Everyone's favorite crappy outfielder Corey Patterson has switched agents. Apparently, Patterson had been represented by Scott Boras, the agent notorious for filling his client's wallets with all sorts of mad cash. But apparently not even the mighty Boras can magically turn a 23% Not-Out Percentage into a Major League Baseball contract, and C-Pat is looking for greener pastures.
A year too late, I'm afraid.
Posted in Corey Patterson, Human League.
Speaking of guys who are gone – I'm seeing reports that Hopper, Belisle, and Majewski have been non-tendered and are now free agents.
I can see it with Majewski and Belisle, but Hopper can handle a bat and get on base, is a capable defender, and could have at least made a usable bench piece. OTOH, he has no power to speak of. I guess the Reds can still sign him back off the free agent market.


Sunday night, just before dinner, we lit the first candle of our Advent wreath. This tradition began while my daughter Eve was in the kindergarden of the Waldorf school she attends. Although I am not a "religious" person I do consider myself a spiritual being and adore some of the rituals of the holiday season.
I have a several pages of xerox copies given to me by one of Eve's kindy teachers with various activities associated with Advent. I will be posting some of these here as we spiral our way toward the light. For this post however, I have typed out the verse we say each night as we light the candle of our Advent garden and added a little extra fragrance fun to each. Like the four elements and the four directions there are four weeks of Advent. Since each week is devoted to a special kingdom I have listed essences and materials that relate to each. One could create a perfume or accord/chord for each week and then put them all together on Christmas day as a final perfume.
The first light of advent, it is the light of stones.
Stones that live in crystals, seashells and in bones.
The first week of Advent recognizes the mineral kingdom. The essence in the palette of the botanical perfume artist that most relates here is Choya, distilled seashells. Choya is a very strong base note with a distinct "burnt" aroma. Use it mindfully for it can overtake your blend. An alternative would be to tincture or infuse rocks, seashells and bones.
The third week of Advent focuses our attention on the animal kingdom. Animal ingredients in perfume is a very controversial topic. There are some materials that are used in natural perfume that are directly derived from animals such as Ambergris, Civet, Castoreum, Musk and Skunk. I do not use those, although I do have some ethically harvested Ambergris and some Skunk. Then there are some ingredients that are considered animal by some and not by others those are: Beeswax absolute, Honey absolute, South African Hyrax, Seaweed and even Choya mentioned above. Then there are those botanicals that have a distinctive animal element to their aroma such as Patchouli, Labdanum and Black Currant. For my own botanical perfumes I've constructed veggie accords/chords as an alternative to the animal ingredients.
The light of hope, the light of love to give and understand.
The fourth week of Advent brings us to the domain of the humans. Ah, well, generally human ingredients are not used in perfumery. I did read Chandler Burr once mention the French use of baby poop. Probably the most famous fictional use is by the character Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in the German novel Das Parfum.
For the human element there are a few possibilities that come to my mind such as a tincture or infusion, perhaps of a lock of your hair. Another approach with this one is to focus on the second stanza: The light of hope, the light of love to give and understand. Immediately I think of Frankincense, not only because of its aromatherapeutic affects but also that the ingredient looks like congealed light.
I hope you have enjoyed this little walk through our Advent Garden with some ideas on anchoring the journey with a scent. This is just one approach, I can think of many others as I am sure you can as well.
Cheers to the journey, thank you for being part of mine.
Images: ADVENTure blogging banner by Roxana Villa, other images are old engravings which I have modified using photoshop.
Hi Kathleen, thanks for dropping in for a visit. I'm glad to hear I added a little light to your day. Cheers to you as well!
Helg, oh Goddess of the Perfume Blogosphere and keeper of the Shrine. Thanks for stopping on by my dear, always a pleasure.


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Gridlock may complicate matters for industry in 2015
Miles Moore
From left, Daniel Zielinski, Rubber Manufacturers Association senior vice president of public affairs; Roy Littlefield, executive vice president of the Tire Industry Association; and Charles Cannon, president of the Rubber Manufacturers Association.
WASHINGTON—This year promises to be an intense year in legislation and rulemaking for all stakeholders in the tire and rubber product industry. 2015 also ushered in a new Congress in which Republicans hold firm control of both the Senate and House of Representatives.
However, how much correlation there will be between those two facts is debatable. Political commentators—in the industry and elsewhere—expect at best only a slight loosening of Congress' legislative logjam this year. They also expect President Obama to start wielding his veto power against bills dear to the GOP.
For the tire industry, there will be plenty of issues to address in and out of Congress. The issue that promises to be the most contentious arose in the last month of 2014.
On Dec. 9-10, 2014, the National Transportation Safety Board hosted a symposium in Washington on passenger tire safety. At that meeting, the Rubber Manufacturers Association proposed an end to the voluntary tire registration rule Congress approved in 1982 and a return to the mandatory system begun in the 1970s.
This recommendation was opposed by the Tire Industry Association, whose predecessor organization, the National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association, fought a hard battle to end mandatory registration in the first place.
At a time when the NTSB is investigating fatal accidents involving recalled tires that somehow stayed on the road, strong measures are needed, according to Dan Zielinski, RMA senior vice president of public affairs.
"After more than 30 years of experience with voluntary tire registration, the difference in registration rates between independent retailers and company-owned stores is stark," he said. "The system has not worked."
But while TIA favors stronger measures to register tires, it cannot support a registration system in which all the burdens and penalties are laid solely on retailers, according to Roy Littlefield III, TIA executive vice president.
"I can't think of any other product safety registration system in which the retailer is held responsible," he said. "If a child safety seat is recalled and can't be recovered, Walmart doesn't get fined."
Kevin Rohlwing, TIA's vice president of training, testified at the NTSB symposium. "The retailer is taking all of the accountability under the threat of serious fines that we have seen range from $1,000 to $6,000 to a maximum of $400,000 to $16 million," he said at the session. "These are examples that we have seen over the years."
TIA is doing everything it can to inform tire retailers and consumers about their responsibilities under the tire registration law, according to Roy Littlefield IV, TIA government affairs manager. Soon it will issue a new video, "Tire Safety Begins with Tire Registration," which retailers can download free and play in their showrooms, he said.
Tire registration will be a major part of TIA's Lobby Day, scheduled for Feb. 5, according to Roy Littlefield III and IV. During Lobby Day, TIA members will have a chance to meet with key legislators and congressional staff members to discuss the issues most crucial to tire retailers.
RMA President Charles A. Cannon said that responsibility for tire registration properly belongs at the point of sale. But he also said his association is more than willing to work with TIA to create workable alternatives to the current system.
"What we're suggesting is finding the best way to collect information if we're going to conduct a reasonable tire recall," he said. The RMA told TIA in advance that it would recommend a return to mandatory registration at the NTSB symposium, and that it looks forward to working with TIA to find mutually acceptable solutions, he said.
Roy Littlefield III, however, said TIA felt blindsided by the RMA's actions. "It's so unfortunate the way things happened," he said.
Changing the current tire registration law would take an act of Congress. The NTSB report on tire safety is expected to be issued in the summer of 2015. The NTSB has no legislative power, but if it recommends a return to mandatory registration, that recommendation would have considerable persuasive force.
Roy Littlefield III (right) is executive vice president of the Tire Industry Association. His son, Roy Littlefield IV, serves as TIA's government affairs manager. The group will hold its Lobby Day Feb. 5.
Tire safety and fuel efficiency
On the same day the NTSB symposium began, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx held a news conference at the White House. Foxx announced a new series of initiatives by the Obama administration designed to inform consumers on buying fuel-efficient tires and making sure their tires offer them maximum safety, fuel efficiency and service life.
Among other things, Foxx announced the release of a "Be TireWise" guide to tire safety and fuel efficiency and a "Drive for Safety" initiative with NASCAR during the 2015 racing season.
All of the RMA's tire manufacturing members pledged to support the administration's efforts, as did a number of major tire retailers.
During the news conference, Foxx said that the long-planned tire fuel efficiency labeling system would be released in 2017. Whereas tire manufacturers have been waiting for the labeling final rule since March 2010, Cannon said the RMA is not unduly upset about the further wait.
"The administration sent all the right messages that day," he said. "This has certainly been a very long process, but when the White House sends a message saying that something is going to be done, we are confident it will be."
Roy Littlefield III was less pleased, however, because this means the consumer education portion of the tire fuel efficiency rule also will have to wait at least that long to be issued. "We're disappointed that this is taking so long," he said.
Scrap tires/used tires
The RMA scored a coup in the summer of 2014, when it won passage in Colorado of a bill designed simultaneously to clean up the state's 60 million-plus scrap tire monofill and ban unsafe used tires from its roads.
Details of the used tire portion of the Colorado bill are still being worked out, according to Zielinski. However, he said the provisions would be simple enough: any tire that a professional technician would remove from service—whether because of sidewall bulges, improper repairs, insufficient tread or visible damage—would be illegal under the Colorado bill.
The RMA will be particularly active in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas in seeking passage of used tire bills this year, while other states are "bubbling," he said.
Scrap tire laws in other states seem to be working as they should, according to Zielinski. However, the RMA needs to be vigilant to make sure cash-strapped state legislatures don't start diverting scrap tire abatement funds to their states' general funds.
"It's difficult for states when there's a downturn," he said. "But when the economy improves, they don't always send the money back."
Tire aging
Tire aging has been an issue since 2003, when the first news reports about it appeared, according to the RMA.
The association expects to see more state legislatures consider bills this year to ban tires above a certain age, despite the May 2014 report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In that report, the agency said that stringent new tire safety standards and improved tire technology made tire aging rulemaking unnecessary.
"People often intermingle tire aging and tire age," Zielinski said. Tire aging—based far more on inflation, maintenance and storage than on the date of manufacture—determines a tire's service life, he said.
TIA expects to see a lot of state bills on the tire aging issue. A way out of the tire aging controversy, according to Roy Littlefield III, might be the public safety standards developed in Europe and now adopted in 31 countries. "It's an uphill battle, but it's the right battle," he said.
With both houses of Congress in Republican control, legislation to repeal or revamp the Affordable Care Act seems virtually certain. Meanwhile small businesses must cope with some difficult provisions in the health care law, according to Roy Littlefield III.
"It's very unfortunate how the Affordable Care Act is playing out in the work force," Littlefield said.
Because of the clause exempting small businesses from providing health care benefits to employees working less than 30 hours a week, small businesses are cutting hours for formerly full-time employees to avoid dealing with the law, he said.
"This was an unintended effect of the law, and it's bad for everyone," he said.
The EPA
Many initiatives at the Environmental Protection Agency affect the tire industry either directly or indirectly, according to Tracey Norberg, RMA senior vice president and general counsel. The RMA participates in many coalitions following broad EPA actions, such as one monitoring the pending National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone, she said.
One EPA action affecting the tire industry directly is its request for comments on the use of biomass as an energy feedstock, according to Norberg.
"Scrap tires are being treated favorably because of their natural rubber content," she said. "This is a real opportunity to promote an end-use for tires as fuel."
Board projects rubber growth
RMA predicts small growth for tire shipments
IRSG forecasts 1.8% rubber growth
Malaysian body says rubber to recover in 2015
ASC to focus efforts on regulatory actions
Automotive sales could reach 17 million units
Industrial rubber products to grow 6.6 percent
Washington State considers two tire bills
Vehicle Safety Improvement Act introduced in House
ARTBA proposes tax hikes, rebates to fund transportation

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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UF Research: Does Make Up For Losses Of Hunted Bucks
Published: November 16 2000
Category:Research
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — As fall hunting season opens in Florida and other states, a University of Florida professor says America's native white-tailed deer have some unique ways to compensate for hunting.
Hunters most often pursue bucks, both for trophy value and because shooting does in many states is illegal or highly restricted. That might seem to threaten deer populations because it cuts into the number of males available to mate. But Ron Labisky, a UF professor of wildlife ecology and conservation, says his research shows that deer make up for the loss of bucks with a unique response: Does in areas where hunting is allowed give birth to considerably more male fawns than female fawns.
"We don't usually give animals due credit for their persistence, especially deer," said Labisky, who has spent three decades researching white-tailed deer. "With males-only hunting, it is very, very difficult to deplete a deer population."
General deer hunting season opens at different times in Florida during the fall (the season opens this Sunday in Central Florida). While it typically lasts through January or February, hunters are allowed only two days to kill deer that have no antlers, including does.
Labisky and colleagues examined the reproductive tracts of 380 legally harvested does from four areas of Florida. The Tosohatchee State Preserve and most of Eglin Air Force Base are off limits to hunting, whereas it is allowed in Camp Blanding Wildlife Management Area and the Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area.
More than 90 percent of the does in all the areas were pregnant, the research found. Males comprised 56 percent of the fetuses in the hunted areas but just 39 percent in the non-hunted areas, it found. As if that weren't enough, the researchers also found 38 percent of does on hunted sites carried twins, compared with just 14 percent on non-hunted sites.
"Productivity was higher on hunted than non-hunted sites," wrote Labisky in a summary of the study, which appeared in the Journal of Wildlife Management.
Why would deer give birth to more males in areas where bucks are hunted? Labisky said the doe's reproductive cycle offers one explanation for the adaptation.
Does typically go into heat for about 72 hours, he said. In non-hunted areas, they find mates quickly, while they take longer to find mates in hunted areas. The later does breed while they're in heat, the greater the proportion of male fetuses, Labisky said.
In a related research project, Labisky found that while does typically wait for bucks to find them, they actually seek out bucks in hunted areas where there are fewer around.
From the white-tailed deers' perspective, the findings are good news. On the other hand, the research likely means the animals will continue to be a nuisance in some states.
Labisky said experts believe the population of deer in the United States is about equal to what it was before Europeans arrived, with somewhere between 24 million and 34 million nationwide. That's up from just 350,000 in 1900, when the population crashed largely because of unregulated hunting.
Northern states have the biggest problem with overpopulation of deer because their fields provide so much forage — at a time when many of the deer's traditional predators such as wolves and bears no longer pose a threat. Deer in the Midwest also give birth to more fawns, and more of the fawns survive, than in the South, Labisky's research has found.
In Florida, by contrast, "our groceries aren't as good," Labisky said. Unlike states such as Wisconsin, with at least 2 million deer, Florida has about 600,000 deer.
The state's deer population is relatively stable — in part because of the deer's unique compensation to hunting, Labisky said.
Christopher Davis
Ron Labisky, labiskyr@ufl.edu, (352) 846-0567
UF/IFAS researchers turn seed into jet fuel for Navy and crops into cash for farmers


We have recently been awarded funding by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund for a 2 year pilot project, "Stronger Together", which will work to build capacity within and across the rare disease sector and help to identify development areas for the future.
As a result, we currently have an new opening for a part time, home based member of staff, to cover the Southern, South Eastern and Belfast areas.
The Project Officer will build up knowledge and support in their areas, linking with health & social care and other voluntary organisations and will be first point of contact for people living and working with rare disease.
Previous PostPrevious NIRDP MOVING FORWARD AFTER A SUCCESSFUL RECRUITMENT PROGRAMME!


Last Saturday in Heuston Station, I bought a few things in one of the shops there. I received my change back, had a quick look to make sure it was correct and left the shop. I went to buy a paper in another shop and took out my change to pay for it.
The €2 coin in my pocket that I thought I'd received in the previous shop was actually a Turkish 1 lira coin. They're remarkably close in how they look, and in their size.
The 1 lira coin above right is actually only worth €0.56. Fair play to the shop concerned, they took back to Turkish coin without any issues. Particularly given that in many shops you now see the sign below.
How many times have you noticed this sign when you've out shopping? And how many times have you actually taken heed of the sign and counted your change – or are you like me and have a quick look without actually checking in detail.
Have you been shortchanged recently? Do you think shortchanging is becoming more prevalent? If this Consumer thread on Boards.ie is anything to go by, it very well might be.
Inspired by all this, and to refresh my own memory, check out the following Top Tips For Checking Your Change when out shopping.
When paying for items, know yourself in advance how much you'll have to pay by mentally adding up the cost of the items as you're selecting them.
When handing over money for items, know in advance how much you will expect to get in change – don't depend on the cashier or the cash register.
Be suspicious where the display of the cash register is hidden from view. You should always be able to see this display to see what price are the items that are being rung in, and what you're total cost is, how much they're entering in as having received from you, and what your change is.
Be extra suspicious of cashiers who keep a small calculator close to the cash register. These can be used to keep a running total of the amount of extra money in the till. With a cash register in front of them, there should be no need for this calculator.
Always pay attention to the note that you are handing over to pay for your goods. Know whether or not it was a €10, €20 or €50 etc – and know how much change you should be expecting.
Being aware of the money you've handed over will strengthen your position if you're short changed, or you get change of a €10 when you actually handed in a €20. If such a situation occurs, be polite, stand your ground, and if necessary, ask for the manager. Remember that most cash registers are covered now by CCTV so use this if necessary to strengthen your position.
When you get your change, don't feel hurried into walking away from the cashier.
Before you move away from the cashier, count your change (notes and coins) to ensure that you've been given the correct amount.
Be careful to distinguish between €1 and €2 coins, and also between 50c and 20c coins. Turn coins over if needs be to confirm.
Only when you're happy that you've received the correct change should you move away from the cashier.
If you have not received the correct change, politely address the cashier and explain that you don't think you've received the correct change. Hand back your change, and your receipt, and state what actual money you had handed in originally.
Politely explain that you are short by whatever amount, and ask that the cashier checks, and returns the correct change this time.
If the cashier is unwilling to assist, give them one further opportunity to address the situation before asking to speak to a manager. Remember, there is always someone in charge, so don't be put off by such excuses.
In this situation, as all others where you need to complain, remember to follow the Value Ireland Tips on How to Complain.
Unlike in days gone by, change is seldom counted back into your hand by the cashier in a shop, or a barman in a pub. You're just handed back a lump of notes and change. You shouldn't let this put you off counting your change before moving on.
An observation on a couple of websites where people are talking about being short changed is where a customer has noticed being short changed and has asked for a receipt, or has simply highlighted that they think there is a problem. In some situations, the cashier has immediately handed over extra money without even checking to see if it was incorrect or not. This has indicated to people that the cashier concerned deliberately short-changed them – why else pay over the remaining change immediately. If this happens, you should report your concerns to the manager immediately.
Remember that not everyone who may give you incorrect change is out to rip you off. People can make mistakes, and it is your responsibility to ensure that you get your correct change. Always approach people who you think may have made a mistake politely, explaining clearly your concerns.
If you are regularly short changed in a particular shop, or by a particular person in a business, on the next time that it happens, ask to speak to their manager. Again, remember that there is always someone in charge, so don't feel put off by asking to speak to such a person.
There are some situations more than others where you may be more likely to be short changed – either intentionally or unintentionally. These may be in very busy shops with a large throughput of customers. Busy cashiers mean a higher possibility of making mistakes.
Bars and night clubs are places that are also busy later on in a night, and where there's an expectation that people with alcohol consumed may not be as weary as sober customers.
If you're out in a pub or night club for a night, and you're regularly going to the bar, if you're seen to be regularly checking your change, it's unlikely that unscrupulous people will try to take advantage of you.
While it's nice to deal with a cashier who is amiable and chatty and passes the time of day with you, don't let this distract you from your business – paying for goods and checking your change. While not every cashier is out to rip you off, such behaviour may be an attempt to distract you while they short-change you.


Butler College is an innovative Western Australian Independent Public School which embraces the philosophy of education as a dynamic science. Since its establishment in 2013, the College has developed a firm foundation of strong community values.
Butler College shares the aim of all parents within its community; that students graduate as confident, happy and capable young men and women who are ready to contribute positively to a modern society. It has a strong focus on working as a team to build students' self-belief and abilities, which has helped to make the College an institution its local community is proud of.
With a broad and relevant curriculum, and a commitment to its three pillars of "Knowledge, Integrity and Respect" Butler College helps students find their place in the College community and beyond. It aims to provide a diverse and inclusive curriculum that gives each student the flexibility to match individual strengths and aspirations to future education and career pathways.


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2022 Florida Strawberry Festival kicks off to celebrate the berry and its farmers
It's a berry special day in Plant City
Charley Belcher reports
PLANT CITY, Fla. - The Florida Strawberry Festival is officially back.
As always, you'll find plenty of strawberry shortcakes and rides. This year, you can attend concerts as well. Last year, the organizers canceled the headline entertainment due to the pandemic.
This year's big acts include Nelly, the Beach Boys, Boyz 2 Men, Jake Owen and Sam Hunt – that's just a few of them.
Should strawberry shortcake be Florida's state dessert?
Key lime pie is the Sunshine State's official pie, but should it be the state's official dessert? Strawberry growers say shortcake (or biscuit) is a better choice.
READ: Strawberry shortcake could soon become part of Florida law
The lineup is as follows:
Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra @ 10:30 am
The Oak Ridge Boys @ 3:30 pm
Lady A @ 7:30 pm
The Beach Boys @ 3:30 pm
Boyz II Men @ 7:30 pm
Home Free @ 3:30 pm
Lauren Daigle @ 7:30 pm
Chicks with Hits featuring Terri Clark, Pam Tillis, and Suzy Bogguss @ 3:30 pm
Sammy Hagar & The Circle @ 7:30 pm
John Anderson @ 3:30 pm
Kenzie Wheeler @ 7:30 pm
Ricky Nelson Remembered Starring Matthew & Gunnar Nelson @ 3:30 pm
Zach Williams @ 7:30 pm
Lee Greenwood @ 3:30 pm
Jake Owen @ 7:30 pm
The Lettermen @ 10:30 am
The Drifters, Cornell Gunter's Coasters & The Platters @ 3:30 pm
TESLA @ 7:30 pm
Gene Watson @ 3:30 pm
Cole Swindell @ 7:30 pm
Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots @ 3:30 pm
Nelly @ 7:30 pm
The Bellamy Brothers @ 3:30 pm
Sam Hunt @ 7:30 pm
The 11-day event brings in tens of thousands of people. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children between ages 6 and 12. Concert tickets will cost between $20 and $55. The festival goes on through March 13.
LINK: For more information on the festival, visit flstrawberryfestival.com.
1 dead, 1 injured after shots fired at deputies serving warrant at Melbourne Beach home, sheriff says
Woman's body hit several times on I-4 in Orlando; crashed car found nearby, police say
Lisa Loring, actress who played original Wednesday on 'The Addams Family,' dies at 64


First of all, we want to be the first to welcome you all back to school! For those of you who don't know us, we're Julian and Joelle (aka JCrew…) and we're this year's student council presidents! We hope you guys are just as pumped for this year as we are, and are all looking to make it one of the best ever! This year will bring a myriad of new opportunities, challenges, jokes, memories, and relationships, and we encourage all of you to fully take advantage of everything thrown at you in order to have the best Lick experience possible! As always, we are here to support you and for you guys to use as resources, so always feel free to approach us with any questions or even just for a casual conversation. Don't worry, we won't bite. Get ready for your best year yet- we love you!


The spacecraft OSIRIS-REx has spent the last 2 years traversing about 2 billion kilometers, to arrive today at the asteroid Bennu.
If a gravitational wave contracts and expands space, shouldn't the light wavelength be affected in the same way as the interferometer arm distance? If so, how is the wave detected at all?


Fixed issue with inserting Sections on some projects.
Fixed issue with enabling responsive of the Vertical menu in Desktop mode.
Fixed issue with highlighting of the Home item when separator items are used.
Fixed issue with highlighting of the parent item of the vertical menu for Product Categories.
Fixed issue with opening WP admin panel in Themler Desktop on Mac.
Fixed the issue with 404 error after importing content.
Fixed issue with duplicated of the +/- in the product Quantity control on iPhone.
Fixed issue with "Show More" articles option in the list of pages in Themler.
Fixed issue with incorrect product price in CartLink.


Winners have been announced for the 2019 Marmalade Awards, which are held annually at Dalemain Mansion in the Lake District. Award winners have flocked to Cumbria from around the world to collect their prizes and share in the orange glow generated by the Awards.
Over 40 countries competed in this year's marmalade competition, which saw over 3,000 entries overall, but it was Beth Furnell from Flint, Wales, who saw off all the competition to claim the grand prize of 'Best in Show' with her 'Bitter Sweet' Marmalade. There is nothing bitter about her victory, as her marmalade will now be commercially produced by Thursday Cottage and sold throughout the year, with 50p from each jar going to Hospice at Home Carlisle & North Lakeland.


You really can't beat the bang for the buck that email provides you for your marketing budget. Based on research from Experian, every dollar invested in email marketing results in a return of over $44. That's about twice as efficient as online ads.
It's not just your accountant that loves your email marketing efforts, your audience does too. According to Hubspot's 2017 State of Inbound study, email is the most preferred method of receiving business communications, with 86% of people preferring that channel.
While social is a wonderful component of your mix, email is still one of the most efficient ways to engage. McKinsey found that email marketing is 40x more potent than social.
Effective email marketing is a great way to establish and strengthen your brand with your audience.
Your logo and brand colors should be featured frequently and prominently in your marketing emails. Beyond the visuals, you need to let your brand voice shine through your messages. Each email is an opportunity to establish and reaffirm your brand voice with your audience. Use your emails to set the tone of your relationship with your audience. They will know what to expect from you and establish a trusting relationship.
Engagement is a two-way conversation and email is a great way to have that dialogue. In the beginning, sending one message to your entire list was good enough but your audience has grown wise and weary and now they expect a more personalized experience. If you aren't able to show your email list what value you add to their mailbox you will be ignored or even worse, they will unsubscribe. Marketers need to communicate with the individual and not treat every member of your audience as the same person.
We spend every day steeped in email here at Cerkl. We combed millions of points of data, talked with our innovative partners, and pooled our decades of experience in digital marketing to bring you our 3 keys to email marketing success.
The first key to email marketing success is truly knowing your audience.
If you are seeing diminishing returns in your email marketing efforts, you are not alone. Marketers are struggling with how to communicate with and engage their Netflix and Spotify spoiled audience. Here are some things you need to know.
According to Email Monday, in 2017, 75% of all emails were opened on mobile devices, so a responsive, mobile-friendly email format is crucial for your email marketing campaigns.
An email design that is built just for desktop viewing creates a frustrating experience for your readers and doesn't engage them in a way that they enjoy. To get your content read consistently and make an impact on your audience, you must have a responsive design in everything you do.
Content placed above the fold, or the first 350 px length of your email, gets 84% more attention than content placed below it.
Align your text to the left to make it easier to read.
Break long blocks of text into chunks and use formatting.
Don't use too many fonts. Sans serif fonts are recommended.
Users expect an experience that is fast and beautiful. That includes your emails and website. For links from your email, be sure they load perfectly on mobile. Your next site design should include Accelerated Mobile Pages. Sites developed with this open source framework load instantly and perfectly on phones and rank higher in the search engines.
Your email provider surely provides statistics on open rate and click thru rate, but do you know what to do with them? Data in a spreadsheet isn't doing your organization any good, so make sure you are giving yourself time to interpret and apply the learning your website and email stats have to offer. Look for trends in open times, devices used, and possible content opportunities.
Using your data, design tests to help you optimize your efforts and increase engagement. Your open rate can help you learn the best time to send an email, hone keywords and subject lines, and segment your audience based on what emails they opened. Your click thru rate helps you figure out what content your audience is interested in reading. It can be used to focus your call to action placement.
When testing new ideas for your email marketing, remember to document your testing and perform one topic test at a time. Too many variables could muddle your results.
We all know that content is king, right? Well, relevancy is the queen. Your audience signed up for your list for a reason. They are looking for you to provide insights into your area of expertise and deliver relevant content to them on a consistent basis. Once you break this trust, it is difficult to regain it. Your emails will not be read or your audience will simply unsubscribe.
Always seek input on what your audience would be interested in reading and use your analytics to learn lessons from content that does or does not resonate with your audience.
Seeking a more relevant experience, many marketers have turned to segmenting their list by attributes like age, location, and recent purchases but people are more than segments. Think of 1985 John Hughes' classic, "The Breakfast Club." If those iconic characters were on a segmented email list, they would be in the same segment. After all, they are the same age and they live in the same town, but they are in fact very different.
In order to give your audience a relevant experience with your message, you need to shape your messages to them by their behavior and preferences, not just basic demographic data. It will pay off.
We all dread having our hard work get routed directly to spam. Just like your audience, inboxes have gotten smarter. Wild claims and exclamation points have a new permanent home – SPAM folders. If you don't want to end up in no man's land, our headlines and body text need to avoid spam words like the plague.
The subject line of your email could be your first and only chance to convince your audience to take action. Now's your moment to give your audience a reason to open your email.
Good subject lines are short, personalized and say something about what to expect inside the email.
With the majority of emails read on mobile devices, it is important to make sure that your great copy is not cut off. A good rule of thumb is that your subject lines shouldn't be longer than 40 characters. If your subject line promises great, relevant content, your email best be ready to deliver. We've done a ton of research on this if you want to know more.
If you can save your audience time or provide meaningful value, you will move to the top of their 'must read list.' Even better if you can do both. With everyone receiving on average 100 emails/day (if not more), being trusted by your readers as either a value provider or time saver will help you and your organization.
Now that we know what we're doing with audience knowledge and delivering relevant content, let's talk about how we build and maintain our lists. A strong list will help you expand your reach and make sure that your emails continue to be delivered to your audience. We have done a lot of hands-on research to develop best practices to grow your list and make sure that it is properly maintained.
While buying a list can be a tempting way to try and add many people to your list, we highly suggest that you avoid what looks like a quick win.
These won't be strong leads and will hurt your deliverability when they mark your messages as spam and unsubscribe from your list. Your goal should be to get people who truly want your content. It will take more work, but it's worth it when you have a list full of people who are interested in what you have to say.
Congratulations! Your marketing efforts have delivered people to your website. Now your job is to convert them to people you know and members of your list. One great way to capture audience information is to use opt-in forms throughout your site – particularly on pages and content that are already receiving high traffic. There are many places you can test opt-in forms on your site.
One great way to capture information is to create a standalone landing page that is entirely for lead capture. This brings the ask to the front, but you do risk potentially annoying your visitors.
Another choice is popover opt-ins. Popover opt-ins exist above your content and prompt your audience to sign up for more information. This is a great way to prompt your visitors to provide information while continuing to show them your content. As with everything else you are doing, testing will be key. There is no opt-in strategy that will work for everyone and you must learn what is best for your particular audience.
Sometimes you'll need to give your readers a reason to provide you with their email address. Incentives to sign up to your list, paired with a solid opt-in strategy, are a great way to get this information.
Whitepapers are longer-form, value-packed content pieces. They make wonderful incentives to sign up for your list for visitors who have demonstrated an interest in your content.
Webinars are a great way to demonstrate the quality of your services and provide real value to your potential audience.
Prizes are a great incentive and work both in person and online. Make sure the prize relates to your company – many people will give you an email address to try and win an iPad, but they may not be the best audience for your message.
Your social media channels are a great way to interact with your current audience and add new members. Each channel has its own suite of tools that will help you convert your social visitors into members of your list.
With Twitter Cards, you can attach rich photos, videos and media experiences to Tweets, helping to drive traffic to your website. Simply add a few lines of markup to your webpage, and users who Tweet links to your content will have a "Card" added to the Tweet that's visible to their followers.
Facebook offers a call to action button for each business page – have yours link to a landing page asking folks to sign up.
With LinkedIn, you can message your connections, asking them to join your list, download your whitepaper, or join a webinar.
While getting people on your list is important, it is also vital to make sure that you have a healthy list to keep your deliverability score high and avoid being marked as spam. List maintenance can be a bit of a mystery but it is super manageable once you learn the basics.
Email bounces are generally what happens when your email message is not delivered. But, there are two types of bounces you need to familiarize yourself with, hard and soft. A hard bounce indicates that the message was not delivered because the email address is invalid or does not exist. A soft bounce could indicate that the mailbox is full, the server was down, or that the message was too large for the inbox.
Send your emails from a monitored address. The message you get back from a bounce can tell you a lot: name changes, domain changes, and organizational changes.
Check your bounces for typos. Even just being one letter off will bounce your email.
If your email bounces four times, take them off your list. Keeping a bad email can hurt your delivery.
Research has shown 49% of email newsletter unsubscribes are because they receive too many emails. There are a few things you can do to try to respectfully reinvigorate the relationship to avoid the unsubscribe kiss of death.
If an audience member is becoming less engaged, try to reactivate them with content they have not yet seen. If their engagement continues to fall off, you should slow down delivery frequency.
Provide your stale members the ability to personalize their options or dial back the number of emails you are sending them until it is at a point where you reestablish the two-way relationship with your member.
If a user does choose to unsubscribe, offer the option to slow down delivery or to change their other preferences.
With these tips and your marketing know-how, 2018 is going to be your best email marketing year ever!


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Starbucks and Arla Foods continue their strategic coffee partnership
Starbucks and global dairy production company Arla Foods have confirmed a 21-year agreement to continue the manufacturing, distribution and marketing of Starbucks' premium milk-based coffee.
By Jasmine Lee-Zogbessou
Starbucks and Arla Foods expand their seven year partnership. Credit: Arla Foods.
The companies have been in partnership for seven years, selling the ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA region).
Starbucks EMEA channel development and foodservice vice president Duncan Moir said: "The strength of our relationship with Arla Foods over the past seven years has seen our RTD business grow by an average of 40% per year across EMEA. This new licensing agreement signals our commitment to continue to work together to grow the business within the ready-to-drink sector, and we are proud to be working alongside Arla Foods."
In 2010, the global coffeehouse selected Arla Foods as its licence partner, and has since seen the business grow by 40% each year.
Three restaurant companies considering bids for China's Wagas
Arla Foods executive vice president and CMO Hanne Søndergaard said: "We are proud to take another step in our partnership with Starbucks, bringing great tasting Starbucks ready-to-drink coffee beverages to consumers across Europe and the Middle East while adding value to our farmers' milk.
"The partnership combines Arla's extensive experience in manufacturing dairy beverages and our widespread distribution network with Starbucks unique coffee expertise. Consumers in the EMEA region have welcomed the great taste and premium nature of the beverages, and we remain committed to working closely with Starbucks on developing and growing the category in the future.
"It is our ambition to be a leading provider of milk-based beverages in Northern Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Northern Africa in 2020 and the new strategic licensing agreement makes the Starbucks partnership a vital part of delivering on this target and we believe that innovation is the key to future success.
"Our recent launches of new Starbucks Double Shot products are a great example of our joint commitment to innovation and to consumers."
Arla has introduced Starbucks drinks to 38 EMEA countries so far and predicts the sale of more than 110 million units each year.
The RTD coffee contains milk from Arla Foods' 11,200 farmers and 100% Arabica sourced coffee from Starbucks.
Jasmine Lee-Zogbessou


The privacy of the medical records of the patient in addition to the confidentiality of the patient has gained a significant implication of a forefront importance in relation to the ethical as well as the legal issues that are apparent in the health care profession among the medical assistants. as a result in the advances so far achieved in technology, the growth in addition to the expansion so far achieved in managed care, consumerism has emerged leading to the escalation of the numbers of people in addition to the organizations that can have the access or are in need of accessing the medical information of the patient. This has therefore resulted to a growth of the concerns of the patients with regard to the most appropriate person who should access their records in addition to the actual purpose of doing so.
One of the most dramatic scenes that relate to these issues in the context of the arena of health care involves a situation that people surrender in a manner that is typical, some of their measures that are related to privacy to the medical assistants in the profession. They however have a feeling that they are supposed to maintain a control over the data that has so far been gathered by the professionals in the health care industry at the time of their treatment. there was a time that health care was nt associated with a complexity of this extent and there was no need for the professionals in the health care to share the information of the patient except with the rest of the professionals who had a direct involvement in the provision of the needed care in as far as the patient was concerned without a prior discussion with the particular patient (Ivan, 2008).
The information on the health status that is exposed to medical assistants to facilitate for anxiolytic should be treated as private. It is therefore reasonable for the patient to have expectations that the information will be treated with confidentiality.
TThere is a common understanding of the fact that the private information of the patient that is usually provided to the professional in health care or the one that they grean at the time of offering treatment to the patient requires a confidential treatment.
There is clear indication from the research that has so far been conducted the establishment of laws that govern the assumptions in this respect is not necessary. This is so in realization of the fact the nature of the patients' information is one that is not supposed to be exposed to all people. It is actually a type of information that has cultivated the sovereignty of the patient in the process of yielding it. The decision has been associated with a relative degree of simplicity as a result of the expected positive relationship of the physician to the patient whose evolution has undergone several centuries (Jan, & Roger, 2005). All the professionals in this field have a duty to realize the importance of this in the yielding of the patients' sovereignty as has been expressed by a trust that is uncommon.
A good example may include the printing, downloading or even sending through the email of the articles with important data of the patient for personal uses.


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The Fire and Water Podcast, Episode 56
THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST: Episode 56
The official podcast of THE AQUAMAN SHRINE and FIRESTORM FAN
Episode 56 - This Is The End
This time around Shag and I welcome a special guest, fellow podcaster and comics blogger Luke Jaconetti! Luke runs a Hawkman blog, so he understands the pain of having your favorite character's series cancelled...over and over and over again. We cover all the cancellations of our respective characters and discuss some of our thoughts. So strap on your wings and prepare for Aquaman, Firestorm, and Hawkman...to be cancelled again.
Also, you can leave a comment on our sites:
THE AQUAMAN SHRINE - http://www.aquamanshrine.com
FIRESTORM FAN - http://firestormfan.com
FIRE AND WATER PODCAST TUMBLR - http://fireandwaterpodcast.tumblr.com
Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at firewaterpodcast@comcast.net
Be sure to check out Luke's blogs and podcasts:
Being Carter Hall blog - http://beingcarterhall.blogspot.com/
Earth Destruction Directive podcast - http://twotruefreaks.com/shows.php?show=9
Vault Of Startling Monster Horror Tales Of Terror podcast - http://twotruefreaks.com/shows.php?show=26
El Jacone's Comic Book Bunker blog - http://ljaconesbunker.blogspot.com/
Subscribe via iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-fire-and-water-podcast/id463855630
Opening theme, "That Time is Now," by Michael Kohler.
Closing music by Daniel Adams and Ashton Burge of The Bad Mamma Jammas! http://www.facebook.com/BadMammaJammas
Thanks for listening! Fan the Flame and Ride the Wave!
Labels: fire and water podcast
Designer Daddy said...
Okay, so just for clarification, Aquaman hasn't been cancelled has it?
^No but, I think Rob has a Cancellation Clock at the ready Geoff Johns steps off the book.
This was a fun episode, despite the downer subject matter, as Luke put it. Also interesting that these characters have been revamped so many times. Maybe DC should take a harder look at Aquaman's success. Maybe there is something to this whole "classic" approach thing. I mean no one has tried the classic Silver Age Hawkman since 1987 or so, right? And when was the last time Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein were Firestorm?
Oh, you guys forgot a live-action Hawkman in-between Legends of the Super Heroes and Smallville: The infamous Baby Ruth commercial! This was the Avatar, Post-Zero Hour Hawkman to boot! Shows how much DC thought of the character at the time to lend him out for such ridicule.
Agam said...
May 2013 from Diamond had Aquaman #19 at #25 and Aquaman #20 at #30. TWO Aquaman issues ahead of Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Arrow, Teen Titans... not to mention Wolverine, Captain America, Fantastic Four and others at the competition. Plus way ahead of the newest wave of DC debuts like the Movement and Green Team. I think Geoff Johns or not, Aquaman is safe for a while.
Like I said -- It's a Golden Age for Aquaman which will never end!
Diabolu Frank said...
7. Rob offers one of the many good reasons why the passing of Carmine Infantino went unacknowledged by yours truly. I disagree with Rob that cancellation #1 was the worst thing to happen to Aquaman, though. Green Lantern/Green Arrow bit the dust around that time, but was successfully revived later in the decade. Aquaman was at a creative high during his own '70s revival, and he was sustained as an integral part the the DCU in JLA across the lean years. I'd argue that the worst thing to happen to Aquaman was his piss poor late Bronze Age strips and ouster from the League ahead of the 1986 mini-series. This led to Aquaman remaining marginalized for the second half of the '80s and early '90s, coupled with more weak solo attempts and a compulsion to reinvent the character for the Chromium Age. Had the DC Implosion not cut short the Skeates/Aparo run, and if the rotten hacks that followed not sullied the character so thoroughly, he might have gotten the same treatment as Firestorm in the early '80s instead of being rendered toxic.
8. Aquaman seems to favor a disastrous run followed by something cool that dies young because of the damage already done. The Pozner/Hamilton mini-series was followed by that pill by Giffen/Fleming/Swan, which did the decent ongoing "maxi-series" no favors. I didn't read enough of Larson to revile him, but Jurgens/Epting was still clearly superior and going places. I was loving Arcudi & Gleason, then Sword of Atlantis ruined that, but I dug the zany final year with Williams & McManus. Obviously Howards Mackie and Porter couldn't follow Geoff Johns worth a damn, and Gates/Neves couldn't pull Aquaman back from the brink, despite a valiant effort.
11. Wonder Woman has had numerous lapses in publication for a few months here and there during creative rethinks. She carried two titles until 1951, ditching Sensation Comics for the three issues it became a horror anthology before cancellation. When her TV show was on, she pulled extra duty in World's Finest Comics and Adventure Comics (pulling off all three in 1978,) but that was all over by 1980. Her first eponymous volume ended with #329 in 1986 after years of poor sales and high turnover in creative teams. It took over a year for Perez to launch Vol. 2, and there was a four month publishing gap when he quit unexpectedly over DC's handling of War of the Gods. #226 was the last issue of that volume, but that was immediately followed by a new #1, which happened again in the New 52. So basically, her only serious series death was in '86.
19. The problem with the McLaughlin/Hooper run is that it was soft in every way. The talent was unproven, and they were trying to do a long form, emotionally cathartic story dealing with fifteen year old plot threads in a mature but unsatisfying way. Do not mention Black Manta in the context of avenging Arthur Junior if you're not going to kill the maniac. I'm sorry, but picking up one of those dynamic Kevin Maguire covers and opening it to find poorly colored emo funk was a huge turn-off. Plus, the late run turn toward eco-warrior was not only lame but also derivative of John Byrne's much more interesting (yet still blah) Namor series. Aquaman is in a bad place when he's in the second best book about aquatic super-heroing, and by a considerable distance.
Luke, I enjoyed your guest-spot. I echo your sentiments on several points, and disagreed often enough to make the discussions interesting. I thought Shadow War of Hawkman (which featured Aquaman as a guest) was a great book, but DC editorial messed with Tony Isabella and he took his idea and went home. I've chatted with him a few times and I think he could have done great things with the characters if he and Rich Howell had stayed. Oh, well. For a depressing theme you guys made it an entertaining 90 minutes. Good job.
PS I have no idea what the tag line at the end is from, sorry!
PPS Frank, are you trying to do some "Ninth metal" numbering system? Otherwise why have you skipped the first six numbers and started with (7.), then skipped around after that? I thought you maybe started your numbering on Firestorm Fan but....you didn't. You're weird, man. ;-)
rob! said...
Russell, the sting is from a sitcome called I Married Dora. Starring Elizabeth Pena, it was a truly unremarkable sitcom that got cancelled after 13 shows on Fox.
The ONLY thing it is remembered for is the form-busting final episode, where the characters admit they're in a show, and they've been cancelled. The final shot is them waving goodbye, as the camera zooms back to reveal the set, the crew, etc.
ABC. It premiered one half hour after the debut of Full House. Could it really have been the worst of the two? I kind of had a little thing for Elizabeth Peña.
Sphinx Magoo said...
I gotta say... for a podcast titled "This is The End", I was expecting the worst. When I saw it in my podcast list, I thought "Oh no... They're ending my favorite podcast and they're just gonna play this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGmAmJFUvzM for 90 minutes."
Thankfully, I was wrong.
"My favorite podcast" might be a bold statement, but it's pretty close to the truth. You guys focus on two of your favorite characters and base a series of podcasts and blog postings in a way I really admire. I mean, anyone can do that about characters like Superman and Batman because there's so much material already out there to draw from, but you guys are challenged right from the start and you guys have done a really great job at keeping those fan flags held high. That's really commendable.
Having Luke on to discuss Hawkman and Hawkwoman/girl on was great, but I think you guys really neglected to mention the impact that the Justice League animated series had on the popularity of the Hawkman Family. The switch from a Hawkman book to a Hawkgirl book seemed like a late start by DC to bring over some readers who knew Hawkgirl from the TV show. DC's always seemed a bit confused as to how to tie in to animated series and this seemed like one example.
To hear all this enthusiasm for Hawkman, I'm worried a bit about Rob. His energy and enthusiasm seem to be waning a bit. I'm not sure if it's because the Cancellation Clock Earth-2 Chris mentioned or if something else is going on, but there does seem to be a more glum tone to Rob's banter.
Still, it was a great episode.
While I was listening, there were points in the discussion where I was jotting notes in my head to bring up here, but I promptly forgot them. Luckily, it looks like Diabolu Frank got to some of them.
Well, it seems that I am rather late to this particular party, but I find that I am quite enjoying it upon my arrival!
Rob and Shag, I've only recently found time to start listening to this podcast, but you have won a fan with the shows I've heard. They have been universally entertaining, clever, funny, and charming. It reminds me of a pleasant afternoon discussing comics with friends! I've only been able to listen to a few shows, but I wanted to post some comments here and thank y'all both, and Luke in this instance, for a thoroughly enjoyable piece of audio entertainment and education. I would love to join in with y'all's discussions. It seems like quiet a bit of fun!
I do have to say that I just about had to give this podcast, the Shrine, and both of the erstwhile hosts up for lost in a fit of utter despair upon my listening to my first show....as a literary scholar, student of heroic fiction, and literate human being, I'm disappointed in the both of you! How can you not like Lord of the Rings! :) Ha, I am sure that you heard more than enough folks tell you how you're both crazy, so I won't beat that particular dead horse beyond that first stroke.
I also listened to the last Power Records cast, and that was a real treat. I've never listened to any of those stories, but as a big audio drama fan, both those stories were a very pleasant surprise.
As for this show, it was absolutely my favorite so far! Several others have said something similar, but it bears repeating that y'all did a remarkable job of making a great time out of what could have been a very depressing topic. This was a pretty fascinating study of the highs and lows of these three characters. In fact, while Aquaman is my favorite character, Hawkman is also at the top of my list, so this little journey through their collective histories was a lot of fun. It was delightful having Luke join the party, and the dynamic between the three of y'all was great. I'm a big fan of his Hawkman blog, and I've enjoyed watching his journey into fandom.
I think the cancellations that hurt me the most, albeit after the fact, given that I wasn't alive and/or reading the books at the time, are definitely the first volume of Aquaman. As Rob has said, the SAG run was amazing, and it was really just picking up speed when it met its tragic demise. In fact, the maddening circumstances of its cancellation make its end all the more pitiable. Rob's cagey remark upon the volume of Aquaman that most richly deserved cancellation sounds like we share the same feeling on that subject.
For Hawkman, it is definitely Volume 2 whose end leaves me heartbroken. It's sadly funny how both of the most promising runs of these two characters were ended by petty rivalries and editorial meddling. Isabella's turn on Hawkman really brought the character into his own, and I would give quite a bit if I could read his finished story. It's one of my white whales, like Dreamwave's Transformers series, one of those creative itches that will never be scratched.
For the record, I completely agree with Rob about the space cop version of Hawkman. It's the most straight-forward, easily accessible, and best fitting of the Hawk interpretations. It baffles me that there is such a resistance to it. I couldn't have said it better than Rob. If I were to tell that story, that's precisely the way I'd do it. In fact, that's exactly what I did in my own little DC project, which includes a Hawkman campaign modeled after the classic version. When I pick it back up, I've actually been thinking about drawing on Volume 2 for a few missions.
Well, thanks for producing something that is so interesting, guys!


Surath Wickramasinghe graduated from the University of Westminster, London and completed a Masters Degree in Planning at the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.
Surath has made an outstanding contribution to Architecture, Urban Planning and Urban Regeneration for over four decades. His carrier combines a prolific and continued output of significant Architecture and Urban Design Projects including a distinguished list of writings and publications.
Ar / Plnr Deshabandu' Dr Surath Wickramasinghe is a Chartered Architect and a Chartered Urban Planner by Profession, and the Chairman of Surath Wickramasinghe Associates. His Firm has won several awards for Architectural Excellence from the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA) .
A Past President of SLIA, Institute of Town Planners, Sri Lanka (ITPSL) and the Organization of Professional Associations (OPA) and currently Immediate Past President, Chamber of Construction Industry, Sri Lanka (CCI). He is an Honorary Fellow of SLIA and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA). Internationally, Past President, Architects Regional Council Asia,( ARCASIA), comprising Architectural Associations in 17 Asian Countries.
He was awarded the prestigious, SLIA Gold Medal for unique achievements and invaluable contributions to Architecture in Sri Lanka. In addition, the Organization of Professional Associations recently awarded the Apex Award for Excellence in the category Engineering Services.
The University of Westminster in recognition for his achievements in Architecture, Planning, contribution to the Professions and the Construction Industry conferred a Honorary Doctorate DLitt.


Decorating can be EASY and FUN with this FREE Easter Printable! Snag yours before Easter passes.
I'm all about making your decorating EASY! Besides, the Easter is all about Jesus and family! Spend time loving on those close to you and leave the decorating to me.
I created THIS FREE printable for you to download now.
It's already sized to fit into an 8×10 frame. Just print it out on any printer, trim the edges off and pop it into your favorite frame!
Display it on a mantle or tablescape and get to the more important details of your Easter holiday!
If you're looking for an EASY and FUN dessert to make for Easter, check out these No-Bake Cookie Dough Bites! This is something the kids can help make taking some of the stress out of your prepping and planning.
Share the love and share with your friends on social media!
FREE things are better when we share them with others!


Your business operations are different from any others, and have unique needs when it comes to technology enabled processes. Google Apps for Business provides us with a versatile platform that can address the general needs of your industry and the particular needs of your operations. With over 4 million businesses using Google Apps around the worlds and thousands of large corporations in India and abroad having made the move to Google's Cloud, you can rest assured that we will enable and configure Google Apps for Business to be just right for you.
Leading automotive & manufacturing houses made early investments in IT systems and are still running static legacy system with high cost of licenses and high IT maintenance costs.
As they adapt themselves to the rigors of theglobal economy, Google Apps for Business reduces costs and improvesproductivity.
The recent growth in the Indian financial industry has fueled a need amongst leading boutique investment houses to explore ways to share information internally and publish recommendation to their customers effectively.
Secure environment to collaborate across regional offices.
Fast track deployment program, migrated 3 domains successively.
Many service sectors companies are fast growing and geographically distributed. Being a very competitive sector, survival depends on productivity and innovation. Innovation' s correlation to collaboration is in excess of 90%.
Google Apps for Business was built with universal accessibility and ease of of collaboration a major design objectives.
Access platform from multiple locations & countries with a wide range of computer devices and smartphones.
Google Apps for business full migration of mail, contacts, and calendar data.
Cut over weekend with no downtime.
Quick adoption of intuitive collaboration platform.
Redistribution of administration effort away from email support and towards new projects.


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If you have a symptom or your screening test result suggests cancer, the doctor must find out whether it is due to cancer or to some other cause. The doctor may ask about your personal and family medical history and do a physical exam. The doctor also may order lab tests, x-rays, or other tests or procedures.
Tests of the blood, urine, or other fluids can help doctors make a diagnosis. These tests can show how well an organ (such as the kidney) is doing its job. Also, high amounts of some substances may be a sign of cancer. These substances are often called tumor markers. However, abnormal lab results are not a sure sign of cancer. Doctors cannot rely on lab tests alone to diagnose cancer.
Imaging Procedures
Imaging procedure create pictures of areas inside your body that help the doctor see whether a tumor is present. These pictures can be made in several ways:
X-rays: X-rays are the most common way to view organs and bones inside the body.
CT scan: An x-ray machine linked to a computer takes a series of detailed pictures of your organs. You may receive a contrast material (such as dye) to make these pictures easier to read.
Radionuclide scan: You receive an injection of a small amount of radioactive material. It flows through your bloodstream and collects in certain bones or organs. A machine called a scanner detects and measures the radioactivity. The scanner creates pictures of bones or organs on a computer screen or on film. Your body gets rid of the radioactive substance quickly.
Ultrasound: An ultrasound device sends out sound waves that people cannot hear. The waves bounce off tissues inside your body like an echo. A computer uses these echoes to create a picture called a sonogram.
MRI: A strong magnet linked to a computer is used to make detailed pictures of areas in your body. Your doctor can view these pictures on a monitor and can print them on film.
PET scan: You receive an injection of a small amount of radioactive material. A machine makes pictures that show chemical activities in the body. Cancer cells sometimes show up as areas of high activity.
In most cases, doctors need to do a biopsy to make a diagnosis of cancer. For a biopsy, the doctor removes a sample of tissue and sends it to a lab. A pathologist looks at the tissue under a microscope. The sample may be removed in several ways:
With a needle: The doctor uses a needle to withdraw tissue or fluid.
With an endoscope: The doctor uses a thin, lighted tube (an endoscope) to look at areas inside the body. The doctor can remove tissue or cells through the tube.
With surgery: Surgery may be excisional or incisional.
In an excisional biopsy, the surgeon removes the entire tumor. Often some of the normal tissue around the tumor also is removed.
In an incisional biopsy, the surgeon removes just part of the tumor.
You may want to ask the doctor these questions before having a biopsy:
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Lawyers as problem solvers
"It is said that Lincoln was a skilled lawyer and a formidable opponent in the court room. And yet he was keenly aware of the limitations, unpredictability and risks of pursuing litigation, even if successful. Lincoln encouraged negotiation wherever possible. He was able to set aside his own ego and emotions and put his clients' interests first." So writes John Sturrock in the Scotsman.
It's this last sentence that I want to write about. This suppression of the adviser's emotional profile to permit the elevation of the client's interests.
At its simplest, the thought I want to express is that true negotiation, mediation, collaboration is really very hard work for the adviser. The base line for these remarks is that all modes of dispute resolution in family law are highly demanding for an advising lawyer acting in the client's best interests: this is difficult work and my reflections are comparative not absolute.
My observation is that the lawyer's preferences for attention to detail, rational analysis and linear procedures underpin the whole process of litigation. Litigation contains built in protections for our clients from many of the risks that arise from more informal approaches. Responsibility for the outcome of the case rests in the hands of the Judge or Sheriff. Assuming competency in oral and written advocacy, the lawyer's primary responsibility in litigation is sensible, diligent preparation. With sufficient experience, skill and hard work, court work can be, emotionally speaking, the easier option for the lawyer.
By contrast, problem solving for our clients often requires more from us because everything is new, every time. We need to listen actively to our clients to hear (really hear) what they want to achieve. Our natural preference to fit our client's aspirations into the existing processes must be suppressed, along with much of our training. If we are to help our clients to see where solutions might lie, then we have to be willing to see things from other perspectives (it's possible that the other lawyer might be right about some things). There is no prescribed process, so creative and lateral thinking are necessary. The emotional and mental work required to move from dispute to resolution is exceptionally demanding, for lawyer and client. Even once that shift has been made, there is huge energy and technical skill required to pull together all the threads to weave together a comprehensive solution.
Why am I saying this? Well, I think that we need to be conscious of our own preferences, particularly the subconscious ones. Simply being aware of something changes our relationship to it.
In these times when everything has changed at pace and without warning it is sorely tempting as a lawyer to default to litigation mode. However, the Scottish courts won't be a functional forum for a long time to come. We ought to keep up the pressure on government to invest in making litigation a viable option for those times when it is the appropriate forum. But we ought also to make the most of the other forums that are available, being conscious of our own default preferences and willing to do the work to displace them when that's right for our clients.
By Alison Edmondson
Coronavirus & COVID-19
Dispute Resolution and ADR
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On the 4th of July, the interns said goodbye to their summer camp students. The students in my class are all 13-14 years old, and we had been playing sports and games together for an intensive four weeks before our session came to an end. Despite the occasional arguing, throwing of water cups, cheating at games, eye-rolling, and language-related confusion, it was truly touching to see how saying goodbye affected different students in different ways. Younger camp groups didn't realize it was the last day, or didn't process it beyond acting out. But the older students from my classes were aware enough to say their goodbyes to both me and the volunteers, and each other.
Two of my favorite students simply didn't come to camp on the last day, and I can't help but wondering if that was to avoid the goodbyes. Other students purposefully avoided eye-contact and just left without looking back, again I suspect they were avoiding the moment of goodbye. There was a flurry of exchanging emails and Facebook names. We took over 300 pictures on the last day of every combination of backdrop, student, teacher, and volunteer imaginable.
They all took down their name cards that they had made on the first day, and that hung on our whiteboard all session, with their picture, decoration, and mini-bio. There was a mob to claim the name cards of the volunteers and myself, and one volunteer asked to take home the card of a student who was absent that day. I asked if he was going to see this student and give it to him, and he looked at me sheepishly and said, "No, I just want to remember him."
When it came to lining up by refugee camp to get on the busses home, we had to practically pull kids apart to put them in their respective lines. But I did it happily, since these friendships between kids of different camps didn't exist four weeks ago. When the classes started, kids barely wanted to sit with, play with, or talk to kids from other camps and now we couldn't separate them. One girl burst into tears when she had to say goodbye to her friends, and was consoled with the realization that all of these students live in the same city as her and that none of them need be separated, and same with the volunteers.
Part of TYO's work with the students from refugee camps is helping kids realize what they have in common with those from other camps, and to form bonds between camps. We want students to build friendships with people of different backgrounds and perspectives. This includes the bonds between the volunteers and kids - when the session started, none of my Nablusi volunteers had ever been to a camp or knew anyone from the camps. And, of course, the bonds formed between the American interns and Palestinian volunteers, staff, and students is another important goal of TYO's summer camp classes.
I certainly struggled as much, if not more, than the kids to say goodbye. I will certainly never forget these students, and am proud to have been part of their lives.


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Look it, I'm a traditional person. I'm in my 60's and also if we can do it most anybody must have the ability to make a passive income with this system. It's allowed me to not work for any person but myself.
I don't also attract social safety. LOL. So get in where you suit and start developing yourself a monthly paycheck. Need some ideas or a little training. We'll offer you an assisting hand and steer you in the right direction.
All we do nowadays is a little angling, taking a trip, enjoy all the sports we can take care of and also take time for my girl. We still got to connect in about a hr or two a day with a little digital marketing initiatives so that income maintains increasing.
It's fantastic just doing what you such as to do. Right here is my advice. Any person that can adhere to instructions can be successful. Simply don't surrender and keep connecting along. All your effort will settle.
Don't fire your boss yet. Learn your skills that you require and start operating in your extra time to construct yourself an earnings that you will be proud of. It will certainly begin some wise and effort when you initially begin.
You need to want to develop your skills and also find out as high as you can around digital marketing. Whatever you do, make certain that you are passionate about it. Pick a niche you take pleasure in.
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You can work at your very own speed. Anywhere as well as whenever you like. All you need is a net connection. You ought to utilize a laptop computer or a home computer to do your work. People take a trip throughout the world developing their online business.
You'll intend to keep reinvesting into your business so it will certainly grow quicker. Paid advertising is the fastest means to shed cash or make your business expand. The point is to see to it you develop a solid business structure and also discover the abilities you require prior to you tackle paid marketing.
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It's a wonderful way to launch before you also sign up with Builderall. You'll have the ability to ask concern, see exactly how other people are making money and obtain some complimentary training to get you rolling. Just contact us for all the details for this exclusive training.
The fast track training covers a great deal of ground. It easy to adhere to and it allows you to build your business fast so you can begin to generate income. You'll be able to additionally contact me personally anytime you have an inquiry or require suggestions.
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Sale of a Palmer Johnson PJ 280 carbon fiber hull. This is a rare opportunity to achieve ownership of the high end hull of one of the most astonishing superyachts ever to be built. Don't lose out on a once in a lifetime price.
This grand black carbon-fiber hull allows the imagination to wander towards the famous tales of the avant-garde underwater vessel Nautilus, still she is destined to be matured into an enigmatical beauty.
The hull has been designed by the famous luxury yacht builder Palmer Johnson, and it is registered in the Norwegian Shipbuilding register under building number 280. Two powerful MTU 16V 2000 M94 engines and gears have been installed on-board. Following appropriate modifications, one might also envisage the finished vessel being employed by a potential buyer in the high end commercial/leisure market.
The hull is manufactured by Brødrene Aa. This shipyard is a world leader in the construction of carbon fiber composites. The shipyard is located in Hyen on the west coast of Norway and employs 170 skilled workers. The company is known for pioneering the use of composite materials, first with fiberglass composites in the 1970s and today with carbon fiber composites.
Please contact christian@advokat.bergen.no to get a copy of the terms and conditions of the sale.


Fresh tomato's are so lovely at this time of year and with a few extra ingredients they can make such a super quick salad for summer BBQ's or a light lunch. I love this Tomato Dukkah Salad because it's so easy to make and is packed full of flavour. There is nothing like the flavour of fresh tomato's and this is a super quick salad that can be thrown together at the last minute. Enjoy!!!!


Image by Marc Ellison. Nigeria, 2018.
Grantee Marc Ellison's project has the look and feel of a graphic novel, combining his photographs, text, and video with the vivid illustrations of artist Ozo Ezeogu, but the story they tell—of children beaten and abandoned, falsely accused of witchcraft—is shockingly true. More shocking still is the role of some churches in legitimizing a dreadful practice.
A born-again member of the 18th Street gang now living in the Eben Ezer evangelical church. Image by Danny Gold. El Salvador, 2018.
The author's photo of a shared lunch with three raftsmen. Image by Doug Bock Clark. Myanmar, 2018.
A beautifully written account of a solo trip down Myanmar's legendary Irrawaddy River, in an inflatable eight-foot kayak. The kayak is back in our office, ready for the next adventure.
San Salvador: Can a Millennial Mayor Save One of the World's Most Violent Cities?


Only 4 men posted in the Badlands on this cooler than usual morning. Pregame talk included Tiger's surprise victory at the Masters and the ability to overcome. QIC posed the question: What are you grateful for today? The PAX responded with F3, family etc.
(3) Partner Up- (a) Partner 1 ran approximately 800 meters while partner 2 performed 10 HR merkins and 30 LBCs. Partner 2 rinse and repeat exercises until partner 2 completed run. Switch. (b) Same process except run approximately 400 meters while other partner performed 10 Bobby Hurleys and 20 Squats, rinsing and repeating exercises until other partner completed run.
COT- Lunch this Wednesday at 4 Rivers. Prayer requests included jobs and dealing with the loss of loved ones.


Steri-Clean Columbia is central Missouri's only true specialist in biohazard cleaning, including crime scene clean up, sucide clean up, and blood clean up. Our 24 hour response is used by homeowners, renters, business owners, ane city officials. Since 1995 Steri-Clean has provided their specialized cleaning for over 10,000 homes, businesses, and automobile decontamination needs. If you are faced with any of the following needs, please call us at (888) 577-7206.
Missouri cities such as Jefferson City, Sadajia, Columbia, Moberly, and Mexico see their fare share of crimes, suicides, accidents and other biohazards. Even more common are undiscovered death, or human decomposition. Steri-Clean Columbia is a specialty company that can remove every trace of fluids from decomposition and has the equipment and chemicals to combat the pungent associated odors. Family members should never attempt to clean a biohazard scene and undiscovered death scenes, even more so. The bacteria levels in a residence where a body decomposes is extremely elevated. Without proper personal protective gear, exposure to harmful bacteria is unavoidable.
To be honest, any biohazard scene which contain blood and bodily fluids can be extremely dangerous and should only be cleaned by companies that have been properly trained, are licensed and carry the appropriate insurances. Proper disposal and treatment of the biohazards collected is also critical to prevent exposure.
Steri-Clean Columbia responds to any biohazard clean up or blood clean up need in all of Central Missouri. We are available 24 hours a day by simply calling our toll free number at (888) 577-7206. We are here to help and will bill your insurance in most cases.
Missouri has an alarming suicide rate at over 1000 annually according to the data reported on World Life Expectancy. Attempted suicides are an even higher number, and the family members, already grieving, are left to clean up the blood and other biohazards. Once the fire department, paramedics, police and coroner leave, what should happen?
Unfortunatley, the police and other agencies called to the emergency, are not responsible for the cleanup. Do not expose yourself to the dangers commonly found in bloood, as well as exposing yourself to further emotional trauma. Instead, rely on the professional and affordable staff at Steri-Clean to help you through this. Once our services are requested, we will arrive promptly and discretely. Our compassionate team will remove all dangerous biohazards and restore the scene to pre incident condition as much as possible. Did you know that family members that clean up after a loved onces death are alarmingly higher at risk for suicide themselves? Lets prevent this!
Call Steri-Clean of Columbia and Central Missouri for suicide cleanup. For questions or immediate dispatch 24 hours a day, call (888) 577-7206.
Steri-Clean provides crime scene clean up, suicide clean up, blood clean up, trauma scene clean up, undiscovered death clean up, tear gas clean up all of Missouri.


Perched on a hillside in Pyrgos village, Voreina features uniquely decorated suites with artwork pieces, boasting spectacular sunset views over the Aegean Sea. All suites come with a hot tub or a private pool. Voreina Gallery Suites are designed in keeping with the Cycladic architectural style. Each features paintings and sculptures and is decorated in bright earthy tones. Facilities include a satellite LCD TV, iPod docking station and air conditioning. Some units also include a fully equipped kitchen and fireplace. Guests can have a rich breakfast with fresh bread and homemade delicacies in the privacy of their room's terrace enjoying panoramic views of Santorini . Fira, the capital of Santorini , is 12 km away. The hotel's staff offers free 2-way transfer to the port and airport of the island, as well as the surrounding area. Free Wi-Fi and on-site parking are available.
13 % VAT is included. 0.50 % City tax is included. € 0.50 Residential tax per stay is excluded.


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Authorities say a 7-month-old baby has died after being found inside a hot vehicle in South Carolina.
Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken said Dean Emerson Coward died a short time after he was found in the vehicle outside a Florence home around 5:35 p.m. Thursday.
Von Lutcken said in a statement that while it appears to be a heat-related death, he has ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Florence County deputies are investigating the death, but have not announced any arrests. They also released very few details.
The National Weather Service says the temperature in Florence was around 94 degrees when the boy was found.