They're disconnected from learning and subsequently disconnected from the business.
Earlier this year, when we were in the inception stages of our products, we undertook some market research with OnePoll to better understand learner sentiment and truly understand what it is they desire. We wanted to know what the learner experience is really like. You may ask yourself why we bothered to undertake this survey at all – there's loads of research out there already, right?
In just the past year alone, we've observed mountains of research undertaken to identify the challenges L&D are experiencing. The likes of Fosway, Towards Maturity and the Learning and Performance Institute have all done ample research on the sentiment and problems of L&D as a function. Skills shortages, shrinking budgets, digital transformation and shifting learner sentiment are all cited as common problems. These are well known and well documented.
But that still leaves a huge question: "What kind of experiences do your learners want? What challenges do they have?" Do we have any idea what problems our learners have with the learning they receive or indeed how they feel about the experiences they are having? How does the technology we are using help or hinder those sentiments? Are we giving them the consumer-grade experiences we know they are expecting?
The answer is probably, sadly, no.
Following from market research and a survey of employees from across the country, we've taken the time to really understand what your learners think about training. The result is our 2018 Learner Engagement Report; because their voices deserve to be heard too. After all, L&D's primary focus is always on the learner, right? So why is our focus always on solving L&D's problems, rather than the learners?
Data doesn't lie – and it's something we hold in extremely high regard here at Thrive. We've used this data extensively to inform the direction and scope of the products we're building, ensuring that it aligns to what people actually want and expect from learning. Data was the only way to do that.
Because, let's be honest. These days, gut instinct just isn't enough. The world has changed so much, so quickly, that our intuition and natural assumptions are rarely accurate. We all know that well-known phrase about assuming – and truthfully, it's never been more relevant. It's 2018. We need to rely on facts and data to help us remain constantly informed, up-to-date and aware of what our learners want and need. No longer should we be acting on some whimsy we had on an errant Tuesday around the water cooler (are water coolers still a thing?).
Recent research suggests that 73% of organisations who adopt a data-driven approach across the entire business said they have already received measurable value from these initiatives. It's high time we do more to better understand our learners; it's the first step in delivering better standards of training and an improvement to their overall learning experience. And judging by the results of our survey – a lot of us would do well to focus on that.
In the past decade, L&D has worked extremely hard to better align workplace learning experiences with the digital experiences learners have outside of work. The corporate learning market, currently valued at over $130 billion, has witnessed the evolution of learning needs that far surpass what traditional learning approaches and systems have to offer. These days, businesses are trying to offer a digitally enabled learning experience which supports and promotes a social, collaborative and interactive learning environment with outdated tech, legacy approaches and irrelevant systems.
And, according to our research, it's just not working.
We've got to be honest. It's a pretty mixed bag out there. The performance amongst businesses when it comes to employee engagement and meeting expectations is highly varied. It's staggering to see such sweeping variations in performance, but it's probably also to be expected. Age demographics, IT infrastructures and leadership are just a handful of the huge variables affecting a business' ability to deliver learning which is aligned to learner expectations.
Our survey gave us some fascinating insight into the attitudes that learners have about training in a workplace environment, but has also allowed us to glean how the learner experience correlates with sentiments of trust, job satisfaction and even overall sense of connectivity to the business.
Although assumed, it's actually not true that every business trains their staff. Believe it or not, we were staggered when we learned that 16% of our respondents said that they do not receive any training from their employer. Here we are talking about sophisticated social learning, artificial intelligence and personalisation and some businesses don't even have classroom training.
A broad range of training mediums may well be on offer at work, but according to our research we've found that many are still failing to offer adequate training to their people. 36% of employees said to us that they feel they need further training for their current role. Could it be that a breadth of training is offered but it's ineffective? Or rather that many just aren't delivering adequate training to their people?
Modern learning experiences and technology are still not quite as ubiquitous as we think. In fact, it appears that good old classroom training is still a staple for many businesses, with over 55% of learners saying they receive it. It was the most common training mode for those surveyed, closely followed by elearning, with 53% of respondents undertaking it.
We found it interesting that video learning had a presence in many training strategies; nearly one quarter of businesses (23%) now use it. Perhaps video learning is no longer a novel idea for L&D; it's being used and taken seriously by many, according to our research.
Video has surged in popularity over the last decade. According to Cisco, video will comprise a whopping 80% of all internet traffic by 2019. Not only this, but video has also become an indispensable tool for a variety of use cases in just about any type of business. In fact, Gartner predicts that by the end of this year, 75% of workers at large businesses will interact with various kinds of video more than three times daily.
Video makes training material easier for people to consume and remember. It's easier to use, cheap to create (especially if you are using user generated content too) and much more effective at keeping your learners' attention. It's no surprise why it's rising in popularity.
This is just a brief glimpse into how learners are currently learning at work. It looks alright from here, 'modern' experiences being offered in the guise of elearning, digital documents and video training (in spite of our obvious proclivity for classroom training aside). But is that what your employees want? Is that how they'd really choose to learn, if they had the choice?
The problem is, they don't have the choice and our research suggests that learners are contending with some huge challenges in the workplace which are stymying their ability to access, engage with and indeed learn from training content. Their learner experience is completely different to what they want and expect, and it's causing real problems for them.
Want to find out what those problems are? This article is an excerpt from our 2018 Learner Engagement Report, download it today to learn more about what your teams really want.


The end of "Arenal Effect".
OOIIO Architecture wins Special Mention in the "Europan 14″, the most important urban architecture competition for young architects at an international level. The project was presented as a comic, exploring new forms of architectural representation.
The proposed site for the Urban Refurbishment Contest is one of the axes marked by the current General Plan to become a pedestrian zone and its enhancement, improving the connection of the beach with the neighbourhood in which the people of El Arenal actually lives.
The town is currently a "tourist ghetto" known for its offer of sun + beach + party, attracting low quality tourism that shows no interest in local culture and is displacing the usual inhabitants.
In the environment there are a series of urban problems as a disused commercial centre that nevertheless presents a great potential as a container of future activities and is the link element between the tourist world and the local world.
Mass tourism is temporary (visitors arrive only in the months of good weather) and generates multiple challenges: urban, environmental, social, economic and cultural. How to continue attracting tourism and be, at the same time, sustainable and attractive for the local population? How to articulate the improvement of an urban axis with the capacity to relate tourism and the local world with the rest of the city?
How to get an Urban Refurbishment that end up with the bad touristic reputation of El Arenal Beach, that is affecting the rest of the international image of Mallorca as a vacation destiny? How to end up with the "Arenal Effect"?
OOIIO Architecture proposes to solve all those problems a battery of urban interventions that act on the different problematic city places with the target of regenerating El Arenal and transforming it from a conflictive destination of sun and beach tourism to an attractive place by its own socio-cultural offer.
Some days a week there is a street market that attracts people from other places, we propose to praise the multiple social, cultural and economic virtues of such a market and generate infrastructures to encourage their development; in the city there are large vertical dividing walls due to an unequal urban growth with the appearance of blocks of hotel buildings next to single-family homes, we encourage working with art on them; demolish part of the commercial centre in disuse favouring the connectivity between the beach and the urban centre; we transform a parking lot into a square full of palm trees and shadows to attract users; etc.
"The search for a way to communicate and explain the project in a different format is recognized positively, as a process from which a program and a final form will emerge. The main problems to be solved by the project are clearly explained and an open system based on the dialogue and participation of different agents is proposed giving, in a synthetic way and in a certain abstract way, proposed solutions. The most important thing is the proposal of a process ".
Location: El Arenal, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Team: Joaquin Millán Villamuelas, Jesús Reyes García, Paolo Mercorillo, Marta Álvarez Cerviño, Kelly Guerim, Magali Chermette.
Client: Palma Beach Council. Europan 14.


Last month, Google released a list of top 1,000 websites on Google Ad Planner to showcase the traffic and stats of these sites to advertisers. This list is having all the well known sites with traffic more than 4.1 million unique visitors a month. This announcement was made on AdWords blog where Google update its advertisers with new announcements.
Checkout the complete list here.
How To Check Traffic of Other Websites?
You can check traffic of any other website on Google Ad planner as well. Go ahead and enter the URL of the website in the input box provided on the Google Ad Planner home page. You can see whether that website accepts advertisement, what is monthly traffic of the site etc.


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COVID-19 in Illinois by the numbers: Here's a daily update on cases, positivity rate and hospital data in your area
Credit Hillary Clinton for the Cuba deal
By By Josh Rogin
From 2009 until her departure in early 2013, Hillary Clinton and her top aides took the lead on the sometimes public, often private interactions with the Cuban government. (ORLANDO SIERRA, AFP/Getty Images)
Although President Barack Obama is taking the credit for the historic deal to reverse decades of U.S. policy toward Cuba, when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, she was the main architect of the new policy and pushed far harder for a deal than the Obama White House.
From 2009 until her departure in early 2013, Clinton and her top aides took the lead on the sometimes public, often private interactions with the Cuban government. According to current and former White House and State Department officials and several Cuba policy experts who were involved in the discussions, Clinton was also the top advocate inside the government for ending travel and trade restrictions on Cuba and reversing 50 years of U.S. policy to isolate the Communist island nation. She repeatedly pressed the White House to move faster and faced opposition from cautious high-ranking White House officials.
After Obama announced the deal, which included the release of aid contractor Alan Gross, Clinton issued a supportive statement distributed by the National Security Council press team. "As secretary of state, I pushed for his release, stayed in touch with Alan's wife Judy and their daughters, and called for a new direction in Cuba," she said. "Despite good intentions, our decades-long policy of isolation has only strengthened the Castro regime's grip on power."
Yet Clinton played down her own role in the issue, which will surely become important if she decides to run for president. Top prospective Republican candidates, including Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, have all come out against the president's policy shift.
Clinton's advocacy on behalf of opening a new relationship with Cuba began almost as soon as she came into office. Obama had campaigned on a promise to engage enemies, but the White House was initially slow to make good on that pledge and on the Cuba front enacted only a modest relaxation of travel rules. From the start, Clinton pushed to hold Obama to his promise with regard to Cuba.
"Hillary Clinton played a very large role," said Steven Clemons, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation who advocated for changes to U.S.-Cuba policy. "The president, when he ran for office and when he came in, thought that doing something on the Cuba front would be smart. But as soon as he got into office, though, every other priority hit him."
Obama first met Cuban President Raul Castro in April 2009 at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago and announced he wanted to discuss changes in U.S. policy toward the Havana government. But the president faced criticism when he got back to Washington, also because he had shaken hands with then-Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez.
"After that experience at the Summit of the Americas, the White House feet had been burned, they basically didn't do much. The National Security Council didn't do anything, but the State Department continued to try hard," Clemons said.
After the initial easing of the travel ban, the administration had prepared a second batch of measures to expand travel and trade licenses. But shortly before an expected announcement, the White House got cold feet and shelved the initiative, according to people briefed by the White House. Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee had persuaded White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett to intervene at the last moment. Clinton was displeased but undeterred.
"Cuba was on her mind. I know that she raised it a number of times. The White House wasn't ready to move, but she kept that in play," Clemons said.
Arturo Valenzuela was assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs and Clinton's point man on Cuba at the time. He worked with Ricardo Zuniga, who was the head of the department's Office of Cuba Affairs, behind the scenes to meet with Cuban officials in 2009, 2010 and 2011 to explore ways to move forward.
"There was no question that there was strong support in the State Department for liberalizing some of the restrictions, and Secretary Clinton was quite clear about that," Valenzuela told me. "I asked Zuniga, with the secretary of state's blessing, to draft some further liberalizations of the travel ban, and that led to a significant shift of the opening up of general licenses."
Clinton also directed Valenzuela to talk personally with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez in New York in October 2010. But one serious impediment to a grand bargain with the Cuban government remained: The Cubans refused to consider releasing Gross, whom they accused of spying.
Nevertheless, throughout 2011, Clinton and her team continued to press the White House to take further steps on Cuba. In early 2011, frustrated by what she saw as resistance from the Obama political advisers as well as the NSC staff, Clinton met personally with the president and nudged him to keep going.
"The pushback was coming from the White House staff. The issue was for Hillary to say to Obama, 'Hey listen, your folks are going too slow on this, and we need to move forward on this,'" said a former administration official who was involved in those discussions. "There was a lot of reluctance in the White House to do that at the time because of various kinds of domestic problems. If it hadn't been for the State Department and her leadership, then these reforms might not have happened."
Finally, in 2012, Clinton made one more big push for faster movement to overhaul the relationship. At the Summit of the Americas that April in Cartagena, Colombia, Clinton was repeatedly harangued by Latin American leaders about Washington's insistence that Cuba not be allowed to participate. Clinton was blindsided by the unanimity of this criticism, including such staunch U.S. allies as Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who had personally pressed Obama on the issue.
"It's evident to me that Cartagena was a wake-up call for then-Secretary Clinton," said Julia Sweig, a Cuba scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations. "She had a head-snapping experience there and came to see the unanimity of the Latin American view such that recovery of American standing in the region really ran through Havana."
After returning to Washington, Clinton directed her head of policy planning, Jake Sullivan, to work up several options to lay out a policy approach and present it to the president. The result was, in essence, what Obama announced on Wednesday, a source close to the process said.
In June 2013, after his re-election, Obama made the personal decision to pursue a grand bargain with the Cubans. Talks moved to Canada and were placed in the hands of White House staffers, including Zuniga, who had moved over to the NSC from the State Department. Clinton was gone, but Obama picked up her ball and ran with it.
In her book "Hard Choices," Clinton wrote that she asked Obama to "take another look" at the U.S. embargo on Cuba, which she described as ineffective and harmful to America's standing across the region. In that sense, she owned up to the position she held while she was in office, even if she didn't reveal the extent of her involvement.
Nobody knows if Cuba will follow the path of countries like Vietnam, where economic engagement has been followed by a degree of political opening, or China, which reaps the benefits of capitalism while maintaining strict domestic repression. Clinton is betting on the former.
Either way, if she does run for president in 2016, Republicans can cast the new policy as her policy, not Obama's. She was a major author of the effort and will rightly be the recipient of the credit, or the blame, depending on what happens in Cuba between now and then.
Josh Rogin is a Bloomberg View columnist who writes about national security and foreign affairs.
Valerie Jarrett
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Get the latest on Techstars Startup Weekend, Bothell, and other local events through Techstars Startup Digest.
Ever wondered what it takes to be an entrepreneur in Health? Want to impact medical devices, healthcare IT, wearables, biotech, fitness, CROs or life sciences?
A participant t-shirt and lots of fun SWAG!
20+ year technologist including 19 years at Microsoft, she played a myriad of roles from Office team member, Windows XP leader, and technology strategist for Ray Ozzie, the Chief Software Architect. Making the leap from a large corporation to the start-up world, she joined Illuminate Ventures in 2010 as Executive in Residence. After helping manage both parents through serious medical conditions at the end of their lives, Rebecca started Health123, because she is passionate about what technology can do to make the world a healthier place.
Henry is a technology and consumer electronics guru and advisor. He has 20+ years of engineering, marketing, business, and product experience with Fortune 500 companies in 3 continents. Henry is the creator, inventor, and founder of FenSens – first wireless aftermarket sensor for cars – which won 1st place in 2014 Kirkland Startup Weekend. Since then, Henry has been involved with various startup communities and events. He is currently managing technical marketing at Wacom for OEM and ecosystem partners to provide best-in-class digital ink and pen technology. He also manages partnerships for TEDxSeattle 2019. Henry holds a Computer and Systems Engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Mr. Shea has held a broad range of executive leadership positions over his thirty-three year career in the healthcare industry. His unique experience spanned both domestic and overseas assignments in research, product development, sales, marketing, distribution, and manufacturing. With early career experience at Johnson & Johnson and Abbott Laboratories, Mr. Shea expanded his professional portfolio with several successful early-stage companies including Stericycle (SRCL), a healthcare service provider, and Spiration (Olympus Respiratory America), a respiratory medical device company.
Mr. Shea earned his BS in marketing from Nichols College. He currently serves as a Board Member for the University of Washington, Bothell, and as a Special Advisor to the Dean, School of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math.
With over 20 years of medical product experience, Maren has experience in product development, medical product software, product manufacturing, and quality systems. She enjoys the energy, enthusiasm, and new approaches from startup medical companies, and has recently worked with Shift Labs and Heart Test Laboratories. She previously worked at Physio-Control in Redmond. She currently consults in medical product and quality system development, and is a Senior Project advisor at Seattle University. Maren has a degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford and an executive MBA from Seattle U. She serves on the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Advisory Board at Seattle U, and is a member of the medical angel investing group WINGS.
Shanika is a practical, result-oriented, hands-on legal counsel and business advisor to Founders/CEOs and technologists. Shanika has 15 years of in-house and law firm experience that includes clients from a variety of industries including technology. While counseling clients from F100 enterprises to startups, when Shanika got tired and lonely with paperwork, she took an active role in shaping the lives of the startups and their founding teams. This helped her to see what it looks like to be on the 'other side' of the table. Now she spends time at both Startups and in the law firm. While helping several of her clients on the practical challenges associated with fund raising, she developed a passion for startup funding and became an angel investor herself. She is also an active participant in the startup community in bringing enterprise talent to the start-up world. Shanika's expertise includes product development, technology counseling, licensing (mobile apps, hardware, and distribution), securing intellectual property, corporate law, financing and outside general counsel services.
Stefan is an instructor in the Biomedical Regulatory Affairs program at University of Washington and the Manager of Quality and Analytics at Quorum Review. Quorum Review provided regulatory consulting and IRB services to pharmaceutical and medical device companies internationally.
Stefan is passionate about mobile medical apps, medical devices, bringing a product to market, and working with the FDA (if you have to).
Andrew Klein has been working with startups and emerging growth companies for over 10 years as a founder and as an outside advisor for both the entrepreneurial team and their investors. In this capacity he has managed the strategic operations and funding of companies in a variety of industries with specific expertise in SaaS, Healthcare, Hospitality & Consumer Products, and Energy/Construction. Companies with Andrew's direct involvement have raised almost $70 million in debt and equity. He also has a strong passion for entrepreneurship and connecting people together as shown in his involvement as a TechStars Alumni, mentor at 9Mile Labs Accelerator, teacher at General Assembly, and in running the meetup group Cigars & Startups. He holds a BS in accounting and an MBA focused on entrepreneurial finance both from Seattle University.
Neil is a serial entrepreneur focused on bringing entrepreneurship to the enterprise as a management consultant. He's currently building innovation ecosystems at large healthcare organizations to equip leadership and staff with the tools and methodologies necessary to listen, ideate, prototype and test new products, services and business models. Prior to consulting, Neil was the Managing Director of SURF Incubator which supported more than 200 tech startups, orchestrated 500+ events and collaborated with 30 corporate partners to drive entrepreneurial innovation in Seattle.
Punar Singh has been doing start ups since he was a junior at the University of Washingon, and has been professionally been involved in the startup world for over 7 years. He has founded Health based, as well as B2B SAAS start ups, and also runs an online marketing agency that consults with companies like Microsoft (and multiple early stage ventures) with their customer acquisition strategies, without them spending a fortune (AdvertiseFlow.com) and also is the founder of KiwanaTea.Com, which makes luxury green tea blends mixed with saffron and multiple exotic spices.
Melanie DePaoli works with companies and organizations to build brands worthy of going viral.She has in-depth knowledge of how culture, branding and operations intersect to impact a company's bottom line and influence your community building loyalty. She is an internationally recognized author of three books on culture driven brands.
As a national speaker, DePaoli speaks on topics about brand experience, customer experience, company culture, and social media. As founder and Brand Catalyst of Omicle LLC, she is a sought-after speaker. For more on Mel DePaoli, please visit www.omicle.com.
Shauna has managed innovation, communications, research, community relations and social/digital media strategies for companies, non-profits and elected officials. She has 15 years of experience, starting her career with the Seattle Mariners Baseball Team when she was in high school. She's had leadership roles at Fox Sports Net, Warner Brothers, Comcast, Nordstrom, Google (via PwC) and Decide.com. After working on the sale of Decide.com to eBay in late 2013, Shauna joined UP Global (Startup Weekend, Startup America), a company she'd been volunteering with for four years, as VP of Marketing. Shauna has appeared on ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, Bloomberg West and Marie Claire Magazine as an ecommerce and startup analyst. Shauna serves on several nonprofit boards: Seattle's NPR (KUOW), Leadership Tomorrow, and Social Media Club Seattle. She's a competitive cyclist and beach volleyball player.
David has been on the forefront of medical device innovation for 15yrs. He has developed many novel devices as an engineer, as a project manager, and in business development.
Dan is a web and mobile app developer, and technical advisor with 20 years experience building custom software solutions for a variety of businesses, including Mattel, Birds Eye Foods, and North American Breweries. From 2000 to 2010, Dan was co-founder and partner at clevermethod, a local web development company, which he helped grow to a Fortune 5000 business. In 2010 Dan launched You and Who, a buy-one-give-one social good company that helps people in need across the U.S. You and Who now focuses on its line "26 Shirts", an initiative founded by Del Reid that Del and Dan lead - a limited edition shirt released every 2 weeks with $8 from every sale going to help a family in need or foundation. In 2014, Dan joined 19 IDEAS as a partner and is Digital Director for the growing marketing communications company leading their digital projects and business development.
Named one of Buffalo Business First's '40 Under 40' in 2013, Dan is a tireless advocate for the start-up and tech community in Western New York. He is a founding organizer for Startup Weekend Buffalo, and co-chair for BarCamp Buffalo 2014. Dan has served on several non-profit boards, including March of Dimes, American Cancer Society and InfoTech Niagara. He has given numerous talks to computer programming and business classes at Buffalo State College and State University of New York at Buffalo, and was a featured speaker at the 2014 TEDxYouth@Buffalo event. At Buffalo Startup Weekend 2014, Dan pitched and led the first place team, Three Square Meals, a working food-centric mobile app that was developed in 54 hours.
Josh facilitates all aspects of the entrepreneur application process from initial submission through screening, presentation at the Keiretsu Forum investor meetings, and due diligence. He works closely with entrepreneurs while helping them achieve their goals through the mindshare atmosphere at Keiretsu Forum and access to capital. Josh also collaborates closely with the Keiretsu Forum global team on sharing best practices and deal flow. He is active in the Pacific Northwest entrepreneur eco-system and collaborates closely with key entrepreneur partner organizations.
Experienced professional able to utilize broad engineering and medical background to assist with all steps of product design from conception and market research through clinical trials and regulatory approval.
Joe Hage leads the world's largest Medical Devices Group, the industry's only spam-free, curated forum for intelligent conversations with medical device thought leaders. Mr. Hage's medical device marketing services help companies engage qualified prospects and his 10x Medical Device Conference unites Medical Devices Group members in an intimate and educational forum each year.
The Bothell StartUp Weekend HEALTH team is grateful for the support of local community partners without whom this event would not be possible.
UW Bothell has opened its doors to Health Startup Weekend. Exciting things are happening at this campus!
Techstars Startup Weekend Bothell is 100% led by volunteer community leaders.


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The Best 5-Year CD Rates in 2019
Lauren Perez
Lauren is a Savings Writer at MagnifyMoney and DepositAccounts.com, focused on the latest banking news and providing the best banking recommendations. Lauren graduated from the University of Rochester.
"> Lauren Perez
Five-year CDs offer some of the highest savings interest rates available. In exchange for keeping your money on deposit for half a decade, banks are willing to dole out higher returns on these long-term accounts. For example, in May, the average 1-year CD interest rate is 1.38% APY and the average 3-year CD rate is 1.86% APY, compared to the average 5-year CD rate of 2.24% APY.
Longer-term CDs do exist, but even their yields don't often exceed 5-year CD rates these days. The highest yield on a CD of six or more years is 3.45% APY, though the next best rate comes in at 3.25% APY. 5-year CDs are also useful components to a CD ladder. When you build a ladder with CDs maturing a year apart, you can renew each one into a 5-year CD at maturity. This locks in the higher long-term rates for years to come.
To make sure you're getting the best CD rates, MagnifyMoney has uncovered the highest 5-year CD rates available nationwide. Using data from DepositAccounts.com, similar to MagnifyMoney, a LendingTree owned company, we found that the best 5-year CD rates earned well above the national average interest rate for 5-year CDs. We also took minimum deposit requirements into consideration, to check for wider customer availability.
The 10 best 5-year CD rates in 2019
Minimum deposit amount
First National Bank of America
3.35% $1,000
The Federal Savings Bank
3.30% $10,000
Affinity Plus FCU
3.25% $500
Main Street Bank
Sun East FCU
Tampa Bay FCU
Presidential Bank
Superior Choice Credit Union
Georgia Banking Company
Citizens State Bank
First National Bank of America — 3.35% APY, $1,000 minimum deposit
At the top of the list is First National Bank of America with its high-yield 60 Months CD. It requires a minimum opening deposit of $1,000.
First National Bank of America was first founded in 1955 as First National Bank of East Lansing, becoming the name we know today in 1998. The family-owned company is based in Michigan and has three branches in the state.
The Federal Savings Bank — 3.30% APY, $10,000 minimum deposit
To earn the highest rate on this list, you'll need at least $10,000 to spare, as this is the minimum opening deposit required to open a Federal Savings Bank 5-year CD. The penalty for an early withdrawal from this account equals one year of interest.
Established in 2000, the Federal Savings Bank is veteran-owned and focuses heavily on mortgage lending throughout all 50 U.S. states. It has two retail banking branches in the Chicago area.
Affinity Plus FCU — 3.25% APY, $500 minimum deposit
To start earning at Affinity Plus FCU's competitive rate on a 60-month basic certificate, you'll need an opening deposit of at least $500. Early withdrawals from this account may trigger a penalty of 365 days' worth of dividends.
Your Affinity Plus FCU membership eligibility depends on the organization where you're employed or volunteer, your school or place of residence, work or worship or through eligible/current members; you can also easily join by making a one-time $25 donation to the Affinity Plus Foundation. Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union was founded in 1930 and is currently headquartered in St. Paul, Minn.
Main Street Bank — 3.25% APY, $500 minimum deposit
Main Street Bank offers a great rate on its 60-month CD (and its 3-year CD) for a low minimum deposit of $500. An early withdrawal from this account will land you a penalty of 180 days' worth of interest.
Founded in 2005, Main Street Bank is headquartered in Bingham Farms, Mich., and has a few branches in the Detroit area.
Sun East FCU — 3.25% APY, $500 minimum deposit
At Sun East FCU, you only need $500 to start saving through a 60-month certificate of deposit. Plus, Sun East insures your deposits up to $500,000. The penalty for early withdrawals will depend on when during the term you make your withdrawal, according to Sun East FCU customer service.
Founded in 1949 by Sun Oil Company employees, Sun East serves members throughout Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Sun East FCU membership depends on your place of residence, family members, employer or community, though you can also join with a $10 donation to the Sun East Charitable Foundation.
Tampa Bay FCU — 3.25% APY, $500 minimum deposit
You can earn Tampa Bay FCU's high 60-month share certificate rate on all balances starting at $500. The penalty for making an early withdrawal from this account will be six months of last dividends earned.
Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union was founded in 1935 by City of Tampa workers and was originally called Tampa City Employees Credit Union. Today, membership at Tampa Bay FCU is open to employees at select companies, select association members and members/residents of certain areas and organizations. You may also qualify through a current member or by joining Prime Time Club with a one-time, non-refundable $5 fee.
Presidential Bank — 3.25% APY, $1,000 minimum deposit
You'll need a slightly higher minimum deposit to open a Presidential Bank CD which requires at least $1,000. The bank will assess a penalty of 24 months' worth of interest on any early withdrawal you make from its 5-year CD — the largest penalty listed here.
Presidential Bank was founded in 1985. Its main office is located in Bethesda, Md., with a handful of branches in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
Superior Choice Credit Union — 3.25% APY, $10,000 minimum deposit
While you only need $2,500 to open a Superior Choice Credit Union 5-year share certificate, you'll need at least $10,000 to earn at its most competitive rate. All other balances will earn at a lower APY. According to Superior Choice Credit Union customer service, making an early withdrawal from this account will result in a percentage of your balance being charged as a penalty, including accrued interest.
Superior Choice Credit Union was established in 1932. It has a handful of branches in near its Superior, Wisc., headquarters, including one in nearby Duluth, Minn. You can also access over 30,000 fee-free ATMs and 5,000 branches nationwide and in Canada through the CO-OP Network.
Georgia Banking Company — 3.20% APY, $500 minimum deposit
Georgia Banking Company's 5-year certificate closes out our list. You'll need a $500 minimum deposit to start earning at the given interest rate. The bank's early withdrawal penalty equals six months interest.
Georgia Banking Company was established in 1998, and currently has two branches in the Atlanta metro area.
Citizens State Bank — 3.20% APY, $1,000 minimum deposit
To get started with one of Citizens State Bank's handful of Certificates of Deposit, including its high-yield 60 Month Term, you'll need to deposit at least $1,000. The penalty on an early withdrawal from a 60 Month Term CD will equal 12 months interest on the amount withdrawn.
Chartered in 1958, Citizens State Bank offers its products nationwide through its virtual banking platform, CSBdirect.com. The bank is headquartered in Perry, Fla. and offers its nationwide customers convenient online, mobile and widespread ATM access.
5-year CDs vs. savings accounts
If you're simply looking for the highest rates available, 5-year CDs are going to seem much more appealing than a savings account. Even the best savings accounts can't quite reach the 5-year CD rates you'll find above. Plus, 5-year CDs lock in their rates at opening for the term of the investment, guaranteeing your rate of return. This can make for a great savings vehicle for conservative investors, who don't want to ride the waves of an ever-changing economy.
Looking at the numbers, a $5,000 deposit into a 5-year CD at 3.25% APY (the most common rate in our list) would result in $882 of extra savings at maturity. Meanwhile, making a $5,000 deposit into one of the best savings accounts at 2.25% APY lands you with nearly $595 in savings after five years.
Savings accounts do provide easier access to your money, though. If you find yourself in a pinch suddenly, you can make a quick ACH transfer online or a withdrawal at a branch or ATM. Withdrawing from CDs isn't as easy, especially when you account for the money you'll lose to early withdrawal penalties. As you can see from the accounts above, early withdrawals from a 5-year CD can result in the loss of six months' to two years' worth of interest.
5-year CDs vs. other investment options
Investing in individual bonds — Treasury, municipal, or corporate — can be a solid alternative to saving with 5-year CDs. Non-Treasury bonds do have some risk by default as they don't have the FDIC/NCUA insurance coverage limits. You can use these bonds to build a ladder similar to a CD ladder, so each bond matures a year or so apart.
An alternative to creating a bond ladder is to invest in a mutual fund or ETF of bonds. Unlike a ladder, however, the value of a bond mutual fund or ETF does fluctuate with interest rates. So when interest rates go up, the value of those investments will drop and vice versa.
The best way to maximize your 5-year CD investment
If you're putting away money for five years, you're going to want to make it worthwhile. For starters, CDs are best for those who have already maxed out their other savings accounts and have their emergency savings in a liquid savings account for easy access. They're also better if you have a higher deposit to stash away. That will earn more interest in the long term for more tangible savings.
For example, placing $1,000 in a 5 year CD with a 3.25% APY will yield about $176 in savings by the end. Making a $10,000 deposit, on the other hand, lands you with a little over $1,764 in interest. That $176 is a good chunk of change, but you should make sure it's enough to justify stashing away $1,000 now instead of perhaps waiting to make a larger deposit.
A great way to utilize a 5-year CD is to include it in a CD ladder. A 5-year, five-CD ladder is a standard and easy-to-track method of saving. You open five CDs, each maturing a year apart. Once a CD matures, you renew it as a new 5-year CD. Eventually, all your CDs will be 5-year accounts, maturing a year apart. You can also choose to withdraw your money whenever an account matures if you need to use those funds. This allows you to take advantage of the longer terms' higher rates and bigger savings.
Lauren Perez |
Lauren Perez is a writer at MagnifyMoney. You can email Lauren here
Source: https://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/best-of/5-year-cd-rates/
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FOOD: in.gredients needs your help! They are one of a tiny handful of zero waste grocers in the world, but they are at risk of closing. Join for their Indiegogo Launch Party: GROW in.gredients on Friday, February 3rd at the storefront on 2610 Manor Road. Enjoy music, performances, food and drinks. More than forty local vendors have already pledged their support and donated a wide variety of prizes, including products, parties, tours, classes, and tastings to those who support.
ENTERTAINMENT: In it's 30th Anniversary, Austin Film Society is opening their twin screen arthouse cinema and event hall, the AFS Cinema, this May in Austin's Highland neighborhood. WHM Hospitality's Bill Mann and chef Jorge Hernández – overseeing the food and beverage program – were announced this week as the newest addition to the all-star team working on the new space.
CHARITY: Mack, Jack & McConaughey announces that Miranda Lambert will headline its gala night on Thursday, April 20th with Jack Ingram opening as part of MJ&M's two-day event in Austin, Texas. Tickets will be available to the public on Friday, February 3, at 10 a.m. This spring marks the 5th year of the Mack, Jack & McConaughey event. Every year thousands of guests enjoy two full days of events, all benefitting charities working to empower kids through health, wellness and education programming.
DESIGN: This year marks the ninth annual Austin Modern Home Tour – bringing modern architecture and living to those in Austin. On Saturday, February 25th from 10 am – 6 pm, visit 13 stunning homes and speak to the architects and builders that conceptualized and executed these homes. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 day of the tour, at any home.
FOOD: The delicious dessert mecca Sprinkles Cupcakes, known for its signature cupcakes, cookies and ice cream, will open to the public at the Domain NORTHSIDE on Saturday, February 4th. The new spot includes a 24/7 Cupcake ATM! Sprinkles Austin is located at 3210 Palm Way, Ste. 100.


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VIXX performed at the K-pop World Festival 2015 in Malaysia
Emi 5 years ago
The K-pop World Festival 2015 was held in Malaysia on June 14, a joint collaboration with KBS World, Astro and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Malaysia with VIXX as special judges. The festival is an annual global festival and is now in its 5th year. In the Malaysia round, solo performer Alex Goh and dance group Epsilon Kueen were chosen as grand prize winners who will be representing Malaysia at the Grand Finals in Changwon City, Korea.
Performed as special guests at the festival, VIXX were also judges at the event. We will look at the teamwork that the group showcases and how much they have practiced for the performances. We believe that it is the most crucial part in judging the contestants – said N, the leader of VIXX when asked about the judging criteria.
During the performances by the contestants, VIXX moved in their judges seats, showing interest to what was shown on stage. One of the contestant sang VIXX's Love Equation and they were seen singing along to the contestant as well. Other than being good listeners, they also provided constructive comments to the contestants on how their performance was good and what needs to be improved.
After the end of the 12 performances by the contestants, VIXX took the stage and performed 3 songs, On and On, Light Up the Darkness and Error. When the performance was over, while the group was headed back to their judges seat, fans started singing a Happy Birthday song to Cha Hakyeon or better known as N, the leader of VIXX who will be celebrating his birthday this June 30. Overwhelmed, N stood up and thanked the fans for remembering his special day.
The K-pop World Festival in Malaysia 2015 will be broadcasted on KBS World channel 391 and 392. K-popped! thanks Astro and KBS World for the invitation.
Bonus: VIXX at the Press Conference
Alex Goh and Epsilon Kueen win at K-pop World Festival: http://k-popped.com/2015/06/alex-goh-and-epsilon-kueen-win-at-2015-k-pop-world-festival-in-malaysia/
Video Performances: http://k-popped.com/kpopped2012/wp-admin/post.php?post=24601&action=edit&message=1
Press Conference photos: http://k-popped.com/2015/06/photos-press-conference-k-pop-world-festival-2015-with-vixx/
K-pop World Festival photos: http://k-popped.com/2015/06/photos-k-pop-world-festival-with-vixx/
More videos during K-pop World Festival: https://www.youtube.com/user/kpopped/videos
Tags:Hongbin, Hyuk, K-pop World Festival, KBS World, Ken, Korean Embassy, Leo, N, Ravi, VIXX
Pingback: 2015 : A Look at Hallyu in Malaysia | January 3, 2016
jungtaekwoon June 20, 2015
does anyone know when this will be air on kbs in malaysia ?
Kdrama Stars June 18, 2015
VIXX in malaysia daebak


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% Change Enter the Take Profit or Stop Loss offset in terms of percentage change in the price e.g. 3 for 3%. The value entered is used to calculate the price that is added to or subtracted from the fill price of the opening order, to create the Take Profit and Stop Loss orders.
Points Change Enter the Take Profit or Stop Loss offset in terms of Points e.g. 20 which is 20 pence on Vodafone. The value entered is used to calculate the price that is added to or subtracted from the fill price of the opening order, to create the Take Profit and Stop Loss orders. The point size varies for each market, therefore please check how much one point represents by setting the Take Profit or Stop Loss to 1 Points Change.
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Got a little inspiration for you today. Early on this year Cuppy, one of Africa's youngest female dj was interviewed by Forbes Woman Africa. During the interview, the ambitious star was candid on many instances leading to her rise to success; From buying her very first second hand desks at the age of 16, her fear of failling, what she thinks about the African creative industry, being a female dj from the motherland and finally her message to young achieving African women.


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Nauru Files? It's in the Work Health and Safety Act, Mr Turnbull
By Max Costello | 29 August 2016, 4:30pm | comments |
(Image via canstockphoto.com)
Since the Work Health and Safety Act applies to all operators, both government and non-government, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection is a serial offender, writes Max Costello.
WHETHER Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was looking for (some) answers – by setting up a Royal Commission into Northern Territory youth correctional facilities – or not really looking by not doing so in relation to alleged abuses of asylum seekers on Nauru, the essential answer is actually staring him in the face.
He just doesn't see it.
Something akin to Bill Clinton's famous political put-down of George W Bush, "It's the economy, stupid", applies here:
"It's the Work Health and Safety Act, Malcolm."
Government departments and non-government institutions that have failed to prevent child sexual abuse and other mistreatment of children or adults in their care have so far not been brought to book, because no-one seems to have joined the criminal law dots.
NT royal commission 'should also include children in immigration detention'https://t.co/SwiJuI8MNK via @Guardian #KidsOut #Nauru #DonDale
— Tash (@jouljet) July 26, 2016
Joining the criminal law dots
Dot #1
Ask yourself this question: what do the following institutional settings – an Immigration "detention centre" on Nauru, a Northern Territory juvenile correction centre, a South Australian child protection institution, a boarding school, a State (or NGO) care centre for people with a physical or intellectual disability – all have in common?
Answer: they are all workplaces — places where people work. More specifically, they're all accommodation workplaces, where people reside continuously for months, years or decades. Only a boarding school gets any occupancy breaks — during term holidays.
All State/Territory laws governing health and safety at work and the Commonwealth's Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act), impose a duty on the workplace operator to ensure that both "workers" and "other persons" at the workplace are not exposed to preventable risks to their health (including psychological health) and safety.
Under those laws, the children (and adults) residing at the above-named institutions are the "other persons" whose health and safety the operator must protect.
Under these laws, failure to comply with a protective duty is a criminal offence.
How can WHS laws, if complied with, prevent sexual and other abuse?
The basic answer is fourfold. The operator duty obligations set out in these laws are:
pro-actively preventative – requiring the operator to first identify and list all significant risks to health and safety, then secondly, 'so far as is reasonably practicable', take steps to eliminate or at least minimise all of them;
imposed primarily on the institution – that is, on the over-all or 'head' workplace operator and its 'officers' (such as the CEO) – rather than just on individuals generally (although 'workers' do have a duty to 'take reasonable care');
non-delegable – meaning that they can't be transferred (to another government, for example) or contracted out (to, for example, a service provider company such as Serco or Ferrovial: any attempt to do either is 'void'; and
buttressed by the deterrence effect of criminal penalties — such as, under the WHS Act in cases of 'reckless' non-compliance with a duty, operator fines of up to $3 million and officer fines of up to $600,000 and/or jail for up to five years.
#LNP had all details of harm & abuse of children on Nauru. Here's evidence: https://t.co/P4No5BNSeW @DASSAN12 @hrw @violencehurts @rranwa
— lia (@outofthepickle) August 20, 2016
Peter Dutton knows that his department is bound by the WHS Act
There's plenty of public domain evidence to prove that Mr Dutton, as Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, knows that the Commonwealth (of Australia) – in effect his department – is the operator of the regional processing centres on Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus Island. One item of evidence will suffice.
All of the 2,116 "incident notifications" that The Guardian made public on 10 August 2016 – documents that Mr Dutton's Departmental staffers on Nauru sent to the WHS Act's regulator, Comcare, because the WHS Act's section 38 compels them to do so – have a box near the top where the name of workplace operator must be written.
The name entered on all – or almost all – of those incident forms is not "Government of Nauru": it will be, you can bet, "Department of Immigration and Border Protection".
Over to you, Malcolm Turnbull
So, Prime Minister Turnbull, the fiction that the governments of Nauru and PNG are legally responsible for the health and safety of the "other persons" (asylum seekers) who reside at the regional processing centres on their territory now stands exposed.
As a result, three things should have been obvious to the Prime Minister.
First, the target of any investigation would have to be Peter Dutton's Department – which, going by the huge and ever-growing pile of public domain evidence, appears to be a serial offender against the WHS Act. That Act is, of course, a workplace law.
Secondly, there is already an official investigating body — Comcare.
Thirdly, however, if (as seems likely) Comcare has taken little or no enforcement action against the Department, Comcare itself might need to be investigated.
@murpharoo @FarrellPF @guardian
Was the #nauru abuse briefing provided before Turnbull called the DD election on the ABCC ?
— julie (@juliecorb) August 17, 2016
That realpolitik look brings us to the real reason that Mr Turnbull hasn't set up a Royal Commission into alleged Nauru abuses — namely, his Government's manic determination to attack the CFMEU for being (you guessed it) an apparent serial offender against a workplace law, in the context of (so it is claimed) ineffective regulator action.
The PM wants to re-introduce the ABCC Bill — the Australian Building and Construction Industry Commission Bill (that we had a double dissolution election over, remember?).
But if one of his own Government's departments is an apparent serial offender against a workplace law and the regulator seems ineffective, shouldn't there be another Bill — a Work Health and Safety Immigration and Border Protection Department Obey the Law Bill?
Imagine how delightful it would be, Mr Turnbull, for the voters to hear the Minister for Employment, Michaelia Cash, moving it in the Senate. And how even more delightful, in the Reps, to see Mr Dutton exhibit some facial expression during the debate.
On second thoughts, Prime Minister, perhaps just quietly shelve the ABCC Bill.
Max Costello is a former WorkSafe Victoria prosecuting solicitor and former Employment Law lecturer at Melbourne's RMIT University. He co-wrote submissions to the Moss review and the Senate Select Committee on Nauru abuses.
How much longer can we torture people?103 Nauru & Manus staff speak up 'Bring them here immediately' https://t.co/eZ1slGO7ua @IndependentAus
— Michelle Pini (@vmp9) August 17, 2016
Is Turnbull Gov criminally liable for Manus & Nauru? Read why from Max Costello. https://t.co/94jQvdpDhn
— IndependentAustralia (@independentaus) June 16, 2016
Support independent journalism. Subscribe to IA for just $5.
POLITICS SATIRE HUMAN RIGHTS CRIME LAW
Max Costello #NauruFiles Malcom Turnbull Peter Dutton #bringthemhere #closethecamps asylum seekers refugees Work Health and Safety Act ABCC
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Abstract: This study aimed to determine the variety of zobo that will give a desired colour and at the same time retaining most of the nutrient imbedded, after boiling for 10 min. The nutritional quality of non-alcoholic drink obtained from three varieties of zobo calyx (Hibiscus sabdariffa); dark red, bright red and wine subjected to the same preparation conditions were Investigated. Hundred grames of each of the samples were boiled separately in 4 L of water for 10 min to extract the juice into the water. The zobo drinks thus produced were analysed for their nutritional quality. It was observed that dark red zobo drink has the highest percentage of Vitamin C (7.5 mg g-1), calcium (4 ppm) and ash (15.5%) content, the bright red recorded a high value in only magnesium (13.25 ppm) and the wine however, recorded the highest value in sodium (50.67 ppm), potassium (235 ppm), iron (1.17 ppm). The pH was noted to be high in all the three varieties i.e., 2.53. 2.50 and 2.67 for dark red, bright red and wine, respectively. The sensory evaluation also showed that the dark red zobo drink has the highest acceptability. It was therefore, concluded that the three varieties had their peculiar nutritional benefits therefore the choice depends on the producer and consumer; however, from the sensory evaluation the dark red was more preferred.


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Judge Napolitano: Only 'Righteous Indignation' Will Save Kavanaugh
By Caleb Howe Sep 27, 2018 11:53 AM ET
AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Brett Kavanaugh will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee in a few minutes, following several hours of questions for accuser Christine Blasey Ford, in the matter of her allegation against him of sexual assault when they were teenagers.
Earlier, during one of several breaks the committee took on behalf of Ford, Fox News had Judge Andrew Napolitano on to offer commentary, and he gave some analysis of how Kavanaugh should respond this afternoon.
Although the commentary offered in the clip below is from earlier, and therefore he had not seen the full set of questions asked by prosecutor Rachel Mitchell, who is asking questions on behalf of the GOP, it's worth pointing out that Napolitano began by saying that Mitchell was not "laying a glove" on Ford, and was in fact "actually helping her credibility."
Napolitano said that President Trump could not be happy with how things are going, and that neither can the team advising Kavanaugh, which led him to discuss how the nominee should use his tone to his advantage this afternoon.
"Judge Kavanaugh is an academic jurist. The court room in which he operates is not one like you see on television with lawyers shouting at each other and trying to intimidate witnesses and juries. They engage in academic arguments," he said.
His advice for Kavanaugh was specific, but may be hard for the judge to deliver. Kavanaugh has to "shed that mantle" of academic courtroom settings. "He has to become a person inflicted with the most righteous indignation in order to overcome the extraordinarily credible performance that his accuser has made so far."
"Only that will save him at this point."
Righteous indignation, says the judge, is the only way.
"By five or six o'clock this afternoon, I think there will be a consensus about which of the two is more believable. This is not about — I've been saying this all week — this is not about the truth. This is about believability of the two witnesses."
It's a court of public opinion, and Judge Napolitano on Fox News says that the only way for Kavanaugh to get that opinion going his way is to be filled with indignation at the charges against him. We'll see if Kavanaugh takes that route, and whether it works, shortly.
Caleb Howe is a conservative writer, blogger, and editor. Previously Editor in Chief at RedState, published at DailyWire, American Spectator, Truth Revolt, The Right Scoop, AOL, The Federalist, Mediaite, newspapers, magazines, fortune cookies, manifestos, and cocktail napkins.
Read more by Caleb Howe
Tags: BRETT KAVANAUGH


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These cookies are my decadent indulgence; I make these for my classes as a coffee break and they have become my students favorites. Thousands of bakers have raved about them, while they do use brown sugar (which I rarely use), I reduced the amount of sugar from the original recipe that called for 250 grams of sugar! It took me years to create this texture and I am sure these will become your go-to oatmeal cookie recipe. It is a perfect balance of flour, butter, and sugar. I love foundation recipes like these because you can do so many variations of this master formula. Check the notes below to see all the options.
Line a baking tray with a Silpat (Silicon mat, buy on Amazon).
In the mixer with a paddle, mix butter and sugar just until combined. You don't need to mix more.
Add egg, vanilla and milk and mix well.
Add Speculoos or Biscoff spread and mix until combined.
Add the sifted flour and combine just until incorporating—add the nuts—mix well.
Weigh portions of 55 grams and shape cookies into balls and place the cookies onto the prepared cookie tray leaving enough room between them.
Refrigerate for approximately 20 minutes (this is for the cookie dough to hydrate and prevents the cookies from spreading).
Remove from the fridge and bake for about 8 - 10 minutes. Cookies should be golden and crisp on the edges and tender inside.
Remember cookies will continue to bake when you remove them from the oven as they sit on the hot tray. Let cool for about 10 -12 minutes, remove and let cool on a cookie rack or place on a perforated tray.
Notes: the baking time depends on your oven and baking tray. Make sure you don't over bake these beauties! They must be chewy!!
Remove the Biscoff or Speculoos spread or substitute with peanut butter (same amount), change pecans for 1 cup dried cherries, raisins, yellow raisins or dried apricots chopped, or dark chocolate (70% cacao) chopped into chunks.


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Game Reviews Gaming PC / Mac PS4 Xbox One
The Division 2 – PS4 Review
April 1, 2019 Richard Armitt	Ghost Recon, The Division, Tom Clancy, Ubisoft
I'm taking my time with The Division 2, partly because of commitments, but mostly because I am enjoying it so much.
Back in the late seventies I grew up on a diet of movies and books, the ones that stuck were the post apocalyptic adventures. There was something about being stranded in an empty world, picking over the ruins left by society that appealed to me deep down, I mean really deep down.
Here we are three years later in 2019, the world we live in is bit more crazy, while the world of The Division has moved on about seven months, which is allegedly enough time for you to have cleaned up New York. Once you get the introduction out of the way and open up your path to the White House the game kicks in proper and boy, it really delivers straight up.
The Division 2 is a rare beast, its a game that arrived fully finished, fully tested and fully delivers on its promises. Me, I'll still be filling my kleptomaniac pockets as I trawl my way through the incredibly detailed vision of Washington.
Byte Size Review Gaming PS4 Xbox One
Byte Size – Far Cry New Dawn Review (Xbox One X)
February 23, 2019 February 23, 2019 Barrie Clarke	Far Cry, Farcry, New Dawn, Post Apocalyptic, Ubisoft
Returning to Hope County 17 years and a nuclear war after the events of Far Cry 5 finds the county some what brighter than one would expect.
The Good – It is the Far Cry 5 we all know and love, but with and excellent splash of colour and some RPG-lite elements thrown in.
The Bad – Like Far Cry 5 you can have an ally along side to help out. Just don't rely on them to get the job done.
The New – Since the map is effectively the same as Far Cry 5 the addition of Expeditions has been made to create a bit of variety. The Expedition maps themselves are a good mix and some pretty cool locations too.
Overall I found Far Cry New Dawn more engaging that Far Cry 5, considering this is just a re-skin, and what some would argue should have been just a DLC, it shows it has something special.
Feature Article PS4 Video Content Xbox One
Why I LOVE R6: Siege
December 15, 2018 December 15, 2018 Guy	Rainbow Six Siege, Ubisoft
Guest writer and resident Siege fan-girl, Nina has chucked a feature together, digging down into why she likes Rainbow 6 just so dang much. ENJOY!
I will go ahead and say it right off the bat; I am not a hardcore multiplayer gamer. I never played CoD, I only ever played the Titanfall 2 and Halo campaigns and I was absolute trash at Destiny crucible.
That said, I do play a hell of a lot of one multiplayer game, and that game is Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Siege. So, with the new season just hitting consoles, I thought it is the perfect time to discuss why I, a self-confessed-not-so-good-at-multiplayer gamer, love Siege.
Game Reviews Gaming PS4 Xbox One
Assassin's Creed Odyssey Review (Xbox One X)
November 4, 2018 Barrie Clarke	Animus, Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft
I'm a bit late to the party this time around thanks to a family holiday so many will have played and finished, or added Assassin's Creed Odyssey to the 'I'll come back to it' pile (come on, we all have one).
To me it screams Assassin's Creed Origins, new era and location but still very familiar. Now this is not a bad thing as you can read here, but it still stays out to the side of the Assassins and Templars of old. I guess Ubisoft are opening the franchise up and allowing a good game to emerge without staying too true to canon. Lets face it, recent games have all but done away with the Animus and present time sections.
I should just be enjoying Assassin's Creed Odyssey as a game on its own merits because lets face it, Spartan kicking dudes off a cliff just doesn't get old.
Game Reviews Gaming PS4 Switch Console Xbox One youtube review
Starlink: Battle for Atlas, PS4 Review
October 17, 2018 October 17, 2018 Guy	Starlink, Toys to Life, Ubisoft
There is a certain magic about something in the 'real world' affecting a Video Game. Starlink: Battle for Atlas is the next iteration of the Toys-to-Life idea, which Skylanders and Disney Infinity blazed the trail on during the last generation.
The model ships and attachments are well made, look great and any child would be stoked to not only play with them in-game, but for the ships to take pride of place in a bedroom or playroom.
Simply put, Starlink is the combination of classic sci-fi, cool toys and solid open world video game fun, all wrapped up in a slick Saturday morning cartoon skin. The game has a target audience and that is kids, who will love every part of it…I'm just no sure if parents wallets are going to love it too.
Gaming PS4 PSNetwork Video Content Xbox One youtube review
The Crew 2, PS4 Review
July 5, 2018 July 5, 2018 Guy	Arcade, Burnout, Onrush, Racer, Ubisoft
It has been a month for arcade racers, with OnRush dropping only a couple of weeks ago, and now Ubisoft brings us the sequel to their 2014 open world car game, The Crew.
Check out the full Video Review below, and remember. Please give us a 'Like' or even 'Subscribe' if you want to see more KC stuff. Thanks!
Gaming Preview PS4 Xbox One
The Crew 2, Closed Beta and Trailer
May 17, 2018 May 17, 2018 Richard Armitt	Racing, The Crew, Ubisoft
The Closed Beta for The Crew® 2 will take place from May 31 at 6 p.m. AEST to June 4 at 6 p.m. AEST on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X and Windows PC. Players can sign up now for a chance to have beta access at thecrewgame.com/beta.
Pre-load will be available for Closed Beta selected players on all platforms starting May 29.
Farcry 5 Review (Xbox One S)
April 21, 2018 Barrie Clarke	Farcry, FPS, Ubisoft
Big, dumb, fun. These three words sum up Farcry 5 perfectly for me, actually, probably the whole Farcry franchise. Farcry is to gaming what The Expendables is to movies and sometimes that is exactly what you want out of entertainment.
So welcome to Hope County, Montana. I hope you enjoy yourself and don't run in to any of the Seed family.
Assassins Creed Origins Review (Xbox One)
November 29, 2017 February 16, 2018 Barrie Clarke	AC, Animus, Ubisoft
The Assassins Creed franchise has been around for a while now and is well known by anyone that considers themselves


Carving Hard Grout. The sponge tools the grout line smooth. But now, the grout in between the tiles is anything but uniform. Use coarse sandpaper to slightly round off a corner of one of the oak sticks so that it resembles a woodworker's chisel.... First, allow the grout to dry and for a film to set on the face of the tiles. This should only take about an hour. This should only take about an hour. Then remove the excess grout.
Be careful when trying to get grout off the face of a tile or glass, metal tools can scratch the surface. If you are trying to do this wooden tools can help you avoid irreparable scratching. If you are trying to do this wooden tools can help you avoid irreparable scratching.
28/06/2009�� Do not clean parallel to grout lies or you'll just remove the grout or wash it out if you use too much water. Clean at 45 degree angle to the grout line. Clean at 45 degree angle to the grout line. Grout release is good for travertine etc but no point in using it on ceramics if you follow the procedure mentioned above.


text:
Race to a Covid vaccine: Everything you need to know about potential coronavirus treatments
Several companies are closing in on what would be a breakthrough in the pandemic fight
Researchers across the world are working hard to develop coronavirus vaccines and treatments.
This is some of the progress that has been made in the bid to combat Covid-19.
Oxford/AstraZeneca
Preliminary results of phase one/two clinical trials of the University of Oxford's vaccine candidate suggest it is safe and induces an immune reaction.
Phase two, in the UK only, and phase three trials to confirm whether it effectively protects against the virus are taking place in the UK, Brazil and South Africa.
Clinical trials may have gathered enough safety and efficacy data by the end of the year, and there may be enough data to put the vaccine before regulators this year.
In the US, drugs firm Moderna's vaccine trial is currently in phase three, and it hopes to have enrolled 30,000 participants by September.
Another candidate being trialled is the offering from US biotech, Novavax.
Under an in-principle agreement, the UK has secured 60 million doses of the vaccine, and will provide infrastructure to Novavax in running a phase three clinical trial in the UK.
The company plans to manufacture its vaccine in the UK with Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies.
GMB's Dr Hilary issues stark warning over being reinfected with Covid-19
Covid-19 treatment could drive up resistance to antibiotics across rest of population, study claims
BioNtech and Pfizer
Elsewhere, early phases of the BioNtech and Pfizer vaccine clinical trial suggest the vaccine induces a robust immune response in healthy adults.
The phase two/three study will enrol up to 30,000 participants aged between 18 and 85.
While there is no cure for Covid-19, a number of different drugs are being trialled to help treat the disease.
Here are some that are showing positive results:
The cheap and readily available steroid dexamethasone was responsible for the survival of one in eight patients on ventilators during the Oxford University-based Recovery trial.
Researchers found the drug reduced deaths by up to a third among patients on ventilators, and by a fifth for those on oxygen.
The data comes from the biggest randomised trial of Covid-19 treatments in the world, involving almost all hospitals in the UK.
The Recovery trial is looking at a number of other drugs including anti-inflammatory Tocilizumab, and a commonly used antibiotic Azithromycin.
Some people with Covid symptoms told to drive three hours for test
AstraZeneca starts trial of antibody medication that prevents and treats Covid-19 infections
The anti-viral drug remdesivir was developed for use against Ebola.
It has been approved for use in Covid-19 patients by the US and the UK, among other countries, after data suggested it can cut recovery time by about four days.
A global clinical trial has found that remdesivir cut the length of time people suffered symptoms from 15 days to 11.
In more recent developments, pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has given the first volunteers in its clinical trial doses of a new drug to help prevent and treat Covid-19.
The group said the drug – known as AZD7442 – is a combination of two monoclonal antibodies.
A so-called monoclonal antibody combination works by mimicking the body's natural antibodies.
Meanwhile, another drug developed by the company, known as AZD1656, will begin an advanced clinical trial this week.
The new therapy could treat people with diabetes suffering from Covid-19.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (MHRA) has approved the trial following new pre-clinical research that suggests a glucose kinase activator (AZD1656) could help diabetes sufferers infected with coronavirus by dampening the overactive response of the immune system typically acute in those patients with raised blood glucose levels.
The trial will involve hospitalised patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 symptoms, and if successful could ultimately be prescribed by GPs for people with diabetes presenting with early symptoms of the virus.
Excalibur Medicines Ltd has brought together the scientific intellectual property, international funding and research team to drive the project forward.
Adele cancels shows leaving Yorkshire fans who spent thousands to fly to Las Vegas furious
AdeleYorkshire fan Simon said "I'll never listen to her again. She's dead to me"
CleckheatonA58 Whitehall Road crash: Man dies and four arrested after fatal smash near Chain Bar roundaboutWest Yorkshire Police have confirmed a man has died after the crash at 5am. The A58 Whitehall Road near the M62 is closed in both directions and four men have been arrested
Combined Nations All Stars to provide England with World Cup warm-up clash
Rugby LeagueIt will be Shaun Wane's third match in charge of England.
Live A58 Whitehall Road crash updates as road closed in both directions near M62 Chain Bar roundabout
Traffic and TravelThe A58 Whitehall Road between Chain Bar roundabout and Wyke has been closed in both directions following a serious crash with West Yorkshire Police at the scene
Live as serious crash closes major road off Chain Bar roundabout


text:
using System.Numerics;
using System.Text;

namespace WeihanLi.Common.Helpers;

public static class Base62Encoder
{
    private const string Charset = "0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz";

    public static string Encode(Guid guid)
    {
        var bytes = guid.ToByteArray().ToList();

        if (BitConverter.IsLittleEndian)
            bytes.Add(0);
        else
            bytes.Insert(0, 0);

        return Encode(bytes.ToArray());
    }

    public static string Encode(string text)
    {
        var bytes = Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(text);

        if (BitConverter.IsLittleEndian)
            Array.Reverse(bytes);

        return Encode(bytes);
    }

    public static string Encode(long num)
    {
        var bytes = BitConverter.GetBytes(num).ToList();

        if (BitConverter.IsLittleEndian)
            bytes.Add(0);
        else
            bytes.Insert(0, 0);

        return Encode(bytes.ToArray());
    }

    private static string Encode(byte[] bytes)
    {
        var result = string.Empty;

        var bi = new BigInteger(bytes);

        do
        {
            result = Charset[(int)(bi % 62)] + result;
            bi /= 62;
        } while (bi > 0);

        return result;
    }

    public static string DecodeString(string codeStr)
    {
        var bytes = Decode(codeStr);
        if (BitConverter.IsLittleEndian)
        {
            Array.Reverse(bytes);
        }
        return Encoding.ASCII.GetString(bytes);
    }

    public static Guid DecodeGuid(string codeStr)
    {
        var bytes = Decode(codeStr).ToList();

        if (bytes.Count > 16)
        {
            if (BitConverter.IsLittleEndian)
            {
                bytes.RemoveAt(bytes.Count - 1);
            }
            else
            {
                bytes.RemoveAt(0);
            }
        }
        else if (bytes.Count < 16)
        {
            bytes.AddRange(Enumerable.Repeat((byte)0, 16 - bytes.Count));
        }

        return new Guid(bytes.ToArray());
    }

    public static long DecodeLong(string codeStr)
    {
        var bytes = Decode(codeStr).ToList();
        if (bytes.Count > 8)
        {
            if (BitConverter.IsLittleEndian)
            {
                bytes.RemoveAt(bytes.Count - 1);
            }
            else
            {
                bytes.RemoveAt(0);
            }
        }
        else if (bytes.Count < 8)
        {
            bytes.AddRange(Enumerable.Repeat((byte)0, 8 - bytes.Count));
        }
        return BitConverter.ToInt64(bytes.ToArray(), 0);
    }

    private static byte[] Decode(string codedStr)
    {
        var result = new BigInteger(0);
        var len = codedStr.Length;

        for (var i = 0; i < len; i++)
        {
            var ch = codedStr[i];
            var num = Charset.IndexOf(ch);
            result += num * BigInteger.Pow(62, len - i - 1);
        }

        return result.ToByteArray();
    }
}

public static class Base36Encoder
{
    private const string Charset = "0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ";

    public static string Encode(Guid guid)
    {
        var bytes = guid.ToByteArray().ToList();

        if (BitConverter.IsLittleEndian)
            bytes.Add(0);
        else
            bytes.Insert(0, 0);

        return Encode(bytes.ToArray());
    }

    public static string Encode(string text)
    {
        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(text))
            return string.Empty;

        var bytes = Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(text.ToUpper());

        if (BitConverter.IsLittleEndian)
            Array.Reverse(bytes);

        return Encode(bytes);
    }

    public static string Encode(long num)
    {
        var bytes = BitConverter.GetBytes(num).ToList();

        if (BitConverter.IsLittleEndian)
            bytes.Add(0);
        else
            bytes.Insert(0, 0);

        return Encode(bytes.ToArray());
    }

    private static string Encode(byte[] bytes)
    {
        var result = string.Empty;

        var bi = new BigInteger(bytes);
        do
        {
            result = Charset[(int)(bi % 36)] + result;
            bi = bi / 36;
        } while (bi > 0);

        return result;
    }

    public static string DecodeString(string codeStr)
    {
        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(codeStr))
            return string.Empty;

        var bytes = Decode(codeStr);
        if (BitConverter.IsLittleEndian)
        {
            Array.Reverse(bytes);
        }
        return Encoding.ASCII.GetString(bytes);
    }

    public static Guid DecodeGuid(string codeStr)
    {
        var bytes = Decode(codeStr).ToList();

        if (bytes.Count > 16)
        {
            if (BitConverter.IsLittleEndian)
            {
                bytes.RemoveAt(bytes.Count - 1);
            }
            else
            {
                bytes.RemoveAt(0);
            }
        }
        else if (bytes.Count < 16)
        {
            bytes.AddRange(Enumerable.Repeat((byte)0, 16 - bytes.Count));
        }

        return new Guid(bytes.ToArray());
    }

    public static long DecodeLong(string codeStr)
    {
        var bytes = Decode(codeStr).ToList();
        if (bytes.Count > 8)
        {
            if (BitConverter.IsLittleEndian)
            {
                bytes.RemoveAt(bytes.Count - 1);
            }
            else
            {
                bytes.RemoveAt(0);
            }
        }
        else if (bytes.Count < 8)
        {
            bytes.AddRange(Enumerable.Repeat((byte)0, 8 - bytes.Count));
        }
        return BitConverter.ToInt64(bytes.ToArray(), 0);
    }

    private static byte[] Decode(string codedStr)
    {
        if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(codedStr))
        {
            return Array.Empty<byte>();
        }

        var result = new BigInteger(0);
        var len = codedStr.Length;

        for (var i = 0; i < len; i++)
        {
            var ch = codedStr[i];
            var num = Charset.IndexOf(ch);
            result += num * BigInteger.Pow(36, len - i - 1);
        }

        var bytes = result.ToByteArray();

        return bytes;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
POLL: Hawley Widening Lead Over McCaskill in Missouri
ByHank Berrien
A new poll conducted between October 24-25 shows Missouri state attorney general Josh Hawley widening his lead in his battle against Missouri Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill for her seat.
The poll, commissioned by nonpartisan news agency Missouri Scout and conducted by GOP polling group Remington Research, found Hawley with a four-point lead over McCaskill, 49%-45%, as The Weekly Standard reports. Remington Research President Titus Bond tweeted, "The Claire McCaskill campaign right now reminds me of every well-funded losing campaign I've worked on."
As The Standard notes, Hawley got off to a slow start last spring:
In the early months of this year, Hawley struggled to distance himself from Missouri's then-governor Eric Greitens, who was mired in controversies concerning alleged sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations. As the state's chief prosecutor, Hawley found himself tied up in the whole mess, with Greitens allies smearing him as carrying water for the state's liberals and McCaskill's camp calling him a Greitens stooge. Between March and May, not a single nonpartisan poll showed Hawley in the lead. Missouri Scout's own first two polls of the cycle, conducted in mid-April and early May, each showed McCaskill with a four-point advantage.
After Greitens resigned in May, and the GOP united behind the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, in a state that has turned more conservative, Hawley started picking up steam. Then James O'Keefe's Project Veritas released videos showing McCaskill's staffers discussing how McCaskill was hiding her political proclivities in order to attract undecided voters.
Legal Insurrection points out that McCaskill was caught in a brazen lie, insisting that she had not said on television that Hawley had committed fraud. During a debate with Hawley, McCaskill accused Hawley of being involved in the Project Veritas undercover videos of her staff. Hawley responded, "… and to accuse me of fraud, which is what Senator McCaskill did. She said that I committed fraud. That I participated in a fraud. She said that on television."
McCaskill interjected, "I didn't say that on television."
That simply wasn't true. As can be seen below, McCaskill stated, "Well, it is startling that Josh Hawley would be part of fraudulently embedding somebody in my campaign. He's the Attorney General of the state of Missouri. He's supposed to be going after fraud, not participating in it."
Speaking of dishonesty. Nothing like being caught on camera. #mosen pic.twitter.com/StSwn71F5D
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) October 26, 2018
McCaskill was canny enough in 2012 to run ads in the GOP primary to boost her preferred opponent, Todd Akin to victory; Akin later imploded during the general election period. But this time around, four prominent GOP leaders, John Ashcroft, Kit Bond, John Danforth and Jim Talent, persuaded Hawley, the state's attorney general, to run against McCaskill. They wrote to Hawley, "We are convinced that you would be more than an additional vote for a functioning Senate. You are a constitutional scholar. You have studied constitutional law, written about it, and taught it at law school. You understand that advocacy for a functioning legislative branch is the essence of what it means to be a conservative . . . and [you have] the ability to be a leading voice for the constitutional order, not only in Missouri but nationally."
It looks as though those leaders made the right choice.
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text:
Plaats in Indonesië
 Rejasa (Madukara), een plaats en bestuurslaag in het regentschap Banjarnegara van de provincie Midden-Java
 Rejasa (Penebel), een plaats en bestuurslaag in het regentschap Tabanan van de provincie Bali

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Football Contest
Out with the old, in with the new: Lennox Park and Rec seeks volunteers for building project
By Kelli Bultena
With ball season in full swing, the number of youth using the fields at the Lennox park is over 300. According to Jason Foss with the Lennox Park and Recreation Advisory Board, summer ball sign-ups average 335 to 360 students per year. With community help, Foss says the Park and Rec board hopes to make some visible improvements to the park this season.
Already a new batting cage has been installed at Westerman Park near the small baseball field. Foss says the next step is a new building for bathrooms and concessions. The building will replace the dilapidated white building south of the baseball and softball field now.
Lennox Park and Recreation has raised $20,000 for the project, and the City of Lennox is providing a matching $20,000. Now Foss hopes to appeal to the community for volunteers to help with contracting — whether they are available to provide services or advice.
"We want to thank the parents and coaches—the community has done a great job of raising money. And we want to thank the City for matching the funds," said Foss.
Much of the money was raised through concession sales and tournaments. Volunteers that Foss hopes to find now would be local contractors, or people who will be able to help the Park and Rec board figure out the best way to get the building done within their $40,000 budget.
Foss added, "There will be advertising opportunities on the building as well."
The improvement of a new bathroom and concession stand would not only provide a better experience for the youth of the community, but will enable Lennox to host more tournaments.
Foss said, "We had the opportunity to host a ten and under or a twelve and under; but we didn't have the resources to do it."
He is confident with the new bathrooms and concessions they could hold larger tournaments, and involve the neighboring communities of Worthing and Chancellor. Park & Rec | Page 7
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Driving Directions: At 6th & Lincoln in downtown Steamboat.
601 Lincoln Avenue, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487 (MLS# 3143826) is a Multi-Family property with units containing 0 bedrooms and 0 full bathrooms. 601 Lincoln Avenue is currently listed for $33 and was received on July 13, 2018. Want to learn more about 601 Lincoln Avenue? Do you have questions about finding other Multi-Family real estate for sale in Steamboat Springs? You can browse all Steamboat Springs real estate or contact a Coldwell Banker agent to request more information.


text:
Tig Lee was one of more than 500 babies who have been saved thanks to Abortion Pill Reversal. Photo Courtesy: Misdy
Brave Mom Reverses Abortion, Chooses Life for Baby with Down Syndrome—Twice
When Misdy became pregnant in March 2016, she was shocked. Enduring a tough chapter in her marriage and already a mother of six, Misdy couldn't imagine having another baby.
Her youngest had just started full-time school and Misdy herself had just gotten a job. But she knew she wouldn't be able to afford daycare, and the thought of raising another baby overwhelmed her.
But sitting in the Planned Parenthood waiting room, she was flooded with guilt thinking of her neighbor who had been trying to conceive for years. Reassuring herself, she pushed the guilt away and made an abortion appointment.
Still, the thought of her neighbor kept popping into her mind. She finally decided that if she just went through with the abortion, she could put her mind at ease.
Misdy went ahead and took the first pill in the chemical abortion regimen—and regretted it right away.
"I went into the bathroom immediately (and) tried to throw them up," she wrote in a reflection. "The drive home, I was just sick about what I just did and the thought that I was actually killing a baby with a heartbeat inside me. I went home and just cried and cried and knew I needed to seek help."
That's when Misdy got online and found Abortion Pill Rescue, a network of more than 500 medical providers offering Abortion Pill Reversal.
She called the organization's 24-7 helpline (1-877-558-0333) and was put in touch with a doctor who helped her begin the Abortion Pill Reversal treatment by prescribing her progesterone, a natural hormone that is necessary to sustain a healthy pregnancy.
Otherwise known as the "abortion pill" or RU-486, chemical abortions involve a two-pill regimen. Mifepristone, the first pill which Misdy took, destabilizes a pregnancy by blocking progesterone receptors and reducing progesterone levels in the mother's blood. The second pill, typically misoprostol, induces labor, forcing her body to expel the baby.
Reintroducing progesterone to the mother's body up to 72 hours after the first pill is taken counteracts the mifepristone, restoring her body's natural ability to carry her baby.
Heartbeat International, which took the reins of the protocol's 24-7 helpline and provider network this spring, recently announced that Abortion Pill Reversal has led to the births of more than 500 babies, with another 100 on the way.
Physician George Delgado, founder of the Abortion Pill Reversal Network (now known as Abortion Pill Rescue), released a study earlier this year, showing that up to 68 percent of women who used the Abortion Pill Reversal treatment were able to give birth to a perfectly healthy baby.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has said that mifepristone does not appear to cause birth defects. Nor does progesterone. In fact, progesterone has been safely used in pregnancy for over 50 years with FDA approval. Not only that, studies have found that the birth defect rate in babies born after the Abortion Pill Reversal (2.7 percent) is no greater than in the general population (3 percent).
The same is true for the risk of preterm labor, in which case the delivery rate for babies born after Abortion Pill Reversal is 2.7 percent compared to 10 percent in the general population.
Choosing Life—Again
Still, when challenges arose during her pregnancy, Misdy began to feel guilt creep back into her psyche, despite doctors' assurances.
At 19 weeks, her baby was diagnosed with Trisomy 21—Down syndrome, the most common chromosomal condition in the U.S.
That's when one doctor suggested Misdy go back down the dark path she had already roamed and attempt to abort her child a second time.
Rejecting his recommendation, Misdy chose life again.
"My first thought was, 'You don't know how hard it's been to stay pregnant,'" she wrote. "How could I even think of doing it now? He was a baby with hands and feet and a heartbeat that I got to see once a week on ultrasound."
Recommendations to abort are fairly common among medical providers around the world, with studies showing that somewhere between 67 and 90 percent of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. In countries like Iceland, that figure is close to 100 percent. Such grave statistics have sparked legislative efforts as well as educational campaigns to protect babies with disabilities from discriminatory abortions.
While the cause of Down syndrome is unknown, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation says it has nothing to do with anything the mother or father did during pregnancy; it is chromosomal.
"There is nothing wrong with my baby."
At 31 weeks, Misdy went into preterm labor and gave birth to her baby boy, Tig Lee. Weighing all of 3 lbs, Tig had to have two major surgeries as a newborn.
"It was hard to hear that there was something wrong with my baby," she wrote. "No mother ever wants to hear there is something wrong. BUT what I have come to understand (is) that there is nothing wrong with my baby. He is perfect and he brings such joy to my home."
Tweet This: "There is nothing wrong with my baby. He is perfect and he brings such joy to my home." #APRsaveslives #Downsyndrome
Although Misdy was overjoyed with her child, challenges continued to mount for her.
When Tig was six weeks old and still in the NICU, Misdy's husband passed away, leaving Misdy a widow and her seven children fatherless.
"It was a hell no one should ever have to go through!" she wrote, adding that the first year with a newborn became a matter of survival for her and her family.
Yet despite the trials and heartache of the last two years, Misdy continues to see a purpose in her experience and her child's life.
"I know now that Tig was sent here to me for a reason," she says. "He is the light and the best baby ever. He puts a smile on my face every single day! It's not easy having to raise all my kids on my own, but I do it. I just hope other women really think before they decide to do the abortion pill, but if they do and they feel like it was the wrong decision I hope they know there is help. There're people who care and will help you."
Tweet This: "I know now that Tig was sent here to me for a reason. He is the light and the best baby ever." #APRsaveslives #Downsyndrome
Heartbeat International
Are civil rights and reproductive rights comparable?
"Women hold the world in their womb"; sculpture reflects the beauty of human life
Did a natural disaster save lives? Pro-life pregnancy center takes displaced Planned Parenthood clients