text:
Wall of hearts highlights bereaved U.K. families' push for COVID-19 inquiry
BCI 24 news Canada
The wall is hundreds of metres long and sits directly opposite the British Houses of Parliament in London.
Yet, campaigners are unsure if it's large enough to illustrate the memories of the British victims of COVID-19.
Beginning last Monday, March 29, members of the group COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK (CBFJU) started painting small pink and purple hearts on the wall; one heart for each British person whose death certificate mentioned COVID-19.
That running total of deaths is now almost 150,000; considerably higher than the government's official figure of over 126,000 (the number of people who died within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test).
Either way, the number is considerably higher than any other European country, and the U.K.'s COVID-19 deaths per capita is also among the highest in the world.
Families want answers, in the form of a public inquiry.
The U.K. government says such a move would be "premature."
Sophie Rawlings lost both of her parents to COVID-19 within seven days of each other in January.
Her father Brian Rawlings was 75, her mother Pauline Bond was 73.
Sophie is part of CBFJU and joined a rotating team of painting volunteers at their self-titled National Covid Memorial Wall this week.
They did not seek permission from the local Lambeth borough to start the project, but the council — dominated by the U.K.'s opposition Labour Party — has effectively given its blessing.
"It's like a nightmare I'm hoping to wake up from, still. So when I saw this was going on, I thought they deserve to be part of the wall. They deserve to be remembered like all these other people," said Rawlings.
"They're not numbers, they're all names and they're all people. And they've all got someone like me devastated on the other end."
For the Londoner, the very act of painting hearts for her parents, and other victims, was a form of therapy.
"It's the least I've cried in three months," she said.
"I cry every day, all day, but coming here painting these hearts, I don't know why, it's just made me feel. I don't know, nice. And I don't know, it is therapeutic, yeah."
The group insists the memorial is not political, but its location would suggest otherwise.
Not only is the wall visible from parliament across the River Thames, but it also backs onto St. Thomas' Hospital, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson was treated for COVID-19 in April 2020.
The prime minister spent three days in intensive care, and later admitted: "it could have gone either way."
He had faced heavy criticism in March 2020 for not reacting quickly enough to the pandemic, and for not treating the virus seriously.
"My own personal views. I don't feel the scientists [were] always listened to in the way they should have been," said Rawlings.
"I'm not knocking Boris totally, because he's got a decision that no one would like to make, but I do think a lot of us have been through a lot that maybe could have been different."
Fellow CBFJU member Lobby Akinnola says that is why there must be a public inquiry.
"We're asking for an inquiry, so we can understand what happened," said Akinnola, whose father Olufemi died of the virus.
"How we've ended up where we are and how we've lost all these lives — and just kind of understand why we have hearts to draw on this wall."
The group has promised to remove all the hearts from the wall when they are asked to.
The U.K. government says it intends on building a permanent memorial to victims once the pandemic is over.
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Most of my sites are Portfolio websites. So I was thrilled to get my hands on a real blog with lots of content and frequent updates. Peter Verdone describes himself as a geek who likes bicycles, motorcycles and skateboards, but he is also a designer and builder of custom frames and parts that I don't even know where they will be installed.
He has been running his blog for years and has lots of followers, but it lacked a comprehensive design. In particular it needed a good user interface, so his followers could find their way around the hundreds of posts that he had added over the years. Thankfully the posts were well organized and already had a good structure with categories applied.
I created a simple but strong look for him using Generate Press as a parent Theme. In the sidebar I put social links, latest posts and categories.
In the backend I cleaned up the database for better performance and got rid of a lot of unused and unneccessary plugins, that were slowing down the site and making it vulnerable to attack. I upgraded to the latest version of WordPress after backing up the database.
The work was done quickly and the transformation in both look and speed was great to see.


text:
A Good Find
By Beer, Gary L
Reproduction Date: 12/24/2012
Title: A Good Find
Author: Beer, Gary L
Subject: Fiction, Thriller, Crime Thriller
Collections: Mystery Fiction, Authors Community, Military Technology, Criminology, Nursing, Marketing, Public Aspect of Medicine, Management, Recreation, Agriculture, Most Popular Books in China, Finance, Economy, Naval Science, Education, Medicine, Literature, Sociology, Language
Publisher: Gary L Beer
Member Page: Gary L Beer
Beer, G. L. (2011). A Good Find. Retrieved from http://community.worldlibrary.in/
It is an intriguing tale and shows the cold business attitude of the drug dealers who plague our streets. The story captivated me immediately, many of the characters appear familiar I would not be at all surprised if some were my neighbours - they appear so normal George Burnson An amazing adventure – one fraught with danger and showing a darker side of life that many do not believe exists. The desire for money and power that the dealers crave is shown in this novel - and the lengths people are prepared to go to obtain it. Mr S. Ansenn
Gary L Beer the popular travel writer delves into the realms of fiction and presents us with a fascinating crime thriller. Three friends go for a cycle ride along the North Kent coast and find a bag of money belonging to local smugglers and drug dealers. The drug dealers are soon hot on their trail to regain their money and the three friends soon find themselves in very serious trouble. With twists and turns a complicated web of deceit amongst the drug dealers is woven and the unconcern they show for the health of their customers in the dangerous substance they sell is portrayed vividly. The gangland life appears very real and one that is shocking and violent and strangely often hilarious. S.Gregory
Chapter One Nicola looked down at the mess on the floor; torn cigarette papers, sweet wrappers, shopping receipts and what looks like dirt is now spread out on the floor where Stef, her boyfriend, has emptied his pockets out. Nicola feels her face flushing with anger as she had only cleaned and dusted the whole flat twenty minutes ago! "Stef!!" Nicola shouts. "What ya want?" answers Stef from the other room in a 'do not bother' me tone of voice. Stef has a light-hearted outlook to life; he knows his put-on tone of voice will upset Nicola and feels she takes life too seriously. "Get in here; now!" shouts an angrier Nicola as Stef's attitude does infuriate her. Stef stomps his feet as he walks into the room; "What's the matter with you now?" "Look at the mess you have made; you complain to me that I do not keep this place clean enough, how can I with you around?" Stef looks down at the floor; "Nothing to do with me." he answers in a bored voice and starts to turn away. "Stay right where you are, how dare you say that to me?" screams Nicola. Stef turns and looks at Nicola's red face; "You wanna learn how to take a joke, yeah sorry, I forgot about that." Nicola is off balance with Stef's calm voice and easy admission of guilt and she stares at him as the anger inside her slowly fades; "You bastard." she laughs; "Do it now please." "Of course dear, is there anything else that you would like me to do?" Nicola stares at Stef, not sure if he is being serious or sarcastic she decides that "No thank you." is the safest answer. Stef nods in apparent obedience and walks into the kitchen for the dustpan and brush; opening the cupboard door under the sink he rummages around inside; "Come on; where you put it?" "Put what?" answers Nicola innocently from the dining room. "The dustpan and brush; what else?" "You had it last when you knocked my plant over." "Oh yeah I remember." Stef laughs and opens the back door as the telephone rings. "I'll get it." shouts Nicola. Stef is closer and reaches it in two steps, picking up the receiver he says in a put on common sounding voice; "What'dya want?" "Yo Dude, how yer doin?" "Simon, good to hear from you Dude, how was the States?" "Really great, had lotsa beer and bike rides." "Strange mix, ouch!" shouts Stef as Nicola comes up behind him and punches him on the arm for answering the telephone. "Hi Simon" shouts Nicola into the telephone as she walks into the kitchen. "What's goin on Dude?" asks Simon. "It's Nic being a usual pain, hey, hope you didn't spend too much on me present ya know I will get embarrassed." laughs Stef. "You don't have to worry about that I got you nowt," laughs Simon, "I spent the money on a taxi to get to the airport." "Thought you were going on the train?" "Yeah I was, got as far as Rainham and there was a bomb scare at Gillingham. We sat and waited for about an hour and then got shunted back to Sittingbourne as they were meant to be laying on buses. I waited along with about a thousand others for half an hour or more, so got a taxi to take me to Paddington for eighty quid." "Bomb scare? Didn't hear nothing about that." asks Stef. "Yeah well, you wouldn't would you as you don't read the newspapers or watch the news on the telly do ya?" answers Simon, saying it as more of a statement than a question. "So what do you want then? As you haven't got a present to bring over." answers Stef in a put on rough voice. "Ha ha, sorry mate, now I got over the jet lag I was wondering if you and Nic fancy a bike ride." "Where you thinking of going?" asks Stef. "Down to the cliffs, maybe bit further to the river if you feel up to it, sure is a nice day." "Sounds a good idea, could do with getting out of here, hang on." replies Stef into the telephone, covering the mouthpiece with his hand he shouts to Nicola to 'Get here!' "What now?" shouts Nicola from the kitchen. "Do you wanna go for a bike ride with Si?" "Depends where he's going, I am not cycling 'till we are exhausted like last time!" "Nah we're only going as far as the cliffs, maybe go the other side." "As long as you promise not to go too far." says Nicola as she enters the room. Stef uncovers the telephone; "Yeah, she's up for it; ouch!" exclaims Stef as he receives another punch on the arm from Nicola. "She?" shouts Nicola, "Who's she?" "Yeah all right." grumbles Stef in an angry voice as Nicola's punches hurt! "That's cool I'll come right over as long as you two ain't gonna have a fight." says Simon in a nervous voice, he had witnessed their fights and arguments and would rather avoid the unpleasantness. "She knows better," laughs Stef rubbing his arm painfully; "Give us a half hour." "Yeah Ok see ya in a bit." answers Simon as he disconnects the call. "That hurt bitch." says Stef as he puts the receiver down. "I have got a name you know." replies Nicola in a sarcastic voice. "Yeah, well I keep forgetting what it is," laughs Stef "right now I'll call you Joe as you can make me a sandwich or something nice to take with us." "You can make your own sandwich, I'm gonna get changed." laughs Nicola as she brushes past him and goes into the bedroom. Stef and Nicola live in a ground floor flat on the outskirts of a seaside town on the north Kent coast in England. The flat is large, as the building, built in the eighteen hundreds and of Victorian design, was originally built for a wealthy land owner to be a home for his large family of nine children; and as many servants to look after them! The house originally had a lounge, two dining rooms, a library, large kitchen and servant's quarters on the ground floor, with an equally large cellar beneath. The cellar had been divided to accommodate more servants and had also been used for storage of hay for the horses. Upstairs was divided into two floors with each floor having a lounge, two bedrooms, with a modern kitchen and a toilet and wash room. Stef and Nicola are lucky in renting the ground floor as this included a small private area of the back garden that led directly from their back door. The area is about three metres square and surrounded by a high hedge of green privet, giving them a little privacy from the other tenants. The cellar below them remains empty as it is cold and slightly damp and unsuitable for living in. Immigrants from Poland live in the flat above; two young couples in their early twenties. One couple do night work at the local supermarket and the other couple work during the day as casual labour on a nearby chicken farm. The top floor also houses immigrants; three families from India who seemed to be involved in two restaurants and a Take Away. They do not appear to be short of money as each family owns a Mercedes and they have a multitude of children! Even though they all live in the same building their paths seldom cross. Stef and Nicola work long hours; Stef as a forklift driver at a haulage company about thirty miles away and Nicola as a qualified staff nurse, who is often called to work long hours at the local and other hospitals. Stef is a swarthy looking individual; about two metres tall with close cropped light brown hair sitting on top of a round chubby face that looks ten years younger than his true age of twenty five years. His body looks muscular, but is betrayed by the pot belly that hangs over his leather belted blue jeans. A belly that is due to the long hours spent in his forklift truck and the five pints of brown ale that he drinks each day. Nicola is three years older than Stef and appears delicate compared to Stef; being a good twenty centimetres shorter with a slim body and long brown shiny hair that reaches to her shoulders. Dark brown eyes look out from a thin face that appears to have seen troubled times. Slight worry lines are making an appearance across her brow and her eyes seem shadowed from lack of sleep and appear dark against her pale skin. Nicola looks through her wardrobe for something to wear over her blue sweatshirt and black slacks. Choosing a pale lightweight jacket she puts it on and looks at her reflection in the long wardrobe mirror. Twisting to the left and then to the right and with a stretch of her arms above her head she appears satisfied with her choice. Removing the jacket Nicola lays it carefully onto the bed and looks down at the array of shoes and trainers that cover the bottom of the wardrobe. Picking a pair of silver coloured trainers she flicks off her slippers and puts the trainers on, she ties them up tight and reaching over to her bedside table picks up a book and starts to read. Nicola likes to read, especially romance novels and this one, about a girl in Jamaica has become very exciting; and Nicola is finding it hard to put down! Avidly she reads, imagining herself on a Jamaican beach in the arms of a strong, Jamaican hotel owner when Stef snaps her away by shouting her name repeatedly, and loud! Annoyed to be taken away from the Jamaican sunshine Nicola throws her book down on the bed and with a; 'I'm coming.' goes into the kitchen; where Stef is still shouting. "Alright, alright I'm here what's all the fuss?" says Nicola as she enters the kitchen. "Where you been? You been gone twenty minutes!" demands Stef in his loud voice as he knows what Nicola has been doing. "I've been getting changed." Nicola replies defensively. Stef eyes her up and down; "Changed?" he asks in his indignant voice "All you've changed is your trainers!" "Well I been doing other things" "Like what? Reading your soppy novel, I bet." "Maybe." Nicola replies with a small smile on her face. "I can see you have, your eyes go all soft and dopey looking." "They do not," Nicola exclaims; "Have you made sandwiches for me?" she asks looking at the sandwich filled plastic containers on the worktop. "No they are mine, and there is no more bread left, well only what's in the freezer." Nicola looks dismayed and upset that Stef has used all the bread, before she can pass comment Stef laughs; "You don't think I'm gonna eat all them do ya; especially the lemon curd?" Nicola looks at Stef's smiling face; Stef does not like lemon curd and despite his denial had obviously made sandwiches for her as well as his own. Nicola smiles sweetly in reply, her whole face changing, the smile making her look younger and somehow more vulnerable; "Thank you kind sir, you are like Winston in the book I am reading." "You'd better watch your language or I might confiscate your sandwiches." says Stef sternly, now with only a hint of a smile, as he feels jealous of Nicola's romantic dreams; even though they are only stories in a book. Nicola is saved from answering as the front door bell rings several times; Stef runs to the front door and opens it quickly to a stressed looking Simon. "About time you answered it I been standing here for ages." "We never heard it, you have to push it dead centre to get it to work." apologises Stef. "I weren't sure if it was working or not, till I heard you running up the hall; you ready then?" Stef looks at Simons flushed face, Simon is breathing heavily from riding his bicycle, and his large chest pulsates heavily as he quickly draws breath in and out. Simon is a well-built man; over two metres tall in his socks, his long black hair is tied into a pony tail at the back and is tied tightly around a very round face. Weighing a hundred and eighty pounds few challenge his muscular form and he is used to getting his own way; he asks first but usually takes what he wants. "Just waiting for Nicola," lies Stef "Come in for a second." Stef stands back from the door opening it wider. Simon looks at his bike which is leaning against the wooden front fence; "No, I'll wait here." "Suit yourself" says Stef as he walks back into the flat. Nicola appears carrying two small rucksacks; "I heard that, Hello Simon, I am ready it's him we're waiting for." "Hi Nic, yeah he's always bragging you have to wait for him." "Yeah, too right." laughs Stef as he takes a rucksack from Nicola's outstretched hand. "You as well? A lot of people believe his lies." answers Nicola in a bored voice. Stef gives a snort as he opens the door to a front room, taking a couple of steps inside he pulls out Nicola's shiny red bicycle and pushes it towards her. Nicola takes it from him, putting her rucksack over her shoulders and sitting astride her bike she rides it out of the open front door. Stef follows quickly, slamming the front door he jumps on his expensive shiny black bicycle. Costing five times the amount as Nicola's, it comes complete with twenty one gears, suspension, disc brakes and ergonomic saddle. He speeds down the path and out onto the road, without a backward glance as he passes Nicola and Simon, he pedals quickly down the road and is soon lost to sight around the corner. "Looks like someone's in a hurry, you two had a row?" asks Simon. "Not that I know of." replies Nicola as she pedals after Stef. Simon's bike is similar to Stef's but in a metallic blue with down swept handlebars and hard thin leather saddle, he pulls it away from the fence and follows Nicola and Stef down the road. Stef is waiting impatiently further on at the entrance to the path that leads down to the seafront. There were steep cliffs here years ago; now the cliffs have been landscaped to an angle of forty degrees to stop the erosion. Paths criss cross the grass covered slope that is interspersed with small bushes of gorse and young trees, giving it the appearance of a park in its early years. As Nicola approaches the path Stef turns and rides down the slope, not giving her a chance to stop and catch her breath. Nicola is annoyed with Stef's behaviour and would much prefer a gentler ride. She turns right halfway down the slope, as she knows that riding down to the beach will mean cycling back up; as steep cliffs bar their way further on. Simon speeds past her as she takes the turning and he joins Stef to cycle along the concrete sea defences that border the shingle beach. Nicola does not mind cycling alone, in fact she is getting used to it as more and more these days she finds herself separated from Stef somewhere along the ride. She looks down at the two men cycling side by side; already they are fifty feet in front of her and seem oblivious to her presence. "How far do ya wanna go Dude?" asks Simon as he pulls level with Stef. "Dunno, not too far depends on Nic, we'll ask her when we get to the Towers." he replies in an impatient voice. "Nice day for a ride Dude." Simon enthuses looking up at the sky which is a deep blue. White cumulus clouds looking like giant balls of cotton wool drift on a high wind far above. "Yeah, lucky for this time of year it being only April." replies Stef with enthusiasm warming to the favourite subject of the British; discussing the weather! "The forecast is for rain this evening." replies Simon seriously. "You wouldn't believe it." answers Stef looking up at a big patch of blue sky. He looks behind only now remembering that Nicola is meant to be with them, not seeing her he looks up the slope. For a moment he cannot see her as she is far behind them; "What's she doing up there?" he asks. "She ain't daft, we will have to go up there at the end, unless you wanna carry your bike up the one hundred steps?" asks Simon, referring to the steel steps that scale the steep cliffs at the end of the concrete sea defences. "No, better not, Nicola won't wanna do that and we can't let her ride around The Glen on her own." "Yeah, that is what I was thinking, that's a lonely path around there you would never hear the last of it if she slipped and fell." says Simon with a wry grin. "If she fell down there, she would probably break her neck." replies Stef, picturing the fifteen metre drop to the bottom of the gorge. Though only created out of the sand and clay cliffs by a seasonal stream The Glen's cliffs have become a sheer drop. The fall from the narrow path through trees and bracken onto the sand and rubbish of rusty bicycles and supermarket trolleys far below, would probably result in serious injury or death. Simon slows a little and looks up and back at Nicola who is now a good five hundred yards further behind. Stef pedals faster and pulls away suddenly seeming to be in a hurry, Simon, seeing Stef speeding up pedals hard to catch him up; "Slow down Dude, we got all day, give Nicola a chance to catch up man." Apart from themselves the beach and path before them is deserted and Stef sees no reason to go slowly as they can meet Nicola at the entrance to The Glen. Ignoring Simon's plea Stef pedals harder and soon leaves Simon far behind who frowns in irritation. Stef takes the path that leads off the seafront at speed, even though the path now leads upwards Stef is going too fast and skids on some loose dirt and gravel. In a big swirling of dust and stones Stef skids off the path and nearly loses complete control; as he wobbles dangerously, almost falling to the concrete several feet below. Putting on the brakes he skids to a halt and looks down at the front wheel as if something is wrong. The noise of Simon approaching makes him look up and he stares at Simon in embarrassment. Simon stares back at Stef with a blank expression on his face and rides past saying nothing as if they are strangers. Nicola pedalling furiously towards them sees Simon ride past Stef and seeing that Stef has come to no harm slows down to a sedate pace. Simon waits for her at the end of the path; "Bit of a daft one your bloke." he says with a laugh. "He has got so much pent up energy he feels he has to go mad all the time." Nicola replies in disapproval. "Well you are only young once I suppose." Simon says in defence of Stef. "He is going to kill himself one day." Nicola says with conviction. "Let's hope it's not today as be a long way to carry him home." answers Simon drily. Nicola stares coldly into Simon's eyes and pushing past him takes the lead going up the path, Simon looks back at Stef who is now only a few yards away; "You upset her today Dude?" he asks. Stef looks at Nicola as she rides away; "I dunno man, this always seems to happen when we go on bike rides together, I always end up riding on my own." "Maybe you should try and go a bit slower and let her ride up front for once." "I tried that but she goes so slowly." laughs Stef in frustration. Simon looks at Stef and feeling as if it is none of his business cycles up the path behind Nicola. Nicola is waiting at the entrance to The Glen; seeing Simon and Stef as they enter the car park she rides slowly into the trees following the narrow path. As she approaches the bridge, made of scaffold poles and planks of wood, Stef squeezes past and overtakes her; making her wobble and weave on the narrow path. Nicola feels the blood draining out of her face as she tries to gain control of the handlebars; "What do you think you are doing?" she screams. Stef laughs as he passes her and not looking behind crosses the wooden bridge and pedals faster; only to have to screech to a halt, as a golden retriever pulling its master along appears from around the corner. The man, wearing a flat cap and long black coat, scowls at Stef. The way Stef is riding is too fast for this winding path; and he had nearly rode into him! Stef looks down at his front wheel ignoring the man and dog as they walk past. Nicola and Simon stop as they reach the bridge and let the man and his dog walk across first. The man stares at Nicola as he walks past; the leering look on his face shows what he would like to do to her. Simon, seeing the way the man is looking at his friend walks forward with his bike; narrowing the path and forcing the perverted man to the far side of the path. As soon as there is room Nicola pedals hard and crosses the bridge with Simon close behind, Stef has already gone on ahead and they cycle a little faster to catch him up. The path leads along the side of the gorge; the steep cliffs above and a horrendous drop below makes Nicola slow to a walking pace; Simon narrowly avoids crashing into the back of her as she gives no warning! They cycle slowly along the path which leads them up and out of the gorge and onto a large area that is heavily overgrown with gorse, brambles and small trees and bushes. The path weaves its way amongst the bushes and undulations in the ground until it reaches the top of the high cliffs that lead to The Towers. Stef sits out of the wind behind a large old building that looks out across the North Sea. The building was used as a Customs and Excise Headquarters many years ago, but is now empty and deteriorating in the wind and cold winters, and is a useful place to sit and rest. "You took your time." laughs Stef as Nicola and Simon reach him. "We are in no hurry Dude." answers Simon a little breathless as he lays his bike down on the grass and sits beside it. Nicola leans her bike against the brick of the building and sits down next to Stef; leaning back gratefully against the cold brickwork she closes her eyes and gives a little sigh. "You alright?" asks Stef. "Yes, fine, that last bit is all uphill." Stef for all his apparent unconcerned attitude feels a deep love for Nicola and watches her with concern, Nicola had been ill over the winter months with constant colds and influenza and never seeming to recover before another virus would attack. "Well it's all downhill to The Towers now, bumpy is all." he smiles. Nicola smiles back; "Apart from the bit that goes uphill." "That's not much; anyway we will rest again at The Towers." "What do you mean rest again, how far are we going?" "Only to the river, if you feel up to it, that is?" "Yeah, I'm Ok it feels good to be out." Nicola replies looking up at the sky and at the surrounding fields. "Anyone want a drink?" asks Simon, offering a green water bottle. "Yes please." answers Nicola holding out her hand. Simon hands it to her and gives a big sigh of happiness; "My legs feel better now after being all cramped up on planes and trains." "Hark at the jetsetter; wish I could go to the states for sixty quid!" Nicola laughs. Simon's face falls; "Don't forget the extra eighty quid and the ulcer getting to the airport." "Yeah, I wouldn't have liked the stress, but that's still not a lot for a return to America!" "S'pose ya right," laughs Simon; "We gonna sit here all day then?" Nicola, after taking a small drink from Simon's water bottle, hands it back to him and stands up; "I'm ready." Stef also stands and sits on his bicycle and waits for Nicola and Simon before he follows the path into a large open field of grass that borders the cliffs. They cycle slowly as the field is bumpy and now they are away from the building the view from the cliff top of the North Sea is awesome! A distant island appears to glow and move in the sunlight. A shingle beach forms a fantastic border between the grey of the sea and green of the land. Far beyond the island is the city, the grey of the buildings and skyscrapers look dirty from this distance and to the east, the hint of the French coastline shows as a dark line bordering the horizon. They all cycle steadily across the field avoiding the many dogs and dog walkers and soon arrive at the large car park and 'The Towers' visitor centre. Without a glance at the attractions Stef cycles across the car park to the public house. Getting off his bike he is already walking towards the entrance when Nicola and Simon arrive. "You wanna beer?" he asks. "No, I don't want one." replies Nicola with disapproval. "Yeah I'll have a lager please mate." Simon smiles. "You sure you don't want a drink; coke, orange?" "No, I'm fine." smiles Nicola as she gets off her bike, she leans it against the wall near Stef's bike and sits down at a bench and table as Stef enters the public house. Simon lays his bike carefully on the ground and sits beside her and they wait quietly not speaking until Stef returns with the beers. "This is what I need." he says putting Simon's lager in front of him and Stef takes a long drink of his brown ale; "That's better." he says removing the now half empty glass from his mouth as he wipes the froth from his lips and belches contentedly. Simon raises his glass; "Cheers." as he also drinks half the glass in one swallow. With the same contended smile and soft belch he raises his glass again and finishes the lager in one go. Stef quickly follows and reaching his hand out for Simon's empty glass he goes back into the public house. "I hope he isn't getting me another one, I won't be able to ride me bike." Simon laughs. "I noticed that you did not say no." says Nicola with a smile. "I thought he was just taking the empty glasses back." Simon laughs as a blush of red shows on his cheeks. Nicola smiles, tempted to criticise Simon's addiction further but decides against it, instead she looks back across the car park and distant cliffs. There are not many cars in the car park this early in the season and she has an uninterrupted view of the magnificent sandy cliffs; that are topped with an amazing field of green. Stef comes out of the public house empty handed; retrieving his bicycle from the public house wall he jumps astride and looks at Nicola and Simon with impatience. Simon stands appearing relieved that Stef has not bought any more beer and picks his bicycle up. With a happy smile he puts a foot on the pedal and sits on the saddle as the bike is propelled along the path. Nicola takes her time; adjusting her rucksack she takes her bike from Stef who has been patiently holding it and pedals after Simon. The steep hill up to The Towers is too steep for Nicola to cycle up and she gets off and walks as Stef labours past her on his bicycle. Simon and Stef's bicycles lay beside the path when she reaches the top and she looks about anxiously; they are by the wall of the old church looking out across the water, they appear excited as they both shout and point far out to sea. Nicola lays her bike down on the grass next to the others and runs across the old graveyard to see what all the excitement is about. About half a kilometre away a sleek speedboat with two large black engines on the back is being chased by a police launch. The speedboat weaves one way and then the other trying to escape the slightly slower launch. The speedboat slowly increases the gap and heads out to sea; Stef and Simon shout excitedly encouraging the speedboat in its escape. "Hope he makes it, whatever he's been doing." shouts Stef in excitement. "Probably speeding and scaring the locals in a boat like that." laughs Simon. "Wrong time of day to be doing any smuggling." confirms Stef, seeing Nicola behind them he asks; "Did you see that Nic?" "Don't see what all the excitement is about; apart from a boat escaping the police." "Well that's worth seeing once in a while." smiles Stef. Nicola turns and starts to walk back to the bicycles, with a last backward look at the speeding boats Simon and Stef run after her. Beyond The Towers the sea defences stretch all the way to the next town which can just be seen in the distance. The sea defences are made up of a high concrete thick wall topped by a flat single track road; and makes an ideal cycle path. The views of the distant seaside town and across the marshland keep them occupied as they cycle along at a steady pace. The sea is at high tide; waves splash gently on the shingle beach as small birds run between the waves catching food, and not seeming to get their feet wet. The speeding boats are now lost to sight amongst the waves and only the faint hum of their engines can be heard as seagulls float lazily on the light wind. Stef, impatient with the slow progress starts to pull ahead; turning his head he shouts that he will meet them at the river and pedals hard. He is proud of his physique and likes to push himself to the limit; along with the excitement of going fast the blood coursing through his veins as he pedals makes him feel alive and proud. Furiously he pedals, his heart beat increasing as he looks at the blur of concrete below him, tucking his head down he pedals faster. "Look at him go." enthuses Simon. "And on only one pint of beer." laughs Nicola. They watch Stef's departing figure as they cycle slowly along enjoying the peace and smell and sound of the sea. Skylarks sing from above the marsh making it appear a beautiful place. The sun soon changes that by disappearing behind a cloud, silencing the Skylarks and bringing a chill wind from the east. Nicola stops and taking out a thin waterproof jacket puts it on as Simon waits and looks out to sea. Dark clouds now line the horizon to the north and east and they seem to be coming this way. With jacket on Nicola continues cycling at a sedate pace with Simon riding beside her. They talk of Simon's recent trip to America and of Nicola and Stef's desire to move to Australia until they reach the river; and a very excited Stef! Chapter Two As they had approached Stef, who was waiting beside the river, Nicola could tell by his posture that something was wrong; pedalling faster she rides up to him and pulls up sharply; "What's wrong?" she asks as Stef's face is flushed red with excitement. He stares deep into Nicola's eyes, his eyes flash and sparkle with excitement and he jumps nervously backwards when Simon screeches to a stop in front of him. "What's up Dude?" Simon asks. Stef turns and looks deep into Simon's eyes not saying anything. He appears proud and sure of himself, but at the same time there is a strange look in his eyes. Stef looks at Simon and back at Nicola unable to speak; the thoughts racing through his mind become a jumble of excitement to what he has found. He opens his mouth to speak but finds it too dry, reaching down to his rucksack, which is on the ground beside his feet, he takes out a small bottle of water. Unscrewing the lid hurriedly he takes a long drink. Mouth no longer dry he turns back to Nicola and Simon, the excitement he feels makes him stutter; "Loo-Look what I f-found." and waving his arm he indicates to them to follow him. Nicola and Simon lay their bikes down on the soft grass and follow Stef along the riverbank until they reach a large area of reeds growing on marshland. Stef looks around mysteriously to make sure no one can see him before he enters the reeds; "Stay there." he commands as he disappears into the reeds. A few moments later he emerges from the reeds carrying a long black holdall; the holdall looks heavy as he struggles to carry it towards them. Dropping the bag in front of them he lets out a big breath; "I think those fellas the old bill were chasing were smugglers; cop this!" he says excitedly. Simon looks surprised and leans down to unzip the bag. "What is it?" asks Nicola. Simon unzips the bag as Stef says; "Have a look." and attempts a scared smile. "Oh my good god!" Simon exclaims as he looks inside the bag. Nicola peers inside; the bag is full of money, Simon reaches in and takes out a thick bundle of twenty pound notes. There must be five thousand, if not ten thousand pounds in this one bundle, and the bag is full of them and many bundles that look composed of fifty's! Nicola takes the money from Simon's shocked hand; the money is wrapped tightly with an elastic band and she struggles to pull a single note from the middle of the bundle. Not succeeding she impatiently removes the elastic band and then holds a note up to the sky; "Hey, these are real." she says with rising excitement. The realisation of what Stef has found hits Simon and Nicola at the same time; "What are we going to do?" asks Nicola in a worried voice.
Table of Contents The Author Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The Carlyle Group acquires SERgroup
SER wins investor to drive future growth
(January 25, 2019 - Bonn/Berlin)
Largest vendor of ECM software in Europe
Carlyle's expertise and network will support sustainable long-term growth
Selling shareholders remain significantly invested
Global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group acquired a stake in SERgroup Holding International GmbH (SER), a leading European Enterprise Content Management (ECM) software vendor, both companies announced today. Underlining their commitment to continuity, the selling shareholders retain a significant minority stake in SER. The transaction is complete. Further details were not disclosed.
Headquartered in Bonn, Germany, SER started out as the pioneer for electronic archiving to become the leading European vendor for state-of-the-art ECM solutions. Founded in 1984, the company is committed to innovation, highly customizable and scalable solutions, as well as excellent client service. SER's software suite iECM Doxis4 is available in 14 official languages and 136 countries. SER's long-term success and strong profitability provide a solid foundation for sustainable business development in a market segment where enduring reliability in combination with innovation and state-of-the-art technology determine the value for the customer.
Carlyle will work with SER's management team to facilitate continued stable growth, both nationally and internationally. Furthermore, Carlyle will be able to accelerate growth by providing SER with additional growth capital.
Dr. Thorsten Dippel, Managing Director at Carlyle Europe Technology Partners (CETP), says: "We look forward to working with the SER management team, whose strong focus on customers and innovation is outstanding. With our deep knowledge of the software sector and our international Carlyle network, we are pleased to support SER during its next phase of growth."
Kurt-Werner Sikora, spokesman for SER's management board, comments: "In Carlyle we have found an excellent partner for the continued successful development of SER. After the appointment of the new executive team, we are pleased to have found the ideal partner for the next step in our succession planning who has longstanding and broad experience in the areas relevant to SER." The "new/old" SERgroup Holding International GmbH management team have been familiar faces for many years: Sven Behrendt, COO at SER for more than 20 years, Johannes Breuers, CFO at SER for more than 10 years, Dr. Gregor Joeris, CTO at SER for 18 years now and Kurt-Werner Sikora remains spokesman for SER's management board.
Equity for the investment will come from Carlyle Europe Technology Partners III (CETP III), a €657 million pan-European growth fund focused on technology companies, launched in 2015. The CETP team has extensive experience in the management of technology companies, both globally, as well as in German-speaking countries.
Previous investments by CETP funds include: P&I Personal & Informatik AG, a provider of integrated HR software solutions; Exocad, a developer of CAD/CAM software for the dental industry; vwd, a provider of market data and innovative applications for banks and investment advisors; kcs.net, one of the largest independent Microsoft Dynamics partners in the DACH market; and UC4, a software provider in the area of data center and process automation.
Since 2002, CETP funds have invested €1.4 billion in small and medium-sized businesses and supported their growth plans.
About the SER Group
SER is Europe's largest ECM vendor in terms of revenue, gross profit, operating profit and the number of employees, according to the most recently published figures. SER is therefore one of the top five software-only ECM vendors worldwide. ECM Excellence by SER – this is built on our vision, inspiration, experience and expertise of a team of 550 employees. With 5 million users work daily with SER's enterprise content management platform. For nearly 35 years now, SER has been supporting mid-sized companies, corporations, administrations and organizations from all industries with high-performing ECM software and professional services from one source. The world's leading IT market analysts confirm that Doxis4 is an internationally leading ECM software with regard to both technology and application. With its uniform platform for ECM and BPM (business process management), Doxis4 seamlessly unifies content and processes and thereby connects people with information, synchronizes business processes, and enables effective knowledge-based collaboration between companies, their suppliers and customers.
The Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global alternative asset manager with $212 billion of assets under management across 339 investment vehicles as of September 30, 2018. Carlyle's purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, many of whom are public pensions. Carlyle invests across four segments – Corporate Private Equity, Real Assets, Global Credit and Investment Solutions – in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America. Carlyle has expertise in various industries, including: aerospace, defense & government services, consumer & retail, energy, financial services, healthcare, industrial, real estate, technology & business services, telecommunications & media and transportation. The Carlyle Group employs more than 1,625 people in 31 offices across six continents.
Web: www.carlyle.com
Videos: www.youtube.com/onecarlyle
Tweets: www.twitter.com/onecarlyle
Podcasts: www.carlyle.com/about-carlyle/market-commentary
Madame Maureen Cueppers
E-mail: maureen.cueppers@ser.de
Tél.: +49 (0) 228 90896 280


In order for the smile to be truly healthy and beautiful, we need all of our teeth. Teeth not only support healthy digestion, but also benefit the smile and the facial contours. If there are spaces left by missing teeth, it is possible that surrounding teeth will lean or drift. This creates not only cosmetic problems, but also encourages bacterial activity in these small spaces, posing a significant risk to oral health.
Today, dental implants are viewed as the most efficient way to replace teeth that have been lost or extracted. Only dental implants can replace the missing roots, and only implants can last a lifetime with proper care. At Center for Implant Dentistry in Fremont, CA, Bay Area residents can reap the benefits of excellent care tailored to their exact needs. With implants, we can replace just one tooth, multiple teeth, or stabilize dentures for those who have no remaining natural teeth. Under our care, you can restore a natural look and feel to your smile.
The problem of multiple missing teeth was once handled with a dental bridge. The problem with this approach is that two healthy teeth must be altered in order to anchor the artificial tooth or teeth. The healthy, stable alternative to dental bridge treatment is dental implants.
Whether several teeth are missing in a central location in the mouth, or empty spaces are scattered, the placement of implants is a wonderful solution. The way multiple implants are placed is the same as single ones. Pre-planning begins with computer imaging, which shows us exactly where to situate implants within the jawbone. The procedure is made more efficient and faster with computer guidance.
When placing multiple implants, your dentist will apply local anesthetic to numb the area. Sedation may also be administered as discussed during your initial consultation. Although the overall goal of implant treatment is to restore the most natural oral structure, we remain vigilant in our commitment to patient comfort throughout the treatment process. As directed by our innovative technology, openings are carefully created in the areas where implants will be located. Implant fixtures and posts are placed, and gum tissue is closed over the area, which will require a few months to heal.
The healing phase for multiple implants is the same as for single implant placement. Over a few months, bone tissue will fuse around implants. After this process of integration, we expose the individual implants and affix their permanent restorations. At the end of this second visit, your smile will look and feel so natural that you may not even notice a difference!
Contact the Center for Implant Dentistry in Fremont for your consultation with one of our experienced specialists.


The Ypsilanti Police Department is investigating a report of an armed robbery which occurred at 2 a.m. Friday in the Peninsular Place apartment complex.
The victim is a pizza delivery driver and is not a student at Eastern Michigan University. The victim told police he or she was approached by two suspects, one of whom was carrying a black handgun. The suspects told the victim to hand over all of his or her money.
The victim described one of the suspects as a dark-skinned, thin black male last seen wearing a black hoodie, black gloves, a bandanna over his face and carrying a black handgun. The second suspect was described as a light-skinned, thin black male, last seen wearing a gray hoodie, dark pants, black gloves and a bandanna over his face.
Following the incident, the suspects fled north on LeForge Road on foot. The Ypsilanti Police Department and EMU's police department searched the area for the suspects but were unable to locate them.
Later Friday evening, police located and arrested two subjects in connection with the robbery.
Anyone with further information should contact the Ypsilanti Police Department at (734) 483-9510.


Nigerians and other participants heaved a sigh of relief as the International Monetary fund (IMF) calmed their nerves on the earthquake that sparked an earth tremor at in Bali, as it had no tsunami potentials.
The IMF said: "Following the earthquake early this morning, there was no significant impact on infrastructure reported, and no tsunami potential.
The fund assured that the Indonesian authorities, the hotels, and the meetings venues are doing everything possible to ensure participants receive timely alerts and safety instructions.
"Both the hotels and venues have a direct connection to the emergency warning systems should they be activated. Equally important, safety and security requires your active participation." They added.
The IMF urged all participants to carefully review the emergency information provided by the hotels and in the venues, and to familiarize themselves with what actions to take in the event of an earthquake or tsunami.


What is the industry's best practice for frequency in conducting surprise cash counts?
What gauge of steel is recommended for the under counter of the teller line?
A customer was depositing a Not On Us check for $1500 into his checking account for $1200 and was supposed to receive $300 cash back from the transaction. The teller mistakenly keyed $1500 into the cash recycler and handed the cash directly to the customer. This is proven by video surveillance and the reporting tool from the cash recycler, which shows the denominations of the bills he received. The cash back totals $1500, is time stamped for when he is at the teller window and has the teller #. Is this sufficient proof so that the Bank can the bank legally debit his account for $1200? The customer has hung up on bank employees when we have attempted to contact him.
Letters POD Required in Address Info on Statement?
Do the Letters POD have to be in the address information on the bank statement as long as the POD information is designated on the signature card? I understand the account title has to match the card- but does POD HAVE to be there?
A customer is a signer and owner of a business and they come in and fill out a withdrawal slip from that account. Which name should be in Section A? I see it as the individual who signs the withdrawal slip or makes a business check out to cash; should go in section A because they walk out the door with the cash. How should a CTR like this be filled out?
UDAAP Training: Who Needs It?
In the wake of UDAAP enforcement cases which emphasize the need for training, it is time to take a hard look at who needs training for UDAAP.


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The University of Ljubljana international course in Family Medicine.
The course in family medicine takes five weeks (different arrangements should be discussed with the coordinator Danica Rotar Pavlic). Our primary focus is on the work in the family medicine practice, where you should be involved with practical work with patients and use and integrate the knowledge and skills you have acquired in medical school up to now. In the practice, your main teacher is going to be your mentor, the family medicine physician who works in the practice. Once weekly, plus the first and the last day of the course, you attend small group work at the Department of Family Medicine, where we discuss challenges you may have met in your practical work and work on understanding special aspects of family medicine.


Just how far have we progressed?
Regulatory Information Management (RIM) tends to down play the significance of the data held within the system. While no one denies the importance of a Regulatory dossier, the potential for the data held within the RIM system has utility way beyond the confines of Regulatory.
Navitas Life Sciences' RIM Maturity model describes the behaviors, processes, and technology seen in organizations management of RIM. The RIM Maturity model is on a scale of 1 (very immature) to 5 (the art of the possible). Benchmark data shows that the industry as a whole is probably around 2 to 3.
Download our Whitepaper to learn how to progress towards next-generation Regulatory Information Management..


Costco jobs come with the downside of sometimes having to deal with incredibly rude customers and annoying shopper habits. Don't be one of them.
Costco jobs aren't always a cakewalk.
Sometimes, that's due to the behaviors of Costco members.
The finding doesn't exactly bode well for workers at Costco, which is known for touting bargains through buying in bulk, as well as cheap eats.
While the retail chain made Glassdoor's list of best places to work in 2017, employees have still occasionally taken to social media to complain about bad behavior from shoppers.
However, one California-based Costco worker told Business Insider that they haven't had too many problems with members. "We get paid incredibly well to deal with the members, so unless they're being crazy — admitting to stalking you, being racist — we'll deal with it," the employee said.
In a 2013 Reddit AMA, a Reddit user who said they'd worked at Costco for seven years estimated that they hated 80% of the members that visited the store.
"Because people pay a membership fee to shop there, they feel entitled to treat us like s— and expect us to bend over backwards for them," the employee wrote.
A Costco food court employee wrote in a 2014 Reddit AMA, "I'm not some indentured servant. I'm a person that has lived a life just as full as yours. I just so happened to end up on the other side of the counter today."
A Costco employee based in Ontario told Business Insider that members "pay a small fee for amazing deals — not a bunch of slaves."
A Costco employee in Texas, as well as a Costco optical department employee, also reached out to Business Insider to say that they wished some customers would drop their "belittling" and "entitled" attitudes.
In a 2016 Reddit thread, a Reddit user who said they'd worked at Costco for eight years wrote that their go-to response to indignant non-members was, "I do apologize, but it is Costco's policy. It is a membership-based warehouse, and if you are not a member then you cannot shop here."
A Reddit user who said they'd worked at Costco for eight years as of 2016 wrote that annoying behaviors include customers failing to show their Costco member card, blocking the front entrance, and "pulling the 'but I've shopped here for year' excuse' in lieu of a card.
A California-based Costco employee told Business Insider that they wished members would stop "giving attitude when asked to see their membership card."
Want to avoid ticking off a Costco employee? Don't assume they're looking for a better job.
A Costco employee in California told Business Insider that they had noticed members removing perishable products from the store's freezers and then simply leaving them out to "go bad."
When you're in line at checkout, stay in line. Especially if you're buying a ton of stuff.
In a 2013 Reddit AMA, a Reddit user who said they'd worked at Costco for seven years described one customer who just vanished from the line, leaving his basket of items and a credit card on the conveyor belt.
"Members leave their carts on the islands and curbs instead of walking them to a corral," a Florida-based Costco employee told Business Insider. "I don't understand how they can walk around the whole store — which is pretty big — but suddenly be too exhausted to have manners and just return the cart. It's empty, so it's easier to push now."
Two Costco members also reached out to Business Insider and corroborated this account.
"Their motto is to let somebody else take care of the carts, rather than put them in the cart corrals," a regular customer in Florida told Business Insider. "Maybe there should be a training program for Costco customers."
One member in Maryland added that some members "leave their carts in the parking lot. Carts take the space of a car. Carts are put on grassy areas. Carts end up being a missile under windy conditions."
In general, it's a good rule of thumb to not make death threats.
A Reddit user who said they'd worked at Costco for seven years described having a customer attempt to start a fist fight in a 2013 Reddit AMA.
"He got right in my face telling me he could lay me out right then," the Costco employee wrote. "I remember telling him that if he hit me I'd get some paid time off from this place, so go for it. Management kicked him out because he was causing a huge scene. Members clapped when he left. I felt like a hero."
The occasional threats of violence from some members disturb Costco customers as well. One Washington-based customer told Business Insider that they had "seen several battles over a parking spot almost turn to fisticuffs."
But that won't stop some Costco members from bugging them about it, according to DeMaria.
One Kentucky-based Costco employee told Business Insider about members asking them to establish store fitting rooms or "get their favorite product back in stock."
"I'll help them find another store that's got it, but I can't make that item magically appear because they complain about it," a Costco employee in California told Business Insider.
"Members can be rude and mean to employees and then complain the employee did not do enough to help them or lie and say the employee was rude or disrespectful," the anonymous user wrote. "The member's word will always be believed 100% of the time and the employee will get in trouble."
Former Costco employee and Quora user Alex Barrett wrote that Costco gigs came with "the same annoying ills of any customer service job," including "having the most vile, disgusting creature of a customer vomit rudeness all over you and then say it's your fault, and you either have to smile and take it or watch as your manager gives them a free pizza as an apology for the horrible experience they self-generated."
"Questions like these fed the idea that working in retail or in a big-box store is somehow not a 'real' job — and they're a great way to kill morale," DeMaria said.
What's more, "it's certainly none of your business," she wrote in Refinery29.
A Costco gas station employee told Business Insider that they often have to provide common sense pointers to some members.
"Do not turn your car the wrong direction," the employee told Business Insider. "It is one-way traffic. Always stay inside the lane."
Costco has a notoriously-lenient return policy.
A California-based Costco employee told Business Insider that it's always annoying when people try to return "things that are 10 years old and 'just stopped working.'"
"We can't say 'no' to any members, so don't bring anything back that's 10 years old — such as a fake Christmas tree we got back that was sold in 2007," a California-based Costco employee said. "We want to help, but that sets a bad example for everyone to bring anything back."
"There was one man who I saw tell a cashier she was 'a looker' — she was clearly uncomfortable, but powerless in the situation," DeMaria wrote in Refinery29.
Three Costco employees in Iowa, Hawaii, and Florida, respectively, said too many customers are distracted by their phones in the store.
"If you are in line for checkout, please don't be on your cell phone," a Florida-based employee told Business Insider.
A Kentucky-based Costco employee told Business Insider that some members bring in "fake service animals that bark and defecate in the store" and then fail to clean up after them.
An employee in Illinois told Business Insider that members also need to stop "eating a thousand samples and leaving their garbage everywhere."
An employee who's worked at Costco for 25 years agreed, saying, "We have garbage bins at every sample station, along with at the end of a few aisles. Then there are garbage bins outside around the store. Yet sample cups end up sitting in the cart with leftover pieces, juice, and sauce in them. Very messy."
A number of Costco employees told Business Insider that it's high time to retire one ubiquitous joke.
Four employees in Washington, Hawaii, Minnesota, and Arizona said they never want to hear a customer say, "If it doesn't scan it must be free!" ever again.
"It wasn't funny the first time we heard it, and it isn't funny after we've heard it 62,000 times," a Costco employee from Minnesota said.
"There's one guy that keeps asking for whipped cream on the coffee drink, and I keep telling him we don't have that," a Reddit user who said they worked in the Costco food court wrote on Reddit in 2014. "He calls me by name when I'm in the back making pizzas even, saying I told him there was whipped cream to my boss. It's annoying."
Watch where you're going in the Costco parking lot.
"We have to wear reflective vests, and I swear those things are just a bright orange flag telling everyone, 'Hey I work here so you can say or do anything to me and I won't do anything about it,'" Reddit user who said they'd worked at Costco for seven years wrote in a 2013 Reddit AMA.
"I've been almost hit by so many cars it's ridiculous," they wrote. "Afterwards more than half the time I get yelled at because I didn't get out of the way."
A Costco employee from Oregon told Business Insider that they've seen people park their cars right in front of the store entrance, adding, "People need to come and go, and they park their car right there in the way."
Bad behavior in the parking lot doesn't just affect workers. A Costco member told Business Insider they saw a group of customers just standing around in the parking lot tying up traffic.
"No one could get through, as they were blocking both lanes," the member told Business Insider. "The cars started honking. They didn't move after the first, second, or third polite tap of the horn. They waited until someone laid on the horn until they moved."


HENRYVILLE, Ind. (July 2005) – When the helicopters first circled to get a better view of Dave Daugherty's elaborate gardens, he hardly took notice. But when they kept coming back, he decided it was time to open the doors to the public.
The Louisville Courier-Journal ran a feature on Daugherty's project in October 2002, giving the public its first in-depth look at Cathedral Gardens. The photos were too enticing. People wanted in.
"There were phone calls, helicopters. We couldn't believe it," he admitted.
Daugherty, 69, purchased 52 acres of land in Henryville in 1993, hoping to build a cabin there for himself and his wife. The successful Louisville engineer and software developer was anticipating retirement and thought the plot would allow him the space necessary to unwind and pursue his creative interests.
The story of Daugherty's career is a happy one. While he reluctantly turned down a music scholarship for a more practical engineering degree, his decision paid off. Daugherty joined the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1960s to build dams along the Ohio River before working for local government consulting with property developers and overseeing drainage installations.
He eventually started EAS Technologies, an innovator in labor management systems. At EAS in the 1980s, Daugherty pioneered one of the first automated payroll systems. Daugherty contracted his services and software to large businesses, including Kroger, Mercedes and the Pentagon, as well as international corporations. He sold out in the mid 1990s to Minneapolis-based Ceridian, a company specializing in human resources and payroll management. This allowed him the time and money his masterpiece would require.
Retirement proved too idle for Daugherty, and he was soon toiling away on his new property. He built his cabin, and the work has not stopped since. He put his engineering experience to work, draining, damming and sculpting what was once a marshy dumping ground.
Daugherty soon found that his land was rich in resources. He unearthed a creek bed lined with brownstone, which he used to handcraft a series of retaining walls and terraces.
With his land drained, he set about gardening. "I've built 12 separate gardens, one at a time," said Daugherty. Eventually, he added three full-time employees to help construct and maintain his landscapes.
Daugherty named his property Cathedral Gardens to reflect the spiritual aspects of his work. Faith was influential in the construction of the gardens, a fact evident in the religious-themed sculpture and verse that ornament the grounds.
Each garden utilizes a different theme. China Bay features a pagoda and eastern influenced design, while Saracen's Retreat includes a Moorish-styled shelter and colonnade that evoke southeastern Spanish architecture. Greek Garden infuses imagery from classical Greece with lush vegetation. Christ's Garden, which Daugherty built in 2000, overlooks the other areas. A fountain in the shape of the cross sits at the center of the garden.
The latest addition is a parcel of land surrounded by a Venice-inspired canal. Still a work in progress, the Venetian Garden will include a pavilion with seating for 200, where visitors can watch live performances of music and dance.
Daugherty conceded to demand in 2003 and began admitting visitors but only began advertising last year.
Bob McAdams, director of the Scott County Visitors Commission, is one of those wowed by Daugherty and his works.
"It's one of the most spectacular things in the state," said McAdams, who has recently come to know Daugherty personally.
Cathedral Gardens played host to 2,500 visitors in 2004, and Daugherty is hoping to bring in 7,000 this season, which runs May to October. Admission is $12. Daugherty personally leads tours, which depart at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. 1 p.m., 3 p.m. (EDT-fast time). Each section of the Gardens is fully accessible, and visitors may choose to walk the tour or enjoy the sights from one of two golf cart limousines.
In July, visitors will enjoy the blossoming hydrangeas and dahlias. The dozen varieties of pastel waterlillies will also be out in full force. Site-grown plants are sometimes available for purchase.
Cathedral Gardens also began hosting weddings in 2003, and Daugherty expects the opening of the Venetian Garden to expand capacity for weddings from 60 to about 200 guests. In June, Daugherty witnessed another first – a man proposed to his bride at Christ's Garden. "Fortunately, she accepted," he laughed.
Daugherty was reluctant to open his private sanctuary to the public but has been overwhelmed with the quality of visitors. "A large percentage of people are deeply moved by their experience here," he said.
• For more information on Cathedral Gardens, visit www.cathedralgardens.com or call (812) 294-3193.


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Aamir Khan Issues Statement On 'Incredible India', Says He Wasn't Sacked
AllBollywoodCelebscoopHollywoodOriginals
9.4 K Shares
Isha SharmaUpdated on Jan 07, 2016, 18:23 IST
It was after news of Aamir Khan being removed as the Brand Ambassador of Incredible India (because of his comments on intolerance that triggered a nation-wide controversy against him) started making the rounds, that Ministry of Tourism had to issue a statement. Tourism and Culture minister Mahesh Sharma said that Aamir won't feature in the massive campaign to market India with foreign and other tourists because the government's contract (reportedly worth nearly Rs. 3 crores) with advertising agency McCann Erickson had expired.
While both ministry and minister contradicted their own statements on removal of Aamir Khan as the brand ambassador of Incredible India.
It could not give us any clarity. However, Aamir himself chose to clarify the whole hoopla against the matter.
Aamir said:
Star India Pvt. Ltd.
"It is the prerogative of the government to decide whether they need a brand ambassador for any campaign, and if so, who that ambassador should be. I respect the decision of the government to discontinue with my services."
He added,
"I would like to clarify that all public service films I have done till date have all been free of any cost to me."
Khan, who was associated as an Incredible India ambassador for more than a decade further added:
Vaarshikha
"Whether I am brand ambassador or not, India will remain Incredible, and that's the way it should be."
Wow! so much respect for you, Aamir. Some reports also suggest that either Big B or Priyanka Chopra might be roped in as the next brand ambassador.


Each year, CIOFF assures the coordination of about 250 CIOFF Festivals in more than 50 countries reaching some fifty thousand artists. For CIOFF Festival Organizers, this worldwide network represents opportunities of formal and informal contacts for exchange of ideas, for learning from other festivals' experiences and for international cooperation.
The CIOFF Logo expresses the commonly shared cultural objectives, organizational quality and high artistic level of CIOFF Festivals.
All CIOFF Festivals are published in the printed annual CIOFF Calendar of Festivals.
All CIOFF Festivals are presented in the CIOFF web site: list of Festivals or search engine.
All CIOFF Festivals are promoted through the Global CIOFF Network and the annual PR program.
Each CIOFF Festival can have its own promotion page on the CIOFF web site.
In addition to the public information on CIOFF Festivals (Guidelines, Programs on stage, Annual Festivals Calendar, etc.), all CIOFF Festivals receive specific information through their respective National Section and Sector. With the present CIOFF web site, all CIOFF Festivals now have Intranet access to specific Festival Documents.
The Working Group on Training and Education and the Working Group on Children organize regularly conferences and workshops for CIOFF Festival Organizers. Also, during the annual CIOFF World Congress, Open Forums are dedicated to items related to the organizational and the cultural aspects of CIOFF Festivals.
All CIOFF Festivals have direct access to the "Festival Documents" published in Intranet. This chapter includes, among others, the Report on the Festivals, the Report on the Groups and the Problem list.


The Hydrocarb product family has numerous qualities associated with high-brightness ground calcium carbonates (GCC) for almost all paper applications – both for filling and coating.
This product family incorporates all dry calcium carbonates. The products are offered in bulk or in super sacks as well as water-soluble paper bags for easy handling. Drycarb grades are characterized by their low anionic charge, easy storage and excellent shelf life.
Omya's precipitated calcium carbonates (PCC) are designed to meet the specific needs of every customer. Whether aragonitic, rhombohedric or scalenohedric PCCs, or for on-site or off-site use – Omya always supplies the right quality.
Products in the Covercarb product family are characterized by a narrow particle size distribution for maximizing opacity, such as in the creation of perfect physical and optical coverage.
The very fine coating pigments in the Setacarb product family are designed to generate maximum smoothness and gloss, especially for multiple-coated graphical paper.
Special pigments for specific characteristics as for example high coverage or ultra-high absorptive properties.
These special pigments are tailor-made to meet the special demands of super calendered (SC) grades, such as smoothness and gloss.


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Asiatic Bellflower is a perennial herb with blue bell-shaped flowers. Roots are elongated, carrot-like. Stems are erect or ascending, 10-40 cm, branched at base, hairless or sparsely hairy below. Leaves are alternate, mostly on lower part of stem, lowermost sometimes caducous, stalkless or with stalk up to 7 mm. Leaves are spoon-shaped, inverted-lanceshaped, elliptic, or linear, 1-4 cm × 2-8 mm, hairless or sparsely hairy, margin sinuate, sparsely toothed or entire. Flower-stalks are erect, terminal and sometimes axillary, slender, up to 20 cm. Hypanthium is obovoid or conic, glabrous. Sepals are triangular or subulate. Flowers are blue, broadly bell-shaped, 3-12 mm, lobed to 1/3-2/3 the length. Petals are obovate, oblong, or narrowly oblong. Capsule is obconic, obovoid, or subglobose, 3-8 mm. Seeds are yellow-brown or dark brown, oblong or ellipsoid, slightly compressed, 0.3-0.5 mm, smooth. Asiatic Bellflower is found in subtropical Himalayas at altitudes of 600-1400 m, Western Ghats, east to China and S. Japan, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, at altitudes of 600-1400 m. Flowering: February-May.
Identification credit: Satish Phadke, N.S. Dungriyal Photographed at Kodaikanal, TN & Ratanwadi, Maharashtra.


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Candidates grilled on health care platforms, The Chatham Voice, May 15, 2018
Candidates grilled on health care platforms
May 15 • Feature Story, Local News • No Comments on Candidates grilled on health care platforms
Candidates in the upcoming June provincial election took part in their first local debate Thursday night. From left is Liberal Margaret Schleier Stahl, Green Party Mark Vercouteren, NDP Jordan McGrail and sitting PC MPP Rick Nicholls.
In the first official debate for the Chatham-Kent Leamington provincial election candidates, they were asked questions on local health concerns such as water quality, hospital funding and support for children with special needs.
Sponsored by the Chatham-Kent Health Coalition and the local chapter of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO), the debate focused on health care issues with questions from the audience of about 50 people at Smitty's Restaurant in Chatham.
Four candidates attended, including sitting MPP Rick Nicholls (Progressive Conservative), NDP Jordan McGrail, Green Party Mark Vercouteren and Liberal Margaret Schleier Stahl.
With a theme of making sure people of Chatham-Kent have the health care they need and deserve, candidates were given three minutes for opening statements.
Nicholls opened remarks, speaking about the local doctor shortage and his lobbying efforts to have this area designated as underserviced. He said support for doctors and nurses, shortening wait times and ending "hallway health care" are needed for better health care.
A strong social safety net is an important piece of better health care, according to McGrail, who spoke next, in a province as prosperous as Ontario.
Vercouteren said his party's focus is a health-care system that is not a "sick-care system," and that preventative health care needs to be looked at in the big picture in Ontario to reduce costs.
Schleier Stahl said as a social worker for 27 years, she understands the health-care needs in the area. With a health-care system envied by our neighbours to the south, however, she knows there are still areas that need improvement and advocacy.
With questions from the audience, such as how would each party pay for improvements to health care funding, Vercouteren answered that the Green Party has a fully costed platform.
"Tax the bad and keep the good. There are going to be big problems to deal with when marijuana is legalized and we will need to deal with those," he noted.
Schleier Stahl defended the Liberal record on health care, saying wait times are better than across Canada here and there are no more smog days in the riding, along with lower unemployment.
Nicholls said Conservative leader Doug Ford has committed to creating efficiencies, eliminating waste and going over the budget line by line to identify savings.
"The Liberal government spent $1 billion on e-health and we still don't have electronic medical records," he said as an example of government waste. "There has been a mismanagement of health-care dollars and there is no money because of mismanagement of your tax dollars."
McGrail said one thing her party would not do is support P3 (public-private partnerships) which cost jobs and money and hurt service to Ontarians.
Schleier Stahl said she agrees preventative measures are important to reducing health-care costs and increasing the health of Ontarians, and more funding is needed.
On water quality, each candidate expressed concern for the issues faced by Dover and Chatham township well owners with dirty wells and committed to a call for a health hazard investigation into the effects of drinking water with black shale particles in it and agreed those in government at each level should be held accountable.


text:
Ryan Owen on May 23, 2019
Hackers often target the email and social media accounts of the rich and famous. Why? Because they're easy targets and a quick way to get a lot of fame. The public and private lives of celebrities and politicians are often open books. Even the most private ones share a lot of their personal lives with the world.
Most of us who watch this unfold are good-hearted, nice people who genuinely care about the people behind these larger-than-life personas. But, it just takes one bad apple in the orchard. And sometimes, there are many bad apples.
These bad apples hack into the email and social media accounts of celebrities and politicians and expose their personal photographs or communications to the world.
This happened in 2014 when some 500 photos of mostly female celebrities, many showing nudity, were hacked from private iCloud accounts and shared to cyberspace. Then, it happened twice more in 2017. And, if you want more examples, you don't have to look far.
Why and How Does This Keep Happening?
In corporate circles, we often use the fraud triangle as a framework in explaining why and how people commit fraud. For fraud to occur, so goes the explanation, three factors must exist: motive, rationalization and opportunity. Let's examine how these relate to the hackings of high-profile accounts:
Fraudsters have to want to commit fraud. Here, it's pretty easy to guess that these fraudsters were motivated by the fame and notoriety that come with high-profile exploits that get many shares across the internet and generate accolades in certain circles.
Fraudsters need to justify the fraud so that they can live with themselves. Fraudsters are human. They need to rationalize their behavior within their own heads. While we may never know why they hack, we can guess. They may have concluded that the celebrities somehow deserved these hacks. Or, maybe the fraudsters decided that they had so much fame and money already that they somehow would not care.
Fraudsters have to be able to commit the fraud. If there's no way to do it, you can't have a fraud – even if the fraudster wants to do it and has come to peace with doing it.
Putting It All Together: Why It Matters
We can't really control what people want to do, and how or if they will justify fraud within their own minds. We can make it harder to commit fraud, though – through removing the opportunity side of the fraud triangle.
As the news of the hacked celebrity photos broke in 2014, the race to find out how explored causes like breaches to Apple's iCloud service and a Cloud API security weakness that allowed unlimited guessing of account passwords. Eventually, though, it came down to spear phishing – a tactic where fraudsters mine the personal information of celebrities to make guesses at their security questions, or even their passwords.
Spear phishing isn't anything new. Hacking into someone's account by guessing the answers to their security questions dates to at least the turn of the century. In 2004, hackers broke into Paris Hilton's T-Mobile account when they correctly guessed that her favorite pet's name was Tinkerbell.
The Trouble with Security Questions
The responses to security questions never change, and they're pretty easy to guess. After all, it's not hard to learn the maiden name of a celebrity's mother, the street where he or she was born, or the elementary school the celebrity attended. Someone did just that when he hacked into Sarah Palin's Yahoo! Email account in 2008, just by using information found through common internet searches.
It's easy to figure this out for ordinary, everyday people too, and that's not even considering the proliferation of odd Facebook quizzes out there who want you to post the name of your first-grade teacher, or your childhood phone number. Add to this to the hacks of security questions themselves and you start to feel a lot less secure that this form of authentication is still around in 2019.
Despite the Problems…
It's hard to give up on security questions. After all, when a user forgets a password, how else can you easily confirm someone's identity?
Users seem to agree. 38% of US respondents to Experian's 2019 Global Identity Fraud Report still name security questions as a top-three authentication method, just behind passwords.
Companies do too. The same report went on to state that passwords, PIN codes and security questions are the authentication controls most often implemented by companies across almost all regions of the world, including the US.
Beyond Security Questions – What's Next?
Despite the inertia to move on from security questions, the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) removed security questions from its list of recommended authentication techniques in 2017. Also, companies are exploring high-tech alternatives like biometric technologies and multimodal authentication. Still though, even now in 2019, Apple's iCloud service still relies partially on security questions as an authentication method, even though they suggest that users change to a two-factor authentication method. For the record, while EPRIVO does ask for responses to security questions, this is only done as part of a two-factor authentication process.
What can we do in the meantime? The vulnerabilities inherent in security questions can be addressed in several ways:
Lie. We don't actually have to use our mother's maiden name, or the actual street we grew up on when answering security questions. And, it might be better not to, or to even generate random combinations of letters and numbers instead.
Make security questions harder to guess and/or research. Instead of asking for a mother's maiden name or the name of our elementary school, the security question could ask for the last four digits of our passport number, the city where a best friend lives or for a childhood phone number.
Add a unique, user-specific modifier to responses. Here, security questions can still ask for a pet's name. However, when we post a response, we can add a personal code to the name, e.g., Tinkerbell25, or 25Tinkerbell, or even Tinker25bell.
Freeze the account after multiple failed responses. After a set number of failed responses, the account locks and we would need to unlock it before gaining access again.
Implement two-factor authentication. When available, always opt for two-factor authentication over single-factor methods.
Security questions exist to allow users to recover their accounts, and to keep the bad guys out. Without venturing into the territory of biometrics checks or physical tokens (which open up other vulnerabilities and inconveniences), they can still work. But, as always, proceed with caution. Simply put, security is still not perfect … even in 2019!
Security questions may have made sense in a world where much less of our identities was online. These days, with perhaps more of our lives online than off, it's time to look toward new authentication methods. There will always be celebrities, and there will also be incentives for someone to hack into their private lives, but new technologies and the smarter use of current ones will minimize opportunities for would-be fraudsters and reduce their ability to succeed in their online exploits.
Download EPRIVO Encrypted Private Email App for free. EPRIVO works with your existing email address, and allows you to privatize old emails from any email account.