text:
Soda taxes work in cutting consumption
Healthsin tax
New research backs the argument that "sin taxes" lead to a reduction in consumption, justifying the use of the duties in combating obesity and other health issues, its authors say.
The 2017 decision by city officials in Philadelphia to impose a beverage tax on sugary and artificially-sweetened drinks caused sales to drop by 38 percent, according to a study published Tuesday.
Philadelphia is one of seven US cities to have enacted the measure in recent years, along with France, Mexico and other jurisdictions.
Starting January 1, 2017, the East Coast city of 1.6 million people began adding a tax of 1.5 cents per ounce on all sweetened drinks, including "diet" sodas.
Researchers used Baltimore, where the tax was not imposed, as a control because of its similar socio-demographic and health profile.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), found that Philadelphia shops passed on the additional costs to consumers, either in whole or in part, leading to a 51 percent reduction of sales within the city.
Areas bordering the city that were not affected by the tax saw a bump in sales, but after accounting for this effect, the net fall in sales was estimated at 38 percent on year.
'No-brainer'
For co-author Christina Roberto, the numbers confirm a foundational economic theory: if the price of a product goes up, fewer people will buy it.
"Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages is one of the most effective policy strategies we have to reduce purchases," said the assistant professor of health policy at the University of Pennsylvania, adding it was a "public health no-brainer."
The overall goal is to achieve better health outcomes: reduction of obesity, cavities and diabetes — markers the researchers did not measure in this study.
But they believe that reducing the intake of added sugars is a step in the right direction.
In the United States, children consume 17 percent of their calories from added sugars instead of the recommended 10 percent, with half of those sugars coming from drinks.
Children from lower-income families, and black children and teenagers, were more likely to consume fruity or sugary drinks than those from higher-income or white families.
"Current evidence is already sufficient to move forward with adoption of taxes while continuing to monitor outcomes," wrote a group of public health experts in an editorial published by JAMA.
Reacting to the paper, the American Beverage Association criticized the tax, saying it "hurt working families, small local business and their employees."
The post Soda taxes work in cutting consumption appeared first on ARYNEWS.
Aleem urges NAB to arrest people after completion of probe
Alvi stresses need for curbing import of non-essential, luxury items

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


RF or radiofrequency treatment is the latest treatment for improving skin tone. This non-ablative treatment means that little or no downtime is required for the patient. Using ultra-safe Radiofrequency, RF can reduce wrinkles, and can tighten the skin on the cheeks, jowl lines, and neck area.
This treatment can also treat certain forms of acne scarring. RF works by stimulation of collagen and improving lymphatic flow of your skin.
What conditions can be treated with RF / Radiofrequency?
RF treatments are ideal for clients who have wrinkle of saggy skin with loss of skin tone. The best areas that respond to RF include the cheeks, around the eyes and the neck areas. This treatment can also be used as a preventive treatment for skin wrinkling and commenced during the early stages of skin aging.
RF is does not improve brown spots or melasma. The treatment of brown spots, freckles, and melasma can be achieved by fractional laser or another laser we frequently use called a Q Switch Laser. Red spots or rosacea can be treated with Vascular Laser.
Can acne scars be treated with RF subablative RadioFrequency?
Yes, acne scars can be treated with RF. We believe that early scar remodelling with RF can help prevent acne scarring. Early acne scars can be effectively treated with subablative RF, however other types of acne scars should be treated with procedures such as TCA cross, or fractional lasers.
We often combine RF treatments WITH acne treatments in patients with active acne.
Conditions such as wrinkling, poor skin tone and loss of elasticity occur below the skin's surface. Methods such as laser resurfacing, including fractional laser and chemical peels, must penetrate the upper surfaces of the skin in order to reach the deeper dermal layers. It is the dermal layer that we are targeting to improve wrinkles, skin tone and scars.
The challenge has been to preserve the upper outer layers of the skin, but to target the deeper dermal layers. Subablative RF uses fractional bi-polar radio frequency to achieve this. This allows maximal heating of the collagen whilst keeping the top layer of the skin intact.
What are the benefits of Subablative RF treatment?
COLLAGEN REMODELLING and increased lymphatic flow is the aim of RF treatments. This remodelling of collagen will result in a change of skin tone.
Collagen acts as the scaffolding of skin, and over time (and age) the scaffolding collapses. Conditions such as acne scarring also disrupt the ordered dermal scaffolding of collagen in the skin. It is the remodelling of collagen that changes skin tone, improving wrinkles, and scars.
Each patient's protocol for RF will vary based on individual factors such as the extent of wrinkling, loss of skin tone, area treated and skin type (skin colour). As a guide we recommend 4 treatments spaced between 3-4 weeks apart. Darker skin patients will require an additional RF treatment or two, due to the safety aspects of treating pigmented skin.
When can I expect to see results of RF treatment?
Collagen remodelling is reformation of the skin's scaffolding and does take time. Over 4-6 weeks you will notice a change your skin's tone, as collagen tightens, scars remodel and skin drainage improves. This change will continue for several months after RF Subablation. The best results are seen 4 months after starting treatment.
RF treatment is one of the least painful treatments, and is an ideal start to skin rejuvenation! The treatment feels like a warm, prickly feeling, at higher levels it feels like nestle stings. After treatment the skin feels warm, like sunburn. For clients who have a lower pain tolerance (don't feel embarrassed to tell us!) we use a numbing gel prior to each treatment.
We individualise pain management for each client!
Are there any side effects with RF treatment?
This is one of the safest cosmetic procedures with the least amount of side effects and down time!
Can RF treat all skin types, including dark skin?
Yes, this treatment is safe on all skin types, including Asian and darker skin patients. For darker skin types, there is a risk of post inflammatory colour changes, and hence we set the RF to a lower level of emission. As a result you may require one or two more treatments to achieve the same result.
The use of sunscreen and sun avoidance is still vitally important in the management of dark skin clients.
Does RF treat brown spots and redness?
At Westside Laser Clinic we often combine treatments to achieve best result. For example, some patients will have loss of skin tone, wrinkles, together with sundamage, namely brown spots. A combination of RF and Fractional treatments will provide the best outcome.
The best treatment approach is an individualised one!
What is the cost of RF treatment?
A course of treatments is recommended for RF treatments. Collagen stimulation and remodelling is best done over 4 treatments, spaced between 3-4 weeks apart.
The price variation is due to the areas treated, we can also treat areas such as the neck and upper chest.
This package combines RF to treat wrinkles, improve skin tone, and combines this with Fractional laser resurfacing to improve skin texture. This is the ULTIMATE method to maximal skin rejuvenation. With this program we combine both fractional and RF treatments in the ONE sitting! Currently this treatment is under special pricing.
Radiofrequency is the new buzz for non- invasive skin rejuvenation. This treatment focuses on the dermis the deeper layer of skin that provides the scaffolding for skin tone. RF treatment essentially heats up dermal collagen and wakes up the cells which lays down the scaffolding of skin. This in turn tightens skin, reducing both wrinkles and scarring. Unlike laser treatment, RF Subablative has little or no down time.
I usually like to combine treatments including RF and Fractional laser in the one session. The logic is that fractional laser can reduce brown spots and pigment, whilst RF stimulates dermal collagen, which results in skin tightening. As with all treatments which I prescribe, an individualised approach gives the best results.


Each student can choose a after chapter minicase study in the textbook. The students will write an individual report about this minicase study. There will be 40% score allocated to this individual report.
In first part of this report, the student should write a review of the minicase study including: the background introduction, potential problems, the recommended course of actions and the key conclusions. The student needs to address all the questions in the after chapter minicase appropriately.
In the second part of this report, the student should conduct research that justifies their choice of actions in the experiment. The student is expected to write a literature review of similar research performed by the scholars and practitioners. The student can use the resources such as: google scholar and MyAthens' journal database as their citation resources.
The report may contain tables and diagrams. It must be written professionally as one would for an academic publication or as a commissioned work of a financial consultant. The assessment will be issued in Week 1 and individual report will be due on the Sunday (11:59 pm) in Week 8.


text:
Па́нські джере́ла — гідрологічна пам'ятка природи місцевого значення.

Розташована поблизу села Вільховець Тернопільського району Тернопільської області, у кварталі 42, виділі 14 Бережанського лісництва Бережанського державного лісомисливського господарства в межах лісового урочища «Посухів».

Оголошена об'єктом природно-заповідного фонду рішенням виконкому Тернопільської обласної ради № 189 від 30 серпня 1990 року. Перебуває у віданні ДП «Бережанське лісомисливське господарство».

Площа — 1 га.

Під охороною — п'ять джерел, що витікають із букового лісу, живлять ставок, мають науково-пізнавальне, водорегулятивне й естетичне значення.

Джерела
 Бай І. Панські джерела //

Посилання
 Реєстр природно-заповідного фонду Бережанського району // Управління екології та природних ресурсів Тернопільської ОДА.

Джерела Тернопільської області
Природоохоронні об'єкти, засновані 1990

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Everything is available in Pakistan, even a nuclear bomb, if looked for properly, IM operative Riyaz Bhatkal told his cousin, arrested Indian Mujahideen member Yasin Bhatkal, during a chat, the NIA said Monday.
"A-6 (the code used by the NIA to refer to Yasin in the charge sheet) then asked Riyaz whether he had found a nuclear bomb in Pakistan, to which Riyaz denied, but also said if looked for properly, then everything was available in Pakistan. A-6 told him that Surat should be attacked with nuclear bombs. A-6 then requested Riyaz to look for nuclear bombs to attack Surat."
"Riyaz told A-6 that Muslims will also die in such attack, to which A-6 said that they will place posters in mosques for every Muslim resident to quietly evacuate the town. This clearly establishes the devious intention of the accused A-6, to wage war against India," said the charge sheet.
Earlier in the chat, the two Bhatkal cousins spoke about the "failure" of the July 2008 attempted bombing in Surat that saw several bombs recovered by police and many were defused.
"During chat of A-6 with Riyaz on June 1, 2013, A-6 talked about having placed bombs on PS's (police stations) in Surat. Riyaz told him not to make him remember the Surat failure, which he always remembered. A-6 said that he had himself placed two bombs in the station," the NIA charge sheet said.


text:
Il Khoratpithecus è un genere estinto di primati appartenenti alla sottofamiglia delle Ponginae che si ritiene sia in relazione con gli orangutan e che è rappresentato da tre specie fossili.
I reperti fossili sono stati ritrovati nel sud-est asiatico (Thailandia e Birmania) e sono datati al Miocene medio e al Miocene superiore, compresi tra 9 e 7 milioni di anni fa.

Specie
Al genere Khoratpithecus appartengono le seguenti tre specie:

Khoratpithecus chiangmuanensis (Chaimanee, Jolly, Benammi, Tafforeau, Duzer, Moussa & Jaeger, 2003) (precedentemente Lufengpithecus ' chiangmuanensis ')
Khoratpithecus piriyai Chaimanee, Suteethorn, Jintasakul, Vidthayanon, Marandat & Jaeger, 2004
Khoratpithecus ayeyarwadyensis Jaeger, Soe, Chavasseau, Coster, Emonet, Guy, Lebrun, Maung, Shwe, Tun, Oo, Rugbumrung, Bocherens, Benammi, Chaivanich, Tafforeau & Chaimanee, 2011

Note

Voci correlate
 Lufengpithecus
 Lista dei fossili dell'evoluzione dell'Homo sapiens

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Primati fossili


text:
Blacks' Magic
13 songs (51 minutes) Released on March 19, 1990
Doper Than Dope
Negro Wit' An Ego
You Showed Me
Do You Want Me
I Like To Party
Blacks Magic
℗ 1990 The Island Def Jam Music Group © 1990 The Island Def Jam Music Group, The Island Def Jam Music Group


Map of Life, Metal Wall Art, World Map and Compass Themed Wall Decor. Large Product Dimensions : 97x70cm 38.2x27.5 inches. Extra Large Product Dimensions : 133x97cm 52.3x38.2 inches. Product Material: 2 mm steel.
Product stands 1.5 cm away from the wall. Easy to hang from hidden hanger.
You just need a nail on the wall for each pieces. This type of mounting makes the artwork look like it's floating which creates an interesting drop shadow.
This means that most of my products are shatterproof and UV-resistant! Clean with mild soap and water.
It gives consumers, businesses, and industries one of the most economical, longest lasting, and most color-durable quality finishes available on virtually any type of metal. Powder coated surfaces are more resistant to chipping, scratching, fading, and wearing than other finishes. The item "Metal World Map 3D Wall Art Decor Home Office Living Room Bedroom Decoration" is in sale since Tuesday, October 31, 2017. This item is in the category "Home & Garden\Home Décor\Wall Sculptures". The seller is "decodays" and is located in Istanbul, .


Hot offers! On these apartments it is given "the memory discount" and "the day off price"
New 1 room apartment with repair of a class lux. An ideal site near to metro station Gagarinsky, 1 minute on foot. The Central site of apartment will be convenient for people, whose visit to Novosibirsk will be necessary near to the SIBERIAN FAIR, the Red prospectus and other places in the central part of a city of Novosibirsk. Near to apartment on by full traffic intersection there is a network of food shops, restaurants of different kitchen. The entertaining centres, a dining room. As, there is a parking place for those who on personal transport.
Бронируйте! Самые лучшие квартиры категории VIP в Новосибирске! По самой низкой цене!
* Without an advance payment booking of apartments is carried out upon with a guarantee granting of apartment of the given category.
* Pledge undertakes at settling and is entered in the receipt, comes back at departure after delivery of flat keys.


Make sure your baby has a great nights sleep in our comfy full sized crib. It comes with a standard 3 inch matress and we provide you with a matress protector and 2 organic cotton sheets.
• Features plastic teething rails that are easy to sanitise.


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Continued volatility drives pension asset allocation changes
Baring's annual poll of schemes found that two-thirds (65%) of pension professionals - who manage public and private funds - had made asset allocation changes. The fund manager said this was up from 50% last year.
The survey also revealed some 65% of respondents now invest in multi-asset strategies - this figure has almost doubled since last year's survey when just 38% invested in multi-asset.
The reasons for asset allocation changes were broadly similar to last year - with an emphasis on limiting volatility. Some 61.5% said minimising volatility was the main reason for allocation amendments.
The second-most-common reason was the need to reduce the correlation of assets followed by the need to better match assets to liabilities. The least popular reason for changing the asset allocation was to achieve greater returns.
Baring head of UK and international institutional sales Andrew Benton (pictured) said: "This research clearly shows that the concerns of UK pension fund managers centre on the need to manage volatility and protect against extreme losses; achieving greater returns is secondary given the current turmoil and ongoing situation in Europe.
"That said, the changes being made to pension funds demonstrate a desire among managers to have a more dynamically managed portfolio. The increase in allocation to multi-asset and diversified growth strategies suggests pension professionals are looking for equity-like returns without the levels of risk."
The poll also revealed 62% thought emerging markets in Asia had the biggest potential for equity gains over the next ten years.
Source: Professional Pensions


Simply put, organic methods of pest control are healthier for your yard, you and your family, and the environment. When chemical pesticides are used, there is a risk of exposing children and pets and contaminating groundwater and sewer systems with chemicals. Organic pest control methods aren't just safer, they provide a boost for the whole yard by both stopping pests and ensuring healthy soil for a long-lasting, beautiful yard.
The difference in pest control methods comes down to the compounds and methods that you can safely use in and near your garden and yard. Hand-picking pests from your plants and keeping birds in your yard will work, but these methods are relatively slow and not always consistent.
Beneficial insects - Encourage predatory insects like ladybugs, praying mantises, and ground beetles as a natural way to take care of many common pests that plague gardens and yards. If these insects aren't naturally present in your yard, you can buy them and release them to wreak havoc on pests.
Predators - Birds such as ducks and chickens are very effective against pests. Bats, for example, are one of the best ways to control mosquitoes - a single bat can consume over 600 mosquitoes in just one hour! Entice bats to your yard by hanging up bat houses and planting flowers that bloom late at night.
Row covers - The thin, mesh-like fabric that row covers are made of can be used to keep pests away from rows of plants. They let sunlight pass through with ease and allow for good air circulation, while stopping harmful critters from getting to your flowers or shrubs.
Fences - If built correctly and sturdily, fences will discourage larger pests like rabbits and deer from trampling your yard and eating vegetables and shrubbery. While this option will be the most expensive, it also adds a nice decorative aesthetic to your yard and can even increase your home's value.
Homemade pesticides - Chile pepper spray, garlic spray, and tomato leaf spray are organic and healthy ways to repel and control pests with strong odors and naturally occurring chemicals.
Insecticidal soap - Made with animal fats and plant oils, insecticidal soap is an effective method that is safe to use on plants. Common brands include Safer Soap and Garden Safe. Insecticidal soap can also be made at home if you prefer a more natural solution.
Typical pests that are encountered most often in Massachusetts include cabbage worms, squash bugs, and mosquitoes. Control cabbage worms and squash bugs with row covers and, if you don't want to attract bats to your yard, fight mosquitoes with garlic or onion spray. Ladybugs will take care of aphids and praying mantises will feed on caterpillars. These organic pest control methods will keep your yard healthy and vibrant and family members happy to be outside for years to come.
If you are battling a pest problem in your yard and need assistance to find the right solution, contact the experts at Moodscapes today for help getting this issue under control. We'll help you come up with a plan for pest control, and for yards with an excessive pest population, can refer you to specialists who are certified in integrated pest management.


Springhouse sets out its top tips for making a flexible working request to your employer. Flexible working can mean many things: part-time work, job sharing, working from home, compressed hours, term-time working. Flexible working is associated with an improved work-life balance for the individual. However, it also has benefits for an employer as it has been found to lead to greater job satisfaction, improved loyalty and is recruitment positive.
Estimates suggest that women with dependants are three and a half times more likely to work part-time than men with dependants. This in turn leads to a gap in average pay between men and women (the gender pay gap), as part-time jobs tend to be lower paid roles and workers are likely to sacrifice career progression when they go part-time.
Men can also face stigma in the workplace if they request part-time work (or other flexible arrangements) as they are traditionally regarded as providers rather than carers – which is seen more as a female role. Anecdotally, men who make flexible working requests are more likely to be turned down than women. Pressure is slowly mounting on employers to increase flexible working options for all staff, but particularly those who are fathers who want to be more involved with bringing up their children.
Check your employer's staff handbook or intranet to see if it has its own flexible working policy. If so, this should set out what you have to do to make a request; follow this to the letter. For example, meeting any stated timescale, providing all the information requested and sending to the right person/department. And make sure your employer follows it's own policy too!
Don't worry if your employer doesn't have its own flexible working policy – the law lays down a framework which you should follow. A formal flexible working request can be made by any employee (regardless of whether they have children or need to care for an elderly relative) BUT only once they have been employed for 26 weeks. Requests to work flexibly must be in writing, be dated and state the date of any previous request to your employer.
what change your are requesting e.g. different hours, part-time days, home working etc.
how you think this will affect the business . This may be a positive affect such as increased efficiency or money saving. If you think the change may have a negative effect then try and come up with ideas to mitigate this. If you think the change will be neutral then say so.
Whether the request is in relation to the Equality Act 210, for example it is a reasonable adjustment for a disabled employee.
You can only make one request every 12 months so it pays to take a bit of time over your request, do your homework and get it right – otherwise you will be waiting a while before you can ask again.
Unless you agree on a time limited change (and most employers will probably be reluctant to do so) remember that what you are actually asking for when you make a flexible working request is a permanent change to your terms and conditions – so you won't be able to revert to your current terms at a later date.
It is not acceptable for the employer to say it has a policy that "everyone at a certain level" must work full-time or that it simply "wants everyone in the office". Some employers or particular managers may be prejudiced against the idea of flexible working but this is not a legitimate reason to turn down your request.
So try and anticipate what your employer may find problematic about your request and come up with some solutions to try and overcome its concerns. If your employer is nervous, be prepared to have a trial period to show it can work in practice.
An employer must decide upon any request within 3 months of receipt and this time limit includes hearing any appeal. So, keep an eye on the calendar and chase up your application, reminding your employer about the timescale, if you haven't heard anything.
In October 2017 the Prime Minister made a speech about closing the gender pay gap in which she called for companies to advertise all jobs as flexible from day one, unless there are solid business reasons not to. The statutory right to request flexible working is due to be reviewed in 2019 so it is possible we may see some changes to the legislation along these lines in the future.


text:
Adam Hirshfield
About Adam >>
The Top 10 Spaciest Names in Sports
by adam-hirshfield on Tue, Jul 21, 2009 at 1:03AM
Monday was the 40th anniversary of one of the previous century's most amazing, mind-blowing moments. On July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the Moon. When Armstrong stepped off the Eagle's stairwell, he uttered those famous words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Renowned author Tom Wolfe wrote a terrific op-ed piece over the weekend on the importance of the Moon landing and the future of the space program.
But as my boss told me recently, "This is sports, it's not rocket science."
So on the anniversary of this great day in history, we bring you the top 10 space names in the universe of sports.
10. Marcel Shipp
This former All-American running back at UMass played six seasons the Arizona Cardinals, rushing for over 800 yards in both 2002 and 2003. Though built like a truck (or perhaps a "spaceshipp") at 5-foot-11, 224 pounds, he was cut prior to the start of the 2008 season.
9. Mars Blackmon
"It's gotta be the shoes!" He may have been a Knicks fan, but Spike Lee's character helped sell "Air" Jordans all around the world — and even all the way out to Mars — during the late '80s and early '90s.
8. Tshimanga Biakabutuka
This former star running back at Michigan — whose name sounds like something a Martian might say when he has to use the bathroom — ran for 313 yards in 1995 against a previously unbeaten Ohio State team. Thankfully nicknamed Tim, he played six injury plagued years in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers. (Other names also acceptable in the alien dialect category: Boubacar Cissoko, Makhtar Ndiaye and Mookie Blaylock.)
7. Apollo Creed
Rocky Balboa's opponent in the first two "Rocky" films, Apollo, played by the ridiculously talented and versatile Carl Weathers, was nicknamed The Master of Disaster, The King of Sting and — my favorite — The Count of Monte Fisto. The character's name, which comes from the Greek god of music, poetry and oracles (if you're wondering), was also used as the name of the space program's missions from 1961-75.
6. Bill "Spaceman" Lee
Lee played for the Red Sox from 1969-78, set the team record for all-time appearances by a left-hander and earned his nickname for his eccentric and often otherworldly personality. "I realized that it's the ultimate compliment," he said. "Everybody thinks they're earthlings, but in actuality we're only here for a brief moment, and the cinder that we're on is moving as Spaceship Earth, so we're all space travelers." He was outspoken in the press, practiced yoga, touted the benefits of marijuana and was never afraid to talk to the press about problems with his team's management. Lee still lives in New England, currently owns a lumber company and produces baseball bats for several players, including David Ortiz.
5. Mercury Morris
A longtime member of the Miami Dolphins, Morris got his nickname as a child for his "mercurial quickness when running with the ball." A two-time Super Bowl champ and three-time Pro Bowler, he was also a member of the undefeated Dolphins team of 1972. He got a significant amount of press for a series of rants toward the end of the 2007 NFL season during which he kept noting the differences between his unbeaten team and that season's New England Patriots, who made it to 18-0 before falling to the Giants in the Super Bowl.
4. Warren Moon
The Hall of Fame quarterback with a rocket for an arm played most of his NFL career for the Houston Oilers, but also starred for the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League. A nine-time Pro Bowl performer, Moon held the pro football records for most pass completions, most attempts, most passing yards and most touchdowns when he retired in 2000. (Also acceptable in the "Moon" category: Jamario Moon, Archie "Moonlight" Graham and Soleil Moon Frye.)
3. Venus Williams
Not only is the elder Williams sister named after the second-closest planet to the Sun, but her full name is Venus Ebony Starr Williams. Seriously. Since joining the pro tennis tour in 1994, she's won 57 tournament titles, including 18 Grand Slams (seven at singles), has won three Olympic gold medals and became the top ranked player in the world in 2002, the first African-American player to reach No. 1 since the computer rankings began. She also tied the mark for the fastest recorded serve by a female, reaching 130 mph in 2008.
2. "Rocket Man" Roger Clemens
The performance-enhancing drug allegations have hit the Rocket's legacy hard, but he's still one of baseball's all-time best right-handers. An 11-time All-Star and seven-time Cy Young Award winner, he spent 13 memorable seasons with the Red Sox before leaving and winning World Series titles with the Yankees in 1999 and 2000. His 354 career wins place him ninth all time and his 4,672 strikeouts are third behind only Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson. (Also acceptable: Raghib "Rocket" Ismail.)
1. Lance Armstrong
The seven-time Tour de France champion is riding the race again this summer at the age of 37. But he's much more than just a sports star, having survived testicular cancer in the mid-'90s before becoming one of cycling's all-time greats. Lance is not related to Neil, but it kind of makes you wonder why Neil, for all his worldwide acclaim following the 1969 moonwalk, never came out with his own astronaut version of the Livestrong bracelet.


/libs/settings/dam/v3D/assetTypes/*/Conversion Specifies the file type for the intermediate 3D format created during ingestion. Must be empty for 'fbx' and 'obj' file formats or 'fbx' for formats enabled by Maya.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/assetTypes/*/Enabled Set to true or false to enable or disable this entry in the assetTypes list.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/assetTypes/*/Extension Specify one or more comma-separated file suffixes or file extensions which are to be associated with this asset type.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/assetTypes/*/IngestRegime Must be 'native' for FBX and OBJ file formats and 'maya' for formats enabled by Maya.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/assetTypes/*/MimeType Specifies the mime type for this asset type. For formats enabled by Maya it is recommended to use 'application/x-ext', where ext is the string specified as the Extension value.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/settings/invokeLightMapsOnIngest Enables the automatic creation of light maps on ingestion. Set to false to disable automatic light map creation; this can significantly reduce CPU consumption at the cost of reduced quality for preview and rendering with Rapid Refine. Does not affect rendering with Maya.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/Paths/magickPath The path and name to the ImageMagick convert utility. An absolute path is required if animated thumbnails creation is enabled.
Values for the following settings are provided by your Adobe account manager, provisioning expert, or support representative.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/services/aws/accountId The account id of the Adobe AWS account.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/services/aws/bucketName The name of the S3 transfer bucket; normally aem3d.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/services/aws/customerId The unique id assigned by Adobe to your organization. Used as AWS Cognito user ID.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/services/aws/encryptedPassword The password associated with this customerId. Used as AWS Cognito password.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/services/aws/region The AWS region where the cloud services are deployed.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/services/aws/userPoolId The applicable AWS Cognito user pool ID.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/services/dncr/clientId The AWS Cognito client id for the dncr conversion service.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/Paths/mayaWorkPath The name and location of the working folder for Maya conversion and rendering. The folder is created automatically if it does not exist.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/Paths/maxWorkPath Name and location of the working folder for 3ds Max conversion. The folder is created automatically if it does not exist.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/settings/debugNative Set to true to enable creation of debug information during format conversion and rendering with the RapidRefine renderer.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/settings/dynamicIBL When set to true and pre-generated light maps are not available (that is invokeLightMapsOnIngest=false), the Rapid Refine renderer creates light maps during rendering to improve render quality. This setting can substantially increase render time. Setting to false minimizes CPU usage in such situations but may result in a lower render quality.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/renderers/*/Enabled Set to true or false to enable or disable a renderer, respectively.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/renderers/*/Display Lets you change the string that is displayed for an enabled renderer in the Renderer selector in the Render panel.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/renderers/*/MaxCpuPercentage Specifies how many CPUs are used at most for rendering 3D scenes. Higher values speed up rendering but may cause AEM to become less-responsive overall. This setting is approximate. That is, accuracy increases with the number of available CPU cores.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/WebGLSites/autoSpin Set to true or false to enable or disable auto-spin (automatic camera orbit) on page load.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/WebGLSites/autoSpinAfterReset Set to true to restart auto-spin after Reset is pressed. Ignored when auto-spin is disabled.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/WebGLSites/autoSpinSpeed Specifies the speed (revolutions per minute) and direction of auto-spin, with negative values for right-to-left and positive values for left-to-right rotation.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/WebGL/continueRotate Set to false to disable continuation with gradual fadeout of viewer responses to touch and mouse gestures.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/WebGL/curtainColor Specifies the color of the load curtain that can optionally cover the viewport of the 3D asset preview during load and initialization. R,G,B value, with each color component in the range 0 to 255.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/WebGL/fadeCurtains When set to true, the load curtain will gradually fade out during the latter parts of viewer initialization. When set to false, the curtain remains opaque until loading and initialization has completed.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/WebGL/showCurtains Set to true or false to enable or disable the load curtain for 3D asset preview.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/WebGL/spinHeight When auto-spin is enabled and active, the vertical position of the camera is automatically adjusted relative to the height of the 3D object. When set to 0.5, the camera will positioned vertically at 1/2 the height of the object, which results in the horizon to be centered vertically in the viewport. Larger values result in the camera looking down onto the object and raising the height of the rendered horizon, smaller values result in the camera looking up at the object and lowering the horizon.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/WebGLSites/autoSpinAfterReset Set to true to reactivate auto-spin (automatic camera orbit) after home is pressed. Ignored when auto-spin is disabled.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/WebGLSites/continueRotate Set to false to disable continuation with gradual fadeout of viewer responses to touch and mouse gestures.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/WebGLSites/curtainColor Specifies the color of the load curtain that can optionally cover the viewport of the 3D Sites component during load. R,G,B value, with each color component in the range 0 to 255.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/WebGLSites/fadeCurtains When set to true, the load curtain will gradually fade out during the latter parts of loading and initialization. When set to false, the curtain remains opaque until loading and initialization has completed.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/WebGLSites/showCurtains Set to true or false to enable or disable the load curtain for the 3D Sites component.
/libs/settings/dam/v3D/WebGLSites/spinHeight When auto-spin is enabled and active, the vertical position of the camera is automatically adjusted relative to the height of the 3D object. When set to 0.5, the camera will positioned vertically at 1/2 the height of the object, which results in the horizon to be centered vertically in the viewport. Larger values result in the camera looking down onto the object and raising the height of the rendered horizon, smaller values result in the camera looking up at the object and lowering the horizon.


text:
Home Capital Raising
Chinaccelerator invests in Konstellation Venture Studio's VegaX
Konstellation is proud to announce the first investment into the first project to be nurtured by its recently launched Konstellation Venture Studio. The only institutional investor in blockchain unicorn BitMEX, SOSV, will invest alongside Konstellation Korea Ltd. in the seed round for next-level bitcoin products maker VegaX, the world's first comprehensive cryptocurrency platform to provide enhanced data feeds and tokenized asset management products using volatility as an asset.
SOSV will place VegaX in Batch 17 of Chinaccelerator, the first startup accelerator ever to launch in China. The program begins in February 2020. An accelerator typically brings together companies with a structured team into cohorts for a fixed amount of time in a shared space. Accelerators invest in startups with the primary goal of rapidly scaling their growth by leveraging a network of mentors and program alumni. The positive impact of the accelerator model is that it helps with hiring, legal, partnerships, user acquisition, strategy refinement, marketing, and branding. Their ownership stake incentivizes the accelerator to help their cohort companies grow quickly.
Launched in 2010, Chinaccelerator is one of seven seed accelerator programs that are part of SOSV, which calls itself "The Accelerator VC." SOSV accelerators are some of the most selective in the world. Their acceptance rate is less than 5%. Sean O'Sullivan founded the venture after his maptech company, MapInfo Corporation, went public in 1994. SOSV has been incubating premium entrepreneurial ventures ever since.
SOSV's success is due to its ability to spin up and support numerous groundbreaking accelerators at the same time. It supports and administers the hardware-focused HAX, IndieBio for life sciences startups, Food-X for food innovation, MOX for mobile startups and more. These accelerators are located all across the world. SOSV is a cross-stage venture capital fund that currently operates with over $400M assets under management (AUM), based out of San Francisco. They are the 4th most active early-stage investor in the world according to Techcrunch.
That AUM number was before SOSV's recent announcement that it has closed its fourth fund, SOSV IV, oversubscribed at a record $277 million.
Based in Shanghai, Chinaccelerator's team is composed of experts in innovation, equity research, venture capital, and entrepreneurship such as Managing Director William Bao Bean and Program Director Oscar Ramos among other notable advisors. Chinaccelerator (CA) has two purposes: 1) to help foreign companies understand the Chinese market and 2) to help Chinese companies grow globally.
The Shanghai CA program welcomes two batches of 10 to 15 startups per year, both international and Chinese, to develop their activity for 6 months. Startups that are awarded this opportunity move to Shanghai where they optimize their product for market fit, develop local growth strategies, and close the program with a focus on packaging progress to investors. Each cycle then culminates in a Demo Day, where startups present their companies to a carefully curated audience. The best companies typically receive follow-on investment rounds thanks to the highly connected nature of SOSV, their stellar reputation for identifying successful early-stage projects, and its relationships with other top investment firms. Lastly, SOSV boasts the expertise of more than 300 mentors, such as seasoned American entrepreneur in China Richard Robinson and Alan Lan, Greater China Regional Director at Twitter. Moreover, SOSV has developed partnerships with several venture funds and international corporations such as Google Shanghai and Amazon Web Services.
CA's investment thesis does not emphasize specific industries since their investments are directed toward Deep Tech (Blockchain & Ai), software-as-a-service (SaaS), entertainment, edtech, and other cutting-edge sectors. Since 2009, they have invested in 122 startups. Prominent alumni include SnapAsk, BitHolla, Property Passbook, Portfolio.io, and CAPSL. You can browse their entire portfolio here.
Of all those investments, leading bitcoin exchange operator BitMEX is by far the most impressive. When Arthur Hayes and his team joined CA's Batch 8 in 2015, the exchange had already been in operation for 9 months. But they were heavily focused on enterprise. CA helped them pivot to a more retail-oriented platform and, ever since, they have "kicked butt" according to Chinaccelerator's Facebook page. The impressive metrics BitMEX is realizing makes it perhaps the best SOSV investment in all their decades of experience. With an all-time high daily volume of $16 billion and a current valuation between $1 billion and $3.6 billion, BitMEX keeps getting bigger.
The Konstellation Venture Studio was created precisely for opportunities like VegaX – to co-create and co-invest with some of the greatest minds in the industry. By placing this kind of firepower within the Konstellation ecosystem, Konstellation Korea is building the Konstellation Network to be the backbone upon which emerging fintech institutions can interact with each other in a tokenized infrastructure environment to exchange value in a secure and transparent way. In the future, the best ideas that intersect the financial services industry and blockchain technology can be built on Konstellation.
VegaX will now take its place alongside BitMEX in the SOSV investment portfolio, with the hopes that it can also reach blockchain unicorn status in short order. With its unique business model aiming to become a combination of indexed investment products powerhouse Vanguard and largest options exchange and volatility index provider CBOE, VegaX has a bright future.
To sign up to be the first to know more about VegaX, please visit VegaXholdings.com.
About Konstellation
Konstellation is building a robust blockchain ecosystem to support the global financial services industry. Its native utility token, DARC, will power the Konstellation Network, a hybrid public/private blockchain which will allow for (i) blockchain-agnostic creation of digital assets, (ii) the seamless and global blockchain-enabled trusted interaction between critical counterparties and (iii) transparent, secure and, most importantly, compliant interactions with participating financial institutions. Konstellation is the source for financial institutions that want to prepare for the inevitable future in which all types of assets will exist and be recorded on the blockchain. Learn more about us on our website. To keep up with Konstellation please follow us on: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Telegram (Official), Telegram (Announcements), Reddit, Medium, Discord, and Kakao.
Eventus, a provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions, announced today that cryptocurrency derivatives exchange Deribit has chosen the firm's Validus platform to provide market abuse monitoring on the exchange. Headquartered...
Gemini, the popular bitcoin & crypto exchange company, today announced the launch of electronic over-the-counter trading (eOTC), an automated crypto trading solution designed for institutions. The Gemini eOTC solution offers a variety of advantages...
GenTwo Digital, the crypto-asset securitization platform based out of Crypto Valley in Zug, Switzerland, today announced a partnership with Coinbase, the publicly-listed cryptocurrency platform. This new partnership for GenTwo Digital allows all Coinbase crypto...
ThunderCore, a leading blockchain & web3 ecosystem announced today that they are making a new development push, partnering with new validators as the chain rolls out its new crypto staking model. The newest ThunderCore...


text:
At the U.S.-Mexico border, a sobering, eye-opening look at immigration
A VCU community service visit to Arizona earlier this semester offered students a chance to move beyond theory and better understand the reality of immigration in the United States.
Right: VCU student Kevin Armas Rodas talks to Marisela, a Central American mother who left Mexico with her 10-day-old baby, about her experiences and difficulties at home and crossing the U. S. border. (Courtesy photo)
Editor's note: The trip referenced in this story took place before VCU modified its academic calendar and operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Megan Moody couldn't pass up the opportunity to participate in a community service site visit to the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this semester. Moody, a senior international studies student, found the trip eye-opening.
"The public has only read about the border or seen news stories," she said. "It's a different thing to visit the actual border or the towns on the border. It makes it more real to see it in front of you since Virginia is so far away."
The trip in early March was organized by Anita Nadal, an assistant professor in the School of World Studies in the College of Humanities and Sciences. Nadal wanted to take students to the border before she began offering a summer course, La Frontera/The Border, which is focused on immigrants to the United States with a focus on Latin American women and children. The Office of Service-Learning in the VCU Center for Community Engagement and Impact provided a small grant to help make the trip along with support from the School of World Studies.
Nadal and a group of 12 students traveled to Tucson, Arizona, where they spoke with a federal court interpreter and professors about their activism and their experiences with immigrants who have crossed the border.
"We learned that many of the women from Central American countries are trying to escape domestic violence," Nadal said. "A lot of them are coming to the border and requesting asylum."
VCU students at the U.S.-Mexico border (Courtesy photo)
The group also visited the border to meet with border patrol officers. "We were able to see the infrared towers used by the border patrol and the border wall, a fence with barbed wire," Nadal said. "People think we are building a big wall but what they are doing is replacing the old fence that needed to be repaired, according to the border patrol agents."
Walking through the desert was a sobering experience for the group. Students saw shoes, shirts and hats on the ground that belonged to immigrants who had crossed the desert. Several of the students were able to attend court and watch the mass hearings of undocumented individuals. "They said it was hard to be in the courtroom," Nadal said. "They sat next to the families of undocumented individuals, so students were able to live it and feel it with the families. Two of the students were brought into the country when they were young so this is coming full circle for them. To see this was huge."
Junior Kelly Nguyen didn't know what to expect in the courtroom. Many of the cases she saw were for the misdemeanor crime of crossing the border. "We got to hear what the migrants hear. We had the same pair of headphones and we heard the interpretation during the court experience," said Nguyen, who is studying political science and international studies and wants to be an immigration lawyer.
"It was an out-of-body experience," Nguyen said. "We saw them in shackles and chains as they entered and left the courtroom."
Nguyen was surprised to learn the community service aspects of the border patrol. "They do a lot with the community," she said. "I was able to see both sides of the issue. To see there is still work to be done is important. It confirms what I want to do later on."
Students spent part of their time in Arizona volunteering at Casa Alitas, a program of Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona Inc. that provides refugees with care, short-term shelter and help to reunite with family members in the U.S. The students helped build a shed, interpret information and liven up rooms with paint and colorful curtains. The center is a former juvenile detention center that Pima County donated to Casa Alitas, and it was important to make it feel more welcoming, Nadal said.
When they were volunteering at Casa Alitas, the group talked to two families. Marisela is a Central American mother who left Mexico with her 10-day-old baby because of severe marital issues with her husband. Even though she had a C-section during delivery, she made the journey in hopes of reuniting with a relative north of the border.
"We were inspired by her strength and courage despite the obstacles she had to endure to make it to the U.S. border," Nadal said. "She felt that she had to come in order to have a safe life for herself and her baby."
"The public has only read about the border or seen news stories. It's a different thing to visit the actual border or the towns on the border. It makes it more real to see it in front of you."
Another family with a deaf-mute son had recently arrived at the refugee center after being released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One of the students on the trip who helped interpret information for the family commented on the trauma and fear he saw on their faces.
Trying to build trust with the family he told them "no se preocupe todo va a salir bien," which means "don't worry everything will be fine."
"He later shared with me that he was happy to see them relieved from their initial fear," Nadal said. "The experience meant a lot to him."
Casa Alitas reflects the Latin American culture to help immigrant families feel more at home. It also provides a variety of needed items such as toiletries, flip-flops and shoestrings.
"They need these because when they are in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers they are not allowed to have shoestrings," Nadal said. "To see the step-by-step process of how you help refugees was powerful for us. Being culturally competent makes all the difference in the world."
Moody, the international studies student, is grateful she was able to participate in the trip.
"It gave me a perspective in the field of immigration. I want to look into it more, whether it's focusing on a career or volunteering," she said.
The biggest takeaway for students was seeing how community and community organizations fill a "huge gap in our country," Nadal said.
"VCU encourages real experiences and this, for students, was totally real."


Daub Bakery Machinery is headquartered in Goirle, in the south of the Netherlands and specializes in the development and manufacture of high-quality dough dividing and bread slicing equipment for the bakery industry. Founded in 1902, Daub Bakery Machinery has earned an international reputation for quality and innovation.
All of our bakery equipment is designed, engineered and produced in our own highly automated production facility in the Netherlands which is equipped with the latest CNC machining and measuring technology. From design with our sophisticated 3D CAD software until the last part of the assembly process, all is managed, controlled and inspected in our own production facility.
Only with this, in combination with a well-trained, skilled and motivated work-force we are able to ensure our high-quality standards and competitive pricing.
Daub solutions for quality-conscious customers around the world are developed with the help and feedback from today's bakery world. We focus on operational flexibility, user-friendliness, hygiene and safety. Every new machine meets tough ergonomic requirements. Factors like simplicity of maintenance, service access and long-term durability are paramount.
Daub machines help bakers maintain a competitive edge based on product quality and variety as well as cost efficiency – very important in the light of tough competition and changing consumer demands. All Daub machines are manufactured using state-of the-art automated production equipment, clean processes and efficient series assembly. They are competitively priced in the quality market segment, and provide a basis for efficient dough handling without compromising on quality or taste.
Daub is proud of its long-standing reputation and offers customers more than machines alone. The total package includes technical assistance, dealer support, spare parts back-up and guarantees. Our strategy is to provide a long life cycle for our machines. Warranty on parts is 24 months.


text:
Khupe backs Mnangagwa's lockdown
by Staff reporter
29 Mar 2020 at 18:57hrs | Views
THE MDC-T has welcomed President Mnangagwa' s decision to put the country on total lockdown beginning tomorrow.
In a statement, the Dr Thokozani Khupe-led party said the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths across the globe were a clear demonstration that the world is fighting an invisible enemy.
"This enemy requires a huge army in order to be defeated. Therefore, every Zimbabwean is a soldier from now on going forward. Our biggest ammunition right now is heeding the call by the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, which is to stay at home for 21 days starting on Monday," read the statement.
"The biggest ammunition is social distancing, practising good hygiene, washing your hands all the time and generally doing everything to keep ourselves safe."
Dr Khupe urged the nation to unite.
"It is high time we unite as a country in fighting this deadly pandemic regardless of our political affiliation and differences, regardless of our religion, gender or race."
Dr Khupe said what was important at the moment was that "we are all Zimbabweans". Let us adopt the motto 'an injury to one is an injury to all' . Together we can make a difference. Let us fight coronavirus for a better future," she said.
Source - The Sunday Mail
More on: #Khupe, #Mnangagwa, #Lockdown


What is DoubleClick Bid Manager?
DoubleClick Bid Manager (DBM) is Google's Demand Side Platform (DSP).
For Programmatic Buyers, Agency Trading Desks, Demand Side Platforms (DSPs), Direct Response, Retargeters and Brand Advertisers that use DoubleClick Bid Manager as their primary DSP can access our inventory via our Appnexus SSP as well as via Prebid / Header Bidding through Rubicon Project, Index Exchange and PubMatic.
Depending on the SSP integration, we support the following Media Types: Display, Mobile, Video, Native. We support both Deals and Open Exchange buying via DoubleClick Bid Manager.
Many Programmatic use Deals to buy inventory across Gourmet Ads. We offer the ability buy via Preferred Deal and Private Auctions. Deal Targeting options available; Smart Deals, Private Marketplaces / Deal IDs, Programmatic Packages.
Gourmet Ads First Party Data is available through DoubleClick Bid Manager. Contact Us for our Full Taxonomy of our First Party Segments in DoubleClick Bid Manager.
Please Note, Programmatic Buyers who use Affinity Audiences in their DBM Campaigns, will be unable use them across our inventory, as Affinity Audiences only work across Google managed Adx Inventory.
Programmatic Advertisers that use DoubleClick Bid Manager and have their account mapped through to Appnexus (sometimes referred to as Virtual Seat or Alias Seat) can have access to our Programmatic Buyer Report Cards. Contact Us for more information.


text:
More on Texas
Models and Innovations
COVID-19: Southern Border Toolkit for Partners
Provides resources to help communities provide timely, effective, and culturally appropriate COVID-19 messaging along the United States-Mexico border. Includes sample social media posts, print publications, radio public service announcements, and videos in English and Spanish.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Texas Department of State Health Services - Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Resources and information on Texas's response to COVID-19, including resources for hospitals and healthcare professionals, news and updates, and information on cases, testing, and vaccination in the state.
Sponsoring organization: Texas Department of State Health Services
Scaling a Community-Wide Campaign Intervention to Manage Hypertension and Weight Loss
Analysis of a public health intervention addressing hypertension and obesity among low-income Latino populations in the U.S.-Mexico border region in Texas. Discusses the impacts of the intervention in 10 cities and large metro areas, 2 small towns, and 6 rural areas and examines data using the RE-AIM Framework.
Author(s): Belinda M. Reininger, Lisa A. Mitchell-Bennett, MinJae Lee, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Medicine, 8, 661353
FY 2021: HRSA's Rural Health Grants – Texas Fact Sheet
HRSA Federal Office of Rural Health Policy investments in Texas in Fiscal Year 2021. Lists grant and cooperative agreement recipients, award amounts, award recipient locations, and congressional district.
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
Selected Rural Healthcare Facilities in Texas
Shows the state's Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), as well as Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) sites and short term/PPS hospitals located outside of urbanized areas.
Type: Map/Mapping System
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
The Effects of Play Streets on Social and Community Connectedness in Rural Communities
Reports the results of a study looking at the impacts of the Play Streets program that seeks to increase physical activity among children in rural communities located in North Carolina, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Texas. Shares information from focus groups and interviews to further understand the added social and community benefits from the program.
Author(s): M. Renée Umstattd Meyer, Tyler Prochnow, Andrew C. Pickett, et al.
Citation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(19), 9976
Rural Hospital Closings in Southern States
Interactive map depicting 59 rural hospital closures from January 2012 - July 2021 in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Uses data from the North Carolina Health Research Program.
Sponsoring organization: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement
United States Prosperity Index 2021
Assesses the economic, institutional, and social aspects of prosperity across the United States over the past decade. Features state-by-state breakdowns of prosperity increases and decreases. Examines 11 pillars of prosperity, made up of 48 different elements, measured by over 200 state-level indicators. Includes a county-level index for 12 selected states.
Sponsoring organization: Legatum Institute
Quarterly Therapy Access Monitoring Report
Analyzes pediatric acute care therapy services data for physical, occupational, and speech therapies, as required quarterly by the Texas State Legislative Budget Board and the Governor, to determine any adverse impact in access to care in rural, micro, and metro counties.
Sponsoring organization: Texas Health and Human Services Commission
2020 Annual Report: Promotora or Community Health Worker Training and Certification Program
Describes the Promotora or Community Health Worker (CHW) Training and Certification Program in Texas, including the number of certified community health workers, instructors, certificate graduates, and renewals. Includes the number of certified community health workers by county and the location of CHW training programs in the state.
Items per page: 10 100 All
Additional resources are available. See a full list of Texas Resources.
RHIhub This Week
Custom alerts also available
More State Data
Our state-by-state guide lists more resources that provide state-specific and comparative information.
Know of a resource you think should appear on our site? Suggest a resource


text:
"""
This tokenizer has been copied from the ``tokenize.py`` standard library
tokenizer. The reason was simple: The standard library tokenizer fails
if the indentation is not right. The fast parser of jedi however requires
"wrong" indentation.

Basically this is a stripped down version of the standard library module, so
you can read the documentation there. Additionally we included some speed and
memory optimizations here.
"""
from __future__ import absolute_import

import string
import re
from collections import namedtuple
from io import StringIO

from jedi.parser.token import (tok_name, N_TOKENS, ENDMARKER, STRING, NUMBER, opmap,
                               NAME, OP, ERRORTOKEN, NEWLINE, INDENT, DEDENT)
from jedi._compatibility import is_py3

cookie_re = re.compile("coding[:=]\s*([-\w.]+)")

if is_py3:
    # Python 3 has str.isidentifier() to check if a char is a valid identifier
    is_identifier = str.isidentifier
else:
    namechars = string.ascii_letters + '_'
    is_identifier = lambda s: s in namechars

COMMENT = N_TOKENS
tok_name[COMMENT] = 'COMMENT'

def group(*choices):
    return '(' + '|'.join(choices) + ')'

def maybe(*choices):
    return group(*choices) + '?'

# Note: we use unicode matching for names ("\w") but ascii matching for
# number literals.
whitespace = r'[ \f\t]*'
comment = r'#[^\r\n]*'
name = r'\w+'

hex_number = r'0[xX][0-9a-fA-F]+'
bin_number = r'0[bB][01]+'
oct_number = r'0[oO][0-7]+'
dec_number = r'(?:0+|[1-9][0-9]*)'
int_number = group(hex_number, bin_number, oct_number, dec_number)
exponent = r'[eE][-+]?[0-9]+'
point_float = group(r'[0-9]+\.[0-9]*', r'\.[0-9]+') + maybe(exponent)
Expfloat = r'[0-9]+' + exponent
float_number = group(point_float, Expfloat)
imag_number = group(r'[0-9]+[jJ]', float_number + r'[jJ]')
number = group(imag_number, float_number, int_number)

# Tail end of ' string.
single = r"[^'\\]*(?:\\.[^'\\]*)*'"
# Tail end of " string.
double = r'[^"\\]*(?:\\.[^"\\]*)*"'
# Tail end of ''' string.
single3 = r"[^'\\]*(?:(?:\\.|'(?!''))[^'\\]*)*'''"
# Tail end of """ string.
double3 = r'[^"\\]*(?:(?:\\.|"(?!""))[^"\\]*)*"""'
triple = group("[uUbB]?[rR]?'''", '[uUbB]?[rR]?"""')
# Single-line ' or " string.

# Because of leftmost-then-longest match semantics, be sure to put the
# longest operators first (e.g., if = came before ==, == would get
# recognized as two instances of =).
operator = group(r"\*\*=?", r">>=?", r"<<=?", r"!=",
                 r"//=?", r"->",
                 r"[+\-*@/%&|^=<>]=?",
                 r"~")

bracket = '[][(){}]'
special = group(r'\r?\n', r'\.\.\.', r'[:;.,@]')
funny = group(operator, bracket, special)

# First (or only) line of ' or " string.
cont_str = group(r"[bBuU]?[rR]?'[^\n'\\]*(?:\\.[^\n'\\]*)*" +
                 group("'", r'\\\r?\n'),
                 r'[bBuU]?[rR]?"[^\n"\\]*(?:\\.[^\n"\\]*)*' +
                 group('"', r'\\\r?\n'))
pseudo_extras = group(r'\\\r?\n', comment, triple)
pseudo_token = group(whitespace) + \
    group(pseudo_extras, number, funny, cont_str, name)

def _compile(expr):
    return re.compile(expr, re.UNICODE)

pseudoprog, single3prog, double3prog = map(
    _compile, (pseudo_token, single3, double3))

endprogs = {"'": _compile(single), '"': _compile(double),
            "'''": single3prog, '"""': double3prog,
            "r'''": single3prog, 'r"""': double3prog,
            "b'''": single3prog, 'b"""': double3prog,
            "u'''": single3prog, 'u"""': double3prog,
            "R'''": single3prog, 'R"""': double3prog,
            "B'''": single3prog, 'B"""': double3prog,
            "U'''": single3prog, 'U"""': double3prog,
            "br'''": single3prog, 'br"""': double3prog,
            "bR'''": single3prog, 'bR"""': double3prog,
            "Br'''": single3prog, 'Br"""': double3prog,
            "BR'''": single3prog, 'BR"""': double3prog,
            "ur'''": single3prog, 'ur"""': double3prog,
            "uR'''": single3prog, 'uR"""': double3prog,
            "Ur'''": single3prog, 'Ur"""': double3prog,
            "UR'''": single3prog, 'UR"""': double3prog,
            'r': None, 'R': None, 'b': None, 'B': None}

triple_quoted = {}
for t in ("'''", '"""',
          "r'''", 'r"""', "R'''", 'R"""',
          "b'''", 'b"""', "B'''", 'B"""',
          "u'''", 'u"""', "U'''", 'U"""',
          "br'''", 'br"""', "Br'''", 'Br"""',
          "bR'''", 'bR"""', "BR'''", 'BR"""',
          "ur'''", 'ur"""', "Ur'''", 'Ur"""',
          "uR'''", 'uR"""', "UR'''", 'UR"""'):
    triple_quoted[t] = t
single_quoted = {}
for t in ("'", '"',
          "r'", 'r"', "R'", 'R"',
          "b'", 'b"', "B'", 'B"',
          "u'", 'u"', "U'", 'U"',
          "br'", 'br"', "Br'", 'Br"',
          "bR'", 'bR"', "BR'", 'BR"',
          "ur'", 'ur"', "Ur'", 'Ur"',
          "uR'", 'uR"', "UR'", 'UR"'):
    single_quoted[t] = t

del _compile

tabsize = 8

# TODO add with?
ALWAYS_BREAK_TOKENS = (';', 'import', 'class', 'def', 'try', 'except',
                       'finally', 'while', 'return')

class TokenInfo(namedtuple('Token', ['type', 'string', 'start_pos', 'prefix'])):
    def __repr__(self):
        annotated_type = tok_name[self.type]
        return ('TokenInfo(type=%s, string=%r, start=%r, prefix=%r)' %
                self._replace(type=annotated_type))

    @property
    def exact_type(self):
        if self.type == OP and self.string in opmap:
            return opmap[self.string]
        else:
            return self.type

def source_tokens(source, use_exact_op_types=False):
    """Generate tokens from a the source code (string)."""
    source = source
    readline = StringIO(source).readline
    return generate_tokens(readline, use_exact_op_types)

def generate_tokens(readline, use_exact_op_types=False):
    """
    A heavily modified Python standard library tokenizer.

    Additionally to the default information, yields also the prefix of each
    token. This idea comes from lib2to3. The prefix contains all information
    that is irrelevant for the parser like newlines in parentheses or comments.
    """
    paren_level = 0  # count parentheses
    indents = [0]
    lnum = 0
    max = 0
    numchars = '0123456789'
    contstr = ''
    contline = None
    # We start with a newline. This makes indent at the first position
    # possible. It's not valid Python, but still better than an INDENT in the
    # second line (and not in the first). This makes quite a few things in
    # Jedi's fast parser possible.
    new_line = True
    prefix = ''  # Should never be required, but here for safety
    additional_prefix = ''
    while True:            # loop over lines in stream
        line = readline()  # readline returns empty when finished. See StringIO
        if not line:
            if contstr:
                yield TokenInfo(ERRORTOKEN, contstr, contstr_start, prefix)
            break

        lnum += 1
        pos, max = 0, len(line)

        if contstr:                                         # continued string
            endmatch = endprog.match(line)
            if endmatch:
                pos = endmatch.end(0)
                yield TokenInfo(STRING, contstr + line[:pos], contstr_start, prefix)
                contstr = ''
                contline = None
            else:
                contstr = contstr + line
                contline = contline + line
                continue

        while pos < max:
            pseudomatch = pseudoprog.match(line, pos)
            if not pseudomatch:                             # scan for tokens
                txt = line[pos]
                if line[pos] in '"\'':
                    # If a literal starts but doesn't end the whole rest of the
                    # line is an error token.
                    txt = line[pos:]
                yield TokenInfo(ERRORTOKEN, txt, (lnum, pos), prefix)
                pos += 1
                continue

            prefix = additional_prefix + pseudomatch.group(1)
            additional_prefix = ''
            start, pos = pseudomatch.span(2)
            spos = (lnum, start)
            token, initial = line[start:pos], line[start]

            if new_line and initial not in '\r\n#':
                new_line = False
                if paren_level == 0:
                    i = 0
                    while line[i] == '\f':
                        i += 1
                        start -= 1
                    if start > indents[-1]:
                        yield TokenInfo(INDENT, '', spos, '')
                        indents.append(start)
                    while start < indents[-1]:
                        yield TokenInfo(DEDENT, '', spos, '')
                        indents.pop()

            if (initial in numchars or                      # ordinary number
                    (initial == '.' and token != '.' and token != '...')):
                yield TokenInfo(NUMBER, token, spos, prefix)
            elif initial in '\r\n':
                if not new_line and paren_level == 0:
                    yield TokenInfo(NEWLINE, token, spos, prefix)
                else:
                    additional_prefix = prefix + token
                new_line = True
            elif initial == '#':  # Comments
                assert not token.endswith("\n")
                additional_prefix = prefix + token
            elif token in triple_quoted:
                endprog = endprogs[token]
                endmatch = endprog.match(line, pos)
                if endmatch:                                # all on one line
                    pos = endmatch.end(0)
                    token = line[start:pos]
                    yield TokenInfo(STRING, token, spos, prefix)
                else:
                    contstr_start = (lnum, start)           # multiple lines
                    contstr = line[start:]
                    contline = line
                    break
            elif initial in single_quoted or \
                    token[:2] in single_quoted or \
                    token[:3] in single_quoted:
                if token[-1] == '\n':                       # continued string
                    contstr_start = lnum, start
                    endprog = (endprogs.get(initial) or endprogs.get(token[1])
                               or endprogs.get(token[2]))
                    contstr = line[start:]
                    contline = line
                    break
                else:                                       # ordinary string
                    yield TokenInfo(STRING, token, spos, prefix)
            elif is_identifier(initial):                      # ordinary name
                if token in ALWAYS_BREAK_TOKENS:
                    paren_level = 0
                    while True:
                        indent = indents.pop()
                        if indent > start:
                            yield TokenInfo(DEDENT, '', spos, '')
                        else:
                            indents.append(indent)
                            break
                yield TokenInfo(NAME, token, spos, prefix)
            elif initial == '\\' and line[start:] in ('\\\n', '\\\r\n'):  # continued stmt
                additional_prefix += prefix + line[start:]
                break
            else:
                if token in '([{':
                    paren_level += 1
                elif token in ')]}':
                    paren_level -= 1

                if use_exact_op_types:
                    typ = opmap[token]
                else:
                    typ = OP
                yield TokenInfo(typ, token, spos, prefix)

    if new_line or additional_prefix[-1:] == '\n':
        end_pos = lnum + 1, 0
    else:
        end_pos = lnum, max
    # As the last position we just take the maximally possible position. We
    # remove -1 for the last new line.
    for indent in indents[1:]:
        yield TokenInfo(DEDENT, '', end_pos, '')
    yield TokenInfo(ENDMARKER, '', end_pos, additional_prefix)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
from recipe_scrapers.heinzbrasil import HeinzBrasil
from tests import ScraperTest

class TestHeinzBrasilScraper(ScraperTest):

    scraper_class = HeinzBrasil

    def test_host(self):
        self.assertEqual("heinzbrasil.com.br", self.harvester_class.host())

    def test_canonical_url(self):
        self.assertEqual(
            "https://www.heinzbrasil.com.br/recipe/100149100002/chili-com-carne",
            self.harvester_class.canonical_url(),
        )

    def test_title(self):
        self.assertEqual(self.harvester_class.title(), "Chili com carne")

    def test_image(self):
        self.assertEqual(
            "//d36rz30b5p7lsd.cloudfront.net/heinzbrasilbr/recipes/img/1e1fccb2d38d8b3e3611aa5c99706523.jpeg",
            self.harvester_class.image(),
        )

    def test_ingredients(self):
        self.assertCountEqual(
            [
                "1 kg de carne moída",
                "1 cebola picada",
                "1 pimentão vermelho cortado em cubos",
                "1 pimentão verde cortado em cubos",
                "100 g de manteiga",
                "50 ml azeite",
                "20 g de especiarias mexicanas (pimentão, cominho, coentro...)",
                "100 ml de café forte",
                "150 g de milho crocante, escorrido",
                "200 g de feijão lavado e escorrido (feijão vermelho da América do Sul)",
                "2 tomates grandes cortados em cubos",
                "400 ml de Ketchup Heinz",
                "200 g de queijo gruyère ralado fininho",
            ],
            self.harvester_class.ingredients(),
        )

    def test_instructions(self):
        self.assertEqual(
            "Frite a carne, a cebola e os pimentões na manteiga com o azeite, mexendo bem. Despeje as especiarias mexicanas e o café. Adicione o milho, o feijão, os tomates picados e o Ketchup Heinz. Cozinhe por 5 minutos. Sirva com um bom pedaço de pão e gruyère.",
            self.harvester_class.instructions(),
        )


text:
Kim Kardashian Dares to Bare in NSFW See-Through Plastic Dress
By Jose Bastidas - June 2, 2018 06:58 pm EDT
Kim Kardashian West is leaving little to the imagination on her latest Instagram post.
The KKW Beauty CEO, who was recently spending her time in Wyoming with husband Kanye West ahead of his Ye album release, took to Instagram Saturday afternoon to post a near-nude image of herself.
(Photo: Instagram/Kim Kardashian West)
In the photo, which she posted without a caption, the reality star wore a see-through plastic dress, which allowed fans to see her toned body, she paired the outfit with plastic heels and a coat. her underwear is also visible through the dress.
Kardashian flew to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to support West's album release party. The album got a luke-warm reception, with most critics complaining that it was under-developed, and didn't share the same unity of themes and ideas as his previous projects.
Still, the album has its heartfelt moments. The rapper addressed the recent cheating scandal between Tristan Thompson and Khloé Kardashian.
"If I pull up with a Kerry Washington / That's gon' be an enormous scandal, I could have Naomi Campbell / And still might want me a Stormy Daniels," West raps. "Find yourself up in the food court / You might have to enjoy your sample /All these thots on Christian Mingle, almost what got Tristan single."
Though she stayed with Thompson throughout the scandal, Khloé did endorse her brother-in-law's album. She tweeted the album title Ye along with three fire emojis.
Despite West's controversial comments in the past few weeks, Kardashian West's loyalty for her husband has not stopped. She took to Twitter in the midst of his rants, defending his right to share how he feels and even shaming his critics, saying that West is ahead of his time.
Kardashian herself seemed open herself up to speculation she supports President Donald Trump after meeting with him Wednesday to discuss prison reform.
Although details of what happened in the meeting have not been revealed, Kardashian tweeted, "I would like to thank President Trump for his time this afternoon."
"It is our hope that the President will grant clemency to Ms. Alice Marie Johnson who is serving a life sentence for a first-time, non-violent drug offense," she tweeted after her meeting.
In a second tweet, Kardashian wrote, "We are optimistic about Ms. Johnson's future and hopeful that she —and so many like her—will get a second chance at life."
Since then, the president has announced his intention to pardon several wealthy criminals, including Dinesh D'Souza.


The mighty warrior Joshua was in the midst of a great campaign in the promise land seizing territories and completing God's plan; however he experienced a minor setback. The city Ai defeated him. This really seemed to shake Joshua who was not used to defeat. Scripture relates that he "tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening". (Joshua 7:6) Then he did what all wise men do who fear the Lord, he prayed and pleaded before God.
God provided all the wisdom Joshua would need. Not exactly what a confident and independent generation wants to hear. It wasn't that Joshua did it his way. His wisdom came from God. God's plan was to coax the army of Ai out of the city and with a strategically placed ambush, take the city and destroy its army. Simple enough and yet like Joshua we often do not see the solution to our challenges until we humbly present them to the Lord.
Sometimes no matter how much success we have, life can present unexpected setbacks. We need not to give up. We should do like Joshua. Not that we should tear our clothes! Clothes can be expensive, and if made well, difficult to tear anyway. However we should present our challenges and difficulties before the Lord and trust that He will give us the wisdom to be victorious.
No Walmart, no Costco and plenty of empty stomachs! (Exodus 16)The Israelites couldn't even find a 7 eleven. Naturally they began to complain that life was better in Egypt where their masters provided everything they needed for their pitiful existence. (Exodus 16:3)The fact that they had no freedom, no rights and could suffer all types of imaginable abuse without any protection was incidental. The point is that they had plenty to eat as long as they depended on their Egyptian masters.
Why had God taken His people to the middle of the dessert and given them nothing to eat? The Israelites had grown dependent on their cruel masters. It was time for them to learn to depend on their God, the God who with His mighty hand freed them and whose purpose was to make a great nation of them in the Promise land.
In the desert there was nothing. No distraction, no help, and no way for the Israelites to provide for themselves. It was a wasteland perfectly designed to cause God's people to look to heaven for help. Sometimes in our lives we too are going through the desert or wasteland. Life seems to offer little hope. We are starving for the satisfaction of some of our most basic needs, such as love, health, comfort, companionship, perhaps food and even a roof over our head. Only God can save us and we finally turn to Him.
Many plagues later Pharaoh still would not change his mind. Then came the most devastating lost of all for Egypt, the slaying of the first born. Finally Pharaoh would let them go. But he rescinded only temporarily, still not accepting or understanding the power of God. He would send his army against the defenseless Israelites most likely expecting an easy victory. Was he surprised when he witnessed what had never been seen before? God had made a path through the sea. There were the lowly Israelites, former slaves, passing through the midst of the sea on dry land and on either side of them a high wall of water. Surely now pharaoh would believe that these people were God's people and that perhaps he should just let them go. Perhaps he would wake up to the reality that slavery was just wrong or that people do not have the right to make subjects of other people just because they have a stronger army.
Pharaoh did not have any of these great revelations. Instead he was consistent in his unbelief. He ordered his army to pursue the Israelites through this path created by God. Then he would witness the collapse of water on his army. They were destroyed. (Exodus 14) Pharaoh could have saved himself a lot of trouble if he would have believed from the very beginning. However the price of unbelief can be even higher.
Anger and a Senseless murder!
Although it is an old story it is not easy to forget. Kayla barrowed money from her good friend Kamisha, a young lady who had just graduated from college, to buy pampers. Later Kamisha found out that Kayla had spent the money on herself. Kamisha then demanded to be paid back, when Kayla did not pay her back an argument broke out. The argument would last several days via texting and facebook, until the two women would confront each other in Kayla's kitchen. According to one story Kamisha literally spilled the baby's milk. Kayla lost control of herself and stabbed Kamisha with a knife. Although Kamisha was not killed instantly she died from the wounds while lying in a hospital bed. It was in August of 2013 that Kayla was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
It is one thing to say that anger and emotions can cause us to do regrettable things, however this was a criminal act. We have another example from the Bible; when Moses saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite, in a fit of rage he killed him. Moses was driven by emotions, and took action without thinking. He was then forced to flee from his country, his home and his family.
In Psalm 37:8 we read "Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil." Paul in Ephesians 4:26, advises "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger," Most acts of violence tend to take place between people who know each other and often know each other intimately. In some cases it is the plate flying across the room that was never meant to hit someone or the forceful shake we never thought could cause harm. Often it is with regret that theses horrific events are remembered.
None of us are exempt. We are all capable of anger and intense emotions. However we must be slow to act in these cases. We must plan ahead; what prudent actions we can safely take. One of my favorites is to walk away and keep walking. However that is not always an option. Perhaps we must close our eyes and call upon our lord for strength before we weakly give into to our emotions. We will later realize that refraining from thoughtless actions has saved our family, our friendships, our lives and even our souls.
Moses was having a pleasant time. He was relaxing while tending to his sheep in the quiet stillness of the night. However, for no apparent reason, a bush went up in flames, and didn't burn up. Then the voice of God was heard. Moses was terrified and hid his face. Then it got worst.
God proceeded to give Moses directions to speak to the mightiest man on the planet. He had to tell the ruthless pharaoh of Egypt to let the enslaved Israelites go.
Four excuses, Moses truly had self esteem issues. He was certain that he lacked the qualifications. He must have been thinking "Just let me take care of my sheep, that's all I am good for." But he was wrong.
Many of us have had these moments, when we doubted our abilities or capacity. Perhaps we thought "Lord I know you don't make mistakes, but there must be someone better for this task, responsibility, or position." But we are wrong also. If God calls us to do something or hold a position he will equip us. He will educate us and prepare us. If He wants us that means we are the best person for the job. It could be a talent or an expertise we have or perhaps a quality in our character that God sees. God can see the gifts he has placed in us, while we sometimes only see our failures and weaknesses.
With Moses the excuses finally stopped and he did go to pharaoh. Ten plagues later, and a disastrous defeat for pharaoh's army and the Israelites were free. The whole time all Moses held in his hands was a staff, but the power of God was behind him every step of the way.
If we say yes to God's calling in our lives His power will be behind us every step of the way, the enemy will be defeated and what awaits us will surely be the promise land.
The city wall was tall and thick, perhaps 13 feet thick (http://www.bibleplaces.com/jericho.htm). The city, Jericho, was ancient and filled with experienced soldiers, the bible described as "mighty men of valor" (Joshua 6:2). The proud people of this great city must have felt secured, armed with fine soldiers and a mighty wall. However God had promised this land to the Israelites. Surely God would give His people an ingenious plan filled with an incredible strategy never heard of in the ancient world, a brilliant military campaign that generals would be studying centuries later; not exactly.
God decided to give them, what amounted to virtually no plan at all. All they had to do was march around the city. The Israelites must have become the laughingstock of the ancient world. What was wrong with these people? Did they think that marching alone would bring down such a wall? Perhaps they could stomp their feet really hard and the earth would tremble just enough. How many Israelites must have questioned God and their leader Joshua after the first day of marching? They had marched around an entire city. They must have been tired. Day two through day six, they had to do the same thing. Then on the seventh day God's request was even more challenging and hard to trust. He asked Israel to march around the city seven times, blow their trumpets and shout. We can only wonder about the number of Israelites that were questioning the sanity of this plan.
However the majority of them must have believed. They trusted in God, while Jericho trusted their mighty wall. The wall lost. It came down and the Israelites took the city completely defeating those men of valor.
The plan might have been simple, but it wasn't the plan or the marching that defeated Jericho, it was God. In our lives we must face constant challenges, and perhaps a more elaborate plan might be more comforting, but God remains our true source of strength and in the end He is the one that will give us the victory. Should we put away our brains and never try to plan or strategize? Of course not, but when all the planning in the world fails us, perhaps it's time to depend on God. Sounds simple, however, that's what we need to bring down a mighty wall.
Can we trust God more than the train?
There I was speeding through the Bronx on an elevated train way above the ground. Children were playing and having a great time. Mothers seemed relaxed and contented. The driver of the train was nowhere in sight. But I was happy as can be and without a care in the world. I figured I was 100% safe. No reason to be concerned with who might be driving the train, his or her physical condition or capabilities; I was not worried about the condition of the train or the old tracks. What could go wrong? I trusted the construction of a system whose parts in some cases dated back to the 1800's and an anonymous driver. As a species we are actually more trusting than what we think. We trust our waiters, our cooks, our babysitters, and our doctors. However when it comes to God how often does our trust fail?
Why do we doubt God even if we have experienced his power first hand? The Israelites had experienced the power of God who liberated them from Egypt with a mighty hand. But when they came face to face with the giants in Canaan they could not believe that God would provide a victory. Sarah had experienced the protection and guidance of God but upon being told that she would have a child, also did not believe and only laughed. I have also doubted God and yet I have personally experienced God's blessing and care. Why do we spend so much time doubting?
Perhaps part of the doubt comes from our own feelings of inadequacies. The Israelites felt small next to those Giants and Sarah was sure she was too old. Often in finding our faith we must come to grips with the reality that when we cannot continue the fight, our God can. That when the problem is too great He can solve it and when it is impossible for us it is still possible for Him. The giants were thoroughly defeated, and Sarah would rejoice to see her baby born.
Everyday God is acting in our lives in miraculous ways. Let us trust Him. He is more reliable than the NYC subway system and has been around a whole lot longer. He is not anonymous and hears you when you call. He arrives on time and will definitely take us where we need to go.


How do you demonstrate executive presence over email? Surely, this is important — after all, the majority of us spend hours of our workday receiving hundreds, or even thousands, of messages, pounding out responses quickly and hitting SEND, thereby multiplying email for all involved.
Based on my experience coaching many executives, I'm sorry to report that really bad email habits are the rule rather than the exception. Just ask anyone whose email has ever been made public. But fear not. With some simple guidance, and by breaking a few bad habits, you can use email as an instrument of greater influence.
In the heat of the moment, you may have hit "send" on one or two emails — and thought better of it later. Or perhaps, "in the interest of time," you may not have given enough thought to how you were communicating.
When was the last time you re-read a sampling of your sent email, to assess its impact on your colleagues or team? This is an experiment that some of my clients have tried — and that works to bring new self-awareness to how you use email as a tool.
Your subject line has grabbed their attention. Now what? Why should your recipients care about this message? What do you want from them? If it takes more than a sentence or two to figure out why you've written the message and what's most important, you've buried the lead — and your email executive presence along with it. Put your most important message(s) right up front, in the first sentence or two.
If you need to write more than a few paragraphs, and certainly more than one email on the same topic, then there's a problem: you're likely trying to avoid, spackle over, or substitute for a conversation that needs to happen. Keep your emails short and sweet. If you can't, then start an IM, pick up the phone, or go face to face. If you have a lot of information to deliver, do them the courtesy of putting it in an attachment (and follow these tips on the cover email).
A string of emails and replies shouldn't be considered a substitute for a conversation, a brainstorming session, or a decision-making process. It's a series of "tells" with varying lag times that often lead to unnecessary churn. Voice to voice, face to face, and even IM are much better forums for important interactions.
If you have a complaint, concern, or issue with Sally or her team, then the explanatory email that "tells it candidly" to Sally (or to Sally PLUS other colleagues–ouch!) is a bad, bad idea! It's the last thing you want to send. Lasting damage to executive presence springs from this mistake. As a therapist might say, "Write the letter and don't send it." Email isn't the place for processing an issue, venting, or confronting. Since email lacks interactivity and the nuance and body language needed for deeper understanding, it will make thorny issues thornier, and rarely if ever solves anything. Sending a "here's what's wrong" email to Sally, especially copying others, is a sure way to diminish or destroy trust.
You've heard this one before — now believe it: Email is barely communication. It's certainly not a forum for risky disclosure. (And unlike a conversation, an email doesn't die.) Don't put anything in an email today you wouldn't be OK reading in the New York Times tomorrow. All emails could be (and perhaps are being) read by others. They are also subject to discovery in case of future legal action.
Executive presence degrades with poor quality communication. Check your spelling. Read your email out loud. Look for words spelled correctly but in the wrong place, such as "here" versus "hear," "affect" versus "effect," or "your" versus "you're." Using text-speak like "FWIW," "ur," "btw" and "LOL," even when sending from your smartphone, degrades your executive presence. Double-check for all of these before sending.
Too many people scan and reply in a rush, and miss the point. Before replying to a message, read it twice. Think. Prioritize. Then, BEFORE SENDING, read the original email and your reply together. If you don't have time for that, wait until you do, or connect with the recipient by another method.
We've all done it: forwarded emails without double-checking what lurks below, earlier in the chain. Before sending, please scroll all the way down and read the full chain. Delete irrelevant, outdated, or recipient-inappropriate stuff. You'll not only better serve your recipient with a crisp, relevant communication, you might also spare yourself a world of trouble.
Avoid over-sharing! That means overusing cc: and bcc: to send the wrong thing to the wrong person, or to more people than needed. Before clicking SEND, check and double-check your recipients. This may seem obvious, but it's a step too often overlooked. And like the unchecked forward, it can lead to all kinds of unnecessary headaches.
Don't send emails in the middle of the night or on weekends–as a leader, that telegraphs an expectation of response in kind. Put them in your drafts folder and send them later. Also, no one likes an e-stalker. When you send follow-up emails too soon after the original (e.g., "did you have a chance to review my email from earlier today?"), you're degrading your executive presence. If you're going to need a response that quickly, you probably shouldn't use email in the first place.
When in doubt (e.g., "Should I do this on email?," "Why am I having so much trouble writing this?") delete your draft, and pick up the phone, open a video session, IM, or if in walking distance, add a few steps to your daily count and have a conversation.
As suggested above, self-test a sample of your previously sent email from time to time. What do you need to change? Answer that, and you can transform email from a weakness into a vehicle to enhance your communication, strengthen your influence, and build your executive presence.