos' desire for consideration at last showed signs of improvement of his self-protection ("I needed to tell some individual — I would not like to bite the dust and have it be lost everlastingly"), and he gave authorization for the essayist to utilize his name in print. For the majority of its running time, "Voyeur" seems to share Talese's excitement, diving into Foos' maniacal analyses like his diaries are the Pentagon Papers. Truth be told, the principal hour feels like the film that Foos went through his entire time on earth imploring that some individual may make about him.
He's up front, an amicable self-aggrandizer whose youth fixation on his close relative Catherine impelled an unquenchable desire to take a gander at illegal things. Sooner or later en route, that depravity dovetailed with a craving to play God. Foos amazements at the ability to control unmindful individuals; when he wasn't getting off by watching his visitors, he was getting off on disturbing them. His loft panopticon was behind a minor entryway that inspires the seven-and-a-half floor from "Being John Malkovich." Kane and Koury enjoy this gaudy self-examination, making a complex smaller than normal model of the Manor House and utilizing it as a cunning method for working around performances.
Indeed, even at its most thoughtful, notwithstanding, this take a gander at Foos' urgent conduct stays sufficiently loaded to entrance. There's something mesmerizing about gazing at somebody who adores to watch, similarly as there's something inherently enchanting about watching somebody who realizes that they're being seen. Be that as it may, Kane and Koury can't exactly make sense of how to mine genuine substance from counterfeit self-reflexivity; Abbas Kiarostami simply influenced it to look so natural. "Voyeur" keeps Foos at a baffling separation, restricting us to Talese's perused on him. In the interim, the film darkens our read of Talese. Still dressed to the nines and riding the exhaust of his previous grandness, he regularly appears to be a major city extortionist who can't stand to give his last stamp a chance to drop out of his grip, however Kane and Koury allow the legend to hide any hint of failure confront. They regard his desires to be the star, yet not exactly the story.
Too bad, any performative twists are simply accidental, and various conceivably intriguing components — Foos' complicit spouses, for instance — are left to die from neglect. The film never challenges Foos, on the grounds that Talese never provokes him. The film doesn't need Foos to be unpleasant or dull, on the grounds that Talese doesn't need him to be dreadful or dull. In the event that Kane and Koury don't focus on Talese's unmistakable edginess for a decent story, this is on account of they're similarly as ravenous as he seems to be.
In that light, it's no big surprise that the narrative shortcircuits when Talese begins running his duplicate by the reality checkers, and that it totally neglects to explore the debate that later subsumed the distribution of his book. "Voyeur" is confined as the account of one spectator attempting to illuminate another, yet Kane and Koury dismiss their own particular film, which is extremely a tale around two men so frantic to hear the sound of their own voices that they hoodwinked themselves into supposing they had a comment. "Voyeur" falls directly into their trap. Apparently a picture of looking, the motion picture just observes its own particular reflection.
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Charis has begun rehearsals at Theater Under the Stars in Houston, Texas, for Victor/Victoria.
Opening night of The Spitfire Grill at Northern Stage!
Last week of performances of Church Basement Ladies 2: A Second Helping, at the Mountain Playhouse!
Mountain Playhouse's Production of Let's Murder Marsha was a huge success!


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For those wishing to buy Vice Media stock, 2017 might be the year they can do it. Vice is an up and coming youth/millennial focused media news outlet that believes it is in the right place at the right time. Investors in the private company include Disney, A&E Networks, and 21st Century Fox and its valuation is thought to be above $4.5 billion.
Vice Media's CEO Shane Smith said in December 2016 that the company had been talking to banks and exploring its options in regard to going public. The time for an IPO might be soon based on his belief that the company caters to millennials and is positioned correctly in what may be a tumultuous next couple of years in the news and media industry. Smith said that Vice needs to keep growing and expanding its reach and can do that by having an IPO which will give it the funds needed to make various acquisitions.
To see a list of some of the properties of Vice you can scroll toward the bottom of this page. Vice targets the younger generations of people that aren't interested in mainstream news. Its programs and material has been ridiculed and dismissed by "real" journalists and "real" media outlets for many years because it is unlike anything we have seen before.
Whether you agree or disagree with the sometimes controversial programing on any of the Vice platforms, one thing is for sure: the company allows advertisers to reach a totally different audience than other media outlets. Vice strives to serve news that is cutting edge and raw and that appeals to those who want nothing to do with the stale and predictable news coverage of traditional media. By catering to a totally different demographic than "normal" news, Vice gives advertisers a new way to reach this very young audience. Viewing the companies continuing success and growth, that is why it has IPO plans and why investors would want to buy Vice Media stock.
Will Vice Media Stock Be A Good Investment?
To get a better idea of where Vice came from and where it is going you might read this piece that explains a lot of the back story of the company. Vice Media is in the midst of trying to somewhat distance itself from its somewhat shady past and show that it is a new media company that is genuine and yet edgy. It is vital for Vice to continue to try to gain an ever increasing audience among the under 30 crowd and show advertisers that it appeals to a cross section of that demographic.
Traditional media is in an absolute upheaval right now with newspapers and radio stations finding it very hard to survive, many of them going out of business. People have changed and are changing their media consumption habits as on demand music, video, news, and movies is now the preferred method. Vice Media, to be a good stock and investment should it IPO, will have to keep ahead of the curve and stay in front of this wave of change that we are seeing. It will have to continue to make the programing and content that the under 30 crowd want to see and stay current on the ways to deliver that content. It is an exciting time to be in the businesses it is in but also a difficult time that requires a lot of forward thinking and planning.
Forbes used to be a quality, reputable magazine. But I guess its hard to make money in the printing business now days and every magazine has been forced to go online and sink into the gutter. Readers of Forbes.com will be deluged with ads and videos that automatically play. The actual content is scrunched in the middle of a big ad bar on the right, a big ad above the content, and a left margin with video and other stories. Honestly, the Forbes website is extremely frustrating to try to read and looks like it was slapped together by a child trying to make money with ads. Very sad.
Then there is the content which more and more, revolves around clickbait titles and authors that write controversial bits just to get clicks. At least that is the way it is for writer Ewan Spence who apparently makes his living by bashing Apple week after week. Either he hates Apple for personal reasons, is short the stock, or has realized that he can get the most clicks by pumping out a negative spin on almost every product the company produces. This is one author that should be reined in, unless Forbes has decided to throw out all its journalistic impartiality and become nothing more than a negative clickbait machine.
After reading that list of titles is it possible to believe he doesn't have an agenda? Obviously he makes a good chunk of his income bashing Apple in every way he can possibly think of. If its not a direct attack on an Apple product he deftly gets the hits in by saying something else is superior.
Spence is from Scotland and maybe hates America? I don't know and it is his right to hate Apple (and America if he wants to) but the problem is he is doing it under the Forbes name. He isn't writing on some personal blog or website but doing it in Forbes. That diminishes the trust of Forbes as I have now realized that it is nothing more than an advertising click machine with writers trying to pump up the clicks in any way possible.
So, I will try to avoid Forbes as much as possible from now on. My trust has been violated and I am no longer a reader.
It looks like you won't be able to buy Xiaomi stock for quite a while as the company is currently privately owned and the CEO has stated that an IPO may not come until 2025. Lei Jun started Xiaomi in 2010 and is most recently quoted as saying that he believes it will take the company 15 years before it can successfully go public. That would put the IPO date at 2025 which means investors will have a long wait ahead.
Being a private company means you can't directly invest in Xiaomi right now and will have to wait for it to go public. You will need to have a funded online broker account in order to be able to buy its stock if it does eventually IPO. What exchange Xiaomi decided to list on (a Chinese, Hong Kong, or American stock exchange) may also affect your ability to purchase stock shares.
What Products Does Xiaomi Make?
Most famous for its low cost – high quality smart phones, Xiaomi is often referred to in the media as "China's Apple". That is why so many people want to buy the stock, in hopes that the company can someday approach the kind of success Apple has had. However, almost all their sales are done online in China and the company has just started making some of their products available in the United States.
If you go to the Xiaomi website (November 2016), the only products you can buy online Internationally are the in-ear headphones, the over-the-ear headphones, the power bank, a small fan, and the Mi Box. The selection of smart phones and smart devices are not for sale yet. The Mi Box is a direct competitor to the Amazon Fire Stick, Apple TV, Roku, and Google Chromecast and is Xiaomi's first product that it being introduced into the United States.
It is presumed that at some future date Xiaomi will start bringing more of its products to U.S. and International consumers. The fitness bands are inexpensive and well made according to some reviews and will probably be the next product to be available. But investors will be waiting for the eventual introduction of the lineup of Mi phones which will get a lot of news coverage when they finally make the jump into the U.S. market.
Because Xiaomi has so much private funding, the company was thought to be valued at between $45 and $46 billion. With the cash it has been able to get from private investing groups, the company has never felt the need to rush to go public like some startups do.
According to some reports (here and here), Xiaomi has encountered some very rough times in recent months which has dropped its valuation significantly. Competition has come from other Chinese phone manufacturers that have released phones that are at least just as good and maybe even better. This has put a dent in Xiaomi's latest sales numbers and leaves serious doubts into its future IPO plans.
Brand loyalty has become an issue with Xiaomi as its phones don't have any sticky ecosystem or any other reason to prevent Chinese customers from switching to other manufacturers. Additionally, Xiaomi's desired worldwide expansion of its phone lineup has not happened yet and it may have to delay such plans if the company can't turn things around in China first.
Will There Ever Be A Xiaomi IPO?
One of the biggest problems the company faces and one that anyone wanting to buy Xiaomi stock should consider is the razor thin margins it gets from all products. Its the thing that made Xiaomi famous (quality at a cheap price) and ironically it could eventually be its downfall.
This profit margin of error is so little that any hiccup in product production or sales can seriously impact the company going forward. Its great to offer quality products at a cheap price but that leaves a company like Xiaomi very vulnerable when the slightest thing goes wrong. Xiaomi initially grew at such an astounding pace and got so much positive publicity that the company might have underestimated the long term obstacles is could or would face.
Xiaomi may indeed have an IPO in 2025 or sooner but right now investors will have to take a wait and see approach. Even if the company did IPO sooner than later, it seems like it would be prudent for any investor to be very cautious before buying its stock and have a full understanding of the challenges ahead for Xiaomi.
It is one of the most popular and successful social networks, but investors can't buy Instagram stock even if they want to because Facebook beat them to it. It was April 2012 that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg bought Instagram for $1 billion and it has turned out to be one of his best purchases ever made.
The problem with investing in social media sites is that there are so many of them that it is difficult to guess which ones will stand the test of time and actually make money. Twitter has been a failure along with Periscope which it owns, Vine has just shut down, and Meerkat has also shut down as well. Facebook is the big winner and investors are now clamoring to buy Snapchat stock at its future IPO with the belief that it will also be a winner. Instagram has quietly become a very popular and profitable photo sharing site but investors will have to buy Facebook stock (FB) if they want to get a piece of it.
In Facebooks earnings release on 11/2/2016, Zuckerberg said that Instagram has more than 500 million monthly active users as well as more than 300 million daily active users. The platform is now built out enough and has enough users to let it enter the third phase of the plan: allow businesses to reach more potential customers by opening up tools within Instagram. What that means is that its time to really turn on the ads and start making money!
Instagram Stories (a blatant Snapchat ripoff) was successfully launched in August and it reportedly now has over 100 million active users. The company has also upgraded the Explore Tab within Instagram to include more videos and stories and that feature is also getting 100 million actives every day. All in all, Instagram is doing very well and is now just starting to hit full stride in terms of monetizing the site.
As mentioned above, the only option for anyone wanting to buy Instagram stock because they like the business is to buy its parent company Facebook. But Facebook is much, much bigger than Instagram and so if you buy FB stock you are getting the whole company which is comprised of many things. Facebook just warned that even though it is still growing, its advertising revenue may level off in 2017 because many of its platforms (WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook) are already running a lot of ads. There are only so many users in a finite world so growth has to eventually slow down and there are only so many ads you can show them, for a variety of reasons.
This means that however well Instagram is doing individually, investors value FB stock as the sum of the parts and the other parts may begin to see slower growth starting in 2017. So, if you decide to buy the stock, you aren't getting anywhere near a pure play on Instagram.
2017 could be the year that investors finally get to buy Pinterest stock. In early October 2016, Pinterest hired its first CFO (Todd Morgenfeld) and industry insiders are speculating that the move is the companies first step toward an eventual IPO. However, as of late 2016, there is still no official word from Pinterest on any plans to offer stock to though a public offering so investors will have to continue to wait.
Pinterest is reported to be valued at $11 billion which puts it just outside the top 10 most valuable private companies in the world. Its user base is 150 million and it is now attracting more men than it did in the early years when the site was dominated by women. 2015 revenue was $100 million and investors will be extremely interested in Pinterest's growth rate and ability to attract advertisers before buying the stock on its opening IPO day.
Will Pinterest Stock Be A Good Investment?
Pinterest is different than most social media sites because it is NOT a communications platform. It doesn't compete with Facebook, Snapchat, or Twitter but it does compete with Etsy and to a lesser extent Instagram. Pinterest users delight in looking through the more than 75 billion pictures and often use the site to get ideas about pretty much everything in life.
With so many pictures of products and ways to use products, one would think that Pinterest might be a gold mine for companies looking for ways to target their advertising budgets. Clearly the potential is there but if the stock is anything like Etsy, then investors should be careful. Etsy had its IPO in April 2015 and its stock price a year and a half later is down about 50%. Etsy and Pinterest are definitely not the same business models but they both focus a lot on products and Pinterest will have to do a better job of monetizing if it hopes to have a successful stock.
One of the delays of a Pinterest IPO might be the challenge of figuring out how to best monetize the site. It seems to be backing off the "Buy" button it introduced earlier in favor of making money through traditional advertising and charging for "Promoted Pins". This means it will be vying for its share of the estimated $30 billion that advertisers will spend on social media advertising in 2017.
If Pinterest does eventually go public, individual investors will have a difficult time buying the stock before the IPO day. Usually it is only company insiders, hedge funds, large dollar investors, and those who are well connected that get to buy in at the pre-IPO price. Investors who make up the bulk of the population and trade online will only be allowed to buy the stock once it opens for trading on an exchange the first day of the IPO.
Buying Pinterest stock after it opens for trading will be easy to do through any reputable online broker and all you will need to know is the ticker symbol. Pinterest's stock ticker symbol will be announced a month or two before the IPO.
It should be noted that often times on well publicized IPO's (and Pinterest might be one of those), investors collectively bid the stock up too high in their enthusiasm. The stock's opening day hype leads to a stock price that falls in the weeks and months after it goes public. While it is impossible to know whether this will happen to Pinterest's stock price after the IPO, it is something to be aware of before jumping in the first day.
HOW TO BUY LYFT STOCK – IPO IN 2017?
Investors wishing to buy Lyft stock will have to wait at least until 2017 for the company to go public with an IPO. The company continues to expand aggressively into more US cities along with a handful of International cities and any IPO will have to wait. The ride sharing business is still not a profitable one for either Lyft or its main competitor Uber due to all the funds these two companies are deploying toward expansion.
In late 2016, Lyft is estimated to be worth about $5.5 billion which is less than one tenth of Uber's valuation. If Lyft cannot start to close that gap, it could have an affect on Investor's willingness to buy the stock should the company decide to go public.
In August of 2016, rumors started circulating that Lyft was shopping around the idea of selling itself to potential buyers including General Motors, Google, Apple, and Amazon. But company President John Zimmer officially repudiated those rumors saying that Lyft was absolutely not for sale and not looking for buyers.
The idea of Lyft getting bought out by a bigger company actually makes a lot of sense and could happen sometime in the coming months or years. Clearly, ride sharing and autonomous vehicles are thought to be a big part of our transportation future and a company like GM or Google that has that type of aspirations and has enough money to buy Lyft could save a tremendous amount of time by buying it.
At its current valuation of $5.5 billion, it would be a big acquisition but one that is not out of the question and might be welcomed due to Lyft's battle with Uber that it seems to be losing. Should a Lyft buyout ever occur, it would mean the company would never have an IPO and investors would never be able to buy stock in the company.
Both Lyft and Uber continue to encounter pushback from an assortment of governments. Local, city, state, and other governments are all grappling with how Lyft affects the well entrenched taxi cab business as well as how to ensure the safety of passengers as they increasingly use ride sharing services. Lyft has encountered a constance barrage of regulations and rules that hampers its ability to offer its services in certain regions. Much money has been spent fighting such regulations and it seems there is no end to the legal challenges it may face in the future. Funds must be allocated by Lyft for the express purpose of challenging the legal obstacles placed before it just so it can continue to do business.
The legality of ride sharing will eventually be figured out but how many years it will take and the money that must be spent in courts by Lyft is unknown. For Lyft to have a successful IPO in 2017 or later, there must be some clearer path to profits than there is at this time. This is one of the main reasons that Lyft is not in a rush to go public and wants to get its business on firmer ground before offering an IPO.
Any company valued in the billions as Lyft is will either go public or get bought out. Should it decide to go the route of having an IPO, it will give individual investors an opportunity to buy Lyft stock and own one of the two dominant ride sharing companies. Since ride sharing seems to be gaining in popularity worldwide, this type of company is one that many people think will succeed and any IPO will get a lot of attention. As of late 2016, the "sharing" economy is booming but investors are still unable to buy stock in any such company (Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, WeWork, etc).
Stocks of companies that people personally use usually get more hype at IPO time, especially when they represent a new business model as Lyft does. But while an IPO will probably be successful and get lots of press, whether buying Lyft stock will be a good financial move is another question. Lyft will have to prove it can be profitable and compete with the much larger Uber at the same time for the stock to do well during the months and years after the IPO. It will have to successfully show that it can operate in a variety of locals and it will probably have to continue to expand its reach internationally as well.


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Ms Jenny Ho Joins Xingning Exchange Programme 2016
Ms Ho shares teaching ideas with English teachers at Xingning.
Ms Jenny Ho has just returned from the mainland China after joining an exchange programme in Xingning doing sharing with the English teachers there. Let's take a look at her report here:
This August, I was invited to join an English exchange seminar in Xingning with Ms Candy Chan, the principal of Hoi Pa Street Government Primary School and Ms Cecilia Chan, the founder of Bravo Learning. The exchange seminar was sponsored by Mr Cheung Hing Wah, director of Association of Natives of Xingning and Mr Stephen Lee, member of Xingning Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (興寧市 政協委員). Both of them are very generous and have devoted a lot in education. Mr Stephen Lee was also responsible of organizing this exchange seminar.
Xingning is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Meizhou City, Guangzhou Province, China. It is about 6-7 hours driving distance from Hong Kong. This is the first time for Xingning to have formal English exchange seminar with Hong Kong teachers. We acted as pioneers to explore the opportunities for more academic exchange. Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the government officials. Everything was well prepared, including the hotel, transportation and food.
During the exchange, we visited many primary and secondary schools, including Xingning Shi Di Yi Xiao Xue (興寧市第一小學), Xingning Shi Di Yi Zhong Xue (興寧市第一中學), Xingning Nibei Xiao Xue (興寧坭陂小學), Xingning Nibei Zhong Xue (興寧坭陂中學) and Xingning Huang Ling Xiao Xue (興寧黃岭小學). Through visiting these schools and talking with the educators, principals and teachers in the schools, we had a better understanding of their English curriculum, the learning environment and their students.
We had a seminar with over 250 English teachers in Xingning. During the seminar, Ms Cecilia Chan shared with them on how to use English phonics to read, Ms Candy Chan shared with them on how to use stories to enhance students' creativity and critical thinking, and I shared with them on how to create an English-rich environment to enhance English learning. The teachers in Xingning were all very active throughout the whole seminar and they contributed and shared a lot of their ideas. They found the sharing very inspiring and useful for them. Each of us was presented a certificate of appreciation by the director of Education Department and we received very positive comments from them.
Besides the school visits and the seminar, we had a lot of cultural exposure. We were invited to Cheung Hing Wah Education Fund presentation ceremony at Convention Hall Xingning. We visited Xingning Official Television Station and we had the chance talking with the director and singing in the recording studio. We also had the chance to meet and talk with the Deputy Mayor, the director of the Education Department and leaders of various government departments. Xingning emphasizes and devotes a lot of resources on education and it is interesting to find that the salary of teachers is higher than the government officials. The officials showed great support and they also discussed with us on the future plans of the exchange seminar.
Since the return of Hong Kong to China, there has been an increasing emphasis on the academic exchange amongst teachers in Hong Kong and China. There has been a lot of exchange programmes conducted in major cities in China, like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. However, there are relatively less exchange opportunities for subordinate cities. This precious exchange experience is really inspiring and fruitful for me. I believe it would be beneficial for teachers to have more exposure and experience like this.
Ms Jenny Ho
Thanks Ms Ho for bringing your teaching experience and excellent skills to English teachers across regions. I too wish more of us could be generous enough to spend time inspiring English teachers to improve teaching and learning for children of the world!
Stephen Lee
Like Like Like👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍


Insight TV, provider of a 4K UHD channel, has announced the launch of its brand solutions and media sales department. By creating this consolidated offering, Insight is now able to offer brands fully integrated partnerships with bespoke solutions and the flexibility to pick and choose genres and formats.
Through unique content production and amplification services, all within Insight TV's owned media infrastructure, Insight TV enables brands to deepen their engagement, increase their reach and deliver compelling marketing strategies via its linear and SVOD platform.
Offerings include long and short-form content, active and passive product integration, global influencer talent access, on ground activations and more, enabling brands to get to the heart of their millennial audience. This can be shared and extended across consumers' most relevant touch points in every market; from linear TV, to live events, to social and digital platforms.
Insight TV is consolidating the new division with the promotion of two key leaders and the addition of three members to the new team. Natalie Boot has been promoted to director of media sales and will oversee the new brand solutions team in addition to all sales. Boot previously served as director of digital at Insight TV and has been with the company since 2014 and the launch of the business.
Mirko Oosthoek has been promoted to head of advertising and sponsorships. Oosthoek has been at Insight TV for over two years and is now responsible for both ad sales and sponsorship on Insight TV's international TV channels and digital platforms. He will also manage the relationships with the sales houses in the different regions.
Meanwhile, Nick Leaf joins Insight TV as head of global brand partnerships. With over 20 years' experience, Leaf has worked at media powerhouses Viacom, Turner Entertainment, MTV Networks and Warner Brothers. At Insight TV, Leaf is on the lookout for even more exciting brand opportunities utilising Insight TV's world class story-telling content, and integrated creative executions.
Further cementing Insight TV's commitment to expanding its sales footprint, Jack Solesbury joins the team as head of content and format sales. Solesbury has experience managing worldwide sales of home entertainment for a number of brands including StudioCanal TV and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. At Insight TV, Solesbury will focus on selling Insight TV's content (and formats) to broadcasters and platforms.
Oliver Taprogge joins the team as director of distribution. Most recently Taprogge was director of content at Unitymedia where he oversaw content agreements with VOD partners. Taprogge will oversee all global distribution deals at Insight TV.
The branded solutions and media sales team is responsible for leading the company in experimenting with new ways to tell brand stories that attract consumer engagement – leveraging Insight TV's original productions, its global influencer network and consumer insights to help brands deliver entertainment to their target audience.
Graeme Stanley, CCO, Insight TV, said: "As an agile start up, with content at the heart of our business, we are unrivalled in our ability to produce impactful creative and global content, unlock new opportunities, deliver incredible value for the brands we work with and share our content globally.


There is more comfort in sitting silently in a room with someone who has been where you are than hours of someone else talking to you and trying to comfort you. That is what ACCESS is for air crash survivors. It is built on that very foundation that someone who has been down that road and is further along than you, has so much light to shed.


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Program Program 2021 Little League Baseball & Tee Ball - Coed 2021 Little League Softball - Girls Other
Division Division Major - Little League Baseball Minor - Little League Baseball 6 to 12 Tee Ball - Little League Baseball - Coed
Schedule Schedule Major Baseball 2021 Major Baseball Practices
Team Team Elks Kiwanis Rotary Dragons Lions Ravens
View Scores View Standings
Date AwayTeam HomeTeam Time Location/Field
05/15/2021 Rotary Lions 10:00AM - 12:00PM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field
05/16/2021 Ravens Elks 9:30AM - 11:30AM Gordon Field / Gordon Baseball
05/16/2021 Ravens Elks 11:30AM - 1:30PM Gordon Field / Gordon Baseball
05/17/2021 Dragons Kiwanis 5:30PM - 7:30PM Gordon Field / Gordon Baseball
05/19/2021 Lions Elks 5:30PM - 7:30PM Gordon Field / Gordon Baseball
05/20/2021 Kiwanis Rotary 5:30PM - 7:30PM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field
05/23/2021 Kiwanis Ravens 9:00AM - 11:00AM Gordon Field / Gordon Baseball
05/23/2021 Kiwanis Ravens 11:00AM - 1:00PM Gordon Field / Gordon Baseball
05/24/2021 Rotary Dragons 5:30PM - 7:30PM Leppanen Field / Leppanen Baseball Rescheduled
05/25/2021 Kiwanis Lions 5:30PM - 7:30PM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field
05/26/2021 Dragons Elks 5:30PM - 7:30PM Gordon Field / Gordon Baseball
05/28/2021 Rotary Elks 5:30PM - 7:30PM Gordon Field / Gordon Baseball
06/01/2021 Kiwanis Elks 5:30PM - 7:30PM Gordon Field / Gordon Baseball
06/03/2021 Dragons Rotary 5:30PM - 7:30PM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field
06/04/2021 Elks Dragons 5:30PM - 7:30PM Leppanen Field / Leppanen Baseball
06/05/2021 Lions Ravens 9:00AM - 11:00AM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field
06/05/2021 Lions Ravens 11:00AM - 1:00PM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field
06/07/2021 Kiwanis Dragons 5:30PM - 7:30PM Leppanen Field / Leppanen Baseball
06/08/2021 Lions Rotary 5:30PM - 7:30PM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field
06/11/2021 Elks Lions 5:30PM - 7:30PM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field
06/12/2021 Ravens Rotary 9:00AM - 11:00AM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field
06/12/2021 Ravens Rotary 11:00AM - 1:00PM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field
06/14/2021 Lions Dragons 5:30PM - 7:30PM Leppanen Field / Leppanen Baseball
06/14/2021 Elks Kiwanis 5:30PM - 7:30PM Gordon Field / Gordon Baseball
06/16/2021 Ravens Dragons 5:00PM - 7:00PM Gordon Field / Gordon Baseball Rescheduled
06/17/2021 Elks Rotary 7:00PM - 9:00PM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field
06/19/2021 Rotary Lions 7:00PM - 9:00PM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field
06/22/2021 Rotary Kiwanis 5:30PM - 7:30PM Gordon Field / Gordon Baseball
06/23/2021 Dragons Lions 7:00PM - 9:00PM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field
06/25/2021 Lions Kiwanis 7:00PM - 9:00PM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field Rescheduled
06/26/2021 Ravens Dragons 9:00AM - 11:00AM Thomaston Athletic Field / Thomaston LL Field Rescheduled
Note: Highlighted Team(s) belong to Divisions expired before specified Match Date.


On May 10th and 11th, 2018, the NDSR Art cohort visited New Haven and the Yale Center for British Art.
We spent a morning of the 10th visiting with curators and librarians, taking behind-the-scenes tours of the Center's collections.
In the afternoon, the group took a trip to Yale University Library's Digital Preservation Services facilities, where we met with digital preservation specialists to learn about YUL's digital processing lab and the new Emulation as a Service Infrastructure (aka EaaSI) program currently in development. Naturally, the day's events were followed with many slices of New Haven 'apizza' at one of New Haven's favorite spots, Bar.
The symposium, 'Is This Permanence: Preservation of Born-digital Artists' Archives' was held on Friday, May 11 and welcomed nearly 200 people to the YCBA lecture hall and over 275 livestream viewers.
The symposium was an offshoot of my project in the Institutional Archives and came about last fall after my mentor, Rachel Chatalbash and I talked about our shared interest in the overlaps between fine arts, archives, and artists' records; we decided it would be useful and interesting to bring together a variety of voices to discuss the topic as it relates to born-digital media and documentation within artists' archives.
The symposium was planned over the next several months and featured 13 speakers who delivered talks on a broad range of related cases and topics that highlight digital preservation challenges affecting the stewardship of artists' archives and artworks, both in and out institutional contexts. The speakers traveled from across the US, Canada, and the UK to discuss their work and insights regarding digital preservation and artists' archives.
Jon Ippolito's keynote lecture, Your Archival Format Will Not Save You, confronts commonly held notions in the archives regarding preservation and offers a different perspective on how born-digital materials should be stewarded by looking outside the academy for solutions to shared digital challenges.


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Franciszek Antoni Rokicki herbu Rawicz – regent kancelarii mniejszej Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego w 1757 roku, wojski oszmiański w latach 1750-1759, koniuszy oszmiański w latach 1744-1750, strażnik oszmiański w latach 1732-1744.

Poseł na sejm 1752 roku z powiatu rzeczyckiego.

Bibliografia

 Diarjusze sejmowe z wieku XVIII.T.III. Diarjusze sejmów z lat 1750, 1752, 1754 i 1758, Warszawa 1937, s. 137.
 Rodzina. herbarz szlachty polskiej, t. XV, Warszawa 1931, s. 229.
 Urzędnicy Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego, t. 1, Województwo Wileńskie XIV-XVIII wiek, pod red. A. Rachuby, Warszawa 2004, s. 717.

Członkowie stanu rycerskiego I Rzeczypospolitej
Koniuszowie oszmiańscy
Polska szlachta
Posłowie na sejm zwyczajny 1752
Posłowie na Sejm I Rzeczypospolitej (powiat rzeczycki)
Regenci kancelarii mniejszej litewskiej
Strażnicy oszmiańscy
Urzędnicy ziemscy I Rzeczypospolitej
Wojscy oszmiańscy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This week we were lucky enough to travel to Tennessee for the Great North American Eclipse of 2017. It was a very surreal experience. A brief dark sky in the middle of the day. The insects and birds suddenly go quiet and the the dogs in the area all started barking. The only time one can view the sun's corona the plasma aura around the sun is during an full eclipse. My journal entries really don't do the corona justice but then again nether do the photos. It has a slight blue ting in person but in most of the photos it just appears white. In some of my drawings I depicted the corona in gold and cooper to relate the sun message. Keeping an art journal is great for one's art practice. It helps institute a regular reason to apply your skills. As I have said before art is persistence not raw talent. You can experiment with new techniques and ideas without using up a large amount of reasources. Even if your entries don't work out like my Corona entries. You still learn from the activity.


In the 1940s, the Chamber of Commerce began a campaign to establish Lincoln Square's commercial identity, culminating in 1978 with the development of the Lincoln Square mall. This charming, Old World-influenced pedestrian plaza now forms the commercial and social heart of Lincoln Square, and solidified Lincoln Square as one of the North Side's keystone neighborhoods.
Lincoln Square is particularly attractive in terms of family-friendly housing, offering a high percentage of single-family homes and smaller multi-unit buildings, both condominiums and rentals.
While there are the occasional higher-end properties, most single-family homes in Lincoln Square are priced in the $200-400s. Condo prices range widely from the low $100s through the $500s, reflecting Lincoln Square's wide range of original-condition buildings, modern rehabs and new construction.
Lincoln Square is served by Roald Amundsen High School and several elementary schools part of the Chicago Public School system, including Budlong, Chappell and McPherson.
Much of Lincoln Square's charm lies in the diverse collection of small businesses that line its streets. With bookshops, cafes, handmade gifts, European imports, pharmacies, children's boutiques and gourmet food shops to choose from, it's not hard to find something to take home. There is a fantastic range of dining options as well, notable examples being Café Selmarie, Huettenbar and the Barba Yianni Grecian Taverna.
Nightlife takes a similarly eclectic turn, and one can spend a Friday night dancing at the Chicago Brauhaus, taking in a concert at the Old Town School of Folk Music, or catching a budget-friendly film at the Davis Theater. Few things exemplify the Lincoln Square experience more than strolling the pedestrian mall on a snowy night and stopping in at the Huettenbar for a beer.
CTA's Brown Line trundles above the southern part of Lincoln Square, making several stops at the major north-south thoroughfares and providing easy access to the Red Line and downtown. The Metra's Northern Pacific Line marks the eastern boundary of Lincoln Square, with the Ravenswood stop being a viable option to access the northern suburbs. Western Avenue cuts through the very center of the neighborhood and allows a direct route north and south.
Historically populated by German, English and Polish immigrants, Lincoln Square retains a distinctly European air. It is home to the DANK-Haus German Cultural Center and Language School and the Conrad Sulzer Regional Library, as well as the vibrant Old Town School of Folk Music. Winnemac and WellesParks provide ample green space, and the neighborhood is bookended by Swedish Covenant Hospital and Methodist Hospital of Chicago.


Paul Turnbull's major claim to fame is the authorship of TNT Evilution's MAP23, "Lunar Mining Project", a level noted for feeling out of place in the scheme of the megaWAD being as it's a pretty concrete man-made level in the ostensibly Hellish third episode. It's also noted for having a few of those odd custom textures that some people find questionable. His other contribution to the Doom community is Mayan Temple, an E1M1 replacement released back in '94, which being a standalone work doesn't fall prey to the first complaint. The second, though, is fair game as Turnbull has included a host of brand new textures to help establish his theme. It's some kind of Mayan temple, of course, or more accurately a block of Mayan architecture with conflicting inclusions of Egyptian iconography.


Thick, vitamin-rich moisturizing treatment crème locks in moisture in a non-greasy formulas. Vitamins C & E, peptides, anti-oxidants & collagen builders erase dryness & wrinkles producing younger, softer & more supple skin. The ultimate retreat for your skin is complete in beautiful keepsake packaging with a tarnish free nickel plated lid, suitable for engraving.