Randy Pitchford once said that there are only two reasons why Gearbox would take on a project: When a game just wouldn't exist without the studio's input, or when they could offer "something new for an existing brand, a unique perspective or a new start." One has to wonder which category Aliens: Colonial Marines falls under.
Nestled between the events at the end of Aliens and the beginning of Alien 3, Aliens: Colonial Marines explores the continuation of the conflict between the Weyland-Yutani corporation's profits-above-all-else quest to weaponize the xenomorphs and the Colonial Marines who are hope simply to survive the struggle. On paper, it seems like a slam-dunk. You control Corporal Winter, one of the Colonial Marines, as his small squad of fellow Marines embarks on a search-and-rescue mission on the U.S.S. Sulaco. After the ship is destroyed by the Weyland-Yutani corporation, the Marines evacuate to the planet LV-426. The game continues on the surface of the planet, with the Marines battling both xenomorphs and Weyland-Yutani mercenaries through the ruins of the Hadley's Hope, the colony that served as the primary setting for Aliens.
We heard rumblings leading up to the release date that perhaps A:CM wasn't the game that had been anticipated. In Daniel Krupa's December preview of the game, he hinted at some of the potential problems with the game, such as the failure to adapt the tension of the movies into the game, and liberties with the design of the xenomorphs. On the IGN boards, the A:CM thread wavers between excited optimism, cautious optimism, and unhappy reactions to the IGN Live Presents playthrough of the game and its revelation that the game was not all gamers expected it to be.
On the day before release, Twitter began to buzz with references to an unspecified game. No name was given, yet there was also no shortage of hints. Some reviewers reminded people that one day before release isn't too late to cancel a pre-order. It was an incredible thing to watch unfold, as it seemed every single game journalist on Twitter was determined to push the very limits of what an embargo allowed.
Being a professional games writer doesn't exclude a person from having high hopes for a game going into a review. IGN's own Tristan Ogilivie, who gave the game a score of 4.5 out of 10, said he was "a little concerned about how the end product would turn out due to the unusually lengthy development time," but that a demo at a preview event at the end of 2012 suggested that the game was on-track. As it turned out, that demo "was evidently not an accurate reflection of the finished game, which was clearly stripped of a substantial amount of the visual gloss apparent in the preview build." Ogilivie felt the game was "a really derivative and uninspired shooter," citing the end boss fight and the abrupt cut-scene/roll credits as the "real exclamation mark on the 'this game is irredeemably bad' verdict."
"The respect that Gearbox insisted they felt toward the movie wasn't apparent anywhere in the actual narrative or 'story,' such as it was," says former IGN editor and current Reviews Editor at Polygon, Arthur Gies, who gave the game a 3 out of 10. Going into the game, Gies said, "My hope going into Colonial Marines was for a functional shooter that showed some modicum of adherence and respect to the canon established in Aliens." Gies is self-described as "obsessed with the Alien franchise" since the first time he saw Aliens. Given that A:CM is a canonical continuation of the story after the end of Aliens, Gies "expected a logical reason to return to LV-426, but outside of that, I just figured they'd dance around whatever they couldn't change. Obviously, that's not what they did."
It wasn't long after the embargo lifted that salacious news began to spread regarding the game's development process. This article from the day of the game's release references forum posts from an alleged former-Gearbox employee warning people not to get their hopes up about the game. "Gearbox isn't even making the game," reported the anonymous poster, "except for the multiplayer. Primary development was outsourced to TimeGate Studios, which has a less than stellar past." The posts were made in May of 2012, nearly a year before the final game shipped. Then came the rumors that Gearbox used some of the money for A:CM to help fund Borderlands 2, as is suggested in this Destructoid piece from Jim Sterling.
The game received a not-unusual Day 1 patch, followed later by another patch on March 7th, fixing bugs that affected the Xbox 360 version of the game. In terms of popularity, the PC version of the game (according to Steam stats) doesn't even crack the top 100 list of games being played.
What does the future hold for Aliens: Colonial Marines? The Wii U version, touted as the "best-looking version" of the game by Pitchford, is said to be on hold indefinitely one minute, slated for release the next. But after the miserable showing by the game on all other platforms, would it even be worth anyone's time to try it on Wii U? Even if the graphics are vastly improved and the gamepad is somehow incorporated into the game in a logical and non-intrusive manner, the game still suffers from an illogical storyline, a disregard for continuity, a cliched story punctuated by terrible dialogue, and a short campaign. It appears that the four DLC add-ons are still on track, but can even a fantastically good add-on save such a troubled game?
TimeGate studios, who Pitchford told IGN worked "probably about 20 or 25 percent of the total time" on A:CM, was recently hit with a round of layoffs. While not an unusual occurrence following the shipping of a completed game, the stench of A:CM still lingers heavy in the air. Once the stigma associated with the game disappears, let's all hope we can get the Aliens game we really want on next-gen hardware.


We take pride in turning your custom home dreams into turnkey reality. From new custom home building to remodels and additions, high level planning and attention to detail shine through in every aspect of our unique construction projects. Enjoy browsing our photo galleries below to get a feel for the quality and experience A M Yoder & Co. brings to the job.
We take pride in constructing sound homes that meet your stylistic and functional needs. Our process includes careful planning up front to deliver an expert estimate that encompasses the design to build timeline, budget, and selections. Our in-house selection expert, Melinda Yoder, provides dedicated time to guiding you through an endlessly customized selection process. We take infinite possibility into concrete reality with your budget and style in mind. Our customers have attributed this service alone to smoothing the bumps of custom home construction into a pleasurable experience!
As industry leaders in sustainable construction, we bring expertise around home performance to every build. For the style and function you want, we contribute high performance, energy efficient solutions that a decade of informed building and customer satisfaction provides. Expect more from A M Yoder & Co. with user-friendly build programs that let you check in on budget, decisions, selections, and progress from the convenience of your own personal technology 24/7. We work with industry experts and contractors to complete each step of your build with integrity and transparency, so you are always in the loop.
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Each new custom home and renovation project presents opportunities to create interior spaces inspired by our customers unique and individual taste. A M Yoder & Co. projects each display a unique flair, revealing how Clients' experience their living environment. Contact us today to plan your dream!
This is where you write a bit about the exterior of this house or the project in general. At the end you could include this cool call to action button that sends people to the lead-generating contact form page.
Each and every one of our clients live in their homes differently. By collaborating to design floor plans and select materials and finishes that are unique to each client, we ensure that each new custom home we build is functional, beautiful and durable. Bathrooms and laundry rooms must be ready to go to work each and every day to support the systems and schedules of the home, but must also be beautiful and durable, ready at a moments notice for the Saturday laundry, summer canning and the occasional home tour. Contact us today to plan your dream!


Alarm went off at 3:30am just as I was in deep sleep. Walked down 17 floors, had to listen to a couple drag their luggage down the stairs, letting it bang with every step. I almost fell asleep on the sidewalk while Mrs. M couldn't stop laughing about the couple and their attempt to salvage their underwear (or were the suitcases full of cash? we'll never know…).
As usual, false alarm (which I am always happy about). Now I cannot go back asleep. Too many things buzzing in my head.


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To see All uses of "accord" in Change of Heart by Picoult, please enable javascript.
used in Change of Heart by Picoult
in keeping with; or in agreement/harmony/unity with
This sense of accord is often seen in the form according to or accordingly where it can take on more specific meanings. For example:
"According to Kim, ..." — as stated by
"To each according to her ability." — based upon
"Points are scored according to how well they perform." — depending upon
"The dose is calculated according to body weight." — in proportion to
"We got a flat tire. Accordingly, I pulled to the side of the road." — because of what was just said; or as a result
The screen filled with a uniformed officer's face—Correctional Officer Rick Whitaker, according to the caption beneath him.
The reporter again: "According to sources, inmate Lucius DuFresne— an AIDS patient in the final stages of the disease—has been miraculously cured.
The punishment of death shall be inflicted by continuous, intravenous administration of a lethal quantity of an ultra-short-acting barbiturate in combination with a chemical paralytic agent until death is pronounced by a licensed physician according to accepted standards of medical practice.
And—here was the real miracle—according to Dr. Gallagher, that meant Shay Bourne could donate his heart.
According to his records, Shay Bourne was raised in foster homes, so he can't claim that he was reared in one religious tradition that fostered organ donation.
He's simply asking to die in accordance with his religious beliefs.
The words slipped in and out of my mind: ... Whereas on the sixth day of March, 1997, Isaiah Matthew Bourne was duly and legally convicted of two counts of the crime of capital murder....... said court pronounced sentence upon Isaiah Matthew Bourne in accordance with said judgment fixing the time for the execution for ten a.m. on Friday, the twenty-third of May, 2008 ....... command you to execute the aforesaid judgment and sentence by hanging in a manner that produces brain death in said Isaiah...
There are no more uses of "accord" in Change of Heart by Picoult.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Charlie Smith has been editor of the Georgia Straight since 2005 and before that, he was the paper's news editor. For seven years, he taught investigative techniques at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (then known as Kwantlen University College). Charlie also worked at CBC Radio for 13 years. In addition, he's researched and reported stories on CBC TV and Global TV (then known as BCTV) newscasts, written for various publications, worked in private radio, and edited a business magazine. Charlie enjoys public speaking, moderating panel discussions, and advancing people's understanding of complex issues. He's won two Western Magazine Awards for business writing and twice been nominated for Jack Webster Foundation Awards for his business and science writing.
Narrated by broadcaster Kuljeet Kaila, it includes a clip of Dhaliwal speaking about his private member's Bill C-376, which designates April as Sikh Heritage Month.
The news was revealed in an internal staff memo obtained by an online publication called The Orca.


text:
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Motivated by this new era for US- Cuba relations, we present ¡OYE CUBA!, an pop-up exhibition of Contemporary Cuban art posters direct from Havana. This project seeks to make Cuban graphic design more visible. The artists combine design, painting, printmaking, literature and photography with a sense of humor, irony and innovative spirit that is only found in Cuba. The exhibition was curated in collaboration with A. David Guerra principle consultant of CUB&A.
The minimalist installation, commissioned by architect, Elliot Olson, was inspired by the lavandería, mimicing the clothing lines that are commonly seen atop rooftops and draped across balconies and courtyards. Rum drinks inspired by Ernest Hemingway's spirit of adventure were served by Papa's Pilar to the beat of Manu Miranda's DJ set of eclectic sounds that ranged from Afro-Cuban to Latin Jazz that incorporated sounds from the streets of Havana. Special thanks to the participating artists and Amanda Accardi, owner of Around the Corner Framing for donating custom frames.
Oh! Big thanks to all the art lovers who braved the blizzard to celebrate art & Cuba!
Please note : All posters from the exhibition have sold out.
P.S. After our opening in Boston, I brought a small selection of 12 posters to the tropical island of Vieques, PR., where they were exhibited in an exhibition at Gallery Galleon.


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Travel + Leisure Announces Its 2022 World's Best Awards Revealing The Top Cities, Islands, Hotels, Cruise Lines, Airlines + More
View File Download File
TAL Worlds Best Awards
Oaxaca, Mexico Named World's Best City and Ischia, Italy Wins for Best Island Overall
Charleston, South Carolina Tops Best U.S. Cities List, with New Orleans Taking the No. 2 Spot and Santa Fe Coming in at No. 3
Best Resort Hotel in the Continental U.S. Is Pickering House Inn in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
NEW YORK, July 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Travel + Leisure announces the top travel destinations and companies in the U.S. and around the globe, according to the World's Best Awards 2022 readers' survey. From cities, islands, national parks, and hotels to cruise lines, airlines, airports and more, the complete results of this 27th annual survey are now featured on TravelandLeisure.com/worlds-best and in the August issue of Travel + Leisure, on newsstands July 22.
The World's Best Hotel is Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco in Montalcino, Italy. Grace Hotel, Auberge Resorts Collection, in Santorini, Greece, is ranked second best hotel in the world, and Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi is third best among hotels globally.
Pickering House Inn in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire is the Top Resort Hotel in the Continental U.S., followed by White Elephant Palm Beach in Florida and Under Canvas Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota, ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. The Lowell in New York City is the Top City Hotel in the Continental U.S.; the Top Island in the Continental U.S. is Mackinac Island in Michigan; and the Top U.S. National Park is Yellowstone.
"As travel continues to rebound and people look for new trip ideas and inspiration, I'm thrilled to share this incredible resource of our readers' favorite places and companies," said Travel + Leisure Editor in Chief Jacqui Gifford. "You'll find destinations that are transporting and offer a distinct sense of place–whether your focus is on reconnecting with nature or immersing yourself in local cultures. Congratulations to this year's honorees for their excellence in hospitality and for creating standout experiences that appeal to all types of travelers."
TRAVEL + LEISURE TOP 10 WORLD'S BEST CITIES 2022
1. Oaxaca, Mexico
2. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
3. Ubud, Indonesia
4. Florence, Italy
5. Istanbul, Turkey
6. Mexico City, Mexico
7. Chiang Mai, Thailand
8. Jaipur, India
10. Udaipur, India
TRAVEL + LEISURE TOP 10 U.S. CITIES 2022
1. Charleston, South Carolina
3. Santa Fe, New Mexico
4. Savannah, Georgia
5. Honolulu, Hawaii
6. New York, New York
7. Chicago, Illinois
8. Alexandria, Virginia
9. San Antonio, Texas
10. Boston, Massachusetts
The Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards is a leading barometer of the places and companies that appeal to some of the most passionate and discerning travelers out there. In the 27 years that the World's Best Awards readers' survey has been published, Singapore Airlines is the only honoree to be named a No. 1 winner in its category – World's Best International Airline — every year. For the first time, Hawaiian Airlines wins for Best Domestic Airline, with newcomer Breeze Airways coming in at No. 2 and JetBlue Airways ranking third.
The 2022 results — featuring more than 100 lists including the Top 100 Hotels, Best Domestic Airlines, Best Islands in the World, Best Resort Hotels in Hawaii, Top Caribbean Resort Hotels, Best Hotels in Paris, Best U.S. National Parks, Best Domestic Airports, Best Mega-Ship Cruise Lines, and Best Safari Outfitters, among many others — are now posted on www.TravelandLeisure.com/worlds-best. There are also several new regional hotel lists this year, such as Top Hotels in cities including Boston, Austin, Copenhagen, and Madrid, among others, as well as Top Resort Hotels in Montana and more.
TRAVEL + LEISURE WORLD'S BEST AWARDS 2022 WINNERS OVERALL
WORLD'S BEST CITY: Oaxaca, Mexico
WORLD'S BEST HOTEL: Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, Montalcino, Italy
WORLD'S BEST HOTEL BRAND: Oberoi Hotels & Resorts
WORLD'S BEST ISLAND: Ischia, Italy
WORLD'S BEST MEGA-SHIP OCEAN CRUISE LINE: Celebrity Cruises
WORLD'S BEST LARGE-SHIP OCEAN CRUISE LINE: Disney Cruise Line
WORLD'S BEST MIDSIZE-SHIP OCEAN CRUISE LINE: Viking Cruises
WORLD'S BEST SMALL-SHIP OCEAN CRUISE LINE: Paul Gauguin Cruises
WORLD'S BEST INTIMATE-SHIP OCEAN CRUISE LINE: Quasar Expeditions
WORLD'S BEST RIVER CRUISE LINE: Viking Cruises
WORLD'S BEST INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE: Singapore Airlines
WORLD'S BEST DOMESTIC AIRLINE: Hawaiian Airlines
WORLD'S BEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: Singapore Changi Airport
WORLD'S BEST DOMESTIC AIRPORT: Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, Georgia
WORLD'S BEST SAFARI OUTFITTER: Travel Beyond
WORLD'S BEST TOUR OPERATOR: DuVine Cycling & Adventure Co.
WORLD'S BEST CAR-RENTAL COMPANY: National Car Rental
WORLD'S BEST INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION SPA: Rancho La Puerta, Tecate, Mexico
WORLD'S BEST DOMESTIC DESTINATION SPA: The Ranch Malibu, California
WORLD'S BEST U.S. NATIONAL PARK: Yellowstone
Jacqui Gifford will host Toast & Post, a virtual celebration that kicks off tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET on Instagram Live @TravelandLeisure to honor the World's Best Awards 2022 winners. Raise a toast to this year's honorees and post a picture using the hashtags #TLWorldsBest and #TLToast, and tag @TravelandLeisure tomorrow and in the weeks ahead.
For more content about the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2022, visit @TravelandLeisure on Instagram and @TravelandLeisureMag on TikTok.
For the complete World's Best Awards 2022 survey methodology, visit travelandleisure.com.
ABOUT TRAVEL + LEISURE
Travel + Leisure is the preeminent voice for the sophisticated traveler, serving up expert intelligence and the most immersive travel lifestyle content anywhere. Travel + Leisure captures the joy of discovering the cultural pleasures the world has to offer—from art and design to shopping and style to food and drink—and provides compelling reasons to get up and go. Reaching an audience of more than 30 million, the Travel + Leisure media portfolio includes the U.S. flagship magazine, travelandleisure.com, newsletters, the Let's Go Together podcast, the World's Best Awards franchise, an extensive social media presence, and international editions in China, India, Mexico, and Southeast Asia. Launched in 1971, Travel + Leisure is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family and is owned by Travel + Leisure Co. (NYSE: TNL).
SOURCE Dotdash Meredith
For further information: Elizabeth Marsh, elizabeth.marsh@dotdashmdp.com


by Larry B. Hiwiller Jr.Larry B. Hiwiller Jr.
On March 19, 1995, I was given the most wonderful gift that anyone could ask. On this day, I was blessed with my daughter, Rachel-Anne Julia. You really never know how small things are until a gift like this is given. "Dad" is one of the most honorable titles that you could be awarded. I have always struggled with making sure that my daughter always knows that I love her. At first, I worked to make sure that she would have things, but growing up along side my daughter has opened my eyes. I have come to realize that the one thing that I can give her, that will last forever, is memories. Memories of, not only our life together, but the memories of the struggles and emotions that I had experienced as a young man in the hopes of helping to guide her.
Within this book you will find quotes and inspirational sayings gathered throughout my life experiences. At times, you will identify the writings created by me. Within these personal writings, I have conveyed my emotions, my feelings, and my love. To my daughter, this book can serve as a simple guidebook of suggestions and thoughts from her Father. For those who honor me with their choice to read this, I hope that I can inspire you.help guide you.and most of all provide some writings that will help to facilitate your evaluation of your life and choices.
I hope that one can use this book as an inspirational and uplifting resource. I know that the four years that it took for me to complete this body of work I was able to evaluate my life by using some of the readings. I hope that each of you will be able to utilize this work for your own self-guiding and self-motivating purpose.


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New Fee on Tax Bills Approved for Hazardous Waste Program
An annual Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) fee of $9.55 per residential unit was approved on a 12-3 vote with 2 absences by the 17 member Alameda County Waste Management Authority (WMA) Board. The fee will be placed on Alameda County property tax statements.
Prior fees generated from solid waste going to county landfills have been significantly reduced as waste has been diverted by recycling. A new source of income was sought by the Authority to maintain and improve the hazardous waste disposal program in the county.
Did the Piedmont City Council take a position on the HHW fee or direct its representative how to vote on the fee?
July 15, 2013, Council minutes indicate that Planning Technician Feeley reported on HHW fee options being developed by Stopwaste.org staff. In the March 17, 2014 minutes Councilmember Rood announced that Stopwaste.org will receive the protest votes against the $9.55 annual HHW fee and the Board would vote on whether or not to impose the surcharge. April 7, 2014 minutes –Councilmember Rood announced that Stopwaste.org continued consideration of the $9.55 HHW fee to the April 23 meeting. Council action was not found in Council minutes.
Questions had been raised regarding the legal right of the Authority to place a fee on property tax statements without gaining voter approval. Approximately 50,000 individuals protested the fee.
"Critics contend the proposed fee is unnecessary, and so is the agency trying to collect it."
Voting against the fee were Don Biddle of the Dublin City Council, Dave Sadoff of the Castro Valley Sanitary District and Jerry Pentin of the Pleasanton City Council. Piedmont's representative on the Authority, Councilmember Tim Rood, voted to approve the fee.
Laython Landis, a long time WMA Board member representing the Oro Loma Sanitary District, has watched the Authority grow to a $24 million operation with 42 employees. Landis stated the entire Waste Management Authority, also known as StopWaste.org, is inefficient and should be dismantled.
Read reports on the fee and StopWaste.
Alameda County Waste Management Authority News Release:
Expanded hours for drop-off facilities and public events will increase collection of hazardous materials for Alameda County residents.
OAKLAND – At its May 28th meeting, the Alameda County Waste Management Authority Board adopted a new household hazardous waste fee of $9.55 per year per residential unit. The fee goes into effect July 1, 2014 and will be collected via the property tax roll.
Revenue from the fee will be used to support the countywide household hazardous waste program, which provides safe, legal, environmentally sound collection and disposal services for residential household hazardous waste such as paint, solvents and pesticides. The fee will support expanded services to all residents in Alameda County, including additional and regular drop-off hours and mobile collection events held throughout the county.
"The decision to move forward with a new fee was a challenging one for our Board and Agency, and some members of the public as well," said Alameda County Waste Management Authority (dba StopWaste) Board Vice-President Jennifer West. "But the consequences of not adopting it and improper disposal of hazardous wastes were too great." Authority Executive Director Gary Wolff added, "Owners of residences will benefit from the expanded services this fee will provide by keeping hazardous waste where it belongs. Improper disposal not only harms people and the environment, but could result in future sewer or garbage rate increases larger than the fee due to illegal disposal into sewers or garbage or recycling containers."
The HHW collection program is currently paid for through a per-ton fee on municipal solid waste disposed in landfills. However, the fee has not changed since 2000 and the program would have been cut back dramatically without the additional funding.
Read an additional report on the fee.
Filed under:	*All News, News - Planning/Environ., Topics of Good Governance
2 Responses to "New Fee on Tax Bills Approved for Hazardous Waste Program"
Tim Rood
June 1st, 2014 at 1:01 pm
The Piedmont City Council did not discuss or take a position on this measure, as you note. None of the Council members asked to have this item placed on the Council agenda for discussion over the 3 month period in which it was being discussed at StopWaste. I also did not hear from a single Piedmonter regarding this measure, either in support or in opposition.
Each of the elected officials who serve on the StopWaste board has the responsibility of voting on many matters at each monthly meeting, as well as committee meetings. I am not aware of any member cities or entities that took positions on the HHW measure or passed resolutions directing their member how to vote, but would be interested to hear of any.
Absent this fee, reduced landfill tipping fees would have triggered a drastic austerity reduction in HHW dropoff hours and processing capacity. I am proud to have joined a 2/3 majority of the StopWaste board in adopting this modest fee to keep our HHW facilities open, expand their hours, and do more, rather than less, to keep hazardous waste out of our water, soil and air.
As the Council representative to Stop Waste prior to Tim Rood serving in that roll, I attended multiple board and sub-committee meetings where the fee increase was discussed. As draft proposals emerged and voting deadlines established, I directly informed the City Administrator of these developments and recommended he agendize the item. He did so and at least two public hearings were held at Council about the fee. I also encouraged staff to post a notice on the city website about the fee proposal. A public hearing was held on the final fee proposal at Council in January for a scheduled Board vote in February but a number of circumstances led to a postponement of the vote until May. I don't recall any public comment about the proposal at the earlier hearings.
According to the the HHW staff, Piedmont, as a percent, is the largest user of this service among the members of the JPA.


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Thornton Becomes Jamba Juice's COO
Written by The Editors	 March 20, 2017
Former Starbucks executive assumes new role for the juice-oriented chain.
Joe Thornton was introduced as COO for Jamba Juice. Joe Thornton
In his new assignment, Thornton becomes responsible for all aspects of Jamba Juice operations including company-owned stores, franchise support, operations services, training and communications. He will also work closely with the Jamba Franchise Advisory Council.
For the past 11 years, Thornton held leadership roles at Starbucks Coffee Company, overseeing both company-owned and licensed operations across multiple territories. Most recently, he served as vice president of U.S. Licensed Store. Prior to his role at Starbucks, Thornton spent 14 years with Blockbuster Video.


Along the foothills of Alberta's Rocky Mountains lies a band of mixed forests and grasslands known for its serene beauty, moderate climate, wide variety of wildlife and broad ecological diversity. Today, communities along this spectacular corridor are linked together by the Cowboy Trail, a ribbon of pavement (primarily Highway 22) extending from Cardston near the Montana border up to Mayerthorpe, northwest of Edmonton. These communities share a rich Western and Native heritage, and the Old West is still evident in the art, food, hospitality and culture of the foothills residents.
There's plenty to do along the Cowboy Trail with over 100 partners and 150 events along the 700 km of highway. There are sixteen Old West attractions to experience on the Trail, including museums, restored Western towns, pioneer villages, a World Heritage Site, National Historic Site and a number of Provincial Historic Site. Visitors can enjoy farm and guest ranch vacations, western-themed shopping, a horseback ride on mountain trails, or relaxed wagon ride. Take a helicopter tour, followed by a guided hike and fishing trip with one of many regional guides. Relax afterward in an authentic saloon and finish off the night with a hearty sleep at a cozy B&B.
The towns along the Cowboy Trail can be contacted through their chambers of commerce or town websites. Alphabetically, the communities are as follows: Black Diamond; Bragg Creek; Cardston; Caroline; Cochrane; Drayton Valley; Entwistle; Evansburg; Longview; Mayerthorpe; MD of Ranchland; Millarville; Pincher Creek; Priddis; Rocky Mountain House; Sundre; Turner Valley and Waterton.
Hwy 22 also presents a wonderful alternate route up to Mile 0 of the Alaska Hwy in Dawson Creek, BC. While many prefer Hwy 93 north through eastern BC, entering Banff and Jasper National Parks on the way to Grande Prairie, if you'd prefer to miss the park traffic, fees and those pesky herds of elk that sometimes stand around in the middle of the road at night (!), the foothill hugging Cowboy Trail offers a relaxed and direct route all the way to Yellowhead Hwy 16 west of Edmonton. No matter what roads you choose while touring the North, stay alert for wildlife!


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Science Advances
Research ArticleBIOENGINEERING
Harnessing the hygroscopic and biofluorescent behaviors of genetically tractable microbial cells to design biohybrid wearables
Wen Wang1,2,
Lining Yao2,
Chin-Yi Cheng2,3,
Teng Zhang4,
Hiroshi Atsumi5,
Luda Wang4,
Guanyun Wang2,
Oksana Anilionyte2,
Helene Steiner2,
Jifei Ou2,
Kang Zhou6,
Chris Wawrousek7,
Katherine Petrecca7,
Angela M. Belcher5,
Rohit Karnik4,
Xuanhe Zhao4,*,
Daniel I. C. Wang1,* and
Hiroshi Ishii2,*
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
2MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
3Department of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
4Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
5Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
6Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117585, Singapore.
7New Balance Athletics, 190 Merrimack Street, Lawrence, MA 01843, USA.
↵*Corresponding author. Email: zhaox{at}mit.edu (X.Z.); dicwang{at}mit.edu (D.I.C.W.); ishii{at}media.mit.edu (H.I.)
Science Advances 19 May 2017:
Vol. 3, no. 5, e1601984
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1601984
Wen Wang
Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Lining Yao
MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
ORCID record for Lining Yao
Chin-Yi Cheng
MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.Department of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Teng Zhang
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Hiroshi Atsumi
Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Luda Wang
Guanyun Wang
Oksana Anilionyte
Helene Steiner
Jifei Ou
Kang Zhou
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117585, Singapore.
ORCID record for Kang Zhou
Chris Wawrousek
New Balance Athletics, 190 Merrimack Street, Lawrence, MA 01843, USA.
Katherine Petrecca
Angela M. Belcher
Rohit Karnik
Xuanhe Zhao
For correspondence: zhaox@mit.edu dicwang@mit.edu ishii@media.mit.edu
Daniel I. C. Wang
Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Hiroshi Ishii
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1601984
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Received for publication August 22, 2016
Accepted for publication March 22, 2017
Copyright & Usage:
Copyright © 2017, The Authors This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, so long as the resultant use is not for commercial advantage and provided the original work is properly cited.
Article lifetime
Article usage: May 2017 to July 2019
May 2017 5576 2485 2547
Jun 2017 1169 745 908
Jul 2017 420 281 301
Aug 2017 334 244 235
Sep 2017 566 276 235
Oct 2017 347 209 184
Nov 2017 378 248 213
Dec 2017 421 175 134
Jan 2018 312 144 136
Feb 2018 284 112 128
Mar 2018 281 184 131
Apr 2018 236 161 196
May 2018 295 244 190
Jun 2018 255 167 177
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Feb 2019 14 240 65
May 2019 2 312 88
Jul 2019 13 187 39
Vol 3, No. 5
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By Wen Wang, Lining Yao, Chin-Yi Cheng, Teng Zhang, Hiroshi Atsumi, Luda Wang, Guanyun Wang, Oksana Anilionyte, Helene Steiner, Jifei Ou, Kang Zhou, Chris Wawrousek, Katherine Petrecca, Angela M. Belcher, Rohit Karnik, Xuanhe Zhao, Daniel I. C. Wang, Hiroshi Ishii
Science Advances 19 May 2017 : e1601984
We harnessed the hygroscopic and biofluorescent behaviors of microbial cells to design sweat-responsive biohybrid wearables.
Science Advances ISSN 2375-2548.


text:
Rome, Italy - Triumphs and Laments; Boston, MA - Dock Tattoo Project
On the Tiber River in Rome a mural, titled Triumphs and Laments designed by William Kentridge, stretches across the waterline along the walls. The mural was designed using water as dirt removal on the walls to stencil the designs. Kentridge faced controversy due to the fact that the mural was a memory of the failures and the triumphant moments of the great city of Rome. The mural was also created by Kentridge without any patronage from the Pope or support from the city; the public art project was a risk that the artist took and it showcases a broad history of Rome. The image in the photo is the She-Wolf, which was suckled by Romulus and Remus who founded Rome. The She-Wolf was selfless and gave her energy to the twins so they could succeed in their journey to found Rome. The She-Wolf is a known symbol of ones loyalty to Rome, therefore the image of her in the mural shows that the citizens of Rome have been loyal and selfless for their great city, reminding those in Rome to appreciate, remember and stay loyal to Rome and the cultural heritage of the city. Though the mural does show laments of the city as well, it shows the laments to address the wrongs that Rome has done as well as give a voice and representation to those who may have been wronged by the city they were loyal to.
The Dock Tattoo Project in Boston, Massachusetts is a piece of cultural heritage that can be closely connected to the mural in Rome. Liz LaManche is the artist behind the project, and she created 1000-foot long tattoo designs using ink and a paint brush to craft tattoo designs that represented the many different cultures and cultural heritages that have been throughout history and still are today connected to Boston Harbor. The piece is meant to bring the people of Boston together, to remind them of the many wins and losses that America has had, as well as give a proper representation of the many cultures that helped shape America. The piece is a form of public art that represents the highs and lows of Boston, and it allows those on the Harbor to look out at the art and the ocean and remember those who were here before them.
Both public art pieces remind viewers that they should stay in connection with their cultural heritage as well as remember those who were not given proper representation throughout history. Both artists put diversity and inclusion at the top of their list and made it a priority to represent honesty in their artwork. Reminders of those who lived before us and those who weren't given equal opportunities are important so that we can continue to practice freedom and allow others to have their own freedom too.
Lauf, Cornelia. "Locating William Kentridge's Massive Mural in the Roman Landscape." Hyperallergic, 21 Apr. 2016, hyperallergic.com/292807/locating-william-kentridges-massive-mural-in-the-roman-landscape/.
LaManche, Liz. "Connected by Sea: Boston's 1000-Ft Tattoo." Dock Tattoo Project, http://earthsign.com/docktattoo/. Accessed 5 May 2018.
Shao, Yiqing. "East Boston Pier Is Getting Public Art 'Tattoos'." Boston Magazine, 27 Aug. 2014, www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-08/12/dock-tattoo-project-east-boston-harborarts-pier/.
Tomrankinarchitect. "William Kentridge's Triumphs and Laments." TRA_20, 7 July 2017, tomrankinarchitect.com/2016/07/william-kentridges-triumphs-and-laments/.
Autumn Battista, Student, Fitchburg State University
Tenzin Dhakpa, Student, Fitchburg State University
Chris Lach, Student, Fitchburg State University
Zachary Romero, Student, Fitchburg State University
Victoria Weeks, Student, Fitchburg State University
boston, british literature I spring 2018, classical tradition spring 2018, italy, massachusetts, mural, mythology
"Rome, Italy - Triumphs and Laments; Boston, MA - Dock Tattoo Project," Cultural Heritage through Image, accessed January 20, 2021, https://culturalheritagethroughimage.omeka.net/items/show/48.


This is the most exclusive Pokémon software ever offered to North American Pokémon fans – so exclusive that you can only buy it from the PokémonCenter. You can order online at pokemoncenter.com, over the phone (1-877-476-5366), or by visiting the PokémonCenter store in New York City.
Search, sort and handle other management functions to organize and display the Pokémon you've collected from your Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire Game Boy Advance games.
Save up to 1,500 Pokémon to a special Memory Card. Play Pokémon Ruby or Pokémon Sapphire on a television screen without the Game Boy Player. Includes custom Memory Card 59. Pokémon Box provides a solution for players who have captured Pokémon in their Game Boy Advance games but don't have enough space to keep them.
Players can save up to 1,500 Pokémon to a special Memory Card for Nintendo GameCube, more than three times as many Pokémon as can be stored in a Pokémon Ruby or Pokémon Sapphire Game Pak. As you capture more Pokémon, you can store them on a Nintendo GameCube Memory Card.
Using Pokémon Box, players can play Pokémon Ruby or Pokémon Sapphire in single-player mode on their television screen via the Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable.


text:
Q: Splitting Dates in 2 columns in a Dataframe This question is actually very similar to my previous one (given here: Splitting Dates in a Dataframe into 2 separate Dataframes), but somewhat more complex, so after trying it for more than an hour I though I should ask.
I have a dataframe where two of the columns Start and End are lists of dates. What I would like to do is create a new dataframe where the Start date matches with the closest End date, and for each matching pair to create a new line in the outputted dataframe
Basically, if there are two values in the Start column, then as long as the date in the End column is after the first date and before the second date (as given in row BBB in the examples below), then I want to keep these values the outputted dataframe. Additionally, even if there's no date in the End column (as in row EEE in the examples below) then I still want to split it. And if either or both the Start and End columns are empty, then they are kept in the dataframe.
As an example, for the dataframe below:
Name               Start                               End
AAA               2017-09-13
BBB         2021-11-20, 2022-06-04                 2022-04-07
CCC                                                2022-09-29
DDD
EEE        2021-04-28, 2022-06-14
FFF        2021-06-25, 2022-06-19                2022-03-18, 2024-07-22
GGG      2020-10-23,2021-06-10, 2022-03-02       2021-03-06, 2022-01-04, 2024-08-15

and the final dataframe to look like this:
Name        Start                    End
AAA         2016-09-13
BBB         2022-06-04             2022-04-07
CCC                                2022-09-29
DDD
EEE         2022-06-14
FFF         2021-06-25             2022-03-18
FFF         2022-06-19             2024-07-22
GGG         2020-10-23             2021-03-06
GGG         2021-06-10             2022-01-04
GGG         2022-03-02             2024-08-15

I tried to modify the code as given in the link above, but I was unable to get the output I wanted (I'm quite new to Python unfortunately...). So any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

A: It is actually very different from your other question, and not so straightforward.
I would use a merge_asof, with a little trick of temporarily replacing the NaN values of End with a dummy date (here I used '1970-01-01'):
# pre-process the dataframe to split the strings into lists
df2 = df.set_index('Name').apply(lambda s: s.str.split(',\s*'))

out = (pd.merge_asof(
              # explode End and fill NaN with 0 to get 1970-01-01
              pd.to_datetime(df2['End'].explode().fillna(0))
                .sort_values().reset_index(),
              pd.to_datetime(df2['Start'].explode().dropna())
                .sort_values().reset_index(),
              by='Name', left_on='End', right_on='Start',
              direction='nearest'
             )
         .sort_values(by='Name')
         [['Name', 'Start', 'End']]
         .assign(End=lambda d: d['End'].mask(d['End'].eq('1970-01-01')))
      )

output:
  Name      Start        End
0  AAA 2017-09-13        NaT
7  BBB 2022-06-04 2022-04-07
1  CCC 2022-09-29        NaT
2  DDD        NaT        NaT
3  EEE 2021-04-28        NaT
6  FFF 2022-06-19 2022-03-18
8  FFF 2022-06-19 2024-07-22
4  GGG 2021-06-10 2021-03-06
5  GGG 2022-03-02 2022-01-04
9  GGG 2022-03-02 2024-08-15

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
« Amazon-PillPack Pushes Against CVS with Prescription Deliveries; Also Seeking PBM Status | Main | "Porch Pirates" and the Theft of Home-Delivered Drugs »
Apple's iPhone and Watch Function as Medical Research Tools
As someone who is currently participating in an Apple/University of Michigan research study, I have a front row seat to a project that combines an iPhone, Apple Watch, and a blood pressure monitor to gather data. I have referred to this home-based technology as a wearable health ecosystem (WHE) (see: The Evolution of "Wearable Health Ecosystems" and Associated Partnerships). A recent article in the NYT delved into the emerging Apple role in medical research (see: Apple's Reach Reshapes Medical Research). Below is an excerpt from it:
....[The] Harvard school [recently] announced an...ambitious women's health study, one that aims to enroll a million women over a decade....To enroll in clinical trials, patients [normally] have often had to travel to medical centers to be briefed by researchers and fill out the study paperwork in person. Many studies also follow patients only intermittently, in periodic surveys and visits to hospitals.....[Apple] has developed a research app for iPhones — which participants can download from its app store — that is helping researchers quickly and easily recruit hundreds of thousands of study volunteers. Researchers at Stanford Medicine, who studied whether an app on the Apple Watch could detect an irregular heartbeat condition, were able to enroll more than 400,000 participants in just eight months....[D]octors...[do] not yet know whether monitoring people en masse through smartphones and consumer-wearable devices would significantly improve health outcomes....
Apple's involvement in the research studies is the latest example of how the biggest tech companies are edging their way into the country's $3.5 trillion health care market. The companies are making inroads in medicine in part by exploiting their scale, along with the technologies that have helped them dominate markets like cloud computing, search, productivity tools and consumer apps....Apple is striking out in a different direction [than other Big Tech companies]....[It has] has acquired health and wellness start-ups and hired prominent medical researchers.....Another study, by researchers at the University of Michigan, will collect noise level data from headphones and an iPhone app to examine how long-term sound exposure can affect hearing.
So what are we to make of this Apple initiative that takes advantage of IT to gather information for medical research from consumers? These devices allow researchers to gather data inexpensively and on a scale never imagined before. Parameters of such studies such as daily activity can't be fudged by the subjects. One legitimate criticism of these studies is that the subjects tends to be skewed toward more affluent consumers who can afford an iPhone and Apple Watch. This problem can be ameliorated partly by donating an Apple Watch and blood pressure monitor to the subjects as in the case of the MIPACT study. This provides a leg up for Apple when it wants to gather health data.
The most important question about these Apple collaborative studies is raised in the excerpt above: [D]octors...[do] not yet know whether monitoring people en masse through smartphones and consumer-wearable devices would significantly improve health outcomes. I am personally very optimistic about such studies. I think that researchers will rapidly come to understand how to design them to take advantage of the data gathered by wearable health ecosystems in subjects' homes.
Posted by Bruce Friedman on December 25, 2019 at 12:23 PM in Health Wearable, Healthcare Information Technology, Healthcare Innovations, Medical Consumerism, Medical Research, Point-of-Care Testing, Population Health, Public Health, Test Kits and Home Testing | Permalink


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Under Armour to make announcement about fitness tech plans in early 2017
Sports giant has no plans to follow Fitbit and Apple's more mindful tracking approach
By Michael Sawh @michaelsawh
By Michael Sawh
@michaelsawh
Under Armour shows no signs of slowing down in its quest to become a major health and fitness tech player, and it looks like it has plans to introduce new devices that we've yet to see from the company. That's according to Mike Lee, chief digital officer at Under Armour who hinted to Wareable UA's hardware plans for next year.
When we asked whether we can expect different devices from the ones already launched by Under Armour, Lee told us, "We (Under Armour) plan to make more announcements on this front in early 2017."
Read this: Best fitness trackers to own
Under Armour unveiled its UA HealthBox family of connected devices back in January this year introducing the UA Band fitness tracker, heart rate monitoring chest strap and smart scales. It also later added heart rate monitoring headphones built in partnership with audio company Harman as well as its Speedform Gemini 2 RE smart running shoes.
With the HealthBox landing at CES 2016, there's a pretty good chance that Under Armour plans could be to introduce new devices at the same show in 2017, which will also be held in early January.
While we weren't blown away by HealthBox when we spent some time with it, Lee told us that the team were happy with what it delivered and revealed that it is already getting some interesting insights into how users are making use of the tracking hardware. "Our team is pleasantly surprised to see the amount of people that are engaging with sleep," Lee told us. 'Through the automatic sleep tracking of UA Band, we have found that our consumers are not only logging sleep but interacting with the data through UA Record as well. Our community is beginning to understand the importance of sleep and how it plays into the overall ecosystem of sleep, fitness, activity and nutrition."
While Lee didn't indicate what features we could see from these new devices, it's unlikely that we'll see it take the same mindfulness approach that we've seen from Fitbit and Apple this year with both adding features focused around breathing and helping you relax.
"We are interested in anything that can help people reach their maximum potential to become better athletes and lead healthier lives," Lee explained. "We have no current plans to incorporate these type of measurements into our consumer experiences, but the door is always open for innovation and new features."
One of the many challenges faced by fitness tracking on the whole is the concept of food tracking. Lee co-founded MyFitnessPal, which is now integrated into the Under Armour Record companion app. He is fully aware of the challenges faced with making it easier to log what you eat on a daily basis. "The challenge is the friction that exists with simply logging everything you eat," he said.
"The simple act of writing down what you put in your body is tedious but effective. We have found that users who log their entire days' worth of food are more likely to stick to the plan. Also, the ability to see your projected food intake helps re-adjust, if needed. For example, if you observe that lunch is high in calories, they can scale back on dinner plans. We are doing everything we can to make our core functionality of logging nutrition simple and hassle free."
Essential reading: The science behind Apple and Fitbit's mindfulness push
Lee believes things can get smarter and we are only scratching the surface of what can be achieved on this important aspect of tracking. "There are a lot of things we are thinking about to make it easier to track what you eat and bring insights to help you make healthier choices," he told us. "Along with tracking nutritional information, you will start to see us focus on coaching and how to present this information to our users in ways they can act upon and change their behaviours."
That coaching could be provided by the integration of IBM Watson a system that combines artificial intelligence with analytical software to provide meaningful insights into fitness tracking data. Lee told us that Under Armour plans to share some new developments on this front early next year.
It sounds like the company is going to be very busy in the coming months and it's clear that it really wants to own this space. We look forward to seeing how UA 2.0 compares to the first round of hardware, because there was definitely room for improvement.
TAGGED Fitness trackers
Michael Sawh has been covering the wearable tech industry since the very first Fitbit landed back in 2011. Previously the resident wearable tech expert at Trusted Reviews, he also marshaled the features section of T3.com.
He also regularly contributed to T3 magazine when they needed someone to talk about fitness trackers, running watches, headphones, tablets, and phones.
Michael writes for GQ, Wired, Coach Mag, Metro, MSN, BBC Focus, Stuff, TechRadar and has made several appearances on the BBC Travel Show to talk all things tech.
Michael is a lover of all things sports and fitness-tech related, clocking up over 15 marathons and has put in serious hours in the pool all in the name of testing every fitness wearable going. Expect to see him with a minimum of two wearables at any given time.


One type of picture book used in Chinese with Meggie is an interactive book. Teachers at Chinese with Meggie use these types of books as great tools in facilitating the output of target language vocabulary.
Here is an example from Chinese with Meggie's immersion class program.
After children's snack time, the teacher planned to read a story about different animal's meeting for lunch in a forest. We initially introduced many of the friendly and colorful animals featured in the book, such as "大象"(elephant), "老虎(tiger)","熊(bear)",etc. Once we had captured the imagination of the children, the teacher started the interactive element of the class as she read the story. The interactive elements in the book attracted the children's attention throughout the whole of the storytelling process, as it required students to discover the plot by themselves. On one page of the book, every animal is holding their own lunchbox. However, we could not see what was inside the box as the box was covered with a paper lid. With the natural characteristic of children's curiosity, they were eager to discover what exactly those animals would have for lunch. The teacher asked each student to lift the small paper lid in the book one by one, and tell everyone the answers in Chinese. Therefore, we had our students produce the words instead of the teachers just telling them the words. Underneath the paper lid, there was an abundant variety of "foods" that helped the children to learn the target vocabulary such as "鸡蛋(egg)","肉(meat)","青菜(vegetable)","寿司(sushi)" etc.
Learning language involves both input and output. At Chinese with Meggie, we have multiple ways to facilitate children to achieve both sides. Using interactive books is an effective and motivational way for children to discover the language by themselves. They enjoy activities which require them to participate more. It's a wonderful experience for both children and teachers to realize the power of language.
This entry was posted in Immersion Chinese, The Magic of Picture Books and tagged Austin, Chinese Immersion, Picture Book, TX by cwmmeggie. Bookmark the permalink.


Startup marketing is a different beast from typical marketing. It's very metrics driven and requires a lot of testing through different channels. It's also a different mindset because there's a finite amount of time to hit numbers. Most startups need full-stack marketers (re: growth hackers) to help with growth but there unfortunately aren't many around today. You'll also learn about customer development, product market fit and driving growth with little to no budget.
However, passive income has one big advantage: Once that work is done, the money continues to come in, with no additional effort on your part. This means that if you spend enough time during your working years setting up streams of passive income, you'll eventually reach a point where you can collect enough to get by with little or no extra effort. And until then, you can enjoy the extra cash.
However, if you and a friend both have affiliate marketing deals with the same company, such as Amazon, you can boost each other's income a bit by becoming "shopping buddies." Whenever one of you wants to shop on that site, you visit your friend's website and click through from there so they get the rewards. Alternatively, you can just give each other your referral codes and enter your friend's code directly when you make a purchase. This "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" deal ensures that both of you earn at least some money from your affiliate arrangements.
It was only a matter of time. Google has been promising blog search for a couple of years. Finally, this morning they rolled out a blog search engine capability. Not surprisingly, it's labeled "beta."According to a Google, "The goal of Blog Search is to include every blog that publishes a site feed (either RSS or Atom)." It looks for sites that update pinging services and crawls in real-time.


I got to work on a commercial with these super talented and friendly guys from Argentina who call themselves the Can Can Club. They have an awesome style and do all sorts of insanely impressive projects. Check them out.


Creative Lines is located at the address 706 Koko Isle Cir in Honolulu, Hawaii 96825. They can be contacted via phone at (808) 396-7534 for pricing, hours and directions.
For maps and directions to Creative Lines view the map to the right. For reviews of Creative Lines see below.


Evening! I've been out taking a few pictures today to take my mind off feeling sick!! These bloody iron tablets are driving me mad. It can't be good for you to feel this ill taking tablets that are suppose to make you feel better. From tomorrow I'm trying liquid iron instead. ...enough of my moaning! Here are my Winter 2010 pics.
Very pretty snowy pic's. I didn't know you had a dog, he's absolutely gorgeous!
Stunning pics and love your fur baby.


SKINCARE REVIEW: WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME..?
"What's in it for me..?" is not just a thought whenever I grab a cool cream and read carefully what the ingredients in it will do for my skin. What's In It For Me is the name of the brand of my current favorite hand cream* and body cream*, and let me tell you, there's a lot in it for you too.
Starting from their cool packaging and presentation, these "totally selfish, indulgent, in love with yourself products" proudly made in the UK are a real gem in the skincare industry. Quality is great and I guess a proof of that is that you can find them in Harvey Nichols as well as in Fragrance Direct 😉 There you can find not only these two cream I'm gonna review today, but also body cleansers, daily shampoos, body scrubs and hand washes. The exotic mix of ingredients in all their products makes them unique, exclusive and different from the rest, without compromising their effectiveness.
I'm obsessed with this hand cream! Perfume is delicious and feels so feminine. The cream has grapefruit, sweet almond oil, plus pro vitamin B5 and vitamin E to revitalize and moisturize the skin. My hands feel so soft and smell so good after I apply this cream. It's like an instant dose of femininity for your hands! I can't get enough of it.
Following the great quality of any of their products, this body cream is now part of my holy grail of body creams, and I'm aware that's quite a statement. It is said to be a mix of orchid, ylang ylang, jasmine and violet oil to nourish, plus cedar wood oil to leave skin seductively soft. And hell yeah it was seductive, just ask my boyfriend 😉 You can totally feel the strong floral presence in the perfume, but it's like wrapped by an overall fresh smell perfect for after a nice shower.
Have you tried any of their creams? Check out What's In It For Me for a complete range of their products!
« MY INSTA-MONTH: GOODBYE OCTOBER!


text:
BUZZING CELEBS
THE NETFLIX ALERTS
The Inner Sane
Home TIS EXCLUSIVES Micheal Cohen From Loyal Attorney To Key Trump Critic
TIS EXCLUSIVES
By Hunar
Wednesday, 27 February 2019, 13:59 EST
Modified date: Wednesday, 2 September 2020, 02:31 EDT
Micheal Cohen From Loyal Attorney To Key Trump Critic
Today, Michael Cohen, who is the president trump's former lawyer, is testifying on Capitol Hill. It is declared that Cohen has been condemned to three years in prison. Which will begin in May.
Last year he was pleaded guilty to lying to Congress and arranging hush-money costs to women who suspected affairs with Donald Trump. Moreover, This makes campaign finance violations and other charges related to his work with Trump.
What made the public more stunned and shaken was that Cohen was one of the most reliable and loyal men who came alongside Donald Trump. Many people followed and anticipated his trustworthiness for Trump.
Further, What was more surprising that two guests who've been following Michael Cohen's trajectory were Amy Sabrin who is the former defense attorney Skadden Arps, where she signified many public officials and executive in the department of justice investigations and Rebecca Davis O'Brien who is a reporter for the wall street journal.
Rep. Katie Porter Slams Equifax CEO Begor
Hunarhttp://theinnersane.com
Hunar Bhagwani is the CEO at Theinnersane. Aiming to offer the very latest insight and opportunities. A business is only as good as its leadership, and whilst it takes many hands to make a company work, CEOs hold the majority of the responsibility and power in any organization. This is a tough challenge for any CEO, regardless of expertise or experience!!
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Q: Could the real numbers have been invented without the natural numbers The real numbers are constructed from the rational numbers which are constructed from the integers which, in turn, are constructed from the natural numbers. But if we had no notion of the natural numbers to begin with, could we "come up with" the real numbers?
I think maybe yes, in the way of just as sequences of the digits $0$ and $1$ (the binary system might be the easiest). These are just symbols, no connection to the natural numbers. But could we think the real numbers as a continuous number line in this way?

A: I think you could make the argument that not only is this possible, but it has been done, and 2300 years ago at that!  I am referring to Euclidean geometry.  We think of real numbers as measuring the lengths of line segments; or, to use more Euclidean language, telling us when to line segments are congruent. In the Elements, Euclid frequently refers indirectly to real numbers.  For example, Proposition 3 of Book I is:

To cut off from the greater of two given unequal straight lines a
  straight line equal to the less.

You can think of this as explaining how to define subtraction.  Given two line segments, Euclid shows us how find a line segment whose length is equal to the difference of the two given line segments' lengths.
You can also define multiplication and division of real numbers if you're allowed to designate a particular line segment as having unit length.  You can do this with similar triangles; see this question for a nice picture.
Sure, you can define integers within Euclidean geometry as multiples of a particular length, but this is often not relevant.  The Elements treats the concepts of similar triangles, area, etc., long before getting around to talking about integers.
You might object that Euclid was very nonrigorous by modern standards, but it's possible to formalize Euclidean geometry in a rigorous way that does not use the real numbers or natural numbers; see Hilbert's Axioms.
I think it's possible to imagine a society existing with a notion of length but without anyone thinking in terms of integers.  For example, instead of counting out currency in distinct units like coins, your currency might be lengths of string of some type.  You might argue that many animals have an intuitive sense of length without understanding integers, so in that sense I would say that real numbers are the more primitive notion.
If you want to actually construct the real numbers, say from the axioms of set theory, that is another matter.  Maybe it could be done somehow without first creating the integers, but I'm not sure what that would accomplish.  Euclid and Hilbert take the more congenial root of giving axioms for geometry without showing there's a model, meaning a mathematical object that satisfies the axioms.


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What are the advantages of VRV systems over other systems in large commercial buildings?
1, Space saving for outdoor condensing units.
2, Higher efficiency especially during heat recovery operation.
3, Large number of indoor units connected to one outdoor unit.
4, Different types of indoor units.
5, Complete temperature control for each area.
VRV systems can be used for cooling only, heat pumping and heat recovery. It is a proven technology which can play a large part in helping integrated building services design to achieve high energy efficiency.


In this work, a dual-band printed planar antenna, operating at two ultra-high frequency bands (2.5 GHz/4.5 GHz), is proposed for wireless power transfer for wearable applications. The receiving antenna is printed on a Kapton polyimide-based flexible substrate, and the transmitting antenna is on FR-4 substrate. The receiver antenna occupies 2.1 cm2 area. Antennas were simulated using ANSYS HFSS software and the simulation results are compared with the measurement results.
Haerinia, Mohammad and Noghanian, Sima, "A Printed Wearable Dual-Band Antenna for Wireless Power Transfer" (2019). Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications. 9.


With so many tasks to get done, how do you decide which ones to do and which ones to do first? This is a common dilemma of a busy person and one who works long hours. If you are overwhelmed with tasks and need a method and routine to prioritize them, then read on. If you have a habit of not completing your To Do list you can benefit from these 4 easy steps to finishing every single task on your To Do list every single time. These steps are related to a proven method for identifying tasks and prioritizing them.
Setting priorities is all about ranking the right things in order of importance and urgency. Often time, a To Do list is full of tasks that shouldn't even be on there. It doesn't matter how well you perform a task, if it isn't the right task for you to do, than you are wasting your time. Just because something needs to be done, doesn't mean you have to be the one to do it. Furthermore, spending time on the wrong tasks is frankly unprofitable.
Being effective means to complete tasks that align with goals and responsibilities. Being productive is to complete those tasks on time, with quality, and with minimal effort. Setting priorities, determining what to do and when to do it, is a skill that will help you become effective and productive. If you adopt a method for prioritizing your tasks, you will be able to rid yourself of unnecessary tasks and have time for leisure and fun things.
One popular method for prioritizing tasks is known as the Eisenhower matrix. Dwight Eisenhower used this method to set priorities for his schedule. As a productive president who implemented large programs such as NASA and the Internet, I think that qualifies him as an expert on setting priorities.
Step 1 – Identify the What. List all tasks on Post it Notes and answer the following questions about each tasks: What's the deadline? How important is it? Why does it need to be done? Who is really responsible for doing this task? Who else could do this task?
I would suggest separating your personal tasks from your work tasks. You can do a separate grid totally or group them in sections on the same grid.
Step 4 – Schedule tasks for the week. Place the tasks classified as important on your daily & weekly schedule. Bam! You're done. Now you can focus on accomplishing things that are necessary. Anything else is secondary to these tasks and should not interfere with the ones listed. Don't try to fill up your day or week with loads of tasks because something important and urgent may pop up later in the week and you can use that time to treat yourself.
I love this article. I am always looking for ways to be more productive both in my personal life and my work. Thanks for this great strategy. It seems like it will be very effective. I will be trying it out starting today. Thank you very much.
Great! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Just remember to schedule the important things and everything else is secondary. Have a happy and productive life!
Thanks for your article. I am not a very organized person at all at home, but I am at work. I can definitely use your information here to get my act together at home.
Wonderful! I hope you give it a try and it helps. Interesting though… my coaching mind is really curious about why that is the case, i.e. that you are organized at work but not at home. Are you working too much? 🙂 Actually that is not unusual. I think it is service-oriented nature of humans to find it easier to do thing for others than to do for self. Thanks for commenting. Much success in your new organized home environment.
Thanks for commenting Paula. I hope you give this a try to see if it will help you to at least get those important things accomplished. You are absolutely right that when tasks go undone, it creates unwanted stress.
Great post. I have been working with this concept for many years and I really love it. Quad 2 is the one to work on in order to move you closer to your goals. WE often forget these thinsg because they lack urgency (e.g. networking etc.).
I agree with you Juan. What really helps with Quad 2 is to have specific actionable tasks and not just a topic. Also, by having the time frame to complete within the week, it makes it a bit easier. Thanks for validating this method.
Mind blowing! I am a very organized person, or at least I tend to think so, and this has been very useful. I use my iPhone for the most part when getting my week scheduled and or appointments but sometimes I fall short beaus there's just not enough time in the day. This will allow me to organize my self and more importantly my priorities. Separating my personal task from my work task is such a great tool. Thanks for the insights!
Angelic, you will find that classifying your tasks will indeed help to hone in on the important things. I'm glad this post was helpful. Thanks for commenting.
I can see that using the 4 quadrants would be helpful for me, it never occurred to me that there was a category: not important, not urgent. I have a tendency to get easily distracted, and I think this would help. I was loosely doing this in my head, but using the post it notes will make it more concrete.
Judy, I think you will like the post it notes. Getting things down on paper helps to declutter the mind, which in terms relieve stress. It will take getting use to classifying tasks as important or urgent; you will quickly learn that many things you do are not important at all. Thanks for commenting.
Thank you so much for sharing such an informational post! I have three jobs, so time is not really a luxury that I can afford to waste. I am always looking for clever ways to keep myself more organized, so I can make sure that everything stays balanced. This seems like a terrific idea to keeping me on track and I will most certainly give it a try.
Betsy, I really hope this method works out for you. With three jobs, it is even more critical to identify those important things to do first. Thanks for commenting.
I am working on getting more organized and driven to achieve goals. This quad reminds me of another quad I have recently heard about. It had importance on one axis and time and effort required on the other. I think your quad may help me in my the daily plan, while the other might help organize a week long plan of action. Do you have any ideas on combining the two?
I am a burgeoning onetrapeneur. Do you have any ideas of what to do with quad 3 if there is no one to delegate to?
Great questions Kirk. This matrix is the same one you are referring to; it considers importance and urgency is the same as time. With regards with Quad 3, typically, people misinterpret Quad 3 and find it hard to delegate or overlook tasks that fall there. These are tasks that are usually interruptions, that you are doing for someone else anyway. They may be important to others and helpful for others, but not important for your goals. For example, someone stops by and asks you to take him or her to the store. So really, these are tasks that don't get scheduled and if you choose to do them, just know you should not usurp your important tasks for the sake of accomplishing them. I hope this explanation is helpful and gives you a different perspective on evaluating those tasks. If you don't delegate, you can choose not to do them, or consider if you have classified as not important and it should be classified as important? Let me know if I have clarified and feel free to respond. Thanks for commenting.