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Laura Carlin
Laura Carlin has a knack for creating the most interesting projects with a completely new sort of illustration. In fact, I wouldn't even know how to relate her work to anyone else's, since her style is so uniquely eccentric and lovely at the same time. I especially love her animals on ceramics, and the textures that she creates on paper with translucent paint and rough paper.
Stone and Spear
Walking the fine line between design, illustration and collage, is Stone and Spear, aka Simon Cook. His pairing bright colored shapes with simple allusions to photomontage, he creates intricate compositions that are slightly crazy but really entertaining. I am most drawn to the intense color schemes and how he designs each piece with a graphic designer's eye, which makes his work quite unique.
Graphic designer & pattern maker Mansi Shah really has a wondeful grasp on what playful design really looks like. She manages to create a sunny outlook throughout her whole body of work—whether by using interesting, undulating lettering, or by creating bright and quirky vector-based compositions. Her latest venture is really inspiring—Shah Editions, where she creates limited edition products, turning them into small-run works of art. Keep up with the latest from Mansi by visiting her site and her amazing (& sort of secret!) illustration portfolio.
Raymond Biesinger
Raymond Biesinger, who was one of the first editorial illustrators that I learned about when I got out of college, has some lovely new work on his freshly updated website. One of my personal favorites, Raymond seems to take the most simple of concepts to an entirely new level by creating intricate, complex worlds by using minimal color palettes and impressive line work. You can see Raymond's influence on many current editorial illustrators, which makes him an important part of the industry's foundation. He also has several great side projects, including his band, The Famines, & a book which comes out in November called Black & White Illustrations.
Elena Giavaldi
Talented designer and illustrator Elena Giavaldi really knows how to make judging a book by its cover easy. As a book cover designer, she creates very cool, contemporary compositions for some of the best publishing houses in the business. She also manages to put very personal touches on each project, and add a bit of extra interest with unique type choices and very modern, experimental lettering. Other than her expansive covers archive, her portfolio runs the gamut of graphic design, making her an incredibly versatile designer. To keep up with Elena, look for her work in a bookstore near you!
Lotta Nieminen—Design
While most Grain Edit readers know Lotta Nieminen for her extraordinary illustration styles, but she also has an incredibly rich and beautiful design portfolio. Her keen eye for typography and layout design is relatively unmatched, and each project somehow manages to out-do the last. Together, her two portfolios create an exciting mix of work & almost a perfect dichotomy of truly minimal vs. extremely detailed.
Matthew Tapia
I was recently introduced to the work of lettering artist Matthew Tapia. He's been an active figure in the skate and surf scene, but his elegant handiwork is incredibly well suited for all sorts of intricate lettering design. As a testament to his love for his craft, I witnessed him slaving away at 2am on the above mural, at a shop nearby my apartment (Raised by Wolves)—now that's some dedication! To keep up with Matthew's current work follow him on tumblr, and keep an eye out for his work hopefully soon in a shop (or on a store window) near you!
Jesse Ragan
Type designer extraordinaire, Jesse Ragan, released the latest iteration of his website this past week. Chock full of new and meticulously designed work, Jesse's type design gets more interesting with each project. His projects range from the current typeface of V Magazine, to the logotype for Glade, to working closely with Hoefler-Frere Jones on major typefaces like Gotham and Archer. Jesse, a self proclaimed designer of serious typefaces, is sure to continue to awe and inspire aspiring (and current!) type designers.
Mary Kate McDevitt
The sweet and quirky work of Mary Kate McDevitt never fails to delight. Her personality shows through in every brush stroke and chalk mark, and really accentuates her obviously love for her craft. With a quickly growing client list of industry big-timers like Chronicle Books, Lehigh University, Better Homes & Gardens and Rachael Ray Magazine, Mary Kate seems to be on a path to lettering success.
Gratuitous Type / No. 2
I was sent this really cool book—or "pamphlet", as they call it—called Gratuitous Type / No. 2. A self proclaimed "pamphlet of typographic smut", this small anthology of current interesting typography, lettering and fonts really runs the gamut of interesting new styles. With an advanced design and extremely impressive printing, the publisher/designer and editor (Elana Schlenker) has done a wonderful job putting everything together.
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"I think people underestimate how small big ideas were when they first got started. Microsoft's first product was an implementation of the BASIC programming language for a machine called Altair. There were probably a few thousand users, total. If those guys had presented that idea on Demo Day, investors would have laughed at them. But it turns out, everything has some adjacent territory, if you're energetic enough. It's OK to start out with a small idea. People are bad at looking at seeds and guessing what size tree will grow out of them.
The way you'll get big ideas in, say, health care is by starting out with small ideas. If you try to do some big thing, you don't just need it to be big; you need it to be good. And it's really hard to do big and good simultaneously. So, what that means is you can either do something small and good and then gradually make it bigger, or do something big and bad and gradually make it better. And you know what? Empirically, starting big just does not work. That's the way the government does things. They do something really big that's really bad, and they think, Well, we'll make it better, and then it never gets better.
The very best ideas usually seem like bad ideas at first. Google seemed like a bad idea. There were already several other search engines, some of which were operated by public companies. Who needed another? And Facebook? When I first heard about Facebook, it was for college students, who don't have any money. And what do they do there? Waste time looking at one another's profiles. That seemed like the stupidest company ever. I'm glad no one gave me an opportunity to turn it down."
What I love is that Paul puts his finger on the biggest problem with thinking big--it's really hard to do big and good simultaneously.
Even Elon Musk and Tesla had to start relatively small, by retrofitting Lotus roadsters with electrical drivetrains, before bringing out the smash hit Model S. And Elon had the benefit of already being a successful two-time entrepreneur and billionaire.
Infamously, I was invited to the Google launch party and refused to go, believing that it was a waste of time to launch yet another search engine. Whoops.
Start with a small, good thing and make it bigger. Don't start with a big, crappy thing and make it better.
Do Venture Capital "Platforms" Make Sense?


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The Hong Kong Protests: An American Teen's Perspective
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Culture x March 16, 2017
How to Stop Thinking in Stereotypes
It's easier to make generalizations than it is to think critically about people, which is why it's so hard to stop.
By Alli Guaman, Marymount Manhattan College
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Moving Past Broad Brushstrokes
Even though many college students are largely left-leaning, with, according to the National Election Poll, 63 percent of them voting against Donald Trump, many undergrads don't realize that keeping prejudice away from campus will take more than just a few marches.
In order to combat bias, students must first destroy the roots of prejudice found imbedded in society, which is no easy task. Superficial prejudice, the prejudice that has been made apparent through action or speech, is visible, but the root of any bigotry comes from within.
Image via Los Angeles Times
As Gordon Allport reports in his book, "The Nature of Prejudice,"as people develop in a society that constantly demands quick decisions, prejudice becomes hard-wired into human nature. Arne Roets, the author of a recent article in "Current Directions in Psychological Science," supports Allport's claim.
Covert Racism: How to Spot It and Stop It
Roets describes the human need for making immediate sense of things, which leads them into the trap of relying on obvious, and not always truthful, information. Starting from birth, people look to other sources to form opinions.
For example, when I was kid, I was pretty scared of anything outside my immediate family. I craved direction; I wanted to stay in the comfortable, familiar world that my parents made for me. When my parents told me not to do something, like staying out late or hanging around certain people, I would ask why, listen and believe anything they said.
As a result, instead of learning to assess every situation critically, you begin to rely on borrowed knowledge, as there simply isn't time to analyze every action by the merits of its unique situation. In other words, instead of tasting every type of berry to determine which ones will make you sick, you're better off taking someone's word for it.
As a result, it it common for people to struggle with disregarding stereotypes. It's only natural to form assumptions on something so obvious, right? So, how can a college student break free from these social fetters before entering the real world?
Roets says prejudice "often satisfies some basic need to have quick answers and stable knowledge people rely on to make sense of the world."
It's not enough to just know of a stereotype; it's critical to learn why a stereotype is the way it is and where the generalization originated from.
If you're struggling with preconceived notions, studying just may be the solution. The Center for Media Literacy's article, "How to Break the Stereotype," covers the common questions you should ask yourself to begin researching a stereotype. These questions include how this stereotype came to be; if it was accurate then; if it's accurate now, and how it's evolved through time in relation to significant events.
There may be no college course that covers the history of stereotypes, but the campus library is an extensive resource for research. Beyond this, talking to people who have been on the receiving end of prejudice may help you understand its effects from another perspective.
Lose the fear of discovering the truth. Often, students are so overwhelmed with their tight schedules filled with school assignments that it seems impossible to focus on anything else. For many, it's easier to go about their lives relying on preconceived notions, such as the model minority myth surrounding Asian Americans, instead of learning about the misperceptions that result from it and leave members excluded from government aid. It's a matter of setting aside time and making this internal change a priority.
The article "Stereotypes and Collective Identification" by Jaako Lehtonen references Walt Lippmann's "Public Opinion" in order to explain how "people resort to stereotypes because the world that we have to deal with is out of reach, out of sight and out of mind."
Students must learn to cultivate their minds, not only through academia, but through general awareness, in order to remove embedded stereotypes from habitual mannerisms of thought.
Media can be a medium of knowledge, but it is also a medium through which stereotypes are spread throughout a large audience. Daily interactions are where we most encounter prejudice, as each person views the world differently. However, if an individual learns to research the authenticity of "facts" and develops a healthy sense of genuine curiosity that overpowers their fear, it is possible to slowly untie the threads of prejudice that have been deeply ingrained into human nature.
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Education and the future
Why our school system needs to change
Lord Jim Knight, the Chief Education Adviser at Tes Global explains how technology can help schools take a more collaborative and rigorous approach to children's wellbeing and learning.
The statistics are clear: there has been a significant rise in mental health problems among children, with the BBC recently reporting a 50% rise in referrals to child mental health units from UK primary schools over the last three years.
What is less clear is why. There are conflicting reports about the influence of technology, disadvantage, pressures from school and home. My guess is that all of these play a role and that we are also struggling to nurture resilience in young people.
I recently read Esther Wojcicki's great book on raising successful children, and was persuaded by her TRICK acronym: Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration and Kindness are all important for helping children to cope with their lives. And yet I see less emphasis on those traits than ever, both in schools and in homes. We are bombarded with messages about how at-risk our children are; as a result their independence and our trust in them have become constrained.
This is one of the reasons why our school system needs to change.
"If our schools can do more to better equip children with the mindset and skills to face an uncertain and challenging future, then they should."
Schools are the universal service for children. The NHS and children's services are interventions for when something goes wrong or children are unhealthy - but, sadly, funding cuts mean that they are under acute strain despite the best efforts and intentions of professionals working in them.
As a result, the onus on schools to intervene has become greater - and if schools can do more to equip children with the approach and skills to face an uncertain and challenging future, they must.
The outgoing Education Secretary recently announced over £9 million to help schools address this challenge. The money is welcome but cannot be expected on its own to change what schools are able to do. We need to look at the school system itself.
Parents want their children to do well academically, to get a decent job, and to be happy. Employers want new entrants to the labour market to be numerate and literate, digitally confident, to have strong people skills and to be able to keep learning. Universities want school-leavers with good grades or predicted grades, and then for them to pay their fees in exchange for a qualification. Schools are fixated on meeting the needs of the latter over the former.
"With technology taking the place of many jobs, higher-level qualifications are seen to be more essential, and thus getting the grades for university is now perceived as a do or die priority."
Children initially learn through play but this approach quickly gives way to measurement and testing. As the testing increases in intensity and pressure, the curriculum becomes narrower and more siloed. The tests use pen and paper and are taken in isolation. More and more classroom time is devoted to test-preparation and exam technique. The mindset is one of compliance, performance under time pressure, and results being everything in determining future life prospects. With technology taking the place of many jobs, higher-level qualifications are seen to be more essential and thus getting the grades for university is now perceived as a do or die priority.
Not much Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration or Kindness.
But school doesn't have to be this way.
Employers are abandoning graduate entry schemes and increasingly recruiting younger people. They are growing their own talent through apprenticeships and hiring through the use of talent analytics rather than qualifications on a CV. A school system that is kinder, with a greater focus on collaborative problem-solving in its pedagogy and curriculum would give those employers what they want.
A multi-disciplinary curriculum would engage children differently. Problem-solving and learning from failure are the natural ways in which children initially learn through play; this is the basis of most games - as it is, indeed, of most of the more satisfying kinds of work. Could we not bake that into schools?
"Technology can be deployed to enhance teachers and allow them to do what was previously inconceivable."
To date, the answer has been that it's too hard to teach in this way and it's not what universities and parents want. I see that changing. As parents see the growth of routes like degree apprenticeships, they will be attracted to earning-while-learning as opposed to the huge student debt entailed by the conventional university route. Universities will have to adapt or go out of business.
That leaves the problem of how the teaching workforce could change pedagogy and assessment.
Here we see the opportunity of technology. One way to deploy technology would be to replace teachers with machines, drilling pupils with knowledge that they can regurgitate in tests in order to secure devalued qualifications. That would amount to training children to be out-competed by machines.
Another would be using technology to enhance teachers' work and allow them to do what was previously inconceivable.
A project or problem-based approach requires a lot from a teacher. How do you relate the learning to the various parts of the curriculum? How do you assess learning against those various elements? How do you differentiate and offer different learning resources for the different learners? How do you spot when gaps in individuals' foundational knowledge are blocking progress?
Thanks to artificial intelligence, all this is now manageable in a way that was previously only possible for exceptional teachers.
Machines are capable of matching to the curriculum, of matching learning content to curriculum and learners, of matching learners together for effective collaboration, and of matching misunderstanding to a missing piece of the scaffolding of knowledge. They can feed these insights to teachers alongside analytics of learners' progress based on activity, not just answers. This will empower the teacher to use human skills to support and challenge the learner, armed with more granular understanding of where they are with their learning.
This is the opportunity we should pursue. The wellbeing crisis in schools forces us to ask some key questions of modern childhood. I hope the mental health emergency will unlock the appetite to change an outdated school system and accelerate the changes that our society, our economy and people need.
Article written by Lord Jim Knight
Jim is now the Chief Education Adviser at Tes Global, having successfully started the teacher training business, Tes Institute. He is also a visiting professor at the UCL Knowledge Lab and a member of the House of Lords. Jim served as an MP from 2001-2009, during which time he was a minister for rural affairs, schools and then employment, spending his final year as a Cabinet minister. He is a trustee of the Centre for Accelerating Social Technology, and for Whole Education and a member of the Future of Work Commission.
Supporting your child's education: five top tips for dads
Jeremy Davies of The Fatherhood Institute offers his top tips for what dads can do particularly well.
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Get your copy of the 'Uniquely Me' parent guide for more advice on how to boost children's self-esteem and body confidence.


Many a times, advertisements reflect the picture of a highly sophisticated and comfortable vicinity that is visually appealing. But you have to see for yourself if the location and the in-house facilities being promised are realistic or not. Also, it should be in an area that is favorable for their health condition as well as physical and mental comfort.
Check out the official standing and record of the places you are considering. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services conduct yearly checks to keep a track of the quality of services being provided at such institutions. The data and reports are available for public use as well. This will give you an idea about the statistical standing of nursing homes according to their services.
Of course we want to give the best care to our loved ones in their old age but money is a shackle that ties us down at times. In order to get the best services within an affordable range, keep an eye on the costs of nursing homes. It basically depends upon the level of nursing required for the elderly, the facilities being provided and the location of the nursing home. Just to give you an idea, the stats reported by Genworth Financial's Cost of Care Survey indicated the cost of a semi-private room in a nursing home to be approximately $5,870 per month. The cost peaks up to an average of $6, 479 per month for a private room.
In case your loved one is suffering from dementia, Huntington's, or any other degenerative disorder for that matter, you will also need to consider if the nursing home provides special care for such conditions. They will need exclusive attention at times. So, it is very important to keep this in mind while deciding on a nursing home.
There are several other questions and concerns that should also guide your research and the final choice you make, like the staff available, their input in the services, facilitation in minor concerns like sores and the regulation of everyday matters. All these factors make a huge difference in the experience an elderly has at a nursing home. So make sure you have researched well and done your homework properly before making the final call.
When you are looking for a nursing home for yourself or for a loved one, it is important to check their safety measures, hygiene standards, staff services and testimonials. And once you have shortlisted the final choices, you need to go for something beyond the comfort of living at the nursing home facility— leisure activities. These should be taken into consideration as much as the other factors mentioned.
It is important to not only look for a place that keeps you healthy and in good shape, but it is also important to look for a facility which helps with mental stimulation as well. Mental exercises help to strengthen and/or build new neurons in the brain, which subsequently helps to keep the brain healthy and stimulated.
Exercise programs and fitness options are a must have and this activity should not be ignored when browsing through nursing home options. Exercise regimen is not only good for the physical health but it is also an essential tool to ward off the traces of depression, which tend to occur with some patients during their stay at a nursing home.
Everyone has a right to practice the religion they follow in the manner which they are comfortable with; and that is a right which has to be freely exercised at any nursing home facility. It is important to look for nursing homes for your elderly loved ones where it is a common practice to hold religious events. These activities should be encouraged in order to help them stay connected to their faith, which can keep them hopeful and calm.
Seniors often go through eccentric phases in their lives. Hence, many of them fail to comprehend what is actually going on with them. Some have addictions while others find it difficult to accept certain drastic changes in their lives. However, when people have the same or similar ailments at a nursing home facility, they can confide in one another through the help of the support group leader.
The cultivated minds of the elderly often crave for something which satiates their desire to express themselves in a manner which doesn't require regular communication tools, and for that they may want to express themselves in art in one form or another. It is thus important to look for a nursing home which encourages the need for this hobby. To assist them engage in artistic exercises, the nursing home should offer hobbies such as craftwork, music, literature and photography.
It is also important to engage the senior patients with healthy outdoor activities along with the indoor activities so that they can enjoy the atmosphere around, the world outside the cocoon of the home and within the limitations of the safety measures that are provided by the facility. Pick out a nursing home, which offers tours, trips to beaches, parks and other recreational facilities.


As CEO, I work with the Cochrane Governing Board (formerly the Steering Group) in developing the organization's strategic goals and objectives contained in our Strategy to 2020. I am responsible for the effective running of Cochrane so that the organization achieves these goals and objectives, leading a Central Executive Team and our network of nearly 120 Cochrane Groups around the world.
My job is to assist the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in high level strategic planning to help Cochrane deliver its vision and strategy. I lead Cochrane's governance function, helping to ensure that the organisation is well governed and that Board, Sub-Committees and Council – and other governance groups – are supported effectively, and that the CEO and Board Co-Chairs receive accurate governance advice. I also support the CEO in managing relationships with the Central Executive Team, and the rest of the Senior Management Team (SMT); and provide support to the SMT collectively on strategic and governance issues.
I am responsible for providing efficient and responsive administrative, organisational, and logistical support service to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
I am responsible for supporting the Senior Advisor to the CEO (Governance & Management) in leading the development and management of the governance arrangements for Cochrane, reviewing developments to ensure they comply with the principles of best practice on charity governance.
I support the appropriate operation of Cochrane's Governing Board and its sub-committees, and the Cochrane Council, helping to ensure that the conduct of meetings is in accordance with good governance principles.
I provide a comprehensive support to the governance functions of the Central Executive Team and to the effective governance of Cochrane Groups by co-ordinating the formal process of Group registration.
My work with Cochrane evolves around supporting and facilitating the work of Cochrane's Geographically oriented Groups, developing and maintaining strategic external partnerships, support to organizational level fundraising, as well as other external affairs (such as developing Cochrane responses to debates critical to Cochrane, and ensuring representation at key events). I also support the implementation of Cochrane's knowledge translation (KT) strategy – mainly focusing on the prioritization & co-production and the exchange themes of the strategy. Through the KT part of my work I aim to facilitate partnership development and prioritization at Cochrane Group level – aiming to support Groups in becoming responsive to external partner needs. I have a background in health science, public health and international health, and spend the largest part of my career on work with low and middle income countries in strengthening their health research systems.
I am a fundraising professional with more than 15 years expertise in both the UK and USA in generating revenue and developing new income sources. I am an articulate and persuasive relationship and stakeholder manager who has excelled at building sustainable partnerships between businesses, the education sector, government, private individuals and the cultural and charitable sectors. I bring with me over 10 years in senior roles and a true passion for the fundraising profession. Recent roles have included Director of Development for COHRED, a Geneva based NGO that works to build research capacity in low and middle income countries, and Director of Oxford Inspires, the cultural development agency in Oxfordshire, UK.
As a Wikipedia consultant for Cochrane, my role includes maintaining and building further relations with Wikipedia and the Wikiproject Medicine Foundation, supporting requests for engagement in Wikipedia work from the Cochrane community, and evaluating ways in which the Cochrane-Wikipedia work can be made sustainable.
Sharing evidence on Wikipedia has the potential to reach a large number of people around the world. I enjoy working closely with the Cochrane community to improve Wikipedia articles using Cochrane evidence and ensure that the health-related information available on Wikipedia is unbiased and of high quality.
My role is to develop and support advocacy work within Cochrane, at local and global levels, as well as to facilitate Cochrane's strategic partnerships. I have a background of communication, advocacy and partnership development roles for European health and environment charities. I am keen to work with many people across the Cochrane community and external partners to develop consistent and strong advocacy messages – please get in touch if this is something you are interested in.
My role is to develop, establish, and growing the US Network.


Win The KTDY Office Lunch From Deano's And Piggly Wiggly!
Deano's Pizza of the Month is the "Bacchus"! It's Delicious, Parmesan, shrimp, Andouille, bell pepper & purple onions! You can win it, or whatever you choose for lunch (a $75.00 value) from Deano's Pizza, and a custom floral arrangement ($50.00 value) from Piggly Wiggly in Scott! Deano's is home to the Pizza Burger, Muffaletta Pizza Pie, Fried Oreos, and king cake bites! To enter, e-mail me, Steve Wiley at: steve@999ktdy.com. Tell me your name, and place of employment. You can also enter a friend. Join me for the All Request Lunch on Thursday. If I call your name, call me at 237-KTDY (5839) within 9 minutes, 99 seconds and you win!


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As well as serving Full English Breakfast and Afternoon Tea, our bar is well stocked with beers, ales, liquors and cocktails. Our Lunch, Bar & Dinner Menus are updated on a seasonal basis.
Set in Kent, the Garden of England, this hotel offers a unique venue for your special event; from conferences to christenings, birthdays and weddings.


You can let your toddler have fun with toys Latitude Enfant blindly because we bring a quite particular attention on the safety. The label CE we affix on the packaging of our toys proves that this one is in compliance with the European safety standards which govern toys: EN71 part 1.2.3. All our products are strictly tested by approved laboratories and world leaders of the certification such as the LNE, Bureau Veritas or Intertek . The toy is going to be subjected by the child to very rough treatments: twisted, stretched, thrown, compressed all these tortures were already imposed during the tests to answer the part(party) 1 of the standard. Products also have to guarantee a certain resistance in the distribution of the fire. We also know that the toy will be carried in baby's mouth, sucked, chewed on, bitten and that he must thus be exempt from any substance dangerous for the good development of your child such as heavy metals, phtalates (in the PVC) or the migration of certain elements (part 3). As well as our fabrics are guaranteed dyed without colouring agents azoïques (components potentially harmful for the health).


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CFTK Welcomes 2018-2019 Committee Members
Hannah House is a committee member on the 2019 Public Relations Committee.
The Carolina For The Kids family just got a lot bigger!!! During the week of September 4-7th, Carolina For The Kids kicked off September with Committee Recruitment Week. Throughout that week, the Executive Board and subchairs spoke with students in The Pit, waved posters and handed out flyers around campus to recruit new members, and encouraged students to join the largest student-run nonprofit in NC.
After a week of recruiting committee members, CFTK welcomed 352 new and returning members on to one of their 11 committees. Each committee member will directly impact the patients and families of UNC Children's. The entire Executive Board is so excited to work with such a talented and eager group of individuals, and all of the committee members are excited to support Carolina For The Kids' mission.
Following Committee Recruitment Week, Polina Cherkez, a junior on the Organizational Donations Committee, explained why she joined a committee her freshman year and why she continues to be a part of CFTK:
Polina joined Carolina For The Kids her freshman year to find a way to make an impact on the children at the hospital. After three years in the organization, she continues to be a committee member each year because of the people. She describes everyone in the organization as "supportive, selfless, and inspirational." Polina has met so many new friends by being a committee member and has seen the impact that she has had on the patients and families, which is why she loves coming back each year.
As a committee member, Polina enjoys going out in the community to fundraise through canning, but one of her favorite CFTK events is Kilometers For The Kids: "I always like KFTK because its super easy to entice friends to run with you and have an impact on the organization. I love to see all the camaraderie of committee members at the race as we encourage and cheer each other on throughout the race!"
With Dancer Recruitment Week right around the corner, Polina is already super excited to participate in the UNC Dance Marathon again this year. She commented on how impactful and amazing the event is, and she hopes that all UNC students will join CFTK members by standing in support of the patients and families of UNC Children's. "It's an amazing 24-hours as we all have fun and stand for a purpose," said Polina. She also really enjoys family hour because it puts everything into perspective after standing 24 hours for the kids!
When asked what she is looking forward to the most this year, Polina said, "As we welcomed so many new members into the organization, I'm most excited to see the huge impact that we, as undergraduate Carolina students, will have on the lives of so many families. It's incredible the difference that a few students can have, and I can't wait to share my experiences with so many new committee members."


DANBURY - Western Connecticut State University has come a long way over the last 99-plus years, and it's not about to slow down now.
"It's an opportunity that comes along once every 100 years, so I think it's a great privilege and a great opportunity to celebrate the university," said WestConn President Dr. James R. Roach, the committee's general chair. "We're looking at our past and looking forward to our future. It's a celebration where everybody is invited to the party — the faculty, the staff, the students, the community. They're all invited not only to take part in the centennial, but also to help plan the centennial. It's a big family party."
The festivities will begin on Saturday, Sept. 14, with a gala day of special events and activities planned. Gov. John G. Rowland, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, Connecticut State University Chancellor Dr. William J. Cibes Jr., and Dr. Roach are among the invited speakers.
Among the activities will be the unveilings of presidential portraits and the centennial sculpture, numerous receptions including one to honor outstanding graduates, a Founders Day luncheon, the Centennial Lecture series, and an evening gala concert with fireworks that will serve as the day's closing event. But that's only the start; the centennial is a yearlong celebration.
WestConn Registrar Henry Tritter, the committee's co-chair along with Director of Public Relations Dr. G. Koryoe Anim-Wright, said he is looking forward to "a really special" year.
"I think it's a recognition of how far we have come from the time when we were just a little teacher training school on White Street," Tritter said. "Now we're a comprehensive university. It's recognition of the past, but it's also a springboard to the future. I think it's something that the whole university community has begun to make a part of their thinking."
It's been part of Dr. Herbert Janick's thinking since 1999. That's when Janick, a history professor emeritus at WestConn and a committee member, started writing "A People's University: The Centennial History of Western Connecticut State University."
"That's been my concentration and obsession since then," said Janick, who started teaching history at WestConn in 1969 and retired in 1998.
Janick will sign copies of the book, which will be the first published by WestConn when it comes out in August, as part of the opening-day events.
"I think it's a good point to look back and see where we were," Janick said.
"The News-Times" President and Publisher Wayne Shepperd, a committee member and a co-chair of the Community subcommittee, said the centennial is already shining a positive spotlight on WestConn.
"There is a distinct hand-in-hand relationship between the university and the local business community," Shepperd said. "Ultimately, the better students that the university produces, the better our local businesses become. Selfishly, the business community certainly wants a more and more successful university."
Shepperd's subcommittee is charged with helping to get the word out about the centennial. He said local radio stations WLAD, WINE and WRKI, along with "The News-Times" and Comcast Cablevision, are already involved, with a focus on helping motivate alumni to return to the campus.
"The centennial gives the university an opportunity to tell people in our region and throughout the state that the academic programs at the school have grown immeasurably over the last several years," Shepperd said. "And the new buildings on campus have given the students a learning-friendly environment in which to enjoy the academic programs. This is simply a wonderful opportunity for the citizens of Danbury, in particular, to recognize how valuable a part of our city that WestConn is."
"It's a good opportunity to remind people who we are," Janick added. "We're a pretty important organization in the community, sometimes a hidden asset, but maybe this will make us a little more obvious."
"This certainly is an excellent opportunity for us to unveil the university," Anim-Wright said. "Most people have observed the campus growth from afar, driving on White Street. What we would like them to do during the centennial year is to experience the growth by visiting the campus –– taking a tour or attending the special events that we are planning for the centennial year."
To provide assistance for the centennial, the university has hired Mary Figueroa, an experienced special events planner.
"Mary has been wonderful," Anim-Wright said. "She joined us on April 1, and she already has made a significant impact on our planning efforts. For example, she has worked closely with Wayne Shepperd to firm up some of the commitments from area businesses and corporations on how they plan to support WestConn's centennial celebration."
To ensure smooth planning, the Centennial committee has been divided into the following subcommittees: alumni, athletics, community, faculty, PR & Events, and students. WestConn Vice President for Finance and Administration Richard Sullivan, who also chairs the PR & Events subcommittee, said plans are progressing nicely.
"We've established the whole program for Sept. 14, although there's still plenty more to be done," Sullivan said. "We've also established a budget for all the programs that will be held during the year. We're working with the academic and administrative departments' budgets and proposals. We're just finalizing things."
The 2002-03 schedule, he said, is packed with events that will involve the faculty and students, including the communication and theatre arts department's special production of "Meet Me in St. Louis," the "Educator of the Decade" reception, a "History of Nursing" presentation, alumni forums and reunions, Psychological Day, Mental Health Awareness Day, an alumni art show, a faculty lecture series, various music department performances, and a multimedia program in Alumni Hall.
For more information, call Figuero at (203) 837-8832, or visit www.wcsu.edu/centennial.


You buy the Groupon offer and redeem it at Tasting Room, who will send you the initial shipment of 6 mini bottles. Taste the wines and fill out your profile preference online then your next shipment of 6, full-size bottles are shipped to you. All this for just $34.99 – great deal!
What's the catch? Well, you're also subscribed to their club, which will send you 12 bottles every 3 months for $149 plus $19.99 shipping. BUT, you can cancel at any time.
Is this a deal? Well if you just wanted the 6 mini bottles, you can buy that directly from Tasting Room for $9.95, then your first case is $84.49 so, yeah – this Groupon offer is a fantastic deal! Just remember to cancel if you don't want the next shipment, and the $170 charge on your credit card.
The bigger downside to this deal, especially given the time of year, is that this is not something that you can easily give as a gift, since the person doing the tasting and receiving the case of wine has to put in their credit card information to redeem the offer.
I'm going to buy this offer now, and get my own Tasting Kit & case of wine for $34.99 – I recommend you do, too, before it's sold out!


text:
Q&A with CBC Real Estate's Rick Baier
Rick Baier is a principal of CBC Real Estate and U.S. Federal Properties.
Rick Baier is the "B" in CBC Real Estate Company and is one of the partners at US Federal Properties. Under these two companies, Baier has become one of the top medical and federal property developers in the country, developing 150 million square feet each year. Recently at a Kansas City chapter meeting of CCIM, Baier shared details on the companies' latest activity and shared his insight on a host of local issues.
On teaming up with Dan Carr
Earlier in his career, Baier had a six-year stint at CB which ultimately led to him becoming managing director of the firm for a period of time. He describes his first day there.
"I sat down at my cube and there was a guy named Dan Carr who sat beside me," Baier said. "I left the office, came back and dropped a case of beer between us, and we started talking. Within two weeks, we forged a development partnership to develop real estate together."
Baier soon became managing director of the firm's local operations, with the agreement that he'd be able to develop property for his own portfolio on the side. Soon, that situation became sticky as Baier started competing with CBRE's national clients.
"We tried a few mouse traps to allow us to continue to develop property while I was running CB and finally, we threw in the towel," he said. "We made it easy and left, picking up our team of 6 to 8 people, and started what was at the time called BC Development Company."
Soon, Bill Crandall became the C of CBC, Kevin Kelly was added as CFO, and Cathy Baier took the helm as a USFP partner. Today, USFP is the developer of all government-related projects, while CBC handles everything else.
On his 'lean and mean' team
Baier (right) is the 'B' of CBC Real Estate. On the left, Bill Crandall and center, Dan Carr.
All in all, Baier's team consists of fifteen people in his office, including property managers.
"We run pretty lean and mean," he said, "and we're a big believer in outsourcing."
When the team has a deal in another city, it will hire a local construction manager, but one of the partners will be in charge of the project and fly to the site nearly every week. Typically, each project is assigned two principals – one as the lead and the other as a backup.
"It's interesting how our portfolio has been split," he said. "Kathy takes everything in the southeast - Florida, Florida, and more Florida – whereas Dan, who likes skiing and wine, takes everything from the Rockies to the west coast. I'm left with Grand Rapids, Michigan and Montgomery, Alabama and everything else in the center of the fairway."
On going public
In 2010, Baier and his partners decided to try to take USFP public.
"We went all the way through pricing day and didn't like the pricing we were given on Wall Street," he said. "Our investment brokers kept telling us to go ahead and take the deal anyway, but we told them we had a backup play. They didn't believe us."
The team ultimately walked away and the next day, sold $200 million worth of GSA deals. Those deals closed 45 days after the team walked away from the public offering.
"That was an expensive loss. We probably had $5 million invested in it, but big picture, it was probably the smartest thing we ever did," Baier said. "We were priced at $20 a share, and as slow as the GSA and VA has been in awarding deals, we would have been clobbered in quarterly earnings calls. So it's a very good thing that we walked."
Recent growth
USFP has formed a property management division which has roughly 3 million square feet under management in 25 states. That team manages all of USFP's properties. Recently, however, USFP beefed up its portfolio after forming a relationship with a Connecticut-based equity fund three years ago, when USFP sold that fund a handful of its VA projects.
"They, in turn, over the last few years have acquired VA properties from other developers who won those deals. When they acquired those, they canceled the property management agreement with that developer and gave it to us, so we've picked up another 1 million square feet over the last six to nine months of VA projects around the country," Baier said.
The Northland Innovation Campus is home to several educational entities including the North Kansas City School District and Northwest Missouri State University.
Northland Innovation Campus
Find more information on the Northland Innovation Campus here.
Currently, the team is filling out the Northland Innovation Campus, a new $20 million Class A office building in downtown Gladstone, Mo. Currently, the building houses the North Kansas City School District which has 60,000 square feet, and Northwest Missouri State University, which has 20,000 square feet. The fourth floor still has about 9,000 still available. With tenant improvement currently underway, the first phase of the project is set to open in August in line with the district's fall opening. The team on that project includes Hoefer Wysocki Architects, McCownGordon Construction, BHC Rhodes and Henderson Engineers.
USFP also has about 20 VA projects in the bidding process. As one of the top five VA developers in the nation, Baier is hopeful that his team will win a handful of those projects.
On government bidding
Baier said his team is successful largely thanks to a strong relationship with Kansas City-based Hoefer Wysocki Architects, which completes much of USFP's federal projects around the country. Why? He holds up a 500-page binder to demonstrate.
"This is just our initial submission for a VA deal to hopefully make the shortlist," he said. "There are two or three more volumes of that involved and probably $150,000 worth of labor and printing that goes into one of these. We only have three contractors we can use because we simply can't educate a contractor in every market to figure out how to bid on these. For a contractor not familiar with government work, they're not going to be able to figure it out, or they'll make a fatal error."
On development incentives
Baier has a warning for those entering the dialogue on development incentives: "Unless you know all the facts about a real estate deal, you have to be careful about the opinions you make."
Case in point: The team's Northland Innovation Campus was developed in a public-private partnership with the City of Gladstone in which the team received an array of incentives, bringing the rent down to $18 per square foot on a triple net basis.
"Major incentives were associated but that's the only way it would have happened," he said. "In downtown Gladstone without incentives, how would you ever get a $30 per square foot rental rate to work?"
The team also received incentives on its first major retail project, Liberty Triangle. Ten years after the project was award Tax Increment Financing, it's finally generating revenue.
"We're finally getting our checks as of January 1, exactly on its 10th anniversary," he said. "You read so much about incentives and whether we should have them or not, but I'm telling you, this thing didn't make a nickel for ten years and had it not been for TIF, it wouldn't have happened."
Tagged: Rick Baier, Dan Carr, Bill Crandall, Cathy Baier, CBC Real Estate, US Federal Properties, Hoefer Wysocki Architects, McCownGordon Construction, BHC Rhodes
Newer PostPoint Commercial's Deal of the Week
Older PostBlock & Co. brings new hotel to Plaza at the Speedway


text:
Q: Encoding AES in Go and Decoding in CryptoJS I have these in Go:
var commonIV = []byte{0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00}
plaintext := []byte("hello, world")
key_text := "32o4908go293hohg98fh40gh"
c, err := aes.NewCipher([]byte(key_text))
if err != nil {
    fmt.Printf("Error: NewCipher(%d bytes) = %s", len(key_text), err)
    return
}
cfbdec := cipher.CBCEncrypter(c, commonIV)
ciphertext := make([]byte, len(plaintext))
cfbdec.CryptBlock(ciphertext, plaintext)
fmt.Printf("%x", ciphertext) //HEX

Output:

e0df84c3b83681a8133e1787

and I import the following urls:
<script src="http://crypto-js.googlecode.com/svn/tags/3.1.2/build/rollups/aes.js"></script>
<script src="http://crypto-js.googlecode.com/svn/tags/3.1.2/build/components/enc-base64-min.js"></script>
<script src="http://crypto-js.googlecode.com/svn/tags/3.1.2/build/components/mode-cfb-min.js"></script>
<script src="http://crypto-js.googlecode.com/svn/tags/3.1/build/components/pad-nopadding.js"></script>

and my code in JS is the following:
var data = CryptoJS.enc.Hex.parse("e0df84c3b83681a8133e1787");
console.log(data);
var key = "32o4908go293hohg98fh40gh";
var iv = CryptoJS.enc.Base64.parse("AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==");
console.log(iv);

var encrypted = {};
encrypted.key=key;
encrypted.iv=iv;
encrypted.ciphertext = data;

var dec = CryptoJS.AES.decrypt(encrypted, key, { mode: CryptoJS.mode.CFB, iv: iv,  padding: CryptoJS.pad.NoPadding  });

console.log(dec);
console.log(dec.toString());
console.log(dec.toString(CryptoJS.enc.Utf8));

What i'm doing wrong?

A: Don't you want a CBCEncrypter in the Go code?

A: It looks like you are using CBCEncrypter (block counter mode) in the Go but CryptoJS.mode.CFB (cypher feedback mode) in the JS code.  As far as I know, these are not compatible block modes.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Author Randy Johnson has written at length about the iconic Grandfather Mountain. In this definitive book, Mr. Johnson takes readers on a tour of the landmark mountain's history from its geological beginnings to its eventual establishment as a state park. Through photos & stories, Mr. Johnson shows how Grandfather has changed & been changed by the people of Western North Carolina & beyond.


Our board-certified physicians use both surgical and non-surgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, sports-related injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors, and congenital disorders. Our surgeons will utilize all conservative measures first.
We perform fluoroscopically-guided diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Our New Orleans and Baton Rouge pain management clinic's goal is to help patients by determining why they hurt, what structure is causing their pain, and then addressing that pathology with as minimally-invasive technique as possible.
If you are looking for a Louisiana pain management clinic, contact LA Health Solutions today!
Our licensed physical therapist will work with you to create a treatment plan that gets you back to a state of wellness and mobility. Whether you are suffering a sports-related injury, recovering from surgery or battling disease, LA Health Solutions will help you get from pain to performance.
For New Orleans and Baton Rouge patients needing chiropractic attention, LA Health Solutions offers the services of board-certified chiropractors to administer a natural form of health care. Spinal adjustments are used to correct misalignments and restore proper function to the nervous system, helping your body heal naturally.
We offer an individualized treatment program that is created using real or simulated work activities in conjunction with conditioning tasks. This program is customized to meet individual needs according to your profession.


University IT (UIT) offers advanced communications services to meet the needs of our diverse client base. These services are ordered and billed separately.
Auto Attendant - Upon dialing your number, callers receive a menu with predefined options. Your department specifies the destinations that the options represent and the call is automatically routed when the caller selects an option.
Call Recording - A software-based recorder providing full-time recording and compliance recording to help increase operational effectiveness, reduce liability, comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and other industry standards, and expedite dispute resolution.
Hunt Group Plus - A Voice over IP (VoIP) based configuration that combines auto attendant functionality with queue controls, providing many of the same features as a call center platform, but with limited reporting controls. For more information about this service, please submit a Help request.
Ring Down Service - When the receiver is lifted, the telephone automatically dials one specified location. For more information about this service, please submit a Help request.


Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish and prepare peaches into slices. Place even layers of peach slices in baking dish.
For the filling, warm up the 2 tablespoons of butter and mix it into Kelley's Texas Country Style Honey, cinnamon, nutmeg. Drizzle and spread the mix across the top of the layers of peaches.
For the dough, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together. Slowly pour in milk, melted butter and vanilla extract while mixing it into the dry ingredients until all ingredients are blended.
Scoop round chunks of dough and place evenly across the layer of peach filling.
Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until dough is light golden brown and the filing is bubbling.
Remove from oven and let it cool until ready to serve.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream topped with more Kelley Texas Country Style Honey.


"No matter what you have done, become, or promised to be never forget that God made you, knows everything about you and loves you unconditionally. May his Divine love change you from the inside out and when it does you will know what grace really is. Even more realize that this pervasive, persistent, and powerful force called "grace" is the best thing you will ever discover. And when it finds you your eyes will be opened and you will see that there really is nuthin' but grace."
Do these words describe the way you feel about God's grace? If they do then you will want to consider joining our fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ. Together we can help each other experience God's love and fulfill his purpose in our lives by loving others in his name.


A hybrid search optimization is presented in order to optimize hybrid laminated fibrous composite E-springs for vehicle suspension systems. This optimization is conducted with both of the geometrical configuration and laminate structure of the E-spring. A genetic algorithm along with a hill-climbing random-walk approach are used through a developed NURBS-based technique in order to conduct this optimization. A mathematical-modeling-based mid-ware technology is introduced in order to fully automate the optimization process through linking the run engines of mathematical modeling and finite element analysis from within the mathematical modeling engine. A hybrid approach of the inter-laminar shear stress and Tsai-Wu criteria is first implemented in order to identify failure indices of the resulting optimum shape and laminate structure.
Citation: Elmoselhy, S., Azzam, B., Metwalli, S., and Dadoura, H., "Hybrid Shape Optimization and Failure Analysis of Laminated Fibrous Composite E-Springs for Vehicle Suspension," SAE Technical Paper 2006-01-3586, 2006, https://doi.org/10.4271/2006-01-3586.


Pre-workout supplements play an essential role in a person's exercise and diet routine. The pre-workout supplement must provide the benefits needed, from energy and focus to blood flow, and performance, just to name a few. In order to get the mind dialed in and the body ready for the training session giving 100%, a precise blend of ingredients working together synergistically must be used.
That is why Performax Labs is proud to present Performax Labs HyperMax: a fine-tuned pre-workout formula containing scientifically proven, properly dosed ingredients for enhanced performance. Performax Labs HyperMax contains a blend of vasodilators, adrenaline boosters, and sports performance enhancers that will keep your brain switched on and your body pushing through, no matter what you throw at it.
Citrulline - The precursor to arginine that works better than arginine to boost blood flow to skeletal muscle.
Beta-Alanine - One of the most trusted and well-studied ingredients available, this precursor to carnosine helps to buffer acid buildup for increased exercise performance and lean mass with reduced muscle soreness.
B-Phenylethylamine HCl - A trace amine that can increase the action of noradrenaline to vastly improve focus and cognition.
Eria Jarensis Extract - A wide spectrum of phenethylamines for enhanced efficacy and longevity of cognitive enhancement.
Hordeum Vulgare - This natural source of hordenine acts as a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor to enhance its effects and enable it to last longer.
Caffeine - At 325 mg, this popular stimulant will deliver powerful enhancement of exercise performance, whether aerobic or anaerobic.
In Performax Labs HyperMax, we have combined scientifically proven, properly dosed nitric oxide boosters and performance enhancers with the best neuroenhancers available. By pairing B-phenylethylamine HCl with whole plant Eria jarensis extract, we are able to provide a full spectrum of phenethylamines, which maximises their potency and cognitive effectiveness. Before your next workout, maximize your performance with Performax Labs HyperMax.
FOR MAXIMAL RESULTS STACK WITH VASOMAX.


Meet Stubby: a stray domestic dog who used to be taken in by means of a gaggle of yank soldiers-in-training and shortly stumbled on himself whisked off to the frontlines of global warfare I because the professional mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment! Stubby served bravely via his infantrymen' aspects for 18 months and have become a hero while he stored his regiment from a shock gasoline assault, and back while he singlehandedly stuck an enemy German soldier in No Man's Land.
Join Stubby on his excellent trip from dog to soldier to high-ranking sergeant as he narrates his tale of heroism. This "dog's-eye view" takes readers into the guts of the motion of WWI and should depart you cheering for Stubby and his human partners as they triumph over numerous stumbling blocks and end up repeatedly why a puppy fairly is man's top friend.
. Now, years later, Andreas cannot think that his runaway spouse has dared set foot on Aristos again—and that he nonetheless wants her.
Katerina Whitcomb-Salgar's existence used to be all mapped out, and smug, buttoned-up billionaire Blake McCord used to be certainly no longer at the Dallas socialite's dance card. until eventually one moonlit kiss replaced every little thing. Falling for his brother's ex-fiancée used to be strictly taboo. let alone Blake could not come up with the money for any distractions because the hunt for the Santa Magdelena Diamond was once heating up, and the survival of his family's jewellery shop empire was once at the line.
Nine to 5MEMORANDUMTo:The ReaderFrom: Carole MortimerSubject: The Black Sheep and the Scarlet WomanIt is being attracted to your realization that Juliet's boss has left her part his company—and all his issues. Carlyle houses is close to financial ruin, and Juliet has to proportion her inheritance with Liam Carlyle, his estranged son, who has already assumed that Juliet seduced his father!


Vicki Burke, harpist, healer, author and storyteller is maybe best known as a saxophonist. For 25 years this was her world where she could be found in such diverse as bands Ninja Tune's Up Bustle & Out, or with Show of Hand's Phil Beer band to local favourites Flash Harry.
However, 15 years ago Vicki took up the harp and began diversifying further into writing her own songs with the harp and setting them within the backdrop of stories and journeying. Now she is perfectly happy simply singing her songs with their stories or presenting her journeys with harp and song, but more recently she has finding that the most profound work is allowing the harp to tell its own story.
Vicki facilitates monthly harp meditations in Frome, taking the recipient through the gifts that Mother Nature offers at each stage of the year and reflects this with the astrology and personal journey. Once the scene has been set the harp lets you do the rest as you connect with the beautiful vibrations.
However, 15 years ago Vicki took up the harp and began diversifying further into writing her own songs with the harp and setting them within the backdrop of her trilogy of journeys with harp and song, Keys to the Golden City being the first.
However, she also loves just singing her songs and taking the listener on a journey with her thoughts and inspirations that led to the songs creation.


The Vineyard Churches are a vital, creative group: activists in the best sense of the word. They just needed a website to share and connect.
This redesign solved three clear goals: Help people understand the Vineyard and connect with local churches; facilitate internal collaboration and redesign their site to reflect the life and passion of the community.
Remaining culturally relevant means embracing new technology as well as new ideas. This app, still in development, will help keep the community connected.


text:
Q: Different tooltip text for Sign Up tab On the page https://meta.stackexchange.com/users/signup tooltip for Sign Up tab says (emphasis is mine):

Sign up to {SiteName}

Same tab on the page https://meta.stackexchange.com/users/account-recovery contains tooltip with another text:

Sign up for {SiteName}

to, or for: that's the question.


How to get full marks for Task Achievement | Ryan's IELTS Blog – Actionable IELTS resources and strategies that work!
← My Academic Task 1 ebook has been updated!
These days many people prefer to rent rather than buy their own house. Why is this this so? Discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of renting or buying, and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and examples from your personal experience where appropriate.
While it is certainly cheaper week-by-week to rent than pay a mortgage, the renter misses out on the large capital gains to be made when buying a home. When I took out my own mortgage on my two-bedroom apartment, my repayments on a $400,000 loan were about $600 a week, compared with $500 for rental value on a similar property. However, over the past three years my apartment has appreciated by more than $250,000, greatly outweighing the $15,000 I would have saved by renting. In addition to this, my mortgage payments secured an acquisition of property that will remain valuable for my family into the future. Financial growth of this sort is not possible through renting.
Renters do not only lose out on capital gains, they also lose in terms of security and peace of mind. The roof over their heads once their lease is over is always at the mercy of the landlord, who might at any time decide to sell the property. The landlord can also put up the rent when they feel the market warrants it. Further, unless the renter invests their savings judiciously, the money they save will be frittered on day-to-day life, leaving them very much poorer than the buyer once retirement looms.
In conclusion, while a first mortgage will cost more each week than renting, the advantages of buying, including capital appreciation and housing security, greatly outweigh the short-term savings to be made by renting.


This week we were contacted by a prospective agency who wanted some information on how they would be protected from Fund My Contractor stealing customers or business from the agency itself.
As a dedicated team of back office specialists we are neither equipped for, nor have any desire to become a recruiting agency ourselves. There is simply no reason why we would ever jeopardise our business by stealing data, information or clients from any of the agencies we work with.
Security of data is incredibly important to Fund My Contractor. The agencies we work with are assured of confidentiality within the service level agreement. Our contracts clearly show that the client, candidate and placement are the sole responsibility of the agency, and any attempt to engage in nefarious business practises by Fund My Contractor would be a breach of contract.
The agency were reassured, and satisfied that their placements would be secure with us.


text:
The 10 Best Reaper Skins of All Time
Updated: 06 Jul 2018 9:02 pm
Reaping souls and chewing bubble gum, and he's all out of bubble gum
BY: Anthony Baffo
The light hearted and cartoony feel of Overwatch has a sinister past.
Reaper is the badass masked villain in Overwatches offence class. His front-line execution style can be a true horror when your up against him. There is more behind the mask then meets the eye though and his skins tell the deeper story.
10. Classic
Reaping souls and erasing names.
This masked villain has an identity largely unknown to the greater Overwatch Universe. For those who do know, he's Gabriel Reyes. He organized a coup which destroyed Overwatch from the inside. Reaper's genetically modified ability to ender and leave a room in a puff of smoke gives him his ghostly presence.
Since the fall of Overwatch, Reaper has been sighted in many battle fields. H His allegiance belongs to no one other than his revenge and mission to assassinate all former Overwatch members. The mask doesn't just hide his identity. It also hides the horrors done to his face in the explosive destruction of Overwatch.
See him in action.
9. Hellfire
There is no scorn like Hell's fire.
Hellfire is the names of Reaper's guns. This Thrasher/Ed Hardy looking skin plays to all the influences on the character's conception. Reapers are a class from StarCraft II who also wield duel weapons. The mask seems to be a relic right out of Diablo III.
Reaper's shotguns have "RPNT" printed on their sides. This likely means "Repent." On this skin we also get an added flame detail. This skin is a true hot rod.
Watch him burn.
8. Shiver
Death comes over you like a chill.
Reaper has been given the reputation of a cold-blooded killer. He's known to leave a horrific battle field without a scratch on him. This Winder Wonderland Event skin plays right into that notion of him. The cool frost that pours out from his mask is like the chilly breath of death's whisper.
Like the coldest night, Reaper will kill with little motive. However, on Christmas he was spotted stalking an unknown family on their winter streets. Developers have since commented saying that is was not just some random family. Maybe this grinches heart can grow bigger yet.
Grab a blanket for this one.
7. Mariachi
Every day is the Day of the Dead for Reaper.
The names for death varies on the regions and cultures you are looking at. All of them have a name for Reaper. Sugar skull mask. Sombrero. Embordered duster and boots to match. This skin represents the celebration of the day of the dead, his favorite time of the year.
Reapers normal mask could also be interpreted as the barn owl. Mexican folklore regards them as the messengers of the land of the dead. Reaper's Wraith Form also looks somewhat like an owl in flight.
Your next Comic Con outfit.
6. Wight
Fallen angels will always land on earth.
Reaper always shoots his left gun first. He also has a pose with his hands crisscrossed – right arm in front- a characteristic of left handed people. This beautifully angelic white with platinum finish seems out of character for the mercenary. The designers of Overwatch are always thinking way deeper then stitching. However, the fabric work of this skins white leather cape is incredible.
In the Christian belief system, God's right-hand man was the archangel Gabriel. The intention doesn't come simply from the name but also from the fact the Gabriel is the angel of death.
Say your prayers before watching this one.
Try not yo lose your head.
If you don't immediately understand the reference of this skin, check out the tale of The Headless Horseman. This skin was a great redesign of all of Reaper's aesthetics. It has been reported that the few bodies recovered from a Reaper execution are pale, empty, drained of all life. Your souls only make him stronger.
In the Second Halloween Terror event he also received a Dracula skin which might be a better representation of him, but this is the better skin. During the event in Hollywood the theater features a movie poster of Reaper riding on the back of a phantom horse.
Don't watch this in the dark.
4. Biker
Olympic games, meet olimpic kill streaks.
Does biking really have much to do with Reaper? No, probably not. But who cares, look at this skin. His shot guns have that sports car like speed about them. The orange to red gradient will always be a good color on him as well. I love all the armor traded in for knee pads, a jump suit and a bitching racing helmet.
Reaper's guns on this skin say, "Speed Fang", "T4" and "Reaper". In the Summer Games you probably have guessed that his signature sport is BMX.
See this look in action.
3. Plague Doctor
Don't bother bringing out your dead, he'll do it for you.
Reaper holds the skulls of two birds chocking on his barrel. A tattered green robe give the skin an air of something old world. It feels sickly just to look at. The mask is the pièce de résistance. The bird like shape is the exact type of mask worn by some witch doctors during the black plague.
Reaper's shotguns read "CRW-ND", which likely refers to the Left 4 Dead 2 achievement "cr0wned". The achievement is earned by killing a witch with one shotgun shot.
Watch this twice and call your doctor in the morning.
2. Blackwatch
Watch your back. He comes in the cover of the night.
After Overwatch brought an end to the Omnic Crisis promotions were in order. Reyes was passed over to make Morrison strike commander. Instead, Reyes became the head of Blackwatch, Overwatches secretive covert ops cell. This skin was one of the first event skins to be released for Reaper. Yet you saw it in the Retribution event in which he and his team aim to extract a terrorist mobster in the cover of night. What was best about the release of this skin was the reveal of what Reyes looked like before the mask.
Most of his skins have him strapped with grenades of some kind. You can't use them in game, but, in the Overwatch Short "Recall" he uses a grenade launcher attached to the bottom on his gun. It's a possible ability that was scrapped before the game. Another scrapped ability, reaping the souls of your enemies not just for health but to also prevent Mercy from a resurrection.
This video will self destruct.
1. Soldier 24
The streets of LA meet the tech of Overwatch
Here we have Gabriel at his very beginning. Heenlisted in the U.S. Soldier Enhancement Program as Soldier: 24, along with Morrison. The U.N. invited the both to join Overwatch at its beginning because of their gifts in battle. His guns are their most rudimentary here, and his outfit is some kind of U.S. army/war machine hybrid. He was quit the looker before you had to fear him as you fear death itself.
Soldier: 24 guns say "RVGR" and "US ADVANCED MILITARY ARMS RESEARCH INSTITUTE ALLOY SUPERFOIL TYPE-24" According to Reaper's dog tag on his Soldier: 24 skin his blood type is AB Negative, his soldier ID number is 06 0000 0024, and he has no religion.
Step one, watch. Step two, hop onto battle.net and play.
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Reaper of Souls
Anthony Baffo
Anthony, living in New York, daily deals with high elves, paladins, monks, rogues and the occational shapshifter. He is always finding the parallels between this world the the ones he's now playing
Currently Playing: A lot of Overwatch
Top 3 Favorite Games:Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dragonborn, Rocket League
Cover of Night. Not even disease can stop him.
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