Staring into the cold, dead eyes of any celebrity is tough. Staring into the cold, dead eyes of two celebrities is even tougher.
A clever (and disturbing) Instagram account sprung up, and it's called MugMashers.
The account combines the faces of two disparate celebrities to create horrifying, Frankensteinian abominations.
I dare you to peer into the terrible abyss that is the combined visage of Amy Adams and Adam Sandler and not feel the darkness peering back at you.
You will be transformed by its unadulterated evil. You will surrender your very humanity to this demonic countenance.


COMING TOGETHER For Chelsey Andrews, the creator of The Paper Mama, crafting has always been about connecting with others. When she was growing up, her family get-togethers often included handmade projects, and now Chelsey relates to other creative moms with her DIY blog.
Ring in the season with a holiday party that's as easy as 1-2-3. One great drink, a pretty bunch of flowers, and a belle-of-the-ball decoration.
We've made our list and checked it twice to bring you the best collection of fun and affordable gifts. All you have to do is wrap them up and get on with the joy of giving.
Low-key fun tops the Christmas wish list (and reflects the everyday decor) of this family. For them, getting crafty and just kicking back is merriment enough.
In this Nashville home, Christmas is all about kids, caring, and creating memories-- not to mention gorgeous decorating ideas that last long after the final ho-ho-ho.
Hang some holiday happy! With a little hands-on time, you can turn crafts store basics into swingy strings, peppy pennants, and lovely leaves that will make your whole house look festive.
Branch out from evergreen boughs and create seasonal centerpieces featuring lush ingredients that reflect your region's local flora.
This annual eggnog-theme party is filled with tempting treats and hands-on fun for all ages.
Using little more than her favorite plants, pods, and pinecones, garden designer Molly Wood creates winter wonderlands that look fresh and beautiful all season.
Greet the season (and guests) with one of our four fab wreaths. Start from scratch, or make it really easy: Dress up basic store-bought with quick embellishments.
Fresh paint and clever display ideas turn a thrifty find into a good-looking, hardworking cabinet all set for holiday entertaining.
Grab a copy for your favorite foodie or snag one for your own bookshelf-- these tasty reads are sure to get your mouth watering.
You chose it with care. Now give it the presentation it deserves with these expert tips on technique.
Don't let the real reason for the season get lost under a pile of presents. Here's how to balance the "gimmes" with giving back.
Get crafty Let It Snow!
From boat parades to stunning light displays, these four locales serve up plenty of holiday spirit. Take a December trip to ring in the season-- and wrap up your shopping list, too.
Need cool picks for kids of all ages? Look no further! Our gathering of gifts has something for everyone, and nothing sets you back more than $12.


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All our stores are now open. Find us here.
All stores now open. Find us here.
Tammie Phillips
Tammie joined the Olivers Real Food business as CEO in June 2020.
Tammie brings extensive experience and knowledge to the role of CEO, having founded About Life, an ethical and innovative health-focused wholefood supermarket chain. Tammie has demonstrated an incredible entrepreneurial spirit over many years, as well as a very real passion for health and retailing. Tammie has a hands-on approach, combined with strategic and analytic abilities and a lot of tenacity.
Tammie has a bachelors degree in commerce and forged a successful career in hotel acquisitions before her entrepreneurial spirit led her to establish About Life with her sister in 1995. Within 10 years About Life had successfully established itself with a unique market positioning and was turning over $10 million per annum. In 2005 the business was re-capitalised with private equity acquiring the majority share and a formal board of directors was elected.
From 2005 until 2018 Tammie held the positions of Director and CEO of About Life, growing the business to eight stores that employed over 400 staff and achieving $70 million in revenue. During that time Tammie held full accountability to the board and investment stakeholders, and was responsible for P&L Management and Cashflow, Sales and merchandising, Procurement Management, Strategic Supplier Development, Supply Chain Optimisation, Private Label, Marketing & Advertising, Product Management, Operations Management & Reengineering, New Store Feasibilities, Opening and Remodels.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we live and work. We pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their connection to the land.
© 2022 Oliver's

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Q: Convert any date of the month to first day of the month How do I convert any date of the month to first day of the month?
E.g. "2017-12-08", "2015-09-28" to "2017-12-01" and "2015-09-01"?
The only way I thought is to convert to character and gsub the last two digits into "01"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I recently finished about twenty ice cream recipes I was hired to ghost-write for an upcoming cookbook. When I am assigned to cook a streak of a single type of food, it consumes my kitchen, life and brain, until I reach the deadline. I love ice cream, I do. But, after my husband and I ate ice cream for lunch some weekends, I had enough (so, too, had my freezer and friends). It took quarts of cream and pounds of sugar, but I ended up feeling quite ready to retire my crown as the resident Dairy Queen.
Before I put all of my equipment away and gave every morsel of my work to anyone who took even a remote interest, I made one last batch. I wanted to play around with some flavors that felt more personal to me. Ultimately, this recipe used up all trace of my study in ice cream– it took every bit of sugar, cream, and enthusiasm I had left.
Whisk to combine milk, egg yolks, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in cream. Cook mixture over medium heat until it thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Add rosemary, cover saucepan, and set aside about 1 hour. Transfer custard (with rosemary) into a storage container and refrigerate 12 hours or overnight. Churn ice cream according to manufacturer's directions. When the ice cream has thickened and frozen to the texture of soft-serve ice cream, drizzle in chocolate as the ice cream churns. Transfer ice cream to a resealable plastic container and freeze.


PHOTO: Even with all of Wisconsin's rivers, streams and lakes, some communities are in near crisis because of a lack of groundwater. The Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters says it will make groundwater protection its top goal in 2015. Photo courtesy of Clean Wisconsin.
MADISON, Wis. - "A few small steps forward." That's how Anne Sayers, program director for the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, describes what's been accomplished this year to help protect Wisconsin's environment.
Sayers said 2014 brought renewed citizen involvement in the Badger State, with thousands of people calling their legislators and going to Madison for hearings on conservation issues. For the upcoming legislative session, she said, groundwater protection will be the Conservation Voters' top priority.
"That's not a political analysis; that is just reality," she said. "Across Wisconsin, citizens are facing water shortages. It's nearing a crisis point for some communities. We need to figure out a proactive plan in Wisconsin to address how we're going to use our water and how we're going to manage it for the long term."
Even with all of Wisconsin's rivers, streams and lakes, many of the aquifers below the ground are drying up, Sayers said. She blamed years of unregulated water use and said her group will encourage and support measures in the Legislature to protect groundwater supplies for future generations.
According to Sayers, 2014 brought a huge step backward for Wisconsin's environment.
"The open-pit mining bill was, some say, the worst environmental bill in Wisconsin's history," she said. "It essentially exempted iron-mining companies from having to follow all of the rules that other companies and industries in Wisconsin must follow."
Supporters of the open-pit mining bill said it was essential to creating new jobs.
The hills of western Wisconsin supply nearly three-quarters of the sand used in the United States for hydraulic fracturing - or "fracking" - for natural gas. While this has meant an economic boom for that part of the state, Sayers said it's come at a huge price.
"The unfortunate thing is, it sprang up so quickly that there's really no oversight over this industry, and we're finding that violations are occurring," she said. "We're seeing runoff into trout streams, air quality harming kids' health - and we aren't seeing repercussions for that."


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Fuelling For Your Run
SKILLBOOSTERS
If you've ever felt under-fuelled, dehydrated, or under-recovered following a workout session or on race day, you'll know how much appropriate fuelling makes a difference. From timing your morning coffee to measuring calories relative to your training demands, we all fuel for performance in some shape or form. Our subject matter experts will dissect what it is to fuel for your performance and leave you with skills that you can easily implement into your training. As a result, these Skillboosters will enable you to understand the purpose behind intentional nutritional consumption of foods, drinks and supplements - a skill that you could directly implement into your practice or coaching spaces.
ANDREW BOSCH
Associate Professor Andrew Bosch, PhD
Associate Professor Andrew Bosch is an Exercise Scientist based at the University of Cape Town Health, Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport Research Centre and the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, where he is a lecturer and supervisor of Honours, MSc and PhD students.
A/Professor Bosch is the Chair of the American College of Sports Medicine Endurance Athlete Science & Medicine Interest Group, is Co-Chair of the International Sub 2hrs Marathon Project, and serves on the committees of the International Association of Ultra-Running Scientific Commission and the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport Scientific Commission.
Working with DSM South Africa, A/Professor Bosch developed a carbohydrate/ protein hydrolysate supplement that he formulated for a research study, into a commercial product called "PeptoSport". Aside from DSM, he has generated national and international research funding to support various research studies, including support from national organisations, such as NRF and THRIP.
Professor Bosch has published extensively in the field of performance and sports nutrition, written a number of book chapters, and presented at national and international conferences. He has served on the editorial boards of international journals, and reviews regularly for a number of such journals.
An NRF rated scientist with a C1 rating, Professor Bosch has published over 90 peer reviewed scientific manuscripts in international journals and has an H-index of 26.
Working as an applied running physiologist, A/Professor Bosch has worked with some of South Africa's top marathon and ultra-marathon runners, including Olympic and World Championship marathon runners, as well as "Two Oceans" and "Comrades" podium athletes. Internationally, he is the sports nutritionist for the Sub2hr Marathon Project, and together with collaborator Professor Yannis Pitsiladis of Brighton University and PhD student Shaun Sutehall, had a role in the nutritional strategies of the second fastest marathoner of all time.
of skills
Copyright © 2023 SSISA. All rights reserved


The credit card or debit card charge 10872467 $524.03 was first spotted on March 21, 2019. This charge has been reported as trusted by 46 users, 14 users marked the credit card charge as suspicious.
Do you know what the source of this charge is? Have you seen 10872467 $524.03 on your credit card, debit card, or prepaid charge card? If so, please comment below!


Texting a girl for the first time is never easy. Sending the right text could help you start a conversation and eventually become friends. If you find yourself unable to think of anything to send, here are a few tips for texting girls.
The best first text message to a girl you like should make her understand that you are thinking about her. You could for instance ask how she is doing or find out if she has any plans for the weekend. Asking questions is a great way to show that you are interested in a girl.
If you do not know the girl very well and are not sure whether or not she likes you, stick to familiar topics. Sending a first text to a girl to talk about homework might not seem romantic but it is a good way to start a conversation. If you have never texted with this girl before or cannot think of anything else to say, asking a few questions about homework is a good option.
Send her a joke. This is a good way to show that you are thinking about her. Besides, the girl you are texting will definitely like you if you send her funny jokes. Sending a joke might not lead to a conversation but it is a great way to remind a girl about you. You can easily find good jokes online if you cannot think of one.
Sending a first text to a girl can be stressful but everything will go well if you make an effort to relax and be yourself. You should consider calling or talking to her in person after you have exchanged a few texts. Sending a text is a good way to show a girl you are thinking about her but talking to her in person is the best way to get her to notice you.


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LegalClinic
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Welcome to the legal clinic
The legal clinic was inaugurated in 2011 as part of Operation 7ème jour, an initiative launched by Saint Joseph University in the aftermath of the 2006 war. At that time, Saint Joseph University mobilized by creating activity cells in which teachers and students participated in order to provide assistance to displaced persons and disaster victims. But very quickly, with the cessation of the fighting, this one-off action born in the emergency was generalized and institutionalized by a social and civic commitment of the University in the service of the most disadvantaged people. Permanent cells of various faculties have been set up to promote the integration of members of the university community, including students, into the Lebanese social fabric and to train active citizens and professionals as agents of change in Lebanon's development through the implementation of intervention projects throughout Lebanese territory.
At the level of the legal cell, an inventory of Lebanese civil society revealed an increased and marked need in the field of legal assistance to the most disadvantaged persons.
The legal dispensary was thus created by the legal cell and given its organic association to this civic and social commitment of the University that is the operation 7ème jour, it has organized itself and is still organized around the volunteering of students.
The primary purpose of this clinic is to provide legal aid to people in need.
The Initiation of the public prosecution, the investigation and the trial before the Judicial Council
Read more about The Initiation of the public prosecution, the investigation and the trial before the Judicial Council
The risk coverage by the insurance companies
Read more about The risk coverage by the insurance companies
The protection of architectural heritage
Read more about The protection of architectural heritage
Filing a claim of liability of the public authority for damages caused by the port explosion before the state Shura Council
Read more about Filing a claim of liability of the public authority for damages caused by the port explosion before the state Shura Council
The potential administrative authorities liable for the port explosion
Read more about The potential administrative authorities liable for the port explosion
The legal basis for the administrative liability of the public authority for damages caused by the port explosion
Read more about The legal basis for the administrative liability of the public authority for damages caused by the port explosion
The legal regime of real estate buildings damaged by the port explosion
Read more about The legal regime of real estate buildings damaged by the port explosion
The role of the President of the Republic during the transition of power
Read more about The role of the President of the Republic during the transition of power
The right to protest and labor law
Read more about The right to protest and labor law
The dissolution of parliament
Read more about The dissolution of parliament
© 2021 Saint-Joseph University. All rights reserved. Website developed by SOFTKUBE with the support of UNESCO - UNFPA - UNODC.


It's always an exceptional clean with Marisa.
Couldn't say enough positive things about Dr. Passarello's practice! They are professional, kind, extremely helpful and will go out of their way to help you, especially in an emergency! Highly recommended!
Exceptional service is a standard at this practice. The staff treat you like family. I've never had a bad experience in the 15 years I've been seeing Dr. Passarello.
Erin is, without a doubt, the best hygienist I have ever been to see. Highly recommend .
I have been taking my kids to Dr. Tim Passarello for years and will continue to do so. Everyone is so nice and always helpful. Going to the dentist is a "happy" time.
I have been taking my kids to Dr. Tim Passarello for years and will continue to do so. Everyone is so nice and always helpful. Going to the dentist is a "happy" time. Thank you all.
I would definitely recommend Dr. Passarello to friends and family and have done so. The office is very friendly and relaxed. I've been going there for almost 30 years.
My daughter moved out of the area and really misses going to Dr. Passarello.
I would definitely recommend Dr. Passarello to friends and family and have done so. The office is very friendly and relaxed. I've been going there for almost 30 years. My daughter moved out of the area and really misses going to Dr. Passarello.


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Welcome from the Chair of Governors
Welcome from the Executive Headteacher
Information for the Lead Ofsted Inspector
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SBS Policies
Catering orders Term 3 2021
School policies cover every aspect of school life. Below, listed in the Documents section, are some of our most important school policies for your reference.
If you want to know our policy on something that is not listed, please contact Sophy Parkin-Haig at sparkin-haig@st-birinus.oxon.sch.uk
Ridgeway Education Trust policies and information covering all our schools
Policies and information covering all schools within Ridgeway Education Trust can be found here:
Ridgeway Education Trust Policies
Ridgeway Education Trust financial information and policies
Ridgeway Education Trust Freedom of Information, Privacy Notice and Complaints Procedure
St Birinus School is committed to ensuring equality of education and opportunity for all its pupils, staff, parents and carers, irrespective of age, race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief (as combined, known as protected characteristics), both as an employer and a service provider:
We try to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and with respect.
We want to make sure that our school is a safe, secure and stimulating place for everyone.
We recognise that people have different needs, and we understand that treating people equally does not always involve treating them all exactly the same.
We recognise that for some pupils, extra support is needed to help them to achieve and be successful, for example, those that fall within the protected characteristics.
We try to make sure that people from different groups are consulted and involved in our decisions, for example through talking to pupils and parents/carers, and through our Governing Body.
We aim to make sure that no-one experiences harassment, less favourable treatment or discrimination.
St Birinus School's Commitment to Equalities
As a school we welcome our duties under the Equality Act 2010. The general duties are to:
eliminate discrimination
advance equality of opportunity
foster good relations
We understand the work needed to ensure that those with protected characteristics are not discriminated against and are given equality of opportunity.
In order to meet our general duties, listed above, the law requires us to fulfil two specific duties to demonstrate how we meet the general duties. These are to:
Publish equality information to demonstrate compliance with the three general duties
Prepare and publish equality objectives
We also welcome our duty under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to promote community cohesion.
We recognise that these duties reflect international human rights standards as expressed in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, and the Human Rights Act 1998.
The school recognises that new Positive Action provisions in the Equalities Act 2010 allow us to target measures that are designed to alleviate disadvantages experienced by, or to meet the particular needs of, pupils with particular protected characteristics. If we decide to use these we will ensure that it is a proportionate response to achieve the relevant aim.
The school has identified the following strategies that are designed to address equality issues:
Establishing, maintaining and developing a school culture and ethos
The school opposes all forms of harassment, prejudice related incidents and discrimination and publicly celebrates diversity. The school also actively promotes good personal and community relations. Diversity is respected and inclusion is a strength of the school. Advancing diversity is integral to us in our drive to raise standards for all.
As part of the school's embracement of the social, moral, spiritual and cultural aspects of our community, staff foster a positive atmosphere of mutual respect and trust among all pupils. The school also enables pupils and staff to celebrate festivals and other events relevant to their particular faith and actively encourages all pupils to understand these.
We also actively promote British values. These are embedded through a broad curriculum as well as in the school's culture and ethos. For example, democracy is promoted through the pupil council and pupil questionnaires. Tolerance and respect for others is written into school policy and is an expected behaviour. Assemblies are used to address how British values are relevant to all pupils.
Preventing and dealing effectively with bullying and harassment
We recognise that groups with protected characteristics are more vulnerable to bullying and harassment. Our Anti-Bullying and Prejudice Related Incidents policies set out procedures for staff to deal promptly and effectively with all incidents and complaints of bullying and harassment that may include cyber-bullying and prejudice-based bullying related to disability or special education need, ethnicity and race, gender, gender re-assignment, pregnancy or maternity, religion and belief and sexual orientation. We keep a record of all such incidents and notify those affected of what action we have taken. We provide training to all staff in relation to dealing with bullying and prejudice related incidents.
Listening to pupils, staff, parents and others
We have a well-represented student voice that ensures pupils have a direct line of communication to discuss matters that relate to their concerns and overall well-being in school and immediate environment. The School Council is strong and articulate, as are individual House Councils, contributing to whole school decision making with pupils. We have a thriving school association, which represents families across all key stages. We regularly canvass feedback from parents and listen and respond promptly. Further opportunities for parents to contribute to school decision-making come through the parent teaching and learning group and other informal channels. The Trust Board and our Governing Body include a mixture of staff, community and parent governors. They are pivotal in shaping the school's strategic development.
Equalising opportunities
St Birinus School recognises that some of the groups covered in this policy are likely to be economically disadvantaged. We believe that all pupils should have an equal opportunity to benefit from school activities and visits (curricular and extra-curricular) independent of their parents' or carers' financial means. Our charging and remissions policy sets out how we try to ensure a good range of visits and activities is offered and, at the same time, try to minimise the financial barriers which may prevent some pupils taking full advantage of the opportunities.
We aim to ensure that school uniform is affordable and obtainable from multiple stockists. When new school ties were introduced, these were provided free-of-charge to all pupils on the school roll.
The School provides access to independent and impartial careers information, advice and guidance, for all students in years 9-13, with a specialist careers adviser.
Informing and involving parents and carers
Progress reports to parents are accessible to ensure that all parents have the opportunity to participate in the dialogue. Parents are encouraged to be involved at all levels in the full life of the school.
The school works in partnership with parents and the community and continues to develop positive attitudes to diversity and respond to key issues. The school takes positive action to encourage involvement and participation of hard-to-reach parents and under-represented sections of the community. We actively encourage parents to discuss their concerns and to inform the school of any additional needs. We explain how parents can help their child at home, how parents and others can help in school and actively encourage parents to join the Governing Body.
Information for parents is easily accessible in user-friendly language and a range of ways of communicating between school and parents is offered that meets parents' circumstances and needs.
We publish our information and announcements on the school website; raise awareness through the school newsletter, assemblies, staff meetings and other communications.
Meetings for parents are made accessible for all. Parental involvement is monitored to ensure the participation of all groups. Informal events are designed to include the whole community and at times may target particular groups according to identified needs.
The school's premises and facilities are equally available and accessible for use by all groups within the community. Reasonable adjustment is made for disability.
Welcoming new pupils and helping them to settle in effectively
We encourage all new children to visit the school before starting. We offer open evenings, open mornings and feeder primary schools are visited by St Birinus School staff. For children/young people with Special Educational Needs (SEND) Coordinator at their current school to gather key information about their strengths and areas for development. We aim to have the pupil's profile written before the child starts with us. For students with particular needs we offer additional transition visits and one-to-one transition arrangements. To ensure smooth transition from primary school, year 7 pupils commence the new school year ahead of the rest of the school and have access to dedicated year 7 areas within the school. The House system and Student Support Managers provide extra assistance to pupils who find the change of school challenging.
Addressing the full range of learning needs
We recognise that some of the groups covered in this policy are more likely to under-achieve and have developed an effective programme of support and intervention to address this. We ensure the curriculum is relevant, teaching styles are tailored to needs, pupil progress is closely monitored, and effective interventions are put in place in a timely manner.
Curriculum planning takes account of and builds on pupils' starting points and is differentiated appropriately to ensure the inclusion of all, including pupils:
Learning English as an additional language
From minority ethnic groups
Who are gifted and talented
With special educational needs
Who are looked after by the local authority
Who are at risk of disaffection and exclusion
Who are young carers
The school monitors and evaluates its effectiveness in providing an appropriate curriculum for pupils of all backgrounds. The joint Sixth Form offering provides vocational pathways in addition to traditional A Levels.
The content of the curriculum, in particular through our Ethics & Morality and Personal, Social, Health, & Economics education, reflects and values diversity. It encourages pupils to explore bias and to challenge prejudice and stereotypes. Extra-curricular activities and special events cater for the diverse interests of our pupils and take account of parental concerns related to religion and culture.
Teachers ensure that the classroom is an inclusive environment in which all pupils can participate; feel all their contributions are valued; have opportunities to succeed and achieve high standards. All pupils access the mainstream curriculum and teachers take positive action to include all groups or individuals. Teaching styles, strategies and pupil groupings in the classroom are planned and varied. If required, an alternative education provision is set up to ensure that specific students are able to access the best possible education for their needs.
All pupils have the opportunity to achieve their highest standards. Baseline and regular progress assessment is used for all pupils. The monitoring and analysis of pupil performance enables the identification of groups of pupils where there are patterns of underachievement. The school ensures that action is taken to counter underachievement and close any gaps. Information from assessment is used to inform future learning and staff use a range of methods and strategies and approaches to assess pupils` progress.
Staff have very high expectations of all pupils and they continually challenge them to extend their learning and achieve higher standards. The school values all forms of achievement and recognises this through the rewards system and House points.
Supporting learners with particular needs
We have a Special Educational Needs Policy that outlines the provision the school makes for pupils with special educational needs. We endeavour to offer all pupils access to the national curriculum, to teaching, and to assessment that is appropriate to their aptitude, attainment and any special need they might have.
We support disabled learners by meeting their individual needs, for example we provide one-to-one withdrawal lessons with specialist learning support staff. Additionally, Individual Programmes of Study are devised to address pupils' learning needs and to enable access to mainstream curriculum, for example, through adapted resources, multisensory learning programmes for pupils with specific learning difficulties and highly differentiated work for pupils working at below average national curriculum levels. We take steps (reasonable adjustments) to ensure that disabled pupils are not put at a disadvantage compared to other pupils, through our use of a large team of Teaching Assistants (TAs) and in-class support to promote access to the curriculum. In a small number of instances, an outside agency may be called into school to further support the needs of learners.
SEND students are supported in class by their teachers who have a clear understanding of their needs through a comprehensive pupil profile. Primarily Higher Level TAs and intervention teachers complete one-to-one or small group interventions based within the Inclusion Zone. TAs are more often deployed within lessons, targeted specifically at pupils with Statements or those for whom a statutory assessment is/will be requested. Within the classroom, the TA is directed by the class teacher and will work with a variety of students to enhance the learning experience of a wider cohort as well as to ensure that students with identified SEND are given the opportunity to develop independence.
The Inclusion Zone is designed to provide positive, proactive interventions to support students with a variety of needs including reintegration packages for students who have been out of school for different reasons. Within the Zone, students complete their timetabled lessons with guidance to enable them to achieve their full potential. The Zone is used primarily on a short-term basis, with the aim always to reintegrate students back to their mainstream classrooms with their specialist teachers. The Zone is run in a very similar way to a classroom, providing positive reinforcement of school rules and expectations.
The Social Zone supports the emotional and social needs that often arise for students who are on the Autistic Spectrum. The support offered is based around social story grouping, tackling different topics at different times of the year and in different year groups as well as identifying individual barriers and finding individual and creative ways to overcome them. We work to build a strong, positive and trusting relationship with key members of staff to support transition both from Year 6 to Year 7 but also through the years at St Birinus. We work to support students to recognise and manage their own emotions and those of others so that they can become more and more independent of this support as they move up through the school.
The school employs a comprehensive team for student support including non-teaching Student Support Workers, an Attendance Manager as well as a House Leader. Relevant training in areas such as autism strategies, safeguarding, child protection, achievement for all, behaviour and attachment difficulties, enable staff to meet particular learning needs.
Making the school accessible to all
The school's Accessibility Policy and Plan sets out how the school aims to meet the needs of pupils, staff and visitors with physical and other disabilities. We aim to ensure the needs of pupils, staff and visitors with physical difficulties and sensory impairments are taken into account when planning and undertaking improvements and refurbishments of the site.
We aim to ensure that curricular and extra-curricular opportunities are planned to allow for the participation of all students, including those with disabilities.
Ensuring fair and equal treatment for pupils
The school strives to ensure that its policies and practice do not discriminate, directly or indirectly, against pupils in the school.
We have adopted the local authority admissions arrangements which are monitored to ensure that they are fair, transparent and consistent for all pupils. This ensures that they do not discriminate and disadvantage pupils from any particular group.
Families are made aware of their rights and responsibilities in relation to pupil attendance, and staff follow up absence in keeping with the attendance policy. Attendance is monitored and action is taken in order to reduce any disparities between different groups of pupils.
The school expects high standards of behaviour from all pupils and strategies are in place to reintegrate long-term truants and excluded pupils. Exclusions are monitored by pupil premium group and action is taken in order to eliminate any disparities between different groups of pupils.
The school's procedures for disciplining pupils and managing behaviour are fair and applied equally to all. Pupils, staff and parents are made aware of procedures for dealing with all forms of harassment. They know that any language or behaviour, which for example is racist, sexist, homophobic or potentially damaging to any minority group, is always unacceptable.
Ensuring fair and equal treatment for staff and others
The School understands that its policies and practice should not discriminate, directly or indirectly, against adults as well as pupils in the school and that positive role models and a wider perspective will strengthen the school.
The school adheres to recruitment, selection and retention procedures, which are fair, equal, and in line with statutory duties. The skills of all staff, including associate and part-time staff are recognised and valued. All staff are given status and support and are encouraged to share their knowledge.
Through our Dignity at Work policy we promote a healthy, safe and productive working environment for all our employees. It is the responsibility of all employees to maintain appropriate standards of behaviour in the workplace and to ensure that they do not contribute to the creation of a working environment in which affronts to dignity, bullying or harassment are accepted.
Encourage participation of under-represented groups
The school seeks to improve participation of all groups in school life. Opportunities to join the Governing Body are publicised to all parents and carers; the widest involvement in the parents' association is encouraged and individuals and community groups are supported to express their views on matters affecting themselves and their communities.
Compliance with duties under the Equality Act 2010
In order to fulfil our specific duties to demonstrate compliance with the three aims of the Equality Act, the school will update and publish this Equality Information Statement on an annual basis. We will decide what information we need to publish to demonstrate our compliance with the Equality Duty as there is no prescribed format. We will look at what equality information we publish already and consider whether that gives a reasonable picture of progress on equality issues affecting our pupils, parents/carers, community and staff to raise standards for all.
In line with legislative requirements, we will set and review progress against equality objectives and these objectives will be reviewed at least every four years.
The Governing Body has agreed the following equalities objectives, to be reviewed by December 2023:
Close gaps in attainment and achievement between groups of students, especially pupil premium and SEND students.
Equality of opportunity for all and our clear and compelling sense of moral purpose
The gap between disadvantaged students and their non-disadvantaged counterparts is a priority for the school and central to the School Development Plan
we aspire to improve outcomes for our SEND, disadvantaged and bursary cohorts
The objective is a whole school priority, which all staff members and Governors share and hold
A Deputy Headteacher holds responsibility for the impact and success of the Pupil Premium strategy
2. Reduce the incidence of the use of homophobic, sexist, discriminatory, derogatory and racist language by students in the school.
SBS upholds its values driven ethos – Inspiring Excellence through Care, Courtesy and Commitment
Language of this nature is unacceptable to us as a school community
We promote and aspire to develop outstanding citizenship and young adults with values and integrity who will contribute to an inclusive, empathetic and harmonious society
The themes are extended through tutor time, assemblies, the House system and through the curriculum at every opportunity – messages are clear and well understood by all
Incidents and prevalence are monitored carefully on the Respectful Relationships log
Promote cultural understanding and awareness of different religious beliefs across the school community.
We are an inclusive, values driven school
We embrace and promote diversity and foster cultural capital within our provision
Ethics and Morality is taught to all students in Key Stage 3 and as an option at GCSE in Key Stage 4 and 5
Cross curricular days are held in Key Stage 4
Promote the involvement of all groups of students in the extra-curricular life of the school, including leadership opportunities.
We aspire to develop well rounded students who contribute to and benefit from the wealth of opportunity available
Opportunities for leadership and service build self-esteem and self-confidence
Introduction of a Director of Ethos across the Trust
Prominence of opportunity for all – we promote an inclusive leadership ethos and a culture of service and participation
Introduction of the SBS Leadership Ladder in September 2020
Drugs and alcohol policy SBS Oct 2019 11th Oct 2019 Download
Anti Bullying Policy SBS March 2020 13th May 2020 Download
SBS Admissions Statement 2020 21.pdf 06th Mar 2019 Download
Educational Visits Policy April 2018.pdf 17th Jul 2018 Download
Accessibility Policy and Plan SBS November 2019 03rd Nov 2019 Download
Attendance Policy Coronavirus RET 2020 2021 07th Sep 2020 Download
Careers Education Information and Guidance Policy SBS 2019 20 06th Dec 2019 Download
SBS COVID 19 Safeguarding Policy Annex Oct 2020 12th Oct 2020 Download
SEND Policy SBS approved 15 05 19.pdf 23rd May 2019 Download
SBS Admissions Statement 2021 2022 Determined 24th Jan 2020 Download
Behaviour Management Standard Operating Procedures SOPs 2020 21 SBS 02nd Nov 2020 Download
Safeguarding and Child Protection RET policy for SBS October 2020 08th Nov 2020 Download
Careers Information Education and Guidance Policy SBS 2020 21 with C19 annex 17th Dec 2020 Download
Curriculum policy SBS Dec 2020 17th Dec 2020 Download
Citizenship and PSHE policy SBS 17th Dec 2020 Download
Attendance Policy 07th Jan 2019 Download
Former SBS student honoured with MBE
"Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans"
DGS and SBS students past and present nominated for Didcot Town Council Awards 2020
Thought for the Term: Communication and Connection
Headteacher Mr William Manning
Mereland Road, Didcot,
Oxon, OX11 8AZ
stbirinus@st-birinus.oxon.sch.uk
Satchel:One


text:
New report demonstrates PPL Corporation's commitment to sustainability
Report highlights company's efforts to create lasting value for customers, communities and shareowners
PPL Corporation
At PPL, sustainability is about ensuring that our actions today, and our decisions tomorrow, create value for our customers and shareowners alike, while supporting a brighter future for generations to come," said William H. Spence, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of PPL Corporation.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (May 19, 2016) – PPL Corporation today released its 2015 Sustainability Report, which highlights how the company is meeting the challenges of a changing energy landscape and investing in the future.
The report highlights PPL's ongoing initiatives designed to continue providing safe, reliable and affordable energy to its 10 million customers in the United States and United Kingdom. In addition, it presents a comprehensive record of PPL's operational, environmental and social sustainability performance.
"At PPL, sustainability is about ensuring that our actions today, and our decisions tomorrow, create value for our customers and shareowners alike, while supporting a brighter future for generations to come," said William H. Spence, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of PPL Corporation. "As the energy sector rapidly evolves, we're taking steps to not just power life, but progress."
Steps taken in 2015 and highlighted in the report include:
Investing more than $3.5 billion in infrastructure including installing smart grid technology and expanding, reinforcing and better protecting the power grid.
Supporting a more balanced energy mix by completing the retirement of 800 megawatts of coal-fired generation in Kentucky, bringing a new natural gas facility online, increasing capacity at its existing hydroelectric facilities and breaking ground on a new universal solar facility that will help extend the benefits of solar to all customers.
Connecting more than 6,500 megawatts of renewable energy to the power grid in the U.K.
Achieving a savings of nearly 3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, thanks to customer participation in energy efficiency program offerings. Carbon reductions resulting from the participation are equivalent to removing about 430,000 cars off the road.
Investing more than $168 million in partnerships with diverse businesses, owned by women, minorities and veterans.
Contributing more than $12 million to support nonprofit organizations working to improve communities served by the corporation's subsidiaries.
With this year's report, the company has taken steps to detail its performance using the Global Reporting Initiative framework, the most widely used standard for corporate responsibility reporting.
PPL's 2015 sustainability report is available online at www.pplsustainability.com.
Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) is one of the largest companies in the U.S. utility sector. PPL's seven high-performing, award-winning utilities serve 10 million customers in the U.S. and United Kingdom. The company and its 13,000 employees are dedicated to providing exceptional customer service and reliability and delivering superior value for shareowners. To learn more, visit www.pplweb.com.
For further information: Lissette Santana, 610-774-5997


Download Book Slaves Into Workers Emancipation And Labor In Colonial Sudan Modern Middle East in PDF format. You can Read Online Slaves Into Workers Emancipation And Labor In Colonial Sudan Modern Middle East here in PDF, EPUB, Mobi or Docx formats.
In the Sudan, native Sudanese slaves served Sudanese masters until the region was conquered by the Turks, who practiced slavery on an institutional scale. When the British took over the Sudan in 1898, they officially emancipated the slaves, yet found it impossible to replace their labor in the country' economy.This pathfinding study explores the process of emancipation and the development of wage labor in the Sudan under British colonial rule. Ahmad Sikainga focuses on the fate of ex-slaves in Khartoum and on the efforts of the colonial government to transform them into wage laborers. He probes into what colonial rule and city life meant for slaves and ex-slaves and what the city and its people meant for colonial officials.This investigation sheds new light on the legacy of slavery and the status of former slaves and their descendants. It also reveals how the legacy of slavery underlies the current ethnic and regional conflicts in the Sudan. It will be vital reading for students of race relations and slavery, colonialism and postcolonialism, urbanization, and labor history in Africa and the Middle East.
This groundbreaking study offers a rare window into the history of slavery in the Sudan, with particular attention to the relationships between slaves and masters. Thoroughly documented, it provides valuable context to current issues of global concern and combats persistent myths about African slavery.
Intends to look at Sudan's long history in all of its modern regions to determine the various strategic security issues that have been or are present, and serves as an essential guide to assess the national, regional, and international concerns regarding the present state of affairs and future prospects of Sudan.
This comprehensive bibliography presents researchers, consultants, planners, aid organizations and others with the most comprehensive overview of the literature on the Sudan. It covers all fields and disciplines and all types of literature. To facilitate ease of use it is organized according to important topics of regional development: agriculture and pastoralism; anthropological & cultural studies; British and European colonialism; Christian mission and church related studies; development issues; fisheries; health; pre-colonial history; language and language studies; natural sciences; politics, ethnic and religious strife & civil war; travel and geography; and water and climate.
This volume pioneers the examination of issues of race and racism, ethnicity and identity in the major Nile Valley countries of Sudan and Egypt from ancient times to the present. Two major events have forced the issue. The study of the ancient Nile Valley was challenged to confront the issue of race in antiquity with the publication of Martin Bernal's two-volume work, Black Athena (1987; 1991) asserting the Afro-Asiatic roots of Western civilization, and its most famous rebuttal Not Out of Africa (1996). In the aftermath of these earlier works, the question of whether ancient Egypt was black or white became the most simplistic rendering of this not so collegial debate. In this tome, a new generation of critical archaeologists and anthropologists, freed from old Orientalist and Egyptological racialist and racist ideas, have written with greater objectivity about race and representation than their predecessors. The first part of this book contains eight original articles dedicated to an exploration of the dynamics of race in the ancient Nile Valley. These include multiple new perspectives from textual and archaeological sources, as well as reprinting Antenor Firmin's chapter on "Egypt and Civilization" from his 1885 pioneering work of critical race thinking in anthropology The Equality of the Human Races (2000), only recently rediscovered. The chronic civil war in Sudan between the "Arabs" of the north and the "Blacks" of the south has also been an event that has forced the issue of race into the discourse on the Nile Valley. Indeed, among the myriad complex issues that have fuelled this war-including a history of slavery and the unequal distribution of political and economic resources-a major one has been that of race, as well as religion and ethnicity. The identity of northern Sudanese by indigenous scholars has been subjected to more critical discourse in this period than in any previous one. Western scholars of Sudan and Egypt have noted the heavy hand of both Ottoman and European colonialism as providing the necessary background to the present, while critical southern and northern scholars call for urgent rethinking of these racial-hierarchical paradigms.
"This volume is the first of its kind of terms of documenting the complexities and multi-faceted nature of the mass carnage in Sudan. Apart from the political and economic imbalances between the Northern and Southern regions of the country which incited the conflict, these are many other issues stemming from a vibrant history of colonial, African, and Arab role which should be factored into the equation." "This volume examines riot only in a holistic perspective, the prevailing situation and future challenges facing Sudan, but also incorporates the largest part of the agreements and accords signed by the belligerent parties for the last few decades in the same text."--BOOK JACKET.


text:
Reuters Continues Integration Moves: Links News to Prices
Reuters continues its move towards a fully integrated environment, and aimed to highlight these advances at the recent ACI European Congress at which it showcased its entire range of dealing, STP and information systems. Mike Whitaker, head of marketing and strategy, treasury customer segment at Reuters, notes that the Congress represented the first chance for Reuters to demonstrate its wares since the restructuring of the company last year with a client focus.
One of the low key moves Reuters has made has been to connect its news to the Ric, or price, codes used on the system. By highlighting the currency pair of their choice, users can access all relevant news by hitting the F9 key on their workstation. Whitaker points out that this makes accessing news much easier, as users no longer have to remember the whole host of country codes provided. Additionally, as Whitaker points out, traders need to be aware of news surrounding a currency pair, not just a single currency, and with 19,000 Ric codes to choose from, every angle is covered.
"We looked at it from a trader perspective," he says. "What would a trader want? One click news is a very powerful tool – it may not seem that important on paper, however quicker access to information is becoming more important in today's markets."
He adds that users can also access news from charts available on the Reuters system, and confirms the company is looking at connecting its Ric codes to charts for one click access to technical analysis.
Clearly, Reuters is building on one of its core strengths, its newswire services, a fact acknowledged by Whitaker. "The market quite rightly trusts Reuters news, it is a differentiator and a strength we can build on. We cannot be complacent, therefore building on such strengths makes sense."
Enhanced Themes
The new approach taken by Reuters since the re-structuring revolves around what Whitaker terms enhanced product themes, those that look at the treasury market as a whole. The tactical approach taken by the company has been to release the base product and work with users to enhance the services incrementally. "Before the restructuring we did not really make the most of the opportunities we had as a company. Now, with a much broader reaching management structure under Julie Holland [managing director Reuters Treasury Services] we have been able to focus on better integration of products," he explains.
Two examples of the approach taken by the company have been the Dealing for Swaps product, and Reuters Dealing Link (RDL). Whitaker says the company is making changes to its Dealing for Swaps product to ensure it gets the best out of forms-based trading. "We did not want to build a product simply around the swaps model," he explains, "Rather, we wanted to expand the offering to make it scaleable and flexible – to be able to use the infrastructure across all aspects of form-based trading.
"The changes in the company have meant that we now look cross-product at our offerings, and look to base them on a trading paradigm," he continues. "We want to ensure that all of our services are add-ons to the core offering rather than stand-alone products."
The recently launched RDL (see Profit & Loss, March 2002) is "progressing well", according to Whitaker, with an increasing number of sites as awareness of its capabilities grows. He adds that the company is now looking at how to leverage RDL by placing it in other products. "We are working on integrating it into other product lines, however this is a slow process as we are undertaking extra due diligence and Q&A testing to ensure it is right before we announce the move," he says.
Reuters' other recent moves have mainly revolved around alliances, such as those with e-Mid (see Profit & Loss, November/December 2001) and Icor (Profit & Loss, March 2002). Icor has continued to develop its offering, adding Usd/Jpy and Eur/Jpy options to its platform. The company is due to launch in Europe in mid-June with an upgraded version once testing on the Dealing 3000Xtra platform has been completed.
Enhancements include the aggregate interest at a particular level in the market, and the number of tickets making up that interest. The company has also added a one-cancels-other (OCO) feature, aimed at building liquidity across periods by allowing traders to be hit on only one of a series of prices across tenors. Batch order capability and a tick up/tick down button for easy adjustment of prices have also been added.
The platform is ultimately slated to carry nine currency pairs – as part of ongoing developments, Icor plans to enable users to watch more than one market at a time. This is seen as an important issue, as currently users can only receive information on one market, for instance Usd/Jpy, and have to click to another screen for Eur/Jpy prices.
Reuters suggest that the alliance with e-Mid is proceeding equally well. Enhancements are also due to be released (in July) for this platform, including serial quotation and broken date capabilities (the former using feeds direct from users' pricing engines).
John Usher, regional transaction manager at Reuters, says the platform has received very good responses and that both parties are very pleased with their ongoing relationship. He also reveals that the Bank of England is to become an observer on e-Mid and e-Mider, meaning that all of the major central banks in Europe are on the system.
Related Posts in Market Talk
Citi Hires Custody and Fund Services Head
How Technology and Data Are Opening the Door to FX Automation
Digital Vega Continues Expanding Ahead of 2020 Launches


An internal audit that found oversight of parks employees and a contractor that maintains park sites was lacking has prompted several changes in the Community Services & Parks Department, according to a city report released this week.
The changes include requiring the contractor to submit weekly schedules outlining work performed, provide a work checklist to staff, implement a regular schedule of playground safety checks and log all public park complaints in one system for follow-up.
"Identifying the problems and offering solutions is a good thing," said Rodney Khan, temporary president of the Parks, Recreations & Community Services Commission, during a commission meeting Monday.
The December 2011 audit stated that by not requiring the contractor to submit a work schedule, the city could be paying for services that aren't rendered; and without a centralized complaint system, customer-service levels were deficient.
Senior Parks Services Manager Koko Panossian said parks officials are now combing through the contractor's submitted schedules to ensure they're in line with the agreement with the city; and managers are inspecting twice-monthly work schedules completed and signed by employees.
"If the contractor misses [some work], we're looking at holding back payment for work that's not in compliance [with the contract]," Panossian said.
Eight audit recommendations have been put into place, but there are still some problems, such as graffiti and vandalism, which are difficult to control.
Panossian said the parks department tries to respond to graffiti complaints within 24 hours, but the vandalism continues. For example, parks staff members have found bathroom mirrors cracked and doors broken at some parks and even if they fix the problem, the bathrooms are vandalized again.
Panossian said once officials detect a pattern, they contact the Glendale Police Department, which then increases patrols of those parks.
Commissioner Ara Kalfayan called on the city to add security cameras to the parks to catch the culprits. While security cameras have been included in some new park renovations, such as Carr Park, installing them everywhere is a costly expense the city can't afford, Panossian said.
Community Services and Parks Director Jess Duran said officials are considering creating a parks ambassador program, which would tap volunteers to watch over the city's green spaces. With fewer employees, extra eyeballs on the parks would help, he said.
The city laid off its parks naturalists due to budget cuts about two years ago. Last year, an across-the-board reduction of more than 150 employees through early retirements and layoffs also impacted park staffing.
Cutting the positions was necessary to get the city's finances in line, officials had said.
But as a result, "We don't have as much staff to patrol and monitor the parks," Duran said.
The program would resemble Glendale's successful Trail Safety Patrol, which launched last year with about two dozen volunteers from around Los Angeles County that guard the city's vast trail system in the Verdugo Mountains and San Rafael Hills.
The volunteers also watch over the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk, a short trail along the Los Angeles River.
Trail Safety Patrol volunteers give advice to hikers and bicyclists and they report maintenance issues or problems to city officials.


text:
Der Challenge Cup ist der dritthöchste Europapokal-Wettbewerb für Vereinsmannschaften im Volleyball. Bis einschließlich der Saison 2006/07 wurde der Wettbewerb unter dem Namen CEV-Pokal bzw. CEV Cup ausgetragen. Anschließend änderte der ausrichtende europäische Verband CEV die Struktur der Wettbewerbe.

Modus
Teilnahmeberechtigt sind die Mannschaften, die in ihrer nationalen Liga hinter den Champions-League- und CEV-Pokal-Teilnehmern platziert sind. Die genaue Anzahl der Startplätze in den einzelnen Wettbewerben ergibt sich aus einer Rangliste der CEV.

In den ersten beiden Runden treten 64 bzw. 32 Mannschaften im K.-o.-System mit Hin- und Rückspiel gegeneinander an. Falls es in den beiden Spielen unterschiedliche Sieger gibt entscheidet das Satzverhältnis. Herrscht auch hier Gleichstand wird direkt im Anschluss an das Rückspiel ein zusätzlicher Satz bis 15 Punkte gespielt ("golden set"), der über den Einzug in die nächste Runde entscheidet. Die 16 Sieger der zweiten Runde treffen auf die Mannschaften, die in der ersten Runde des CEV-Pokals ausgeschieden sind. Die Sieger spielen im Achtel- und Viertelfinale weiter bis zum Final Four. Das Turnier der besten vier Mannschaften innerhalb eines Wochenendes an einem zentralen Ort ausgetragen. An einem Tag finden die Halbfinalspiele statt, am anderen Tag das Spiel um den dritten Platz und das Finale.

Männer

CEV Cup

Challenge Cup

Frauen

CEV Cup

Challenge Cup

Weblinks
 Informationen der CEV (englisch)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


24W Mini Metal Wood Lathe DIY Woodworking Modelmaking Craft Tool Student Hobby. Mini Metal Wood Lathe DIY Woodworking Wood Gift Modelmaking Tool Hobby. This item is located in California, USA/Shenzhen, China. The machine parts is Electroplating and the motor is metal. Motor case and headstock are jointed.
Main parts: headstock, tailstock, long machine bed, big slider, small slider, motor blade, gear, connection piece, drive belt cover etc. All of the parts are made of metal except drive belt cover. Center height-25mm, distance between centers-135mm, motor speed normally will drop to 2000rpm/min when it machines metal. Lathe tool is made of high speed steel quality material and it can process on soft metal, nonferrous metal and precious metal.
By using central block, diameter can be expanded to 100mm. Motor speed :20,000rpm/min(optional choice 12,000rpm/min) 2. Maximum working material diameter: 20mm 4. Working material length:135mm 5.
Axis Z slider travel :30mm Axis X slider travel:160mm 6. Working material: lignin plastic, soft metal gold, silver, copper, aluminum etc. With 0.02mm scale line , the hand wheel increases the precision when processing.
Remote is defined as islands and highlands; or a post code/zip code that is difficult to serve; or a suburb/town that is distant, inaccessible or infrequently served. The item "24W Mini Metal Wood Lathe DIY Woodworking Modelmaking Craft Tool Student Hobby" is in sale since Monday, October 12, 2015. This item is in the category "Business & Industrial\CNC, Metalworking & Manufacturing\Woodworking Tools & Supplies\Equipment & Machinery\Lathes". The seller is "joy-digital" and is located in Los Angeles, California.


text:
Q: My first .gitlab-ci.yml file: How to run existing files in CI/CD I'm usually working as a mathematician to build and train new models on data, but I want to try and learn some new things - so I am an absolute beginner in the following problem. My current learning topic is how to use CI/CD in gitlab.
I've realized a Python Project in PyCharm.
My folder structure is looking as follows:

*

*project

*

*Flask

*

*latest_model

*

*...

*templates

*

*...

*webservice_flask.py

*tests

*

*init.py

*test_DR.py

*test_pred.py

*test_train.py

*DR.py

*pred.py

*train.py

Where "..." symbolizes some not important files, .py-files are regular python files and expressions without a special ending are normal folders.
The file DR.py reads some data, the file train.py trains a model, the file pred.py makes a prediction based on the trained model, the test folder contains test-files to test the previous components and the flask folder contains a flask app webservice as deployment for a customer. So far so good, everything works fine on my local machine.
Now I want to integrate this project into a CI/CD pipeline in gitlab with the following structure:
run DR.py > run test_DR.py > run train.py > run test_train.py > run pred.py > run test_pred.py > run webservice_flask.py
I'm not sure, if this structure is realistic, since I've read that the components of one stage (like test) run parallel. I know I have to create a .gitlab-ci.yml file in my root project folder, to initialize the CI/CD pipeline. The structure of the file (as far as I understand) should look as follows:
stages:
  - build
  - test
  - deploy

build_database:
  stage: build
  script:
    - echo "Load the data"
    - #...here I want to run the DR.py file, but I don't know how

test_data_reader:
  stage: test
  script:
    - echo "Test the loaded data"
    -  #...here I want to run the test_DR.py file, but I don't know how

... and so far and so on with each component of my pipeline.
Can anyone help me please? Are my initial attempts total nonsense? Can someone tell me the command for running files in the Project for the yaml document?
Thank you very much!

A: You don't even have to break it down into stages, you can run all stages in a single job, just list them all under script like so:
build_database:
  stage: build
  script:
    - python DR.py
    - python test/run test_DR.py
    - python train.py
    - python test/test_train.py
    - python pred.py
    - python test/test_pred.py

Basically you run it in the pipeline the same way you would run it locally.
The only thing that doesn't make sense in your set up is the final step - running the webservice. You see, the CI runner won't be able to act as a server for your webservice - it should just build/deploy and quit. You will have to think about where and how you want to run this webservice and deploy the code there (possibly with some artifacts). If you don't know where to start with it, have a look at Heroku as an option.


Oil Monopoly deals with the oil field business and money. I wanted to capture a way of how in the oil business workers go from place to place to earn money. Basically, people who work in the oil industry go where the money goes. With this motive, I thought of a Monopoly board and how the point of the game is to have the most money and properties, which relates to the oil business. By replacing aspects of the original game to fit the theme of oil, I believe that O il Monopoly is a fun and unique way to portray the oil field business.


text:
Q: Remove trailing slashes from store URL's - Magento 2.4 We set the "Add Store Code to URLs" option to Yes, so now our store URL's looks like:
https://www.example.com/en/
https://www.example.com/de/
https://www.example.com/fr/

And by default Magento redirects the url without the last slash to the url with a slash.
So https://www.example.com/en redirects to https://www.example.com/en/
How can we disable this?
We want to transform our urls into:
https://www.example.com/en
https://www.example.com/de
https://www.example.com/fr

A: To disable the URL redirect from a URL without a trailing slash to a URL with a trailing slash, you can follow these steps:

*

*Login to your Magento 2 admin panel.

*Go to Stores > Configuration.
Expand the General section and click on Web.

*Open the Url Options section.
Set the Auto-redirect to Base URL option to No.

*Click on the Save Config button to save your changes.
After disabling this option, Magento will no longer redirect the URL without a trailing slash to the URL with a trailing slash. Your URLs will look like this:

https://www.example.com/en
https://www.example.com/de
https://www.example.com/fr

Please note that disabling this option may cause issues with duplicate content and affect your SEO. If you are unsure about the implications of disabling this option, you may want to consult with a SEO expert before making any changes.


text:
@import JavaScriptCore;

// El bridge entre Native y JS requiere que expongamos un protocolo que extienda JSExport
// Para mas informacion es de 'lectura' obligatoria el video de la WWDC del 2013
// https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2013/615/
@protocol MoviePlayer <JSExport>

- (nullable instancetype) initWithVideoURL:(nonnull NSString *)videoURL;
+ (nullable instancetype) playerWithVideoURL:(nonnull NSString *)videoURL;
- (void) play;

@end

// La implementacion real puede tener mas cosas, pero JS solo va a ver lo que expongamos
// a traves de JSExport. En este caso, el estado del player no es visible en JS, solo el play
@interface MoviePlayer : NSObject<MoviePlayer>

@property (nonatomic, nonnull, strong, readonly) NSString *videoURL;

- (nullable instancetype) initWithVideoURL:(nonnull NSString *)videoURL;
+ (nullable instancetype) playerWithVideoURL:(nonnull NSString *)videoURL;
- (void) play;

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Nudge: The clever way to business success
Written by Shelley Hoppe on 29 September 2020 in Features
Shelley Hoppe explains why you should invest in becoming a behavioural business.
Two years ago, after reading all the usual trendy and popular non-fiction on the subject of behavioural science – or "nudging", as it's more commonly known – I decided I wanted my whole team to learn how to think behaviourally.
It felt like the next big thing, like one of those societal shifts that will later seem so obvious, you can hardly believe that it had to be introduced in the first place. A bit like law enforcement using psychological profiling when analysing crimes (which actually only started in the late 1970s), or UX design becoming ubiquitous for anyone working in tech. For the team, and for clients, these skills were going to be crucial.
The reason is, while managing global businesses across multiple cultures and languages is a difficult feat, we can take some solace in our one unifying quality: we are all humans. And as humans, our core drivers and motivators are the same.
Understanding these drivers, and how they can be used to deliver more engaging and effective processes and communications, is key for any 21st century business.
Is it possible to build a 'behavioural business'?
For any organisation where most of its people are aware of these universally human traits it's getting easier and easier to do so as the body of knowledge about human behaviour grows. Over the last 10 years or so, there has been a rise in the application of its insights.
Behavioural science has shown a demonstrable ability to boost crucial business metrics in several ways
Beginning with use in government policy – such as the foundation of the Behavioural Insights Team by the UK Government – the field has quickly expanded into the business world; from financial services, to management consultants, and the tech giants too.
So why are all these governments and organisations all choosing to embrace a behavioural approach? The simplest answer is: because it works. Behavioural science has shown a demonstrable ability to boost crucial business metrics in several ways – improving everything from employee engagement and change processes, to innovation and sales conversion.
As legendary behavioural economist Richard Thaler notes, making impactful changes in human behaviour only requires a small 'nudge' – small adjustments to the environments people find themselves in. The reason is we're all 'situational' to some degree, meaning small changes in the contexts we find ourselves in can lead to huge impacts on people's decision-making.
A classic example is changing the defaults for employee pensions from 'opt in' to 'opt out'. Just a small change that preserves people's freedom of choice, but one that Harvard economics professor David Liabson found caused pension enrolment rates to skyrocket from 40% to 90%. And crucially, without costing anything to implement.
This is not an isolated case study either: there is strong academic research which suggests understanding and applying behavioural science delivers impressive and consistent results right across the board. In a recent paper from UC Berkeley, researchers crunched the numbers on 165 behavioural science trials, testing 349 low-cost interventions that reached more than 24 million people.
The analysis shows a clear, robust and profoundly positive effect from nudging – producing an average improvement of a massive 8.1% (from a baseline of 17.2% to 18.6%) on key policy outcomes, such as money saved or policy sign-ups.
So who's investing in these skills?
A lot of companies, according to reports by LinkedIn and Reuters. In fact organisations like BCG (who have actively been using behavioural science insights since 2009) and PWC, describe the field as one of their key growth areas, citing its importance in their graduate consulting scheme as examples.
They are not alone either – a lot of the financial services industry is embracing the field, as well as the advertising giant Ogilvy who even run their own annual behavioural science festival. There are currently 300 behavioural teams in governments, businesses and other organisations – and this number is growing all the time.
Even behavioural science conferences are on the rise, with twice the amount of events listed on behaviouraleconomics.com in 2020 as compared to 2019.
Behavioural science in training
With this rising tide, it's not only worth considering upskilling your workforce to think more behaviourally, it's also incredibly valuable to start applying these techniques to internal training courses right away.
Let's face it – despite the billions spent each year on training and development, many of these initiatives have little to no impact on business results. The problem is that the format is not always conducive to shifting behaviour over the long term.
We've all had the experience of walking away from a training or an all-hands event feeling motivated – but when you get back to your work environment, everything's the same, and the feeling dies away.
We can all remedy this. By thinking more behaviourally, using simple techniques like the 'Generation Effect', the 'IKEA Effect' and the 'Spacing Effect', people will develop new skills and achieve better outcomes.
The key is to know and understand the effects the training has on each individual learner – and to use this understanding alongside technology to build courses in the most effective way.
Building a behaviourally informed organisation will become a leading priority over the next 5-10 years. As more and more businesses start to optimise the ways they train their staff we're going to see a huge increases in business results for those that have made the jump early.
Some businesses have already done it, like Apple, Amazon, and Mckinsey and they're each reaping the rewards today. Very soon, taking a more behavioural approach will become crucial for commercial success.
Shelley Hoppe is agency director at Spoon London
The last laugh: bad gags, sexism and xenophobia
Stephanie Davies reflects on humour and how it can be a measure of social change
Does working from home still deliver value?
Ed Bernacki offers three skills to make our WFH home more effective
Research shows old-fashioned, 'manly' bosses are failing workers during pandemic
UK workers are increasingly seeking leadership traits such as empathy and vulnerability in the workplace - but bosses aren't demonstrating or rewarding these behaviours, according to new research...
White paper: Surprising insights into why your customer wants a divorce
From performance improvement experts Blue Sky comes a brand new white paper.
5 Ways High Growth Companies Can Achieve Higher Employee Engagement
Employee engagement can make or break a business in a couple of important ways.


Out of many interesting events happening on the campus, the one which I enjoy the most is the 'Performing Arts Festival' or PAF as it is popularly known! This is a brilliant concept and I just love the format. To begin with, it is just another 'inter hostel competition'. However, it goes much beyond that.
The objective is to perform a theatrical act. Few hostels come together to make a team and submit their entry. Based on the number of entries, the PAF committee announces the schedule. The act involves ALL departments of the theatre, such as: script writing, art, production, music, acting, voiceover, light, sound, direction etc.
However, the most crucial criteria to set up the act is the stage which is provided…it is a huge area to be covered by the props and lights. This is another reason, that the actors in this act DO NOT have microphones. They simply mime on the stage with a lip movement, and the voice over is provided by the actors in the front. The stage property is huge. Earlier, a stage with many levels was found challenging, however, in recent times, the production has graduated to many new and spectacular 'heights'! We have seen a double storied building with an external staircase and galleries, line of control with watch towers, and even a moving train on the stage!
The music team performs LIVE and lends the necessary audio effect to the whole act. The voiceover artists scramble through the script papers, and the limited number of microphones made available!


AND PERSONALIZED TO FIT YOUR NEEDS.
Anyone can create apps or sell merchandise on a u-marketplace. With just a few clicks, apps, merchandise designs, or watch faces can be uploaded to a u-marketplace and distributed worldwide. Plug and play revenue systems make viable businesses overnight. This makes u-marketplaces great for innovation, but makes infringement on well-liked brands easier than ever.
by ensuring that no one is wrongfully profiting from their use of your brand.
Whether through ad-filled mobile apps, apparel printed with your logo, or other media sold through u-marketplaces, bad actors know that they can generate revenue easily by using your brand. Target the highest-earning unlicensed listings first to protect your investment in original content.
by ensuring that only approved sellers are representing your brand.
Unlicensed brand use often misrepresents and distorts your message, and confuses consumers who expect your usual high standard of quality. Prioritize brand image by targeting egregious use of your logo and marks that create unwanted clutter.
from malicious software distributed via fraudulent apps and programs built in your name.
The trust consumers place in your brand may lead them to download knockoff apps that collect their private information, including addresses, Social Security Numbers, banking information, email accounts, and phone numbers. Focus on security by concentrating enforcement efforts on threats to your customers' safety.
We understand that some brands tolerate no unauthorized use, and others encourage a community based upon creative brand use. We know you may be equally focused on revenue, security, and brand image, or your primary objective may be something else entirely. At IP Lasso, we are ready to work with you to implement the most effective protection strategy for your brand.
IP Lasso offers a fully managed service, saving you time while ensuring that your brand is well protected in u-marketplaces. We can handle everything from start to finish, or just take a few things off your plate. A demonstration of our u-marketplace search software can be found here.
Quickly discover apps, merchandise, programs, and more listed on u-marketplaces.
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Send bulk communication to app stores, artists, and developers who may be mis-representing your brand using our automated dispute processing portal.
Use our built-in reporting features to present findings and track the impact of your monitoring and enforcement efforts.


text:
Ole Nørskov Sørensen, danski rokometaš, * 13. januar 1952, Aarhus.

Leta 1980 je na poletnih olimpijskih igrah v Moskvi v sestavi danske rokometne reprezentance osvojil 9. mesto.

Glej tudi
 seznam danskih rokometašev

Rojeni leta 1952
Živeči ljudje
Danski rokometaši
Danski rokometni reprezentanti
Olimpijski tekmovalci za Dansko
Rokometaši Poletnih olimpijskih iger 1980


Fitzgerald secured a dramatic last-round knockdown to sway the fight in his favour on two of the judges' scorecards and secure a happy ending to a rivalry built on bad blood in recent months.
But on Monday the unbeaten super-welterweight was left with some nasty battle scars.
In a series of pictures and videos shared on social media, the 27-year-old showed off two nasty black eyes suffered in the 10-round war.
Fitzgerald's eyes were swollen to the point where they were nearly closed. Both were surrounded by large crimson bruises.
'You won't believe what I've just done,' he said in a video on his Instagram story.
He could soon have his wish - on Monday the British Boxing Board of Control ordered Fitzgerald to face current British super-welterweight champion Ted Cheeseman before the end of July.


text:
Cinema sale was "stressful"
Kate Bassett -
March 31, 2008 September 14, 2016
"People say that the most stressful thing in your life is moving house or getting a divorce. They're wrong," says the 72-year-old entrepreneur. "There's nothing like selling your business to send your blood pressure skyrocketing."
Hart's grandfather, Harry Pizer Bloom, set up Bloom Theatres (as it was then called) in 1926. Hart joined the business as a programmer when she was just 18 and took over at the helm in the seventies.
Her first big project was to turn the Rex cinema in Islington into a boutique cinema, called Screen on the Green. The idea was to choose the most accessible Art House films with the best commercial movies. "We were a bit like a book club in that respect, cherry picking the best films for our viewers," she says.
The "Screen" concept took off. Hart opened Screen on the Hill in Belsize Park in 1977, Screen at Baker Street in 1984, followed by four more cinemas in Surrey and Hampshire.
Hart started thinking about selling up a few years ago, when she hit her seventies.
"Turnover was just shy of £4m, we had over 100 employees on our books and I'd met some truly wonderful people – Michael Palin, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino and Emma Thompson. It was time to take a step back and see the sky again."
She "auditioned" four different corporate financiers and says that Livingstone Partners stood out by a mile. "I got the sense that they would take a lot of the weight off my shoulders and make the sale process easy."
Livingstone gave her a to-do list, outlining all the information they needed – everything from ticket sales and monthly attendances, to three-year accounts and company background. While Hart pulled that information together, Livingstone drew up a hit list of potential purchasers.
It was a long, drawn-out process. "I've run a business for 38 years and this is by far the most exasperating thing I've had to deal with. We were close to signing a deal with an overseas buyer but they pulled out at the eleventh hour, claiming they didn't have enough money. I'm not used to that kind of behaviour in business – I think it's disgusting."
The business was finally sold to Everyman in March for £6.9m. Everyman was founded by entrepreneur Daniel Brock in 2001 and is backed by a consortium of deep-pocketed investors, including the entrepreneurs behind ASK pizza Sam and Adam Kay, and the Lewis Trust, owners of River Island.
"It's upsetting that the business isn't staying in family hands after three generations but you can't have your cake and eat it. I doubt I'll struggle to keep myself busy – I've already booked three holidays.
Is keyman insurance key to your business security?
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Why entrepreneurs should make sure they are keeping their bedrooms tidy
Getting ready to sell your business: What to prepare
The principles guiding Facebook's sexual harassment policy


text:
require "test_prof/rspec_stamp"
require "test_prof/event_prof/profiler"
require "test_prof/event_prof/instrumentations/active_support"
require "test_prof/event_prof/monitor"
require "test_prof/utils/sized_ordered_set"

module TestProf
  # EventProf profiles your tests and suites against custom events,
  # such as ActiveSupport::Notifacations.
  #
  # It works very similar to `rspec --profile` but can track arbitrary events.
  #
  # Example:
  #
  #   # Collect SQL queries stats for every suite and example
  #   EVENT_PROF='sql.active_record' rspec ...
  #
  # By default it collects information only about top-level groups (aka suites),
  # but you can also profile individual examples. Just set the configuration option:
  #
  #  TestProf::EventProf.configure do |config|
  #    config.per_example = true
  #  end
  #
  # Or provide the EVENT_PROF_EXAMPLES=1 env variable.
  module EventProf
    # EventProf configuration
    class Configuration
      # Map of supported instrumenters
      INSTRUMENTERS = {
        active_support: "ActiveSupport"
      }.freeze

      attr_accessor :instrumenter, :top_count, :per_example,
        :rank_by, :event

      def initialize
        @event = ENV["EVENT_PROF"]
        @instrumenter = :active_support
        @top_count = (ENV["EVENT_PROF_TOP"] || 5).to_i
        @per_example = ENV["EVENT_PROF_EXAMPLES"] == "1"
        @rank_by = (ENV["EVENT_PROF_RANK"] || :time).to_sym
        @stamp = ENV["EVENT_PROF_STAMP"]

        RSpecStamp.config.tags = @stamp if stamp?
      end

      def stamp?
        !@stamp.nil?
      end

      def per_example?
        per_example == true
      end

      def resolve_instrumenter
        return instrumenter if instrumenter.is_a?(Module)

        raise ArgumentError, "Unknown instrumenter: #{instrumenter}" unless
          INSTRUMENTERS.key?(instrumenter)

        Instrumentations.const_get(INSTRUMENTERS[instrumenter])
      end
    end

    class << self
      def config
        @config ||= Configuration.new
      end

      def configure
        yield config
      end

      # Returns new configured instance of profilers group
      def build(event = config.event)
        ProfilersGroup.new(
          event: event,
          instrumenter: instrumenter,
          rank_by: config.rank_by,
          top_count: config.top_count,
          per_example: config.per_example?
        )
      end

      def instrumenter
        @instrumenter ||= config.resolve_instrumenter
      end

      # Instrument specified module methods.
      # Wraps them with `instrumenter.instrument(event) { ... }`.
      #
      # Use it to profile arbitrary methods:
      #
      #   TestProf::EventProf.monitor(MyModule, "my_module.call", :call)
      def monitor(mod, event, *mids, **kwargs)
        Monitor.call(mod, event, *mids, **kwargs)
      end
    end
  end
end

require "test_prof/event_prof/custom_events"
require "test_prof/event_prof/rspec" if TestProf.rspec?
require "test_prof/event_prof/minitest" if TestProf.minitest?


text:
Q: How to unpack the list for Elasticserach with OR operator? I have a list of Term query like this
term_query = [
    Terms(metadata__resource_type__subtype=["publication-softwaredocumentation"]),
    Terms(metadata__resource_type__type=["dataset"]),
]

I have to apply the post_filter with these both queries that would look like this
search = search.post_filter(term_query[0] | term_query[1])

I want to handle situation when the term_query will have 0 or more elements. How can I unpack the list separated by OR operator in the post_filter?

A: While waiting for the answer, I searched for any method that is available in python itself to achieve this.
I found itertools and operator modules which worked fine.
The solution looks like this
import itertools, operator

term_queries = [
    Terms(metadata__resource_type__subtype=["publication-softwaredocumentation"]),
    Terms(metadata__resource_type__type=["dataset"]),
]

final_query = list(itertools.accumulate(term_queries, operator.or_))[-1]
search = search.post_filter(final_query)


text:
Q: What does the MVC model contain? Can it just hold Hibernate POJOs? I have a question about MVC architecture in an application based on Spring+Hibernate+IceFaces. If we choose MVC pattern + ajax, What kind of data should the model passed to the view hold in MVC?
Do I have to create domain objects pulling data from Hibernate? If I just use Hibernate DAO/pojo as model data, does it hurt?
On the front end, we have value objects for the view. But, we need to do a lot to make VO sync up with the Hibernate persistent entities. This is not good for AJAX calls. If we just use POJO as view objects, the only thing I need to worry about is serialization. That looks simple. Not quite sure if this works. Pros and cons? Any suggestions?


text:
K Drama
BH Podcast
About Beyond Hallyu
Will a new Korean president improve LGBT rights? Seems unlikely.
Koreaboo, Kim Hyun-joong's ex and how bad translation seriously misleads K-pop fans
SNL Korea fails to heed its own advice on sexual harassment at work
[UPDATED] Korean Christian groups are trying to block Seoul's Queer Festival and Pride Parade
Image via Korean Queer Festival
Extreme Christian groups are attempting to block the Korean Queer Culture Festival and Pride Parade scheduled to be held in Seoul next month.
According to a post in the LGBT and Allies in Korea Facebook group, the Love Your Country, Love Your Children Movement group…
"Kiss without a trace": Using adultery to sell... lipstick?
The American cosmetics manufacturer Benefit has taken a unique new approach to advertising one of its biggest bestsellers, Benetint in Korea. Emphasising the tint's "Kissproof"-ness, a new CF for the product features a married woman going into a lift (or elevator, if you use US English) with a…
Listen to the story of Kim Jong Il kidnapping Korea's most famous actress and director
Many people in the West are fascinated by the oddities and incongruities of the Kim dynasty who have ruled North Korea since the 1950s. Kim Jong Il in particular gained a reputation as an eccentric man-child with a penchant for luxury goods. Often tales of his predilection for Hennessy…
Korean News Roundup: Japanese PM avoids comfort women issue and anti-dog meat activists face nasty rumours
The big news of the day today has been all about Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's trip to the US and his stance on comfort women and Japan's role in the sexual slavery of particularly Korean and Chinese women during the Second World War.
Abe's trip is…
10-year-old Korean boy has the perfect response to homophobic bigotry
Today a teacher who works at an international school in Seoul shared her recent experience while teaching English. She had been using CNN news clips designed for students to teach an young, advanced student and that day it just happened to feature a segment about same-sex marriage. The teacher…
The widening generation gap: What does the future of LGBT rights in Korea look like?
By next year, a majority of young Koreans will be accepting of gay people.
Or put more accurately, according to a recent study by Korean think tank the Asan Institute, if trends continue over 50% of people in their 20s will be 'tolerant of LGBT people' by next year. The…
A Guide to Part-Time Jobs in Korea (for people who don't want to be English teachers)
Have you ever wanted to live in Korea but aren't sure you wish to support yourself by becoming a teacher? Maybe you would like to visit Korea for a little while and are looking for part-time work that will allow you to have time to search for idols…
Beyond Hallyu giveaway: Win 1 of 3 K-pop bracelets of your choice!
I Love Korean Boys: The Problem of Fetishization
BH Discuss: Does CL's "MTBD" disrespect the Qur'an and Muslim K-pop fans?
It's all in your blood: Korean blood type superstitions
A suspected Korean cult is targeting K-pop fans in London and across Europe
You can watch the opening of the Korean Queer Culture Festival streamed live online
Block B announce European tour stops including London
Andup coming to London as part of seven-date European tour
MYNAME are coming to London, Warsaw, Bucharest and Paris in September
INFINITE to stop in London, Paris, Warsaw and Berlin for their World Tour
We now have a Beyond Hallyu Facebook group!
[GIVEAWAY] Win 1 of 2 pairs of tickets to Boys Republic in London
Send us an article at submissions@beyondhallyu.com
Or click here to find out more..
Tweets by @BeyondHallyu
Oppa isn't really gay… How K-pop queer baiting leads to queer blindness
[Interview] Zandari Festa returns to Hongdae with another great lineup
SM makes idols like Samsung makes phones: K-pop as culture technology
DEAN is so popular in London they've put on a second date
HIGHLIGHT and EXID to play London Korean Festival in July
© 2012 Beyond Hallyu


Going Green is not only helping the environment, it can also help your wallet. By buying local foods, riding your bike, buying reused and recycled products, and using electricity wisely, you can save money -- and save the planet in the process.
Although filling our tires with air may help save on gas, it doesn't help with the higher prices of food, clothing, and other necessities. It used to be quite expensive to do things green-- for instance spending your whole paycheck at Whole Foods to buy eco-friendly household products and organic food. However, now there are alternatives to spending a fortune on eco-friendly products, and not only does it save you money, it's also chic (and cheap) to go green.
There are green alternatives to everything: household cleaning products, hybrid cars, pet food, appliances, cosmetics, you name it. There are even greener alternatives to some of these green products: bicycles, home-grown food, re-used furniture, and local products. Not only are some of these green alternatives eco-friendly, they are also exceptionally cheap.
Home-grown food for instance is becoming increasing popular. Food prices increased 4% in 2007, the biggest annual increase since 1990, and prices are projected to rise 4.5% to 5.5% this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. By spending about $10 this spring on tomato plants I am going to have enough tomatoes to last for the entire month of August, and hopefully some of September. Plus, I have the added benefit of getting outdoors to water them every day and watch them grow. Buying local produce also helps reduce energy and shipping costs.
Another eco-friendly trick to save money is to buy products from local businesses. Instead of heading to the shopping mall where most products are manufactured in another country and then shipped to a port and then shipped to the mall, save a little money by heading to the city or town (on a bus or bike!) and shopping for hand-made, quality products. Green gifts are becoming increasingly popular to buy for people, especially during the holidays. If you hate going to the mall, try shopping for green gifts and eco-friendly home decor at Fresh Heirlooms.
And if you are a pack rat and have a ton of junk around your house, hop on the creative reuse bandwagon. Creative Reuse is the new vogue. If you're not familiar with creative reuse, the idea is simple: take reused or recycled items, and make something new out of them. If you're not craft, don't worry there are plenty of places you can buy creatively reused stuff. Just Google eco-friendly creative reuse� and you'll find a ton of sites which sell hand-crafted cute household items, furniture, jewelry and anything else you can think of out of recycled and reused products. Being green also saves on electricity. Just by turning my water heater down a notch, I'm saving $30 a month on my electric bill. Energy Star products and eco-friendly light bulbs also help cut down costs by as much as 75%, plus they last 10 times as long. And I despise changing light bulbs, so that's a three for one benefit time, money, and energy.
Kermit was wrong. It IS easy being green. And cheaper, too.
� 2007, ChinatownConnection.com. Going Green Bargain. All rights reserved.