text:
Istanbul, Turkey 26, 27 April 2013
Friday the 26th was a beautiful and relaxing day off in Istanbul, everyone catching up on sleep following the hectic day before. By noon I'd made my way down to the hotel's large and perfectly equipped gym to find Jim, Mark and our tour manager Tim already there and sweating their way through various trials of torture. For the next 90 minutes I did the same. The weather in Istanbul could not be better; bright, sunny and in the mid 70s F. Our palatial hotel is located on the Strait of Bosphorus and the swimming pool is at the edge of that waterway, looking across to Asia. An Olympic size pool that was impossible to resist, we all made our way out to expose yards of white flesh and soak up some vitamin D. That's D not G.
That evening we had a remarkably delicious dinner, all present, at Topaz. The restaurant overlooks the Bosphorus, it's hills teaming with homes apartments, businesses and the bridge. A massive, orange, full moon rising slowly over the horizon completed the scene. A big hit was baked beef rib, a large one that was slowly roasted for 9 hours, the meat falling from the bleached bone. I ordered stuffed grape leaves followed by a grilled sea bass. Many bottles of Turkish wine were enjoyed. I've had wine from Turkey before and didn't particularly like it so wasn't expecting much but I have to say, I've changed my mind and will begin looking at them with a new view and seeking them out.
A good deal of talk centred around George Jones who died early Friday morning in Nashville and he was toasted all around the table. Jones was arguably the best country singer of the last 60 years and possibly ever. I was very fortunate to have played on a couple of his albums but my first encounter with George Jones came way back in 1956. My dad was working in radio then as an announcer in Chicago and would often bring home stacks of 45 rpm singles that the station no longer wanted or didn't fit their format. Already, at the age of 5, I was hooked on these magic discs of black plastic that with the help of a "machine" came to life with music and singing. In amongst the stacks was a record with a bright yellow label adorned with stars at the top and stylish script that I was still too young to read. I put it on my little RCA singles player, dropped the tone arm down and fell in love with the sound of the music and the guy singing. That record was You Gotta Be My Baby, the label was Starday and the singer was George Jones. Over the next 50+ years he would leave a stunning amount of wreckage in his wake from severe alcoholism, drug abuse, failed marriages, staggeringly poor business choices, horrible management, bankruptcies, very public meltdowns and simple indifference. But above the tragedy lies a shining body of recordings, thousands. I could go on and on about how important his records have been to me over the years...but won't. I'll just say this, if you own a George Jones record, listen to it again and if you don't.... get one. You won't be sorry and might just fall in love as I did almost 60 years ago.
We ended this day back at the hotel's outdoor bar overlooking the strait for a nightcap then off to bed.
Saturday the 27th was another slice of heaven only warmer. After a cup of coffee I headed back to the pool. I plan to take advantage of this weather as we'll no doubt be back to cooler climes soon enough. Istanbul is a transcontinental city of nearly 14 million people that straddles the Bosphorus, two-thirds of it population is European and one-third Asian. Tonight's venue, Ulker Sports Arena is on the Asian side of the city. With a teaming population, traffic in this city is insane so it was decided we would boat across the Bosphorus to the Asian side and cut much of the time sitting in traffic. It was a rough but enjoyable ride and we docked on the continent of Asia in about 30 minutes. Our drivers were stuck in traffic and we cooled our heals for another half hour there at the dock watching the people dressed for summer out walking, biking and rollerblading. At last the Range Rovers arrived, we got in and hit more gridlock arriving at the venue past 5 o'clock. A quick bowl of soup in catering then soundcheck to work out some of the bugs of the Bucharest show. That done, it was back to catering for a wonderful dinner, a mezza platter... mixed plate of Turkish foods, grilled meats, vegetables, fish, stuffed artichoke hearts, rice and cous-cous. Tonight also saw the return of the Meet and Greet. Not quite the extravaganza or length of old but lots of fun. Mike and John taking the lead, Guy and I strumming along with their reels and waltzes... Mark signing a few posters.
Back to the dressing room with just enough time to change clothes, warm up the fingers a little more and take the stage albeit after a 15 minute delay due the crowd being slow getting in. The venue is new and holds 12,000, seating around the perimeter and standing floor. What a gig it was, many of the slight mishaps of the first show behind us and the surety of this band back in full force. We changed the set a little and included Postcards From Paraguay a song we recorded on the Shangri-La album and have only played a couple of times live, way back when. It, like everything else was steaming. Feels like we're back up on the horse again, the two hour set passing like a few minutes.... at least to us up there on stage. The Istanbul audience was loud in their approval. Before we knew it, we were running after the last encore, in the Rovers and making our way back to the European side of Istanbul. The traffic more cooperative this direction, we were at the hotel in the time it took to drink a beer. Another full band gathering at the outdoor bar looking out on the Bosphorus for a nightcap and talk through a few more details and improvements that can be brought to the show. Tomorrow's another day off... what a schedule.
Privateering Tour (2013)admin April 28, 2013
Sofia, Bulgaria 29 April 2013
Bucharest, Romania 25 April 2013


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Three candidates have been nominated by the national groups of the Permanent Court of Arbitration: Professor Marcelo Kohen, from Argentina (nominated by the Argentine national group); Professor Paulo Borba Casella, from Brazil; and Professor Leonardo Nemer Caldeira Brandt, from Brazil (both nominated by the Brazilian national group).
In casual elections produced by the death of a judge, it is expected that the judge will be replaced by a national of a member of the same regional group (but not necessarily from the same country).[3] In this case, the vacancy should be filled by a national of a member of the Latin American and Caribbean Group in the United Nations. Therefore, the election of any of the three nominated candidates (Kohen, Casella, or Nemer) would be in line with the established tradition.
This section includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help to improve this section by introducing more precise citations. (August 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), based in The Hague, is one of the principal organs of the United Nations. Also known as the World Court, it adjudicates legal disputes between states, and provides advisory opinions on legal questions submitted by other UN organs or agencies.
The court consists of 15 judges, with five judges elected every three years. In the case of death or other vacancy, a judge is elected for the remainder of the term. Judges are required to be independent and impartial; they may not exercise any political or administrative function, and do not act as a representative of their home state.
Elections of members of the Court are governed by articles 2 through 15 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice.
Election procedure
The General Assembly and the Security Council proceed, independently of one another, to elect five members of the Court.
To be elected, a candidate must obtain an absolute majority of votes both in the General Assembly and in the Security Council. The words "absolute majority" are interpreted as meaning a majority of all electors, whether or not they vote or are allowed to vote. Thus 97 votes constitute an absolute majority in the General Assembly and 8 votes constitute an absolute majority in the Security Council (with no distinction being made between permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council).
Qualifications and the role of nationality
Article 2 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice provides that judges shall be elected "regardless of their nationality" and must possess "high moral character" as well as "the qualifications required in their respective countries for appointment to the highest judicial offices, or are jurisconsults of recognized competence in international law."
In casual elections called because of the death of a judge, there is a tradition that he will be replaced by a judge from the same region, but not necessarily from the same nationality. In 9 of the 20 causal elections celebrated so far, the successor judge has been of a different nationality of that of his predecessor.[4] In this case, the election of any of the three nominated candidates would respect this tradition, as they are all GRULAC nationals: Marcelo Kohen is an Argentine national, Paulo Borba Casella is a Brazilian national, and Leonardo Nemer Caldeira Brandt is a Brazilian national.
Nomination procedure
Nominations of candidates for election to the ICJ are made by a group consisting of the members of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), designated by each State.[5] For this purpose, members of the PCA act in "national groups" (i.e. all the PCA members from any individual state). In the case of UN member states not represented in the PCA, the state in question may select up to four individuals to be its "national group" for the purpose of nominating candidates to the ICJ.
Every "national group" may nominate up to four candidates, not more than two of whom shall be of their own nationality. For casual elections such as this one, it is extremely rare for national groups to nominate more than one candidate. Before making these nominations, each "national group" is recommended to consult its highest court of justice, its legal faculties and schools of law, and its national academies and national sections of international academies devoted to the study of law.[5]
By a communication dated 22 June 2022, the Secretary-General of the United Nations invited the "national groups" to undertake the nomination of persons as judges of the ICJ.
2022 candidates
Marcelo Kohen, Secretary-General of the Institut de Droit International and Full Professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, from Argentina, was the first nominated candidate.[6]
Unusually, the Brazilian national group of the PCA nominated two candidates: Paulo Borba Casella, Full Professor at the University of São Paulo, and Leonardo Nemer Caldeira Brant, Full Professor at the University of Minas Gerais and Founder and President of the International Law Center (CEDIN) in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The Brazilian Federal Government is supporting the candidacy of Professor Caldeira Brant.[7][8]
Nevertheless, Casella still is and remains a candidate. Most recently, Professor Casella has released a statement to diplomatic sources reaffirming his candidacy. A few weeks before, Casella had denounced that he had been forced to interrupt his candidacy by the "express determination" of Jair Bolsonaro, "for ideological reasons and in retaliation to positions defended by me in articles and interviews".[9]
As of 11 August 2022, the nominated candidates for the 2022 election are as follows:
Nominated by the "national group" of
Marcelo Kohen Argentina Argentina
Paulo Borba Casella Brazil Brazil
Leonardo Nemer Caldeira Brant Brazil Brazil
^ "Security Council Decides to Fill International Court of Justice Vacancy at Election on 4 November, Adopting Resolution 2638 (2022) | UN Press". press.un.org. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
^ Ribeiro C. Marques, Rodolfo (2022-06-17). "In Memoriam: Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade". EJIL: Talk!. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
^ Pérez-Aznar, Facundo (2022-09-07). "Casual Vacancies in the ICJ: Law, Practice, and Policy". EJIL: Talk!. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
^ a b "Members of the Court". Retrieved 16 April 2021.
^ "Corte Internacional de Justicia: Candidatura del Dr. Marcelo Kohen". www.cancilleria.gob.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-07-31.
^ "Corte Internacional de Justicia: Candidatura do Dr. Leonardo Nemer Caldeira Brant". www.gov.com.br (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-08-11.
^ "GEBRICS in support of Prof Paulo Borba Casella's nomination for the International Court of Justice. – Grupo de Estudos sobre os BRICS (GEBRICS)". sites.usp.br. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
^ "GEBRICS/USP: Nota de Esclarecimento". www.instagram.com/p/ChLCx4FuKbt/ (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-08-26.
International Court of Justice elections

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
ManagementToday
35 Women Under 35
Britain's Most Admired Companies
A Co-op and Nisa tie-up would be most convenient
There are cultural as well as commercial reasons to get hitched.
by Adam Gale
The Co-operative Group has emerged as the leading suitor for independent grocery wholesaler Nisa. The two are now in exclusive talks over a £140m acquisition, leaving Sainsbury's out in the cold.
The groceries sector is under intense pressure from three forces – the growth of online shopping, the market-share-stealing rise of Aldi and Lidl and, most importantly, the shift to convenience shopping.
The latter pushed Tesco to strike a £3.7bn deal to acquire leading wholesaler Booker in January this year. That's since been stalled by the competition authorities, but it's left Nisa nervous. The wholesaler, which supplies over 3,000 stores, had been in exclusive talks with Sainsbury's, until the grocery major got cold feet. Could the Co-op be a better fit?
What's in it for the Co-op?
The Co-op's strategy is to target the convenience sector, where it is widely considered second only to Tesco. Nisa is a major wholesale supplier to the convenience sector – both its own members and other operators. The obvious advantages for the Co-op therefore are greater buying power and a bigger slice of a growing sector, where finding suitable locations is becoming more and more difficult.
What's in it for Nisa?
Fundamentally, Nisa doesn't want to be left behind. The possible emergence of a Tesco-Booker behemoth sent ripples through the sector. The fact that Morrison's recently nabbed its contract to supply McColl's – a contract representing over a third of Nisa's revenues – will only have focused its mind.
The acquisition faces two major obstacles. The first is the Competition and Markets Authority. It scared Sainsbury's off, but then the Co-op is a lot smaller and therefore, you'd think, less likely to come a cropper. The only real risk here is if the CMA looks at the convenience market only, where the Co-op is more significant.
The second obstacle is the membership. Nisa is a mutual, owned by its store members, many of whom are suspicious of handing their business to a listed company. As 70% need to approve any deal, it's possible Sainsbury's wouldn't have managed it in any case.
But the Co-op isn't listed. It's also a mutual, albeit of the customer-owned variety, so its values and business model are much more closely aligned.
Read more: Why Aldi and Lidl will make it the Big Six
Image credit: Sludge G/Flickr
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This is a foundation course - Introduction to Validation for medical technology industry.
Know about the lifecycle of validation.
Appreciate the documents and records required to support process validation.


Abstract: Methods for Taqman quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assays to detect the three serotypes of Marek's disease virus (MDV) are available, and absolute quantification has been developed for MDV serotype 1 and serotype 3. The development of a method for absolute quantification of Marek's disease virus serotype 2 (MDV2) is described in this paper. Using plasmid DNA, the lower detection limit of the MDV2 assay was determined to be 10 copies. Three independent assay runs showed highly reproducible Ct values and calculated copy numbers, with mean intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation of less than 3% for Ct and less than 21.5% for calculated copy number. Absolute quantification of MDV2 was performed successfully on dust samples collected from poultry farms across Australia, material from infectious spleens and feather tips from chickens vaccinated with an attenuated strain of MDV2. Thus, it is now possible to use qPCR assays for absolute quantification of all three serotypes of MDV in a sample.


text:
Q: Swift UITextView HTML Image causes crash when copying I currently have a UITextView that would represent an article in the app that I'm making. From the database, I am pulling a simple string that contains HTML formatting that I parse on-device. This is the function that parses the HTML for reference.
let htmlData = NSString(string: s).data(using: String.Encoding.unicode.rawValue);
    let options = [NSAttributedString.DocumentReadingOptionKey.documentType:
        NSAttributedString.DocumentType.html];
    do{
        let t = try NSMutableAttributedString(data: htmlData ?? Data(), options: options, documentAttributes: nil);
        t.addAttribute(NSAttributedString.Key.font, value: UIFont(name: "SFProDisplay-Regular", size: CGFloat(fontSize)) as Any, range: NSMakeRange(0, t.length));
        return t;
    }
    catch let error{
        print(error);
        return NSMutableAttributedString(string: s);
    }

Anyways, in the article, this is the html code that is causing the issue:
Thanks!

On the app, it currently looks like this:

When long pressed, it opens up this menu on ios:

When pressing on the copy image button, it throws this error in xcode:
Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInvalidArgumentException', reason: '-[_UIConcretePasteboard setImage:]: Argument is not an object of type UIImage [(null)]'

I've looked online for a solution but it seems like there hasn't been anyone else with this issue. I've only seen solutions for people who have had issues pasting to the uitextview. I would think that converting the image into a UIImage would help fix this issue but I have no clue on where to start with an html image. Anything that will point me in the right direction will be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
I wanna hear... true stories Bukowski would like to hear (1 Viewer)
Thread starter Saul
Lets hear true stories Bukowski would like to hear. I'll start...
Well, right after my cousins wedding reception, which was lame, (but I still managed to get drunk,) me and another cousin of mine went to the nearest watering hole, Your Fathers Mustache. We drank some more and ran into a mutual friend of ours, Julie.
We stepped out to have a smoke and it was piss pouring rain, so we went to duck into an ally to stay dry and puff, then some guy looked at us and said, "Hey, so are you dragging that girl in there to rape her?" He sounded very sincere. I looked at him and said something along the lines of, "At least we're getting some", the surrounding people laughed, and we continued into our ally for a smoke. Drunk as we were, we were having a good time.
As soon as we walked out after the smoke, I was being peppered with shots. Fists coming at me, hard. I put my hands over my ears and elbows guarding my face, I fell on my back onto the busiest street east of St. Catherine's O and made a pathetic attempt to kick assholes feet out from under him, like I said, pathetic. He whooped me good for awhile, I was as drunk as a fuck, but he never got me in the face. The night before I was watching a vintage boxing match and admired how they blocked their faces, thank fuck I learned something, I somehow got away during the onslaught and got back into the bar, played it cool, though obviously shakin; my cousin came in right afterwards telling me how huge he was and how he must have been a professional fighter; I knew, I could feel it.
I just wanted him to shut up, the bartender was real pretty.
True story, would tell it more often if I hadda got a hit in
CarversDog
Okay. True story, except the names have been changed. This is how my blog, Carver's Dog, got it's name. Here goes ....
Trace hit the hotel bar early that night. He was there at six o'clock sharp when Jose opened the double doors to the windowless den with a frayed pool table, a jukebox stocked with rock classics, and uncomfortable chocolate brown vinyl booths on either side of the room.
Trace poured his weary frame into a stool at the bar and ordered a tall bourbon and water. His mood was as shaky and delicate as a fault line. Earlier in the day, his editor had bumped his two front page features to the next issue, which meant he had to make a quick duck into the porno ghetto in order to pay the rent on his room that month.
"Would you like to write an all-girl strap-on movie?" his friend Norman, the porn director, asked when Trace called pleading for work. "Not a lot of story but enough to make a cable sale."
"Give me a few hours to think about it," Trace had said.
Thirty minutes later he called Norman back.
"We'll do a spoof of Chuck Palahniuk's "Fight Club' called "Strap-On Club'," Trace offered.
"You mean the movie "Fight Club'?" Norman replied.
"The movie, the book, whatever, the idea remains the same. A secret club to help vent frustration but in this case it's chicks instead of guys and instead of fighting they screw each other with strap-ons."
Trace's left ear, always prone to infection, throbbed at the violent burst of laughter coming through the phone receiver.
"That's a terrific idea!" Norman enthused. "Go write it up and I'll have a check for you on Monday."
Three hours later, with the script complete and delivered, Trace sat in the hotel bar nursing his third bourbon and water, trying to chase the "Strap-On Club" dialogue out of his head.
TAYLOR BOURON: I want you to fuck me as hard as you can.
SUSAN: What? In your ass?
TAYLOR BOURBON: Surprise me.
SUSAN: This is so fucking stupid.
By the time he asked Jose for a sixth bourbon and water, "Strap-On Club" had receded to the back of his mind.
And then the dog appeared. As usual, Trace smelled the dog before he saw it. The animal was so old and decrepit that Trace couldn't determine the mongrel's age but clearly it was a very aged hound. It's brown and black coat had huge patches of fur missing and the exposed skin was red and scaly. The dog's black eyes were wet and glassy. Its left leg was game and its back was contorted in a painful arthritic hump. A tongue hung loose from the animal's moist, saliva-strewn mouth as if it were trying to escape the two rows of rotting teeth. And the smell of the animal was simply ungodly.
The dog's owner, by contrast, was a clean-cut, barrel-chested man in his late fifties. With the dog's leash firmly wrapped around his left hand, the dog owner occupied a stool next to Trace and ordered a beer. The two men exchanged a curt nod.
"What's the deal with your dog?" Trace blurted.
"How's that?"
"I can tell when you and your dog have been in the elevator because the smell lingers for an hour."
The man drank his longneck Budweiser straight from the bottle.
"The dog's old and sick," the man said blankly.
"How old is he?"
The man hiked his shoulders. "Don't know. He was a pup when I got him in '88 but he might have already been a year old then."
"What's his name?"
"Bath."
Trace laughed. "Isn't that ironic?"
"You never bathe the damn thing."
"Can't. He's in too much pain. Can't touch the poor thing really."
"Cancer?"
"Don't know, can't really afford to take him to the vet."
Trace then felt bad for both the dog and it's owner. The man spoke again after another pull off the beer bottle.
"Not exactly ironic in the literal sense of the word."
Trace hated having his talent with words challenged.
"Well, sure it is," he said. "When you got the dog I'm sure you didn't think that the day would come that he'd be so sick and decayed that you couldn't bathe him. Hence, the name Bath is very ironic, I would say."
The man ordered another beer and contemplated Trace's words for a moment.
"I named him Bath after a Raymond Carver short story called "Bath'. I got Bath in Port Angeles, Washington, in 1988 right after Carver died. That's where he lived, you know, Port Angeles."
"Uh-huh." Trace signaled Jose for a refill.
"I was doing yard hauling for a guy who lived down the street from Carver. He got three dogs from Carver's dog's litter and he said I could have one if I cut my rate just a little bit as he was on a limited income."
"Wow." Trace regarded the pile of leashed mange on the floor with new respect. "Raymond Carver's dog, huh?"
"Yup."
"But why Bath?"
"It's my favorite Carver story. You know his stuff?"
"Absolutely."
"Bath is the story about the mother who orders a birthday cake for her little boy but on the way to school on the morning of his birthday party the boy is hit by a car and -"
"Yeah, yeah," Trace interjected. "I remember that one. Altman used it in "Short Cuts'."
Two Union Pacific railroad workers swaggered into the bar. One of them fed a dollar into the jukebox and punched up "L.A. Woman." Trace knew the two men. They would shoot pool and play Doors songs all night long.
"Well, goodnight." he said to the dog owner as he slipped off the bar stool.
Back in his room, Trace searched his book shelves for the Carver volume. There were books everywhere in his room. In the entranceway there was a bricks-and-board shelf laden with books. One of those Office Depot particle board bookshelves stood next to his bed. More books were piled behind the ratty sofa and even more rested in boxes in the closet.
After an hour of searching he finally located the dog-eared paperback of Carver's "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love." He stretched his legs out on the bed - they were throbbing from the psoriatic arthritis - and lay down on his back with the Carver book in hand.
Instead of reading, though, Trace fell asleep and he dreamed about naked women with large strap-on dildos being chased by an insane and rabid dog.
"TAYLOR BOURON: I want you to fuck me as hard as you can.
SUSAN: This is so fucking stupid."
AaaahAHAHAH!!! Great story,
Thanks for sharing ! Now I'm going to listen to L.A Women and wait for another....
Glad you enjoyed it. The movie is now available on DVD at smut retailers everywhere. Seriously. (We even did a sequel -- the damn thing did that well on PPV)
Are you plugging? man .... come on, shameless.....
Anyone else have another good true stories?
No, I was not plugging. That story (and the attendant movie referenced) is two years old. What I was doing was playing along with your request -- did you notice how few members have taken you up on that? -- and I made a sardonic remark as a follow-up ("The movie is now available on DVD at smut retailers everywhere"). My suggestion to you is to go back and read the story again with your reading comprehension skills on hyper-overdrive, my friend. Does it sound like some dreck like "Strap-On Club" is something I am proud of? Something I want to plug? Me shameless? Look at my profile. I'm kinda new around here but I do have 339 posts to date. You think I'm hanging around here plugging porn? Jesus. Thanks for stopping by.
Sad Flower in the Sand
CarversDog said:
You think I'm hanging around here plugging porn? Jesus. Thanks for stopping by.
However... if you WANTED to... I'd gladly click any link to porn that you've got. Especially big ass porn. That'd be a-ok by me.
Oh God. When I was writing for AVN (Adult Video News), I reviewed a lot of product in that "big ass" sub-genre. I was always willing to take product for review that none of the other writers wanted ... big ass, Joe Francis' ridiculous "Girls Gone Wild" crap, tons of amateur porn like the Homegrown Video stuff, Rodney Moore (though I drew the line at Max Hardcore).
Sorry Carvers dog, I did read you story to quickly after too many beers last night. You fooled my drunk wits with "Seriously. (We even did a sequel -- the damn thing did that well on PPV)"
I enjoyed it even more today, hungover and all. Thanks for it.
And I also thought this thread would have been entertaining, don't know why there's no response, any ideas?
Just give it time...
one night years ago when I was in my early '20s a bunch of friends and I were at a small beach town on vacation. we were standing in the parking lot of the only bar in town trying to figure out how to get back to our cottage. I overheard a girl standing with her group of friends say she was cold. so I walked over, took off my shorts, handed them to her, and walked back to my group.
someone asked why I did that and I said "Because I'm a gentleman, motherfucker."
that got a few laughs, but the kicker is that the young woman after a while decided to take me home with her.
ok, that may not be my funniest story, but it has the best ending.
I typed a whole short story and timed out and lost it all.
A guy I met, Mark, was in San Quentin for armed robbery-liquor store like $187-he did 10 years. He was a nice guy otherwise. He was big and was a great talker. While he was in three young guys who had a master key for phone booths had just been placed in with him. They took over $300,000. before they got caught. It was a famous case since they were traveling all across the U.S. before they got caught.
Mark had just been turned down for the third time for parole so he was flaming hot pissed off so the whole prison yard knew it. One of the young phone booth bandits heard about it and came over to ask him. Mark being the eternal smart ass poured it on heavy. When the kid asked him, "I heard you got turned down for parole. What did you do?"
MarK said, " You know you can rob banks or stores and it's easy 4 or 5 years, but just take a little bit of lousy chang out of a couple of pay phone and they act like you shot the president."
He went on," Whatever you do , man, don't fuck with the electric company, the gas company and espeacially don't fuck with the phone company. Their gonna' see to it That I never get out over $32 lousy dollars in change."
Thank you for the apology, Saul. I appreciate it. And I apologize if I responded rather harshly. I, too, was enjoying a few bottles of suds.
alright, i got a few but this one is my "stopper".
so me and a friend are going to the local dive bar, and instead of driving drunk as usual, we decide to do the right thing and ride our bikes the 4 blocks and be good citizens.
we drink a few hours at the bar, and when it's time to go back home we take our drinks to go(very frowned upon in this town for some reason). as we're peddling out of the parking lot, a cop car pulls in and hits the lights. i hightail it into the wooded area behind the bar but my friend isn't so lucky. for the next hour he's handcuffed in the back of the car, and since he's on probation for 3 previous dui's, he figures he's about to do 11 months and 29 days. he is eventually released with a public drunk ticket that'll cost $150.
now the good part. we get back to my house but my girlfriend is passed out drunk inside and can't hear us banging on the door. we go down the street to a friend's house to use his phone but he's not home. but, the door's unlocked so we go inside, get a few beers and use the phone. we finally get inside my house and commence to tackle a handle of whiskey. there's a party going on across the street, so my friend starts throwing a football into the crowd of drinkers, and someone keeps throwing it back. then the cops come to break up the party, the kids go inside, we go inside, the cops leave, we go back on my porch, my friend yells to the party that "we won", and from out of nowhere the cops bum rush my porch screaming "don't move, you're under arrest!!!"
instinctively we go inside and lock the door. they're pounding, beating on the door, screaming "open the door or we're gonna break it down!!!"
so i finally open it, the cop wrestles me to the ground, they drag me out of my living room, literally, into a cop car. now there are about a dozen cop cars on my block, blue lights flashing like someone was murdered. i try to kick the back window out of the car for a few minutes, but i give up when the cop threatens mace into my eyes. i go to jail for the night, the cops turn my house upside down looking for god knows what(finding nothing) and i get out the next day with no charges against me whatsoever. i guess they realized i did nothing wrong but they had nothing better to do.....
I guess the message here, James, is that the universe conspired to ensure you got arrested that night. Good story.
Classic, laughed out loud when you said you hightailed it into the woods. Your lucky you didn't get a licken from them James for booting at their window.....
Well, I can't top James' story, but one very hot July or August night in 1989, or '90, at a New London, CT reggae bar, the L&G Club, I got hammered. And the line for the men's room was horribly long, and people were hanging out in the street. The girl I was with was hanging outside much of the time with her lesbian friend, who was hotter than she was, but no matter.
So, I've got to piss like a race horse, and I come outside and duck into the alley next to the club, unzip, and let go. No sooner had I done felt the engorgment of my urethra when I feel a rather authoritative tapping on my left shoulder. In mid-stream; a drunken, full-bladdered mid-stream, by the way, I turn to see what's up, and it's a New London cop looking none too pleased. He was about to be even less pleased as it took a little while to cut the flow before it hit his polished shoes.
Well, I was not completely successful on cutting it off, but I did do a little hip-duck to back away (it's amazing how quickly you can sober up when need be) and missed his shoes by inches (hell, I'm sure it splashed). I got put hands-up against the side of the building, and, after answering several questions that I can't remember (poorly, I might add), I managed to produce something that Buk would not have had: an ID for a local company that employed many people and was well-respected in the area.
So here ends the debacle; I got off, sent sheepishly to wait in line to take a piss like all other civilized human beings, and I may have even gotten some that night (fucked if I can remember), but damn, that lesbian had some sprightly tits...
i think bukowski would have loved this man
justin grimbol
A True Douchebag...(Not Obama)
I would have raped you earlier, but I had too much invested in you as donkey
I have no secrets. A character from Bukowski stories...
Bill Sikes
Who would of thought...


Fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are excellent tools for monitoring mechanical and thermal strains, and have widespread application in the structural health monitoring (SHM) of aerospace, civil, and mechanical structures. A common approach used for interrogating FBG sensors involves the illumination of the sensor with a broadband laser source and the narrowband reflected light reflected from the FBG is monitored with a wavelength sensitive optical detection system. The thermal or mechanical perturbations experienced by the FBG sensor lead to a shift in its reflectivity spectrum. In this work, an alternative interrogation scheme is presented that uses an FBG based narrowband tunable laser source produced by incorporating the FBG into a fiber ring laser cavity as an optical feedback element. The laser cavity consists an erbium doped fiber (EDF) connected to the FBG at the output of the fiber ring, which allows for the generation of the required amplified stimulated emission (ASE) in the C-band and lasing at the center wavelength of the FBG reflectivity spectrum. With this interrogation scheme, the wavelength of the resulting narrowband laser source tracks the center wavelength of the FBG sensor as it drifts due to quasi-static and/or dynamic mechanical and thermal strains. In addition, the instantaneous spectral line-width of the laser source is effectively narrowed owing to the long length of the laser cavity, which facilitates highly sensitive demodulation of dynamic shifts of the lasing wavelength with a high coherence optical interferometer.


Getting off to a fast start isn't an exact science.
There is no magic button to press where players will score on the first play from scrimmage on any given night. Hopefully the team is prepared enough and coaches can make the right call.
For Nicholls State University, starting fast is more of an art form, the perfect mixture of defensive control and offensive explosion to create a body of work that rivals the masters of the craft.
The picture is never the same, but the result always is: a true masterpiece of football production.
For the past month — really, the whole season, but especially the past month —the Colonels start every Saturday with a brush in its hand.
Nicholls scored points on seven of its opening drives this year through 12 total games, including each of the past six outings.
The past three weeks in particular, the Colonels put the ball in the end zone with its initial touches, none more impressive than the way they scored on the first play from scrimmage against Southeastern Louisiana on a 14-yard take by running back Dontrell Taylor.
Taylor followed up his performance nine days later, again darting his way past the goal line on the second snap of a win against San Diego in the first round of the playoffs.
"Us starting fast brings energy and sets the tone," Taylor said. "Us as an offense starting fast, it helps the defense a lot. It takes the pressure off of them and makes the game go by smoothly. It give us the confidence to keep playing every play."
The simple truth of why Nicholls wants to get out to a fast start is because it almost always equates with winning.
The Colonels have won 13 consecutive games when scoring a touchdown on the opening drive, stretching back to Rebowe's second week on the bayou when Nicholls lost to Incarnate Word after scoring on a 5-yard touchdown pass for the only blemish. Fittingly, those were also the first points ever scored under a Rebowe-led team.
In total, Nicholls scored touchdowns on 14 first drives, punted 16 times, turned over on downs five times, intercepted four times, fumbled twice, kicked field goals twice, missed field goals twice and gave up a safety in a particularly disastrous opener Sam Houston State in 2015.
"It's all on the players," Rebowe said. "If we, as coaches, knew what that was, boy, we'd be rich. Mentally, it just gets in your head. Our guys feel like we're all on the same page offensively. Any guy that touches the ball has the mindset that you can do that (score)."
How Nicholls gets off to its fast starts varies wildly, but for at least this season the first snap from scrimmage tends to be an indicator of success.
Nicholls picked up positive yardage on all but two first plays during games in 2018, earning a first down six times.
As most teams do, Nicholls scripts the first series of plays beforehand, which is done by offensive coordinator Rob Christopher with occasionally some input from quarterback Chase Fourcade. Typically the ball ends up in Fourcade's hands, who has completed 7-of-8 pass attempts for a whopping 134 yards to open games.
Last Saturday was the biggest of them all when he hit wide receiver Damion Jeanpiere Jr. on a short curl route that the senior carried 53 yards to set up Taylor's score.
Fourcade to Dai'Jean Dixon has been the most common opener for Nicholls, accounting for three first plays.
"It's preparation," Fourcade said. "Me, personally, I've been preparing well enough for each team we've been playing and it's shown on Saturdays in knowing where to go with the football and getting to the right guys and knowing each play."


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When the coronavirus struck the United States, it didn't just come for our health; it came to take our jobs as well. As the world slowly begins to return to itself, you may wonder what are the best degrees for the future? What will the most employable degrees end up being? With social distancing measures in place to slow the spread of the virus, business has taken a backseat to public health. To put it bluntly, Covid-19 has caused the American economy to come to a screeching halt, and when it begins the process of recovery, it could be unrecognizable.
While no one knows exactly what the future holds for the U.S. job market, it's safe to say that some careers will be preserved, and others may even flourish in the coming years. In this article, we'll share some of our forecasts regarding career paths that could prove recession-proof as well as those that may come out on top, despite the economic damage incurred by Covid-19.
Some of the top degrees in demand for the future will most certainly be in education. Devoted teachers who are there to guide students as they struggle to work through the chaos this pandemic has caused.
Although schools across the nation have closed their physical campuses due to the coronavirus pandemic, teachers continue to work hard–perhaps even harder than before–to provide their students with a quality education. As parents around the nation scramble to assist their children with distance education assignments, they're realizing just how vital educators are to student success.
No matter how our economy fares in the future, kids will always need an education, and licensed teachers are the most qualified individuals to provide it.
One of the best degrees to pursue in the wake of this pandemic will be in psychology. As people struggle to acclimate to the changes that have happened, the need for qualified psychologists will be more important than ever.
In recent decades, society has come to recognize the importance of mental health services. Once regarded as only necessary for a small percentage of the population, psychological and counseling services have become more commonplace over the years.
In the wake of the pandemic, jobs in the mental health services have proven even more important. Social distancing measures have caused some segments of the population, such as senior citizens, for example, to become isolated from their family members. It's well-known that feelings of alienation can exacerbate or even cause depression. Fear of becoming sick or losing one's job amid the public health crisis has also led to heightened anxiety for many.
All things considered, it's likely we'll see more career opportunities for psychologists in the future, and some of these positions may involve telehealth services.
Biological Technician
Certainly one of the best degrees for the future will be in the field of biology. Biological scientists will feature prominant in containing and conquering the coronavirus.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), jobs for biological technicians were growing faster than the average occupation even before the pandemic hit. Now, these professionals are in high demand due to the greater need for medical research to find treatments for Covid-19. Widespread testing for the novel coronavirus has also resulted in more open positions for biological technicians.
And there's more good news for individuals interested in a career as a biological technician. Since medical research probing Covid-19 and viruses like it will likely continue long after the current public health crisis subsides, job opportunities for qualified individuals will likely experience a boom for at least the next decade.
The many questions posed by the coronavirus pandemic will take many years, and many minds, to answer and biology technicians are crucial to this process.
The catastrophic failure in the supply chain as the pandemic has swept the country is clearly evident. When considering some of the best degrees for the future, competent supply chain managers will be crucial in keeping such a breakdown from happening again.
Employment of supply chain managers was growing steadily before anyone had ever heard of Covid-19. Since the pandemic began, demand for these professionals has increased. Why? Because the novel coronavirus has thrown a wrench into the national (and global) supply chain. Because of mandatory business closures and restrictions on travel, buyers have had a harder time tracking their supplies, and the movement of commodities has slowed down considerably. These are problems that can have disastrous effects for all stakeholders involved from the manufacturer all the way down to the consumer. Highly proficient supply chain managers and logisticians are needed to quickly create solutions to these problems.
There's a good chance that the demand for supply chain managers will remain high even after we start to see cases of coronavirus decline. Having experienced the worst-case scenario for supply chains, companies will likely want to hire these experts to ensure they're prepared in the event that another disaster strikes.
Accountant/Auditor
When we begin to start repairing and rebuilding the economy, "number crunchers" will prove invaluable in helping to sort things out. One of the best degrees for the future is a bachelor's and/or master's in accounting.
The job of an accountant or auditor has proven to be relatively recession-proof for two reasons. For one, keeping good financial records is a necessity for companies, not an option. This is especially true during tax season. Secondly, accountants and auditors have highly specialized skill sets, meaning not just anyone can perform their duties.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported careers in accountancy and auditing to be growing steadily pre-pandemic, and there's no reason to expect a dramatic downturn.
Healthcare workers have proven to be the true warrior heroes during these dark times. When considering what the best degrees for the future, think about pursuing the path towards being a physician assistant.
It's no wonder that jobs in healthcare are currently experiencing an uptick. As the coronavirus threatens to overwhelm hospitals and medical facilities across the United States, there's a greater need for healthcare professionals who can provide medical services and treatment to this influx of patients. Physician assistants are in particularly high demand because they are qualified to perform many of the same tasks as doctors, yet they can be trained in less time.
Due in large part to the aging baby boomer population, the demand for physician assistants was incredibly high even before the Covid-19 health crisis. The need for these professionals is even higher now.
The COVID-19 outbreak has made many realize just how crucial reliable technology is in the modern world. One of the best degrees in an uncertain economy will certainly be in the field of information technology.
The coronavirus has completely changed how we interact with others on a daily basis. Due to social distancing measures, we've all been forced to learn, work, socialize, and conduct business from afar. In doing so, we've realized just how useful technology can be. From Zoom classrooms to new telehealth apps, technology has stepped in to bridge the six-foot-plus gap that must now separate us all.
That technology doesn't create itself, though. Software developers are currently in high demand because of their ability to create web-based applications that solve the problems social distancing has created. Thanks to these professionals, we're finding ways to stay connected and remain productive even during times of quarantine.
Software developers won't likely be pushed aside after the coronavirus crisis has ended, though. As we realize new uses for software applications, we may continue to rely on them even after the immediate need has passed. That will mean prolonged job security for developers.
Many things have changed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. One thing that hasn't is that people will not agree on issues both great and small. In considering a career, one of the best degrees for the future will be in legal studies.
The occupation of a lawyer may not be the first that comes to mind when you consider jobs that will survive a recession, or a pandemic. Yet, legal experts find themselves in high demand whenever things go wrong, whether it be a car accident, a natural disaster, or yes, a global public health crisis.
The coronavirus has given attorneys an entirely new set of legal issues to address such as whether colleges should refund tuition and how much authority governments should have amid an outbreak, for example.
The bottom line? In good times and bad, people will find things to disagree about. Thus, lawyers will continue to be called upon to resolve these disputes.
Unfortunately, issues like child abuse, drug addiction, and terminal illness won't go away once the coronavirus wanes. These are the kinds of problems social workers are good at solving, so their careers will likely remain secure.
According to the BLS, employment opportunities for social workers were growing much faster than average prior to the public health crisis. In all likelihood, this upward trend will continue post-pandemic. Since Covid-19 has disrupted our lives in so many different ways, there will probably be an even greater need for professionals trained to address behavioral and emotional issues as we all attempt to recover some type of normalcy.
One thing this pandemic has taught us is that there will always be a need for nurses and other healthcare workers. Their devoted, tireless work on the frontlines has made us more aware of what has always been true…they are heroes.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there was a severe shortage of nurses even before the coronavirus overburdened our healthcare systems. Now, the need for licensed nurses has never been greater. Colleges and universities around the country are even allowing their senior nursing students to graduate early in order to fill open slots for qualified healthcare professionals. Moreover, hospitals and other medical facilities are offering nursing candidates higher salaries and signing bonuses to ensure a full staff.
As you consider our predictions regarding occupations that will survive the pandemic and thrive in its wake, keep in mind that we aren't looking to fill the job of fortune-teller. Since the future of our economy is currently so volatile, there are really no qualified candidates who could fill that role. Still, it's wise to consider all perspectives as you career-plan for life post-Covid-19.
Related Rankings:
Most Affordable Online Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education
Top Online Master's in Curriculum and Instruction
Most Affordable Online Doctorate Degrees in Education
Most Affordable Online Psychology Degree Programs
Most Affordable Online Bachelor's in Psychology
Most Affordable Online Bachelor's in Addiction Studies
Most Affordable Online Master's in Addiction Studies
Most Affordable Online Master's in Supply Chain and Logistics
15 Most Affordable Online Master's in Nursing
Most Affordable Online RN to BSN Programs
Most Affordable Online Bachelor's in Computer and IT Programs
Most Affordable Online Bachelor's in Web Design
Most Affordable Online Associate in Computer Programming
Most Affordable Online Bachelor's in Legal Studies
Most Affordable Online Bachelor's in Criminal Justice
Most Affordable Online Master's in Social Work With No GRE Required
Most Affordable Online Doctorates in Social Work With No GRE Requirements


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Trade with the Best STP Forex Broker
FinaCom certifies RAMMFX investment platform
By Jonathan Smith , Find me on Google+
The Financial Commission (FinaCom), the independent external dispute resolution (EDR), whose members include forex, CFD and binary options brokers and fintech companies, announced it has certified the investment platform provided by RAMMFX.
FinaCom has conducted a thorough review of the investment platform to make sure it meets the technical requirements, as well as its security, capacity, business disaster recovery and a continuity plan and reporting and record keeping.
"In order to provide traders with fair dispute resolution we must fully understand their system's construction and working process. RAMM investment platform is the latest technology certified by the Financial Commission", said Peter Tatarnikov, FinaCom chairman. "We will be happy to see more software providers certifying their products with us. Today we gladly announce successful certification of RAMM investment platform and believe it is a great step to leverage its credibility and grow its business globally."
RAMM (Risk Allocation & Money Management) is an investment system where less experienced investors can sign up for the services and trading strategies of proven investors, for a share of the profit. Usually it has risk management features that allow investors to choose their own optimal balance between yield and capital protection. From a legal point of view, it is a signal service. The RAMM service is being offered by some forex brokers like Alpari and RoboForex.
FinaCom is a non-government organization whose members include forex and binary options brokers and fintech companies providing services for the industry. It is based in Hong Kong and serves as a dispute resolution organization. It can also provide compensation for clients of its members.
TAGS: finacom rammfx
Broker Advantages
FXTM a regulated forex broker (regulated by CySEC, FCA and FSC), offering ECN trading on MT4 an MT5 platforms. Traders can start trading with as little as $10 and take advantage of tight fixed and variable spreads, flexible leverage and swap-free accounts.
Trading212 is a European broker with an excellent proprietary trading platform, which is now available as an iPhone app as well (we tried it out and we loved it). Trading 212's customers enjoy fast execution a vast selection of trading instruments.
XM is broker with great bonuses and promotions. Currently we are loving its $30 no deposit bonus and deposit bonus up to $5000. Add to this the fact that it's EU-regulated and there's nothing more you can ask for.
FXCM is one of the biggest forex brokers in the world, licensed and regulated on four continents. FXCM wins our admirations with its over 200,000 active live accounts and daily trading volumes of over $10 billion.
FxPro is a broker we are particularly keen on: it's regulated in the UK, offers Metatrader 4 (MT4) and cTrader – where the spreads start at 0 pips, Level II Pricing and Full Market Depth. And the best part? With FxPro you get negative balance protection.
FBS is a broker with cool marketing and promotions. It runs an ongoing monthly $999 forex contest, offers a $5 no-deposit bonus for anyone willing to try out its services, and an FBS MasterCard is also available for faster deposits and withdrawals.
FxChoice is a IFSC regulated forex broker, serving clients from all over the world. It offers premium trading conditions, including high leverage, low spreads and no hedging, scalping and FIFO restrictions.
HotForex is a EU Regulated broker, offering wide variety of trading accounts, including Auto, Social and Zero spread accounts. The minimum intial deposit for a Micro account is only $50 and is combined with 1000:1 leverage - one of the highest in the industry.
Exness is a leading forex broker, offering MT4 and MT5 platforms. Traders can take advantage from a true ECN environment and trade on ultra tight spreads, starting from 0 pips.
Broker Country Regulation Platform Min Deposit Review
Cyprus, UK, Mauritius CySec, FCA, IFSC MT4, MT5, Web $10 Review Website
UK, Bulgaria FCA, FSC Web €29 Review Website
Australia, Cyprus ASIC MT4, MT5,
IRESSTrader $100 Review Website
UK, Cyprus, Australia FCA, CySec, ASIC MT4, MT5 $5 Review Website
UK, Australia, South Africa FCA, ASIC, FSCA MT4, Trading
NinjaTrader $50 Review Website
UK, Cyprus, UAE, South Africa FCA, CySEC, DFSA, FSB MT4, MT5, FxPro
cTrader $100 Review Website
Cyprus CySEC MT4, MT5, Web $1 Review Website
Belize IFSC MT4, MT5 $100 Review Website
Cyprus, UK, South Africa, UAE CySec, FCA, FSCA, DFSA MT4, MT5, Web $5 Review Website
Cyprus, UK CySEC, FCA MT4, MT5 $1 Review Website
UK FCA MT4, Web, MT4
for Mac $100 Review Website
Australia, UK ASIC, FCA MT4, MT5,
More Forex Software News
Serenity blockchain trading platform announces the start of the ICO
Jan 26 2018 16:32:11
Serenity blockchain platform announces the start of the main ICO period, which will start on 25 January 2018 and will last for a total of six weeks, ending on 7 March. The main ICO period offers a unique opportunity for investors to purchase Serenity tokens with a 40% discount. Read more
Gold-i launches cryptocurrency bridge for MT4 and MT5 brokers
Oct 30 2017 12:09:36
Gold-i, the UK-based trading technology provider, has announced the launch of a new cryptocurrency solution for MetaTrader (MT4 and MT5) – the Crypto Switch. This is a bridge, which will allow brokers access to some of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges and liquidity providers. Read more
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TigerWit forex trading platform gets Bahamas license
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With the number of cryptocurrencies increasing every day, and their trading volumes breaking new all-time highs, Leverate decided to follow the biggest rising trend in the world of investment and finance. Read more
Match-Trade launches cryptopayment gateway for Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dash
Jul 31 2017 12:25:07
Match-Trade Technologies, a California-based fully integrated forex technology company announced it is launching a cryptopayment gateway. It will enable various institutions to process transfers in the most popular digital currencies and to automatically collect and send payments. Read more
Tradologic adds MT5 to portfolio
Tradologic, a fintech providing solutions predominantly for the binary options industry, announced it is adding the multiasset trading platform MetaTrader 5 (MT5) to its solutions portfolio. Read more
Fx Junction now hosts MT4, MT5 client terminals
FX Junction, a popular social forex trading platform, has announced it is now hosting user MetaTrader 4 and 5 terminals. This allows them to keep their account linked to the FX Junction trading profile at all times. Read more


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A Woman You Should Meet: Tamara Duarte
Jessica Morris Is Killing It
Like Sands Through the Hourglass, So Are the Days of Victoria Konefal's Life
Megan Hutchings Is Our Favourite Megan Who Stars in a Legal Drama
Denise Boutte Wants to Make Dinner With You
If Monica Gomez Is Planning Your Party, You Know You've Made It Big
Meet Jacqueline Legere, Reigning Champ of the Craziest Winter Sport Not In the Olympics (Yet)
Currently Reading - Women
By: Sharp Staff|November 7, 2014
Tagged With: Tamara Duarte, The F Word
The medical drama has a long tradition on television. Some are good—well, the less that can be said about Animal Hospital, the better. But, there's always room for another on in the canon. Especially if it's going to star a woman like Tamara Duarte. In Hard Rock Medical, The Degrassi alum plays a med school student on the show that is set in Northern Ontario. Since her character is half Algonquin, Duarte immersed herself in the native community and even observed a pow-wow. We caught up with her to talk about her favourite hospital shows, working as a producer and hard-as-nails Canadians.
Photos courtesy of TJ Scott
Larger View Collapse
(1/X)
A piece of me wants to think Hard Rock Medical is an emergency room musical. Am I right?
[Laughs] No! It's a show about the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. It's loosely based on true stories that revolve around medical communities in the north. My character is a first year med student. They're in the middle of nowhere, dealing with areas that don't have a lot of access to the medical care that we do in a big city and that we forget to appreciate.
Are you a fan of medical shows?
Oh, I'm a huge fan of Grey's Anatomy. It's so good! It's like my drug, I don't know why! I can't even pick a favourite character because it's always changing. I love someone one minute then hate them the next.
Why do you think doctor dramas are so addictive?
I think it's exactly that, the drama aspect. I even like real-life medical shows. When they're digging into someone's guts…for some reason I really like to watch. With medical shows it's almost like you're kind of learning things. Even with House, it's Hollywood- learning but it's still learning. They'll do a storyline on some disease and then if they ever report on that disease on the news, you'll know all about it.
You had the opportunity to work as a producer on a film called Verona. How different was that from your usual day job?
I actually went to school for business, so it was definitely in my wheelhouse. It's so important these days to be multi-faceted as an actor, writer, producer, creator…whatever. You can't count on the industry to knock on your door and give you work. Producing was amazing because I felt like I put so much more into my work. I could see everything I accomplished on the screen.
You've had the chance to work in a few films, too including The F Word. Which do you prefer, TV or movies?
I like film and I like TV but I like them for completely different reasons. I love TV because it feels like a family after you've worked with the same people for a certain amount of time. You grow up with the people you work with year after year. What I like about film is that you're forced into a whole new world with all new people. You grow so much from it.
Is there the infamous on-call room on Hard Rock as there is on Grey's?
[Laughs] No it's different. It's not as salacious There's a bit of drama concerning the love lives of the students but not as much. It focuses a lot on Ontario and the Canadian people. The show focuses on the lack of doctors in the North and how patients sometimes have to wait six months to see a doctor.
You mentioned the great Canadian aspect of the show but personally I don't think it gets much more Canadian than Degrassi. I feel like we've watched so many Canadian actors essentially grow up on that show.
Absolutely. Degrassi for me was great in the sense that it acts as a stepping-stone. You're almost not a true Canadian actor unless you've been on an episode of Degrassi [laughs]. It's such a staple. It was a really great place to dig my feet in and get started in the industry. It brought up so many other opportunities I've gotten in my life.
Speaking of The F Word, Canada is the only place that calls it that. Everywhere else, the movie is titled What If . Apparently we're the only ones tough enough to handle alluding to the 'f' word. Now that you live in LA, is there anything else you've noticed that Canadians can handle that Americans can't?
[Laughs] We handle the cold! I was on set yesterday with a group of actors that are mostly from LA and they were all freezing, asking for blankets and heat packs. I was only in a leather jacket and I was cold but I was fine with it. We're thicker skinned. I actually drove through Colorado not too long ago and everyone told me I'd need chains for my tires because the weather was SO bad. There was only about two inches of snow!
What's coming up for you?
I'm working on a show called Haven as a recurring character right now and it's shooting in Halifax, which is beautiful. I just finished working on the film Bottom of the World, and I got to work with Jenna Malone on it which was very cool. And then Dead on Campus is set to come out very soon as well. So I'm definitely keeping busy!
Tamara-157
I'm working on a show called Haven as a recurring character right now and it's shooting in Halifax, which is beautiful. I just finished working on the filmBottom of the World, and I got to work with Jenna Malone on it which was very cool. And then Dead on Campus is set to come out very soon as well. So I'm definitely keeping busy!
A Woman You Should Meet: Jackie Redmond
Luke Cage's Deborah Ayorinde Is Ready to Fly


ESL Made Easy: February Topic: The Chinese New Year!
The Lunar New Year, beginning January 28th, is best known as the Chinese New Year and is celebrated by many cultures around the globe. Its origin has to do with harvest and since this special time follows the lunar calendar, it falls on a different day every year. There are many festivities, traditions and customs which can make this an interesting and lively topic. Have your ESL students not only learn about the festivities that vary from culture to culture, but also the symbols and beliefs of the Chinese zodiac and what that means for the year ahead!
2017 is the Year of the Rooster according to the Chinese zodiac. Find out what's in store for you (here) if you were born in the year of 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, and 2017.


You can now create and edit htaccess files from within RapidWeaver. There's even a GIT-like revision control so you can rollback to any previous version, should you make a mistake!
Learn how to use Stacks, Foundry, and RapidWeaver 8 to build a custom designed website.
You can now preview your site in multiple devices without ever leaving RapidWeaver.
Out of the box, RapidWeaver 8 is 100% GDPR compliant!
The new addons manager enables you to enable, disable, and back-up your third-party addons.
In RapidWeaver 8 you can now manage meta tags for social media, such as Twitter cards and OpenGraph, to help improve your SEO score.
You can now specify the language for your RapidWeaver site via the General Settings area.
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The Royal Bank of Canada, RBC Royal Bank or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada. The bank serves 18 million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Montreal, Quebec, and its operational head office in Toronto, Ontario.
The highest paid Royal Bank of Canada employees are MDs at $333,000 annually. The lowest paid RBC employees are IT Analysts at $59,000.
Most RBC employees using Emolument work in Hong Kong for an average salary of $256,000.


I have worked in some truly great places and also in some very dysfunctional places. I like the word dysfunctional because it suggests that the predominant way of relating to one another inhibits the designed function. I worked at a Health Center when I first moved to Cleveland that was so dysfunctional that their culture became an excuse in itself. I would ask about the availability of routine immunizations that were needed for children, and the response would be "You know how we are", or "Do you know where you are?". Because of poor systems, terrible accountability, administrative incompetence, and indifference to the suffering of many, this clinic would offer sub-standard care. It was never anyone's fault; it was always the "system". It is dysfunction that has been institutionalized.
Many of the readers of this blog may relate to having had lived, worked or volunteered in a dysfunctional environment. Whether it be a family, workplace, or even the church.
1. We accept and normalize the dysfunction. Dysfunction becomes the rule for relating.
2. We accept the tension between the dysfunction and our desired way of relating and we complain by asking others to fix it. Victimized by dysfunction and immobilized by pain or fear. Able to see the problems, but unwilling to do anything about it.
3. We can avoid the problems by always looking for the perfect place. In this paradigm, there is always a better family, a better job, a better church, a better relationshp.
3. We accept the tension but devote ourselves to be instruments of change. The sense of dysfunction in this case actually drives us towards being a solution to our own problems.
Third century Church leader, Augustine, once made the following disturbing comment: "The church is a whore, but she is our mother". Augustine realized that the church was fraught by problems and issues. However, their solution was not to ignore the problems or avoid the problems, but to be a solution to our problems.
We need a paradigm shift where we embrace discontent as a call to invoke change. The infamous poem by Marianne Williamson that states "Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure" is true. We are called to agents for good, no matter what the circumstances. We give away our God-ordained power when we insist on others changing things while we do nothing. We used to speak of "seasons, reasons, and lifetimes" back in the day. This phrase suggests that we have purpose in whatever situations we find ourselves in. Is it possible to go from complainer to catalyst?
Today, can you see yourself as instrument of change, divinely appointed, commissioned, and directed to bring peace and fruitfulness? It begins with just understanding who you are and the power that you have. It is followed by, as my Mentor Mike McFarren describes: relentless pressure to achieve a particular goal.
Don't get caught up in whose fault it is, but take time to focus on the mission of the organization and simply point people toward that mission. Martin Luther King Jr., could have developed an organization that was anti-White. Yet, he built his movement, its ministry, and its tactics around a solid mission of equality for all. In the same way, we must understand that our ability to act as catalysts for change is not motivated by problems, but by a misson and vision of hope. You are that agent of hope, in dysfunction and despair.
I want to encourage you today to be an instrument of change. Be part of the solution to whatever is wrong. Never accept that there is nothing you can do to help change the world. Once you have, you have begun dying. You are the missing ingredient for change in your families, friends, workplace and church.


construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.
every case they are unique, poetic, products of the heart.
Welcome to QTC Contracting. We perform Commercial & Design Build general contracting. We have over 30 years experience in the commercial construction arena. Our areas of expertise include retail/mixed use, restaurants, multi-family apartment projects, educational, religious, healthcare and tenant improvement construction.
We can handle your commercial project from beginning to end. With over 30 years experience in the commercial building arena, we have the expertise to get your project done on time and on budget.
Our many years of experience gives us the expertise to make sure your next project is done to your satisfaction.
Our expertise and reputation in the industry will give you peace of mind that you are getting the best value for your project.
Our pricing is competitive and the quality of our work is second to none.
More than 75% of our business is from repeat or referral clients, a testament to our client-focused business practices. High quality construction and exceptional safety standards.
We can build the project you need.
We get your project done on time and on budget. If you have any questions during the building process, we are just a phone call away.
With our outstanding relationships with sub contractors around the Midwest, we make sure you have right experts on the job.
Our 30+ years of experience gives us the expertise to handle bottlenecks and problems that may occur throughout the build process.
Once you've worked with them, when the next project comes around you just pick up the phone and call them without a second thought.
We would have no hesitation recommending you to any further customers that you have that may require a reference to the quality of your workmanship.
We have recommended his services to many of our friends and colleagues and they have also been extremely happy with the end result.
We felt it was a labor of love for all concerned and made the whole process such a delight with the final product way beyond our wildest dreams.
I am somewhat of a student of what makes a quality organization. It's textbook and its beautifully executed. It was a pleasure to watch you work.
It's a beautiful job and we are happy and proud to show it off. Second project — both have turned out very nice!
Contact Us Today And Get Started On Your Next Project!
© 2015 QTC Contracting. All rights reserved.


The business of the film is exceptional even in the USA. With very big numbers on day one, the day 2 USA Box Office results are phenomenal.
Mahesh Babu's latest release, Bharat Ane Nenu is dominating Box Office like a boss. The political drama was one of the much-awaited releases of the year. Moreover, the film created quite a buzz among fans as it marks Mahesh's second collaboration with director Koratala Siva, with whom he made the blockbuster Srimanthudu.
Well, Bharat Ane Nenu craze is all over the globe and looks like the collections are unstoppable. Mahesh mania continues in the domestic market and overseas as well. Yes, the business of the film is exceptional even in the USA. With very big numbers on day one, the day 2 USA Box Office results are phenomenal.
As per reports, the film that sees Mahesh Babu in the role of CM, has hit the $2million mark in just two days of its release. Sans Baahubali, Bharat Ane Nenu becomes the fastest Telugu movie to enter the $2 Million Club. Also, Mahesh Babu has joined Prabhas in the Top 10 list of $2 Million Club as both these Tollywood stars now have two films each in the list.
Talking about the first day Box Office report, the film has raked in more than Rs. 58 crores right on the first day of release. Bharat Ane Nenu earned a gross collection of Rs.58 crores which includes the earnings from the US and other countries.
Bollywood actress Kiara Advani, of Dhoni: The Untold Story fame makes her debut in Tollywood with Bharat Ane Nenu. Bharat Ane Nenu also stars actors like Prakash Raj, Sarath Kumar, Rao Ramesh, Ravi Shankar, Posani Krishna Murali, Aamani, Jeeva, Benarjee, Brahmaji, Ajay Kumar, Sithara, Rajitha, Prithviraj, Devraj and Yashpal Sharma playing pivotal roles in the film. The music of Bharat Ane Nenu is composed by Devi Sri Prasad.


text:
Google Searches and Layaway
By Matt Stiles | November 30, 2011 Matt Stiles | Topics: Uncategorized
A few weeks ago I got pummeled on Twitter for questioning the need for layaway, which was being touted heavily at the time by Wal-Mart.
I was persuaded by arguments that layaway doesn't make sense in an era of big box stories that seem to have an endless supply of goods from China. It's less important today, for example, to secure an early partial purchase of that bike for Timmy at the neighborhood mom-and-pop sporting goods store. Just got to Wal-Mart when you have enough cash, and there will likely still be bikes available.
Some have also argued that layaway doesn't make sense financially, given the fees Wal-Mart and other stores charge, as Cornell professor Louis Hyman explained last month in The New York Times:
At first glance, the return of layaway makes sense. Fewer lower-income shoppers have access to the sort of credit they once did, and many can't afford big purchases outright. And there is a moral appeal as well: customers paying layaway are effectively saving toward something, a reward they will receive only if they meet their goal, rather than paying off the debt on a purchase they have already made.
Nevertheless, as a financing option, layaway is decidedly worse than most credit cards. Imagine a mother going to Wal-Mart on Oct. 17 and buying $100 worth of Christmas toys. She makes a down payment of $10 and pays a $5 service fee. Over the next two months she pays off the rest. In effect, she is paying $5 in interest for a $90 loan for two months: the equivalent of a credit card with a 44 percent annual percentage rate, a level most of us would consider predatory.
He may be right, but that's not really the point, which is that Wal-Mart knows its customers. If the retailer is buying national advertising to tout the return of layaway, people out in the country must be seeking it. There's evidence of that, for example, in the phrases people enter into Google.
This line chart, created with Google Insights for Search, illustrates search volume since 2004 for the phrase "layaway." It's on the rise since the economic downturn, and it's spiked this holiday season:
This map shows the states in which the search term is popular:
View larger versions of both visualizations here, and let me know if you find anything interesting in the search trends for other terms.
November 30, 2011 Matt Stiles Tagged: Google Insights for Search, layaway, Line Charts, Mapping


State law requires that cities and counties operate under a service delivery strategy (SDS) agreement that defines the services to be provided by each jurisdiction and sets out how those services are funded.
After several years of litigation and a court order, Gwinnett County and 15 cities reached a negotiated settlement in early 2012. The settlement allowed all of the parties to have input into the final outcome versus being required to implement the court order. As a result, the parties entered a new SDS agreement that created four new service districts (effective January 2013) and changed the way Gwinnett County budgets for and provides certain services.
Service districts affect the way property owners pay for these services. Gwinnett County property tax bills now reflect millage rates based on where a property is located and what services are provided by county government. In other words, property owners who benefit from specific county-provided services pay a dedicated millage rate for those services.
Click here to watch an informative video or continue reading to learn more about the service districts.
Our Property Tax Calculator shows you the property tax for your specific property and where those dollars go. You can also use a generic fair market value in the calculations.
Please see the chart below for the County government's property tax rates for 2018.
Click here to view a five-year history of the County government's tax digest and levy.
To view last year's property tax rates, click here.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Saskatchewan Canada Weather
No minimum CRS threshold for Saskatchewan's new Expression of Interest system linked to federal Express Entry
The Saskatchewan EOI Immigrant Nominee Program's new Expression of Interest system for its Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand sub-categories has opened.
Before this new system came into operation, Saskatchewan had a first-come, first-served model that was used for these two International Skilled Worker sub-categories. The doors used to be shut to the many qualified applicants who couldn't get their applications in on time.
This new system allows for the Saskatchewan province to select eligible immigration candidates already in the Federal Express Entry pool and invite them for a provincial nomination. Skilled workers who possess the specified amount of work experience in one of the provinces' in demand occupations sub category may become eligible to receive the Provincial nomination.
The province feels that the change-over to the new EOI system will allow the SINP to target those immigrants who are most likely to find success in the Saskatchewan labour market. As the SINP says on the webpage outlining the new system, "a goal of the EOI system is to ensure strong economic outcomes and long-term retention in Saskatchewan for those invited to apply."
Candidates who score at least 60 points on the assessment grid and satisfy other eligibility requirements enter the Saskatchewan pool of candidates for either the Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand sub-category and those selected are invited to apply for a provincial nomination through regular draws.
This new system follows other Canadian provinces that are using the merit-based EOI approach to select immigration candidates. The federal government's Express Entry system also replaced a first come first served model in 2015 and now highest-ranked candidates are selected to apply for Permanent Residence based on a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
Saskatchewan's EOI system will also give more people an opportunity to compete for a provincial nomination through these sub-categories. These are among the few in Canada that do not require a job offer to be considered for nomination.
With this move to regularize draws instead of occasional openings, it will no longer about the lucky few who were quick enough to apply and the focus will be on skilled immigrants required by the labour market of the province.
This could also be good news for interested Express Entry candidates with lower CRS scores. Saskatchewan's Express Entry sub-category does not have a minimum CRS score requirement, so anyone eligible for the Express Entry pool can submit an Expression of Interest. A provincial nomination is worth an additional 600 CRS points, which essentially guarantees an Invitation to Apply for Canadian permanent residence to all Express Entry candidates who receive one, regardless of their initial CRS score


This is a listen-to or read-aloud book for children. It is a resource that can be used to educate and support any child who is facing the cancer of a loved one. The story, as told through the eyes of a child, lends itself to a simple and clear understanding of cancer. It also teaches children to realize the power they have to be an active and integral part of a loved one's cancer journey.


Every couple of weeks, if not every week, I will go to the grocery to get the items I need for the meals I plan to prepare. In an effort to balance my food intake, I will buy fruits and vegetables to incorporate into my nutrition. When I buy from the produce section I tend to check the fruit carefully to see if it is good. Stores have a good way of presenting the fruit on display. However, if you don't pick it up and check it out before you purchase it, that same fruit that looks good at first glance may be rotten at the bottom.
You wouldn't know it unless you checked it out.
For example, for most people who have a job, there was a process you had to go through prior to getting hired. Your employer most likely was interested in seeing what you have done previously, that falls in line with the position that they are seeking to fill. A resume was submitted giving all previous employment with a brief description of your past experience. In order to corroborate the information provided, references were probably checked to confirm that the experience you listed was accurate. If your references checked out, you likely ended up with a job offer. The purpose of following up on these references is the check the fruit of the applicant.
Is their fruit good or bad?
Likewise in relationships, it is sensible to collect data on the person you are dating, prior to things getting serious. All too often we will overlook or make excuses for a person's actions because we want the relationship to work. There is a great quote by the wise Dr. Maya Angelo that states, "when people show you who they are, believe them." This statement holds so true because we can be guilty of looking at what we hope people would become, rather than see them for who they are. In other words, if you see that their fruit is rotten, don't buy it. Trying to talk yourself into thinking something or someone is more than what they show you, will only waste your time or hurt you greatly in the end.
This also holds true to the kingdom of God.
Beware of pastors, ministers and leaders within the church who are dressed in sheep clothing. They secretly plot to gain your trust by telling you what you want to hear or condemn you for your sins, as to distract you from the destruction going on within their life. The Bible warns us of these false prophets and encourages us to test the spirit to see if they are from God. If they speak from the world's viewpoint and not from the indisputable word of God, their fruit is bad. On the other hand, if they are solid in their doctrine of the Gospel and live their lives, not perfectly, but accordingly to the Word of God, you can trust that they produce good fruit.
If it doesn't bear fruit, it is useless.
During one of His travels, Jesus was looking to eat a fig from a fig tree He saw in the distance. As would anyone expect of a fruit tree, Jesus was looking pick from it a fig to eat. After checking it and found no fruit growing on it, He found it useless and declared it to wither up and die. The fact is unless good seeds have been planted in good ground, we can't expect to see a good harvest. That reigns true whether it's a relationship, job, a purchase or your spiritual walk.
If the tree is good, you will see that the fruit it bears is good as well. However, if the tree is bad, the fruit you see will be a representation of the tree. You can't pick from the tree that's bad and expect the fruit to be juicy and sweet. So regardless of the poor decisions you may have made in your past, going forward, save yourself time and check the fruit.


Do you ever feel as though after you take a shower, your hair and skin feel sort of rough instead of soft and silky? That's most likely a sign that you've got hard water. Unfortunately, the majority of household water is hard. But what exactly does that mean, and can it be harmful to your health? Here's what you need to know.
Water that is described as "hard water" refers to the excessive amount of minerals within it. These minerals include calcium, metal ions, magnesium, sulphates, as well as some others. These minerals are present in all water and are what support life here on earth. Therefore, having these present within water is essential. But the levels of them determine whether water is hard or soft.
Hard water also can leave a residue of limestone and can be seen over time on faucets and also throughout plumbing systems.
Hard water can be harmful for your plumbing. This is due to the deposits of minerals and limestone that can cause blockages in plumbing systems, as well as along faucets and drains. But when it comes to your personal health, there is nothing to worry about.
Are There Ways to Treat Hard Water?
You can find products in your local household store that claim to help minimize the effects of hard water, but many have proven to be ineffective. And ones that do work, often target only the effects and not the abundance of minerals that's present in your water.
Luckily, water softeners were designed to not only eliminate the effects of hard water, but target the source as well. These small electrical appliances can be easily installed in your home and neutralize those high levels of minerals that are present in your water. With this simple adjustment to your water supply, you can finally enjoy the beauty of soft water that can save your skin and your plumbing from all of that build up and roughness. A water softener system will stop stains, mineral buildup, and even spotting on your dishes. Best of all it helps your whole plumbing system operate more efficiently, saving you money in the short-term on your water bills and long-term in repair and replacement costs by extending the life of your plumbing system.
So if you're sick of dealing with a build up of deposits from minerals and limestone around your faucets, or hate having your hair and skin feel rough each time you take a shower, give us a call. We can eliminate your hard water problem and install a water softener in no time that will allow you to enjoy the benefits of softer water.


Bellis Fair is conveniently located on the WTA bus route located on N. Bellis Fair Pkwy across from macy's. For bus schedules and fare prices please call 800-676-RIDE or visit the WTA website.
Enjoy a restful evening. Discover hotels and lodging conveniently located near Bellis Fair.
Bellis Fair is a shopping and dining destination in an area that offers a vibrant mix of cultural and entertainment attractions. Make the most of your visit and explore a variety of nearby activities and entertainment.
Join a vibrant community. Connect with Bellis Fair to take advantage of special programs and events.
Bellis Fair opens its door to you Monday - Saturday from 7:00am - 9:30am with a safe, year-round, climate-controlled fitness opportunity.
For the best exchange rate on your cash, exchange your currency prior to leaving Canada. As an alternative, use your credit card to make purchases in the U.S. Most credit card companies offer a great rate.
Avoid long waits at the border. As a general rule of thumb, travel south prior to 9:30am on Saturdays and head north before noon on Sundays if possible.
Check border wait times before leaving home by visiting one of these sites: US to Canada - http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/border/I5_SR543.htm; Canada to US - http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/ATIS/index.htm.
Bellis Fair makes the shopping experience for families with young children easier and more enjoyable with Preferred Family Parking spaces near both Food Court entrances.
Also available to families are the Children's Play Area, with complimentary handwipes, and the convenient changing tables in each of our restrooms as well as a family restroom located next to the food court restrooms.


The Destiny beta is now well underway on PlayStation platforms and Bungie has just detailed the first special event. Starting today at 2 PM PDT and running until 4 PM PDT, the Iron Banner will be live. What is the Iron Banner exactly? I'll let the team detail that for you.
If you're still confused, let me clarify. The Iron Banner is focusing on Destiny's competitive game mode, the Crucible, and offering epic loot as rewards for notable performances. The PvP aspect of the beta will see the introduction of two new maps, Rusted Lands (a returning setting from the alpha) and Blind Watch. The latter takes place on Mars, an all new environment for the beta and available exclusively through the Crucible. In fact, The Iron Banner is "the ONLY way to see these maps in the beta." So if you're looking to get out of Russia for a little while, today's Crucible event is your best bet… for now.
Bungie has continuously teased surprises for the Destiny beta and there is much more to come following this Iron Banner event. The developer revealed that this limited time event "won't be the only opportunity to experience something new" in the Destiny beta. We'll have to stay tuned for more information.


POSH ARE NEXT VISITORS FOR A BANK HOLIDAY DERBY!
The August Bank Holiday weekend is not too far away and it is time to be making plans. In fact, why not join us at Sixfields watching a local derby against the Posh?!


Q: What information do i need to supply before you can start work?
A: The best place to begin is to send us an email here; or call our Studio phone or Santi on his mobile during normal hours.
Chiang Mai is 7 hours ahead of GMT.
We can work from photos mailed or emailed, or any computer file format.
A: As soon as we have agreed on how your work will be undertaken, you will be given a signed and fully detailed quotation.
Once the formalities are completed, we will commence and give you progress details as we move through the various stages of your work.
Q: Is there a way to view progress without actually being in Chiang Mai in person?
A: Sure. Of course we are always pleased to see our valued clients, but with our full utilisation of the internet, we can give you verbal, written and visual confirmation of how your work is progressing. It's just like being here!
Q: I have never been in Chiang Mai before, can you assist with accommodation and local know-how?
A: Sure. We have a number of business associates and friends here and would be happy to advise on accommodation.
Chiang Mai has a wide range of accommodation options, ranging from clean and comfortable Guest Houses and Apartments from around $US10 a day, all the way to 5 star hotels independently judged to be amongst the finest resorts in the world.
Food – Sights – Adventure excursions – Shopping and Entertainment, in the land of Lanna.
A: The quotation we supply will spell out in full detail the work and the associated costs, for your agreement.
And rest assured, we are extremely confident that given our very low overheads in Chiang Mai which are the envy of all of Asia, our prices to you are extremely affordable when compared to other parts of the world.
Q: How will it be packed and shipped to me in my home country?
A: Chiang Mai is a thriving centre for manufacturing and export.
We have at our disposal highly qualified and experienced packers and shippers like FedEx, UPS, Royal Thai Post with EMS and all the international airlines and surface freight companies.
Q: I need to produce many copies, can Sculpture Sense guarantee timely delivery?
We have a large number of artisans and experienced sculptors and artists available for bulk projects together with a wealth of experience in providing large orders – on time and on budget..


text:
How to Translate What a Politician Says
Politicians speak their own special language. We're here to translate it for you.
Step 1: Identify those "real Americans" When a candidate boasts of meeting 'real Americans,' it means they've been forced to go bowling and eat funnel cakes with people who earn less per month than they pay for a suit.
Step 2: Recognize the artful dodge Recognize a dodge when you hear it: 'I don't answer hypotheticals' means 'I don't have a clue what I'd do if that happened.'
TIP: When a candidate says, 'with all due respect,' they mean nothing of the sort.
Step 3: Read between the lines Read between the lines. A call to 'strengthen Social Security' usually means cutting benefits.
Step 4: Beware of the word "balance" Beware of the word 'balance,' as in 'we need to find balance.' That's political-speak for 'In the interest of being elected, I'm trying to have it both ways.'
Step 5: Interpret "I'd consider that" When a politician running for office answers a policy question with 'That's certainly something I'd look at,' it means 'There's no way in hell that's gonna happen, but I don't want to alienate you by saying so.'
Step 6: Decipher "protect your freedom" Learn to decipher the phrase 'protect your freedom.' Coming out of the mouth of an elected official, it either means 'I'm going to trample on some civil rights,' or 'I may have to attack another country.' Or both.
FACT: Martin Van Buren, who spoke English and Dutch, is the only U.S. President to grow up bilingual.
An ear for pandering
A knowledge of political doubletalk and euphemisms
How to Meet the President of the United States
How to Understand the American Judicial System
How to Understand Health Care Reform
How to Understand the 3 Branches of Government
How to Get into Politics
How to Make a Bill a Law
How to Run for Office
How to Recognize a Member of the Modern-Day Tea Party
How to Make Cold Calls for an Election Candidate
How to Register Voters
How to Choose a Candidate to Vote For
How to Find a Town Hall Meeting
How to Amend the U.S. Constitution
How to E-mail the President
How to Use YouTube for Politics
How to Make a Political Attack Ad
How To Understand the Federal Stimulus Package
How to Deal with Post-Election Depression
How to Be a Lame Duck
How to Turn a Presidential Debate into a Drinking Game
How to Convince Your Friends to Vote
How to Submit an Absentee Ballot
How to Backpedal, Spin & Dodge
How to Give a Great Sound Bite


4k00:20Great Spotted Woodpecker, detail close-up portrait, black and white animal, Finaland. Detail of bird with clear green background, winter time with snow. Wildlife scene from nature.
4k00:17Great Spotted Woodpecker, detail close-up portrait, black and white animal, Finaland. Detail of bird with clear green background, winter time with snow. Wildlife scene from nature.