US President-elect Barack Obama is still working on the make-up of his cabinet. A far more important decision - for his daughters at least - will be choosing the puppy that accompanies the new First Family to the White House.
Mr Obama made the promise of a new pet to Malia, 10 and Sasha, seven, in an election victory speech broadcast to millions around the world, suggesting it is one campaign pledge that will be kept.
"I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House," he told his daughters.
Now what everyone wants to know is, what kind of pooch will be the next to join a long and illustrious line of White House pets?
Asked that question in his first news conference since being elected, Mr Obama said there were two priorities: to have a "hypoallergenic" breed that sheds less hair, because daughter Malia has allergies, and to have a rescue dog.
The problem, he said, was that lots of rescue dogs are "mutts like me" - a reference to his mixed ethnic background - rather than specific breeds.
"Whether we're going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household," he said.
Hypoallergenic options could include a labradoodle - a cross between a Labrador and a poodle - a schnoodle (schnauzer and poodle), or a cockapoo (cocker spaniel and poodle).
Malia, however, is rumoured to favour a goldendoodle - a poodle crossed with a golden retriever.
In an American Kennel Club survey of 42,000 people this summer, a pedigree poodle came out as the top choice for a new First Dog.
But Tamar Geller, a California-based celebrity dog "life coach" who trained Oprah Winfrey's puppies, says she is confident the Obamas will take a rescue dog.
She says staff at her shelter programme, Another Chance For Love, are already in talks with people in the Obama camp about a goldendoodle that needs a home.
"He is a gorgeous dog," she told the BBC News website. "He is white with some golden highlights, as if he went to the hairdresser, a really happy smile, sweet but not hyper.
"I think he is going to make a perfect First Dog but we will see - the family has to make the decision."
The priority, she says, is that the pet the Obamas pick is comfortable with children and impeccably behaved at all times, particularly with visitors.
"Can you imagine the dog jumping on Putin, or lifting his leg and peeing on the curtains, or nipping at Gordon Brown?" she says.
"We don't want that to happen, so the dog has to be very well mannered.
Leigh Siegfried, of the Opportunity Barks dog training school, based just outside the capital, agrees that sociability is a must.
The reporter bitten on the finger by George W Bush's dog Barney this week would probably agree.
Whether pedigree or mutt, the new First Puppy will have to take over certain duties from Barney and his companion Miss Beazley, both Scottish terriers.
They are regularly photographed travelling with the Bush family, playing on the White House lawn and meeting and greeting visitors - including royalty.
Barney has his own website and the hairy pair have also starred in the annual White House Christmas video. Last year's included a cameo by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, at one time mocked as "Bush's poodle".
If times get tough for Mr Obama on the political front, the First Puppy might also bear in mind the quote attributed to President Harry S Truman: "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."
Bill Clinton's chocolate Labrador, Buddy, probably lived up to his name when he joined the household in 1997 at the height of the Monica Lewinsky affair.
And Mr Clinton once told reporters that the dog would curl up and sleep with him when wife Hillary was away.
Some previous presidential pets have been more exotic.
Herbert Hoover (or his son, at least) owned two alligators that were sometimes allowed to roam round the White House.
George Washington was devoted to his war horse, called Nelson, and Martin Van Buren had two tiger cubs.
According to the White House website, Thomas Jefferson kept a mockingbird, Calvin Coolidge had a pet raccoon called Rebecca and Benjamin Harrison owned a goat called His Whiskers that pulled his grandchildren round the White House lawn in a cart.
The sons of Theodore Roosevelt took their pony up in a White House lift to visit their sick brother in bed and Caroline Kennedy also had a pony, called Macaroni, that she rode across the grounds.
In fact, only a handful of US presidents so far have not had a pet.
Once the Obamas have chosen their puppy, the next challenge for the 44th First Family will be picking a suitable name.
Some internet First Pet-watchers are already bandying about such monikers as Lipstick or Palin, if it is a pit bull terrier, or perhaps Maverick if the Obamas opt for an older rescue dog.
Recent presidents have tended to go for straightforward dog names.
Lyndon Johnson called his beagles Him and Her, Jimmy Carter's pooch was called Grits and Ronald Reagan named his dogs Lucky and Rex.
George W Bush's springer spaniel - born in the White House while his father had the top job - was dubbed Spot.
Mr Clinton said he had named Buddy after his great-uncle Henry Oren "Buddy" Grisham, who had died earlier that year.
In the end, whatever name the Obamas plump for, Ms Geller says, she just wants to see a crossbreed rather than a commercially-bred pedigree pup as top dog.
"It would be really great to get a goldendoodle in the White House. It would be another first."


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The Best Vocal Range Test Apps and Websites
Gideon WaxmanUpdated: August 5, 2022
If you are serious about singing, knowing your vocal range is vital, because it allows you to understand your voice properly. For example, knowing whether you have a bass, baritone, tenor, countertenor, contralto, mezzo-soprano, or soprano voice type can help you to know the types of songs you should be singing for best results.
Your vocal range is calculated by identifying the lowest and highest notes you are able to sing. Once you know your range, you can choose songs that suit your vocal range, identify the styles of music that best suit your voice type, pinpoint where your voice is strongest and where it is weakest, and optimize your vocal performances.
The good news is, thanks to various modern websites and apps, it is now easier than ever to find your vocal range and learn other valuable information about your singing voice. In this article, we provide a list of some of the best vocal range test app and website options, and offer information about what each option can offer you.
1. Sing Sharp App (Android / iOS)
2. Range Finder by Ramsey Voice Studio
3. MyEarTraining App (Android / iOS)
4. Playback FM Vocal Range & Famous Singer Match
5. Vocal Nebula Vocal Range Finder
6. Singing Carrots Voice Range Tester
7. Vocal Range Vocaberry App (Android / iOS)
8. Vanido App (iOS)
I Would Prefer to Find My Vocal Range Manually – What's My Vocal Range?
Sing Sharp is an awesome pitch detection app, rather than a dedicated vocal range test app, and it's super useful for finding your vocal range. Assuming you have a microphone on the device you are using, the app will allow you to sing notes and then display the note you sang on screen.
Using the app, sing the lowest note you are able to sing, followed by the highest note you are able to sing and make a note of what is displayed. From there, you can use the handy vocal range chart on the Sing Sharp website to find out your voice type, and this will then allow you to better understand your voice and the songs you should sing.
Download App (Android)
Download App (iOS)
Range Finder is a helpful online tool from Ramsey Voice Studio, which allows you to access a voice range tester through your web browser. You will need to use a device that has a microphone. Once the page loads, you should see two microphone icons. Clicking on these begins the recording process.
To test your vocal range, click on the first icon and then sing the lowest note you can sing into your microphone. Then, click on the second icon and sing the highest note you can sing. Once you have done both, you will be asked to provide an email address and your results will then be sent to you via email.
If you have more advanced needs for a singing app, look no further than MyEarTraining, which offers a range of ear training exercises and singing lessons, teaching you about intervals, scales, chord progressions and much more, while also allowing you to work on skills related to rhythm and tone.
Along with the various other exercises and singing lessons included within the app, MyEarTraining also includes a vocal range finder, helping you to identify the range of notes you are able to sing. Best of all, once you use this, the singing exercises on the app are adapted to suit your vocal range.
If you would prefer to use a website rather than an app, Playback FM has a quick and easy-to-use feature that can help you out. The Vocal Range & Famous Singer Match tool provides you with a useful video that you can sing along with, in order to identify the lowest and highest notes that you are able to sing.
Once you have identified these notes, simply use the web page's drop down menus to enter your vocal range. The tool will then tell you your vocal type, your octave range, and the number of piano keys your voice can span. As a neat extra feature, it also identifies a famous singer whose vocal range most closely matches your own.
The Vocal Nebula website includes a page that walks you through how to find your vocal range. It includes an instructional video, which explains everything you need to know about vocal range testing, along with an in-depth written guide. As you make your way through the instructions, you will be asked to conduct a test.
You can use a piano or keyboard for this, although scale videos are also offered on the page. Once you know what notes you are able to sing, you can compare your results with the table provided. This will then help you to understand both your range and your voice type. This is an especially good option if you do not have access to a microphone.
The vocal range test from the Singing Carrots website is another quick and easy way to test your vocal range within your web browser, without the need to download an app. When using the page, you will be asked to sing some notes into your microphone and these notes are then presented to you in visual form.
From there, the tool will be able to tell you what your vocal range is and it will then use its own internal database to identify singers with a similar range. A separate tool on the website then takes this a step further, helping you to pinpoint some popular songs that would suit someone with the vocal range that you have.
Available for both Android and iOS, Vocal Range Vocaberry is specifically designed to test your vocal range and conduct an analysis of your singing voice. As with many other apps of this kind, your actual vocal range is detected through a quick process, where you sing the highest and lowest notes you are able to hold.
What sets Vocal Range Vocaberry apart from many other voice type app options is the additional information provided. For instance, the app can tell you the voice type you have, provide you with a list of artists that have a similar vocal range, and also a list of the most suitable songs for you to sing, complete with YouTube links.
Vanido is a singing coach app that is available for iOS devices. Making use of real-time visual pitch detection technology, it is able to register the note you are singing and display it on screen. In addition to providing a range of vocal exercises that are designed to help enhance your singing technique, it also offers vocal range testing.
The app is free and intended to be used with headphones that have a built-in microphone. The vocal range test simply detects the lowest and highest notes you are able to sing, before calculating the distance between them. Vanido can also identify which voice type you have, making it easier to select songs.
If you would prefer to find your voice range manually, the best way to do this is to use a piano, keyboard or guitar. On your chosen instrument, you need to find middle C, which is also known as C4. On a piano or keyboard, this will be the C that is closest to the center. On a guitar, it can be played on the first fret on the second string.
As an alternative to this, you can look up videos on YouTube that start at middle C and play through the notes.
Starting from middle C, work your way down the various notes, singing along with each. Find the lowest note that you are able to sing, then go back to middle C and work your way up and find the highest note you can sing. This will then tell you your vocal range, and you can search online if you would like to find out more about your voice type.
Adopting the manual approach may be more complicated than using a voice-type app, but it can also be more accurate as long as you know what you are doing. This is because apps may incorrectly identify certain notes, especially if you do not sing into the microphone at the right volume, or if background sounds interfere with your test.
Your vocal range tells you the range of notes you are able to sing and you can use this information to identify your voice type. From there, you can make more informed decisions about the styles of music you focus on, the songs you sing, and the artists you attempt to sing along with, giving you the best chance of optimizing performance.
Gideon Waxman
Gideon Waxman is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from England. His solo project Guiding Force blends fantasy-infused soundtracks with powerful riffs and soaring atmospheres.
Having previously toured in bands and studied music at university, Gideon has extensive knowledge of drums, music production, recording equipment, and the business side of the music industry too.
How to Stop Feedback On a Guitar Amp
17 Most Popular Canadian Female Singers
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Doha Declaration
Unided Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Education for Justice
Judicial Integrity
Prisoner Rehabilitation
Crime Prevention through Sports
Leaving no one behind: Strengthening youth resilience during and after the pandemic in Tajikistan
07 January 2021 – Across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the measures implemented to contain the virus, have changed all aspects of our daily lives. The closure of schools and education institutions; the shutting of businesses and the loss of employment; the social distancing measures and self-isolation – these, and more, have had has vast consequences on all members of society, including those children and their families who were already living in precarious situations. Indeed, socio-economic divides visible prior to the pandemic have been made even more apparent over the past year: in the era of distance learning and digital education, for example, the lack of access to the internet and digital devices has made the education gap even more apparent, while limited education and employment opportunities, mental health challenges (such as increased anxiety and stress), and risks for online exploitation and abuse are just some of the issues faced by young people.
Within this context, UNODC has been working in Tajikistan to help young people better cope with these new realities in a bid to tackle the potentially negative longer-term impact on social and behavioural development in youth. Over the past couple of months, a series of training events for teachers, parents and youth around the office's Line Up Live Up curriculum, as well as a youth contest concerning the 'Choose Sport' campaign, have both been rolled out to promote an understanding of the benefits of sport in building life skills and pro-social behaviour, engaging over 500 young persons, teachers and parents in total.
This outreach – developed in partnership with the Tajik Ministry of Education and Science, the Committee of Youth Affairs and Sports, and the Office of the Mayor of Dushanbe – has included workshops and information session on online safety rules to prevent victimization and exploitation of young people; on effective communication; and on sport and life skills training sessions, with more than 200 individuals from 20 secondary schools and five universities engaged in this specific area since early-November.
To ensure that parents and teachers have a central role in children's positive upbringing at this crucial time, the workshops for these adults focused on building healthy relationships with children. This offered a precursor to the Line Up Live Up sessions, with parents and teachers able to actively participate with their children on a more informed level during this stage of the outreach. Reflecting on this, Mahbuba Azimova, a mother and teacher from Dushanbe, expressed her gratitude for the sessions: "During the pandemic, we have been communicating with our children more than ever, but through this workshop we have learned the basic steps to make this interaction more efficient and effective. We are reminded as to how healthy relationships can support children for a long-lasting life." 17-year-old Abdurakhmon Fozilov meanwhile shared his thoughts, highlighting the positive outcomes of the internet safety sessions: "I learned how to safely be online and realized that my security and safety is also dependent on me."
Another approach used to engage youth in this process was through art. Thanks to a drawing and essay contest held from mid-November to late-December, almost 300 young people aged 13 to 20 from across Tajikistan were able to illustrate how sport can help them better cope with stress during the pandemic. During an awards ceremony which took place after the contest concluded, the representative of the Committee of Youth Affairs and Sports, Abdullo Mahmadalizoda, highlighted the contest's role in "supporting and promoting the creativity and artistic thinking among children and youth, and promoting their self-expression and build confidence." He also noted that "promoting sport among youth through drawing is a great way of staying socially connected while keeping physically distant."
Complementing the Line Up Live Up youth/parent/teacher training and the art contest, a roundtable discussion on the use of sport to counter youth violence and promote crime prevention in Tajikistan took place in December. Bringing together over 20 representatives from the Government, civil society and the UN, as well as trainers, school managers and teachers involved in piloting Line Up Live Up in secondary schools across the country, the discussion looked at the impact of sport and the need to invest and constantly engage young people in positive ways. The sustainability and scaling up of Line Up Live Up within Tajikistan were also explored, with the representative of the Ministry of Education and Science, Jaloliddin Amirov, emphasizing the importance of continuing the initiative and noting that the integration of the training programme into secondary schools will be explored.
Summing up the outreach in the country through these various initiatives, Takhmina Rakhimova, National Project Coordinator at UNODC Tajikistan, indicated how, in these unprecedent times, it is important for youth to build new forms of engagement in order to stay connected and engaged mentally and physically. "We wish for our youth participants to act as Ambassadors in their school communities and share the acquired knowledge and skills with their peers on how sports can be used as a tool for personal development, mitigating the impact of pandemic, improving the health and well-being of young people," she noted. "We encourage the youth to act like today's champions."
UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia
Related Multimedia
Paracanoe - UNODC I Choose Sport video series Uzbekistan
Building youth resilience through sport, UNODC launches new social outreach campaign in Uzbekistan
The challenges of protecting youth from crime and violence in a pandemic
20 years after the signing of UNTOC, crime prevention remains a multidimensional endeavour
Supported by the State of Qatar
60 years Crime Congress


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Greg Jennings Horoscope Virgo and Zodiac Pig
Greg Jennings, age 35, was born on September 21, 1983 in Michigan. Greg Jennings's horoscope sun sign is Virgo and Chinese zodiac sign is Pig. Greg Jennings was famous for NFL wide receiver who made the Pro Bowl in 2010 and 2011, winning the Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 2011. He signed .
Meanings of Name Greg
The name Greg was originated from Greek. It is used as a male name. The name Greg is of the meaning of Watcher. The name Greg is used in English speaking countries.
More Celebrities with First Name of Greg
Greg Raposo (May 03, 1985): Details and Pictures
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Greg Jennings (September 21, 1983): Details and Pictures
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Greg Grunberg (July 11, 1966): Details and Pictures
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More Celebrities with Last Name of Jennings
Ken Jennings (May 23, 1974): Details and Pictures
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Daily Virgo Reading and Charts
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Greg Jennings Pictures - click to enlarge


How would carrying a gene mutation change my treatment and management?
Some women who test positive for certain genetic mutations decide to have a mastectomy instead of a lumpectomy in order to prevent a new, second breast cancer from occurring in the future. Additionally, women with mutations in cancer predisposition genes are sometimes at an increased risk for other types of cancer and may be candidates for additional surgeries and/or screening. Finally, if you are positive for certain genetic mutations, your oncologist may make different recommendations regarding chemotherapy and medications.
What would this mean for my family members?
Mutations in genes associated with cancer predisposition syndromes are passed through families. Most of the time, if you are positive for a genetic mutation, your first-degree family members (mother, father, sisters, brothers, and/or children) have a 50 percent chance of also carrying this mutation.
If you are found to be positive for a mutation, a genetic counselor can help you inform your family members about their risk of developing certain cancers. In those that test positive but do not have cancer, preventative action can be taken to reduce their risk of developing cancer, in some cases by as much as 90 percent. These actions include more aggressive screening beginning at younger ages, preventative surgeries, and chemoprevention (taking drugs known to reduce the risk of developing cancer).
Does insurance cover the cost of genetic counseling and genetic testing?
Genetic counseling visits are usually considered a specialist visit and are covered by insurance. When a genetic counselor or other medical professional recommends genetic testing, especially in people who have had cancer, insurance covers it in most cases.
A genetic counselor and the laboratory conducting the testing can help you determine if genetic testing is covered by your specific insurance plan and what the out-of-pocket cost would be to you.
If you do not have insurance, or cannot pay for the genetic counseling and/or genetic testing, there are programs available to help. Each patient will be considered on an individual basis. Please contact the genetic counselor at 308-630-1740 to discuss your individual options.
If I test positive for a genetic predisposition syndrome, could this affect the insurability of my children and/or other relatives?
Genetic information cannot be accessed by anyone, other than you and people you authorize to view this information. Furthermore, the Genetic Information and Discrimination Act of 2008 (also known as "GINA"), is a federal law that prohibits insurance companies and employers from discriminating against someone because of his or her genetic information.
Where will the genetic counseling session take place?
Genetic counseling appointments take place at Regional West's Breast Health Center. The services are provided remotely through our Telehealth network in the Breast Health Center. During the counseling session, you will be comfortably seated in a private room and connected via a secure Telehealth connection to the genetic counselor, who is located in Denver at Invision Sally Jobe Breast Centers. Services are available in both English and Spanish.
If the need for genetic testing is indicated, when and how will that take place?
If genetic counseling session indicated that testing is appropriate, trained technologists in the Breast Health Center will collect a sample, through an order from the genetic counselor and sponsoring RIA radiologist. The specimen will be, most often, a cheek cell sample obtained via a mouthwash kit but a blood sample may also be used. The DNA sample will be obtained after the counseling session and before you leave the Breast Health Center, so no follow-up visit is necessary.
The Breast Health Center technologists will then send the specimen to an outside laboratory for processing.
Genetic test results are typically available approximately two to three weeks after the test is ordered. The results will be sent directly to the genetic counselor, who will then call and go over the results with you on the phone. In addition, you and your physician will both receive a detailed written report.
To schedule an appointment with our genetic counselor, contact us at 308-630-1740.


text:
Rants and Replies
ExC-blog --16 Common Myths About Atheists
By webmdave,
October 28, 2006 in Rants and Replies
webmdave
Location:Western Reserve, USA
Interests:Classical and Modern Stoic Philosophy
Still have any Gods? If so, who or what? :Independent Skeptic - no gods
By Atheist Mommy
1. Atheists hate Christians and Christianity. No, we don't. Personally, I do hate the atrocities that have been committed in the name of religion, the dishonesty of most religions, and the way that they encourage people not to think or question, and not to trust or use their minds. But I don't dislike someone just because of their religion.
2. Most atheists started out as Christians, and stopped believing because of some bad experience with other Christians. Or maybe we simply started to question, to wonder what happened when we applied the standards of logic, reason and burden of proof to religion, as we already did to everything in our lives. Or, perhaps, we were never believers at all. It happens, you know.
3. Atheists have no sense of morality, since morality comes from God. Ah, the old without fear of hell, there would be nothing to stop people from being bloodthirsty monsters argument. It may come as a surprise to most Christians, but there are reasons for being good other than fear of punishment - which isn't really a reason, anyway, and only shows Christians in a very bad light. Reasons like human empathy, genuine feelings for others, and, most importantly, rational principles. Behaving yourself just because daddy will spank you otherwise does not make you a nice child.
4. Atheists are a unified group, like a church. Are we? I must have missed the memo, then. If anything, Id say atheists are more diverse than Christians, because were less sheep-like, and dont accept things on faith, or from authority.
5. Atheists actually know, deep inside, that theres a God, as thats perfectly obvious; they are simply too proud and arrogant to admit the existence of something greater than themselves. Not exactly. You see, the existence of a god is only obvious if youve been brainwashed (either by others, or by your own irrationality) into believing it. We are truly convinced that theres no god, and are not in denial. Really. Im serious.
6. Atheists dont really know anything about Christianity. Again, it depends. Some certainly know more than others. However, religion is so ubiquitous that, like it or not, weve all had varying degrees of contact with it, with its teachings, and with believers. Besides, a lot of atheists are naturally curious. I, myself, have read the Christian Bible - more than once, in fact. Now, dear believer, ask yourself how many atheist books, magazines or essays you have read. Oh, I forgot, theyre all the work of Satan.
7. Atheists lives are cold and empty, as they cant feel the joy and love that comes only from God. Really? Id never call my life cold or empty - I have the joys of friendship, love, family, and doing the things I love to do. And, whats more, I'm self-sufficient, unlike anyone who says I don't know how anyone could live without God in their lives - as many Christians do.
8. Atheists are depressive and nihilistic, since they believe theres nothing after death, and therefore theres no point to anything. On the contrary, we, unlike you, know how precious life is, because were aware that its our only one. And, this may come as a shock to you, but we can love our lives, we can feel the joy of being alive, because we don't believe that this is the devils world, or that this is just a test before the real thing. Life is precious, and its our own - not any gods.
9. Atheists are cold and uncaring. No, we are not. Having delusions doesn't make anyone more caring. And, again, we treat life as precious, and do what we can to improve it, both ours and that of our loved ones. On the other hand, many Christians believe life is suffering, and that theres nothing we can do about it.
10. Atheists are arrogant. What, because we dare to use our minds instead of asking who are we to know? No, were not.
11. Atheists want to forbid religious worship. Wrong. We just don't want to be harmed by it. Want to believe in God, Jesus, Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy? Be my guest. Want to teach your kids to do the same? I feel sorry for them, but it will still take many years until people realize how crippling ones reason in childhood is like a bird crippling its offspring's wings. (*) Want to give all your money to a guy with a Lexus and a bad haircut? Fine. But don't try to save me, don't harass me in the street or at my home, don't get politicians to enact laws to give power to you, don't try to teach your religion in science classes by dishonestly giving it a new name and disguising it as science, and don't use my tax money to write your idiocies in public places. In short, do as you want, as long as you keep it to yourself - just like I don't go to your place trying to un-convert you.
12. Atheists are incapable of feeling awe at simple things, like a beautiful sunset, as they see everything in terms of cold science, instead of miracles. Ah, unweaving the rainbow - the idea that beauty and poetry only exist if we know little to nothing about how things work. But I ask you: does the fact that you know about astronomy, physics and light make the sunset any less beautiful? Was it beautiful only because it seemed magical - or an act of god - to you?
13. Atheists live their lives in constant fear of death. Few people actually want to die - those that do are either depressed and suicidal, or are Christians who believe that the world is evil, please, Lord Jesus, take me, and all that. A reasonable fear of death is perfectly natural. Also, we may believe that this life is it, which makes us treat it as precious, but, at least, we don't think that theres a chance of going to a place where you burn and are tortured for eternity
14. Most criminals are atheists (or, alternatively, the percentage of atheists among criminals is higher than among the general populace). Oddly enough, the opposite is true.
15. Atheists are stubborn and closed-minded. Not unless you define closed-minded like this. But, as Ebon said, Ask any believer what would convince him he was mistaken and persuade him to leave his religion and become an atheist, and if you get a response, it will almost invariably be, Nothing - I have faith in my god. Although such people may well exist, I personally have yet to meet a theist who would acknowledge even the possibility that his belief was in error. Many theists, by their own admission, structure their beliefs so that no evidence could possibly disprove them. Atheists, on the other hand, are easy to convince - all it requires is for God to show himself in some unfakeable way - say, for instance, by doing any of the many things he supposedly did in the Old Testament
16. Atheists make bad parents. Again, there are good and bad atheist parents, and good and bad Christian parents. Atheist parents, however, would never do what Abraham was about to do to his son Isaac (and Christians see Abraham's behavior as laudable!), because, to most atheists, our lives are our own. In fact, even if there was a God, it would not follow that our lives are his.
http://exchristian.net/exchristian/2006/10...t-atheists.html
Location:U.K.
Still have any Gods? If so, who or what? :perhaps, but not the Xtian trinity
You haven't mentioned the old chessnut: "there's no atheists on the battlefield/in a foxhole/plane when it's about to crash etc etc..."
What about eating babies and worshipping the devil?
After some years alongside Xian fundies, that was the clear impression I got of Atheists anyway...
Location:SL,UT
Interests:Video games, politics, philosophy, wildlife biology, history, science, "paranormal" events, SETI
Still have any Gods? If so, who or what? :Sorry, go fish.
Damn it, Vhorokar, you know that's supposed to be a State Secret! Now we're going to have to call in damage control and get them to flashy-thing everyone who reads the forums again!
Er.. I mean...
These are not the droids you're looking for.
Interests:Computers, cycling, environment
Still have any Gods? If so, who or what? :I believe in reality.
Good list. Do you have a reference for #14? It would be good to quote.
My favorite is #11. This one is the biggest problem for us. Fundies all assume we're out to get them, so they need to squash us. I wish they'd just leave us alone. I wish I could be honest about my non-beliefs without fear of retribution.
R. S. Martin
Location:Ontario, Canada
Interests:learning why people believe what they do and normal stuff like birds, dogs and music
Still have any Gods? If so, who or what? :I have yet to see the evidence
I wish I could be honest about my non-beliefs without fear of retribution.
This sounds like a rewording of what gays say i.e. I wish I could be honest about my true love without fear of retribution.
Sometimes I feel like being an unbeliever has as much stigma as being gay. Neither is right. What matters is that we don't hurt people. Seems fundies have to invent stuff so they can say gays and unbelievers hurt them. But they do come up with stuff that they think we hurt them with. It just doesn't line up with reality as experienced by regular human beings.
Interests:I am not really all that interesting so why are you even reading my profile to begin with?
Still have any Gods? If so, who or what? :Gods? Damn it! I knew I forgot something
You haven't mentioned the old chessnut: "there's no atheists in foxholes"
Well yeah there are no Atheists in foxholes they are out fighting the war while the christians and what not are praying to their god to save their ass


text:
InterConnections: A Newsletter for Congregational Leaders
To Keep Committees Filled, Make Church Meaningful
By Donald E. Skinner
Think back to the last time you were asked to chair or serve on an important congregational committee? Did it feel like:
I thought you'd never ask.
I was just going to ask you if I could do that.
A death sentence.
It may be too much to expect that we will be overjoyed when we are asked to take on yet another congregational assignment, but wouldn't it be nice if we didn't feel that life as we knew it was over?
Much of that transformation can happen in the way in which one is asked, says Rev. Mark Bell, Michael Servetus Unitarian Universalist (UU) Fellowship in Vancouver, WA (206 members). "If you have slots to fill and that's how you see them, just as slots, then you're always going to have trouble," he said.
"The Vancouver congregation has adopted a plan of shared ministry that, while not eliminating all the burden of more church work, has reduced it," Bell said. The plan has four phases:
Encourage: Look upon congregational responsibilities as ministry. "Everything we do is a form of ministry," said Bell. "Instead of trying to get people to do all the things that need to be done, get in the frame of mind that what we're here for is to minister to and serve each other. People need to be invited into ministries of leadership and service.
Educate: After you say thanks to a volunteer for signing on, provide a written job description that says, "Here's what we're asking of you and here are some of the things you'll need to know to do it well." That doesn't mean dictating how the job is done, but it does mean informing them about how it was done in the past and providing access to mentors and books that can be helpful. Tell them how the job will impact the lives of members in a ministerial way.
Support: Keep them connected to other people in the congregation who can help them make decisions;. i.e., a program council of major committee chairs.
Celebrate: One of the seven major committees at Vancouver is the Volunteer Support Committee. It coordinates recruiting activities and helps members find opportunities most suitable for them. It also writes articles for the newsletter, celebrating individual volunteers and committees each month. And starting this year it "zaps" committees by showing up without warning at a meeting of a particular committee with treats and party hats, just to say thanks. "People really light up over that," said Bell. Twice a year the committee sends around an involvement survey, soliciting people for one-shot opportunities like ushering.
Bell also suggests that congregations ask themselves: "If a job is a chronic volunteer pain, do we really need to do it?" When it became extremely difficult to line up people to make coffee at Vancouver, the congregation hired a couple of teenagers to do it "for not that much money."
Roger Comstock, District Executive for the Thomas Jefferson District, reminds: "What I always tell my congregations whenever they complain is, "If you are having trouble filling the job it is likely because the job has become too big. Figure out a way to break it up into smaller pieces. This works."
Rev. Mark Christian, at UU Church of Las Cruces, NM (126), finds it helpful to frequently remind his members of the church's mission and vision. He uses the pulpit, newsletter and one-on-one conversations to keep those statements in front of members.
It's the same principle used in fundraising. "People don't give to need, they give to vision," Christian said. "Asking someone to do it because we need to fill this slot is not as powerful as telling them 'You understand where this institution is going and we want you to play a vital part in its future.'"
Atlanta's UU Congregation (722), attempts to always have an assistant chair in training on key committees. That way, the second-in-command can move up when the chair resigns. In that manner the committee always has an experienced person as chair. The congregation also regularly provides money in its budget to send members to leadership school and to regional church conferences, said Rev. Edward Frost.
Lawrence Palmieri Peers, the Unitarian Universalist Association's (UUA) Education and Research Director, recommends that potential committee members be told exactly what the committee does, including how often the meetings are and how long they last and the work required between meetings. Tell them also how long the responsibility will last.
Sabbaticals are also important for active leaders, he said. "It's important for people to be able to say 'no' to a commitment for a while, but this is only possible if others will say `yes' to taking up new commitments."
Ken Wheeler, former District Executive for the Mountain Desert District, said he's heard from an increasing number of congregations who have expanded their nominating committee so that it doesn't meet 'just for two panicked weeks before the annual meeting.' Instead it takes time to cultivate and educate and sort of mentor, individuals who show promise. They take time to bring someone capable along and finally they end up on the board. Most congregations just don't take that long a view."
Ease of recruitment for leadership positions is also directly related to how much members value their religious community, Wheeler said. "If we're able to create a value in membership, then people will stay on and work on committees, but for those who the church is not yet a central part of their life, it's difficult. My advice to a church that has committee problems is—you do community well and people will feel rewarded and they will invest time at the next opportunity."
Donald E. Skinner
Donald E. Skinner was the founding editor of the InterConnections newsletter for congregational leaders and a senior editor of UU World from 1998 until his retirement in 2014. He is a member of the Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church in Lenexa, Kansas.
For more information contact interconnections@uua.org.
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TIP! Never allow a car salesmen to pressure you to buying a car you can't afford. A salesperson will say anything and everything to get someone in a new vehicle, and the higher the price tag, the higher commission he will earn.
Have you had less than stellar deals on past car buys? Perhaps you want some advice in how to negotiate more effectively. Your main goal here should be to learn information pertaining to car buying. Start off easy by reading these great tips below.
TIP! Look online for a great deal. You shouldn't visit the dealership until you know precisely which make and model you desire.
Research any dealership you are considering before offering on a car there. If you are familiar with their financing choices and trade-in policy in advance, you will negotiate from a stronger position. Checking with customer reviews can also help you out.
TIP! You should be ready with financing before going to look for a car. You can do this through your local credit union or bank.
When negotiating, you shouldn't be focusing on the monthly price. Instead, consider the total overall price. Dealers can make any monthly price happen, but you'll pay monthly prices for years on the total cost of an outrageously-priced car. Focus your negotiating on getting the best deal possible on the total price and financing you receive. This will help you determine the best course of action for a monthly payment schedule.
TIP! Research any dealers you're considering before making an offer. You will have more negotiating power if you know how they operate and what finance options they offer.
Before buying a used car from a dealership, ask to have it looked over by a third-party mechanic. You should go somewhere else if the dealer refuses to let that happen. Your mechanic will check for things such as engine wear, if it has been in an area affected by flooding, as well as many other problematic things.
TIP! You should be aware of what you want out of a car. Check online to find out more about the vehicles available.
If you don't know how to deal with sales pitches that are high pressure, get a companion to shop with you. You can bring a family member or friend to help you with negotiations. Tell your companion your priorities and budget goals in advance of your trip.
TIP! Get an outside mechanic to look at a used car that you are interested in buying from the dealership. If they say no, leave.
Do not talk about trade-ins, down payments or incentives until after you have a firm price on the car you want. These different things should be deducted from the final price. Also, you will typically end up with a better overall price if you negotiate the deal from the onset.
TIP! Don't pay full price! The sticker price isn't what the salesperson expects to receive for that car. If negotiating is not your strong suit, take a skilled negotiator with you.
Taking a test drive is imperative. Even if you are sure that you want a particular make and model, take the few minutes needed to test drive it. There is nothing that can replace the feeling of driving the car. Maybe you don't like the ride, or you may find the car isn't built in a way your body can adapt to.
TIP! Take another person car shopping with you. They can be an extra set of ears, along with being more reasonable about leaving when hearing a deal that doesn't benefit you.
Try to shop for your new vehicle towards month's end. Most salesmen have a certain quota they would like to reach for each month. At month's end, quotas may not have been met yet, and under-performing salesmen will be eager to negotiate.
TIP! Have conversations with those you know about what they might know personally. Are they pleased with their own vehicles? Do they feel they paid a fair price? Are they hearing great things about different cars? When you are looking for a new vehicle, keeping your ear to the ground is a great way to do some starting research in your hunt.
Bring a friend with you on your car shopping trip who isn't personally affected by your decision to buy a car. This person can assist you in making any emotional decisions. They are unbiased and will tell you any drawbacks they see.
TIP! Determine your maximum budget before you set foot on the lot. When shopping for a vehicle, never pay more than your budget allows, regardless of what the dealer tries to tell you.
Look for great deals on used cars on the web. The car dealership is no longer necessary. Instead, look on eBay, Craigslist and your local classified ads. This is a good way to save money and stay away from the salespeople you will find in dealerships.
TIP! Take the car you want for a spin. Although you may have already driven this make and model, you'll want to ensure that this car works properly.
Dealers and salespeople are different. Sometimes, you may not always get a pushy salesperson. In fact, many dealerships are being friendly and kind instead. If your salesperson is pushy, just leave. There are many salespeople who are willing to work with you.
TIP! If you are not confident in your ability to resist high-pressure sales pitches, do not shop for a car alone. Bring a relative or friend along to help negotiate prices and remember important questions.
Avoid As-is warranties when purchasing used cars. It can be a very bad choice. The minimum you should accept is a 30 to 90-day warranty. Be aware that if the engine or transmission breaks once you drive away, you will end up having to pay for the repairs.
TIP! Test drive the vehicle you are interested in before beginning any negotiations. It is important to get behind the wheel to get the feel of the car before purchase.
Take fuel economy into consideration before purchasing a vehicle. Highly efficient models may be more expensive initially, but they may provide big long-term savings at the gas pump. Make sure to consider your long term expenses when purchasing a vehicle.
TIP! Be fully aware of the quota system most car dealers work on in order to make a living. Use this against them by shopping at month end.
You aren't going to magically find the best deals for you. You need to figure out how to get the deals, and how to work with salespeople and their tactics. You've got to be able to decipher their math, and even crunch the numbers yourself. Keep these tips in mind when beginning the process.
This entry was posted in FAQ and tagged monthly price, overall price, test drive on April 15, 2018 by admin.


The beginning of the school year means back to school physicals. One week before school was set to start the school board sent a message to our district stating there were policy changes and this school year there are new vaccine requirements. If your children participate in athletic teams they also require sports physicals.
Did you know Walgreens offer physicals for all patients up to age 21 and under for only $49?
I don't have to make an appointment, drive to the doctor's office and wait for hours to be seen. There's a Walgreens Clinic right down the street from me. There are approximately 400 Healthcare Clinic locations conveniently located at select Walgreens across the country. To find the one nearest you, simply enter your ZIP code in the Store Locator.
Licensed Healthcare professionals are available to answer your concerns and help with immunizations the kids might need for the school year. With immediate access to the Walgreens pharmacy you can get expert healthcare and pick up what you need on the spot. Walk-ins are welcome and appointments are also available.
For a limited time, bring this printable coupon in to a participating Healthcare Clinic for a youth sports, camp or school physical, and save $10 off the already discounted price.
Every school year it seems a few teachers require items that weren't on the original back to school supply list. While at Walgreens pick up any school essentials you might need. Walgreens offers a large selection of supplies from hand sanitizer to tissues, paper, pens and so much more.
Walgreens makes back to school easy, helping everyone check off their her back to school list without going back to the big department store when all you might need are just a few extra items.
Legal Disclaimer: "*Promotion ends 9/7/14. Sports and school physicals not typically covered by insurance. Certain exceptions, including age restrictions, may apply. Patient care services at Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens provided by Take Care Health Services, an independently owned professional corporation whose licensed healthcare professionals are not employed by or agents of Walgreen Co. or its subsidiaries, including Take Care Health Systems, LLC. Walgreen Co. and its subsidiary, Take Care Health System, LLC, provide management services to in-store clinics and provider practices." Visit walgreens.com/gobackhealthy for details.


text:
« Main Dish: | Main | New Fundings & Liquidity: »
"Ethnic cleansing" is the most repulsive euphemism I've ever heard, it's straight up genocide plain and simple. It's time to do something about this, even if we just have to do it without the spineless bastards grubby oil interests United Nations. At least we can count on the British.
Aug 23, 2004 at 10:38 PM | Permalink
Count on Bush? You gotta be kidding me. Bush ain't gonna do jack about Darfur. American leadership has consistently failed in recent cases of genocide. When Clinton decided to get involved in Bosnia, the less responsible Republicans were asking "What is the American interest in Bosnia?" I don't even want to think about what they would have said about Rwanda. The only guy who should can be praised in Rwanda was Romeo Dallaire, the French-Canadian general on the ground who was incredibly heroic with a 2000-man multi-national force that was equipped with side-arms.
The UN is spineless and ineffective, but we have helped make it that way. Blaming them is like the dog owner who beats his dog mercilessly and then complains that it is a lousy watchdog because it cowers when he comes near it.
Posted by: ppk | Aug 24, 2004 at 12:33 PM
you will notice that I studiously avoided anything partisan... but's it's interesting that the first comment is tainted with it.
The fact remains that President Bush called Darfur a "the worst humanitarian tragedy of our time" and Sec of State Powell called it a "humanitarian catastrophe". Both the House and the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution calling the situation in Darfur genocide. The British are ready to go as well.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/08/24/2003200027
Meanwhile, over at the UN the Security Council voted for a resolution, over the objections of the U.S. that it was watered down, limited to "measures" against the Sudanese government and have strictly avoided any reference to genocide or sanctions. Why? Because China and France have big oil interests in Sudan that they wish to protect by ensuring the status quo with regard to the ruling dictatorship in Sudan.
You can debate the politics all you want, but it's not going to change the facts on the ground. The President and the Congress have sent the signal that they are ready for sanctions and UN initiatives in Darfur, while the UN has sent the message that they are comfortable hiding behind the "ethnic cleansing" euphemism in order to NOT take action. All the while, people are dying, and yet-another -African-catastrophe unfolds.
Yeah, the UN should be reformed... no, it should be outright overhauled, but that's not going to happen as long as it takes the UN itself to do it. A big part of the reason why the U.S. has withheld funds for the better part of a decade and a half is that it's the only leverage have to force action. But it's not enough, because despite the unspoken agenda of weakening the notion of the nation-state that many countries see as an effective means to combat the dominance of the U.S. in the world, the fact remains that nations can't shake the drive to assert their nationalism. You want to see this in action just suggest to the French that the Security Council should be overhauled to replace the French seat with an EU seat.
Posted by: jeff | Aug 24, 2004 at 12:55 PM
You're quite right. It is genocide. We should stop it. Making the UN work to acomplish our goals is one of the key jobs of a US President. Complaining that the UN has foiled your good intentions again is a sign of failure. (To make a tech world anology, this is like the market dominating competitor in a chip market whining that they've been foiled by the IEEE standards process. If you didn't know winning here was important to your business, you should have quit before you started.) I do hope that Bush's Stiffly Worded Diplomatic Note will take care of this business. Perhaps if we didn't have the bulk of our fighting forces axle-deep in the quicksands of Iraq, we'd be able to do something stronger than sternly disaprove. Standing by and wringing our hands is also a cost of Bush's Iraq decision.
Posted by: Gordon | Aug 25, 2004 at 11:36 AM
I guess everything comes down to politics in an election year... this election year more than any other, apparently.
You make some good points, however, "making the UN work to accomplish our goals" has hardly been a winning strategy for any president, going back to Kennedy. The is a long precedent of the U.S. leading the charge (we couldn't even get NATO on board for Kosovo until we actually started bombing them). The UN is principally concerned with preserving order in the world, even if it's vile scum like what we have in Sudan, the UN has a pretty poor track record as delivering real change in the world (last time I checked, we still stand between North and South Korea 50 years after firing stopped in that conflict). Besides, the OAS certainly won't denounce a Muslim state, especially when the issue is Muslims murdering and raping non-Muslims, and with the OAS adament about not doing anything in Sudan does anyone really think that the Euro/Palestinian groupies at the UN will do anything?
The U.S. military numbers 1.4 million soldiers, a larger proportion are combat troops considering that much of the administrative and logistics functions have been contracted out. The Army alone have 480,000 active duty combat troops. The total deployment of troops in Iraq is 130,000; I admit that I'm not exact on the number in Afghanistan but it's certainly much lower than Iraq at this point. I realize that this isn't a DNC talking point, but the U.S. military is more than adequately staffed to handle a wide range of simultaneous missions.
In Germany alone the Army has 56,000 soldiers, 2 divisions and 4 combat brigades. The large number of C-130's and medical personnel make it ideal to launch a humanitarian mission. Keep in mind that is takes 20 days to deploy a heavy brigade combat team by sea from Germany to Africa... and that's a combat deployment (tanks, artillery, etc.)! You can move an entire division in 25 days from Germany, and that's 15,000 soldiers. In other words, we can deploy our resources in adequate numbers from our bases.
You can't have it both ways, criticizing the "hand wringing" while waiting for the UN to get off it's ass, and criticism for going without the UN, which is what we did in Kosovo and should have done in Rwanda.
By the way, the world's largest semiconductor company did tell the IEEE to screw themselves, Intel and their initiative on WiMax
Yes, everything is political in an election year. But is Bush not responsible for US foreign policy, including in Sudan? And our success or failure in stoping the genocide there? And yes, going without the UN into Kosovo was right. Going into Rwanda would have been right, so would using our military to stop the genocide in Sudan. I don't object to Bush's invading Iraq, I object to his failure to win there. And if you will cast your mind back to March of last year you may recall that we could have been far more deft in our handling of the UN. Would it have made a difference if instead of Bush backing out of seeking another Security Council resolution France or China had to vetoed such a resolution, which we almost had with Chile's help? Bush's past choices constrain his options here.
On overstretch, see these:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3372093.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3093900.stm
http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/fr/fr030806_1_n.shtml
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4489450/
Posted by: Gordon | Aug 25, 2004 at 05:51 PM
you make good points, I won't dither with you on this or that. I suspect we're probably degrees apart, at least close enough that we can debate the issue without the word 'hate' coming into things.
At any rate, my view is that we ought to be a lot more aggressive about Sudan, if anything just because it's the right thing to do.
While we're acknowledging that it's all politics all the time in an election year... at least with the President I can take him to task for tactics, with Kerry I would actually be concerned as to whether or not he'd identify a broad-based terrorist threat (aka "war on terror") and if he did then he would want to outsource the whole thing to the U.N., and as you can imagine, that just scares the shit out of me.
by the way, thanks for taking the time to comment. I really do appreciate it when people who read my blather take the time to share their thoughts.
The events in the Sudan are a tragedy and just the latest reminder of the fatal structural ineffectiveness of the UN. However, we have bigger fish to fry in Iran, North Korea and Syria.
Blaming any president for the despicable show of fecklessness in that brothel on Turtle Bay is total BS. The UN is not fixable: we should form an Organization of World Democracies. Any country could join but only democracies could vote. All participants would be required to contribute a certain percentage of the GDP to defense. The rest of them would have to earn a right to sit at the adult's table.
Posted by: PD Quig | Aug 26, 2004 at 05:57 PM


text:
Jamaican arrested at US airport for possession of child porn
February 9, 2017 at 5:55 am #138898 Reply
A man, said to be a Jamaican, was on Monday held with child pornography on his cellphone as he disembarked a flight from Jamaica at the Orlando International Airport (OIA), the ABC News affiliate, WHTV9 reported on its website today.
The man, identified as Anthony Carl Spence, allegedly told investigators that one of the two videos found on his phone was shown to a class of Jamaican school children "in order to determine whether any of them had ever been molested," a criminal complaint filed Tuesday said.
The WHTV9 report said Spence was getting off the plane when he was stopped by US Customs and Border Protection officers, who searched his phone, the complaint said.
Investigators did not say what prompted the search.
When the suspected child porn was found, officials at OIA called Homeland Security agents, who responded and took a more in-depth look at Spence's phone, court documents said.
Spence, according to the US media report, claimed a girlfriend in New York sent him one of the videos and the other he had forwarded to a relative as a warning that her child "could be acting in a similar manner," the criminal complaint said.
When asked about the incident involving the Jamaican school children, Spence reportedly told investigators that he was not employed by the school, but his nieces attended and he'd gotten permission from a teacher to show students one of the videos, the complaint said.
Spence, who told agents he had five daughters, allegedly admitted sending the videos to a number of friends and relatives while in Jamaica, including "women with children," court documents said.
Spence was arrested and charged in federal court with a count of possession of child pornography.
via JamaicaObserver
Reply To: Jamaican arrested at US airport for possession of child porn
Govana – Gyallis Class Lyrics
Lorraine SD
Denyque "All Black Everything" at Take Style Out #TSO2O15
Talk Up Yout School Tour – Manchester High School Stop #13
Rickey Teetz – Go Deh Gal
Omelly – Ride Like This (Official Video)


text:
Q: pdo disconnect from database in class I wrote a class for PDO and need to disconnect PDO => ( I don't know how to do it )
I don't know code wrote is structurally correct?!
use $this->returnconn(); for db connection
Please guide me...
Sample code:
class conn {
    public $inner;
    public function returnconn() {
            $CONF = $TMPL = array();
            // The MySQL credentials
            $CONF['host'] = 'localhost';
            $CONF['user'] = 'root';
            $CONF['pass'] = '';
            $CONF['name'] = 'cmss';
            $dsn ="mysql:host=".$CONF['host'].";dbname=".$CONF['name']."";
                try{
                    $conn = new PDO($dsn,$CONF['user'],$CONF['pass']);
                    $conn ->exec("SET CHARACTER SET UTF8");
                    }catch(PDOException $e){
                        die($e->getMessage());
                    }
            return $conn;
    }

    public function select(){

        switch ($this->inner->switch){
                case "select":

                    $sql="SELECT ".$this->inner->todo." FROM ".$this->inner->table." WHERE ".$this->inner->sql."";
                    $result=$this->returnconn()->prepare($sql);
                       /*
                         * this->returnconn();
                        */
                    $result->execute();
                    if($result->rowCount()<=0){
                    return '{"msg":"empty "}';
                    }else{
                    return $result->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);
                    }
        break;
        }
    }

}

/* receive data */
$obj = new conn;
$iner = array();
$iner['table'] = 'category';
$iner['switch'] ='select';
$iner['todo'] = '*';
$iner['sql'] = '`id` IS NOT NULL ORDER BY `id` ASC';
$in = json_decode(json_encode($iner));
$obj ->inner = $in;
echo json_encode($obj ->select());

Do need a function to disconnect?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Jamie Anseeuw was named as an alternate for the 2018 Canadian Paralympic Games wheelchair curling team. He wore the Maple Leaf uniform for the first time in PyeongChang.
Anseeuw was mentored by teammate Dennis Thiessen, who persuaded him to try wheelchair curling in 2014.


text:
Lady Sarah Chatto (* 1. května 1964, Kensingtonský palác) je jediná dcera Antonyho Armstrong-Jonese, 1. hraběte ze Snowdonu a princezny Margaret, hraběnky ze Snowdonu.

Život
Narodila se 1. května 1964 v Kensingtonském paláci jako dcera Antonyho Armstrong-Jonese, 1. hraběte ze Snowdonu a princezny Margaret, hraběnky ze Snowdonu. Navštěvovala Bedales School, Camberwell School of Art a Middlesex Polytechnic (dnes univerzita Middlesex). Je profesionální malířkou reprezentující Redfern Gallery. Je vicepředsedkyní The Royal Ballet.

Roku 1981 byla družičkou na svatbě svého bratrance prince Charlese a princezny Diany.

Dne 14. července 1994 se v St Stephen's (Walbrook) vdala za Daniela Chatto. Oddáni byly reverendem Chadem Varahem. Její družičky byly Lady Frances Armstrong-Jones, Zara Phillips a Tara Noble. Spolu mají dvě děti:
 Samuel David Benedict Chatto (nar. 1996)
 Arthur Robert Nathaniel Chatto (nar. 1999)

Je 27. v pořadí na britský trůn.

Reference

Ženy
Armstrong-Jones
Narození 1. května
Narození v roce 1964
Žijící lidé

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Ozzy Osbourne performs onstage during the 2019 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp)
Ozzy Osbourne and Elton John release new song
By Saige Miller
Let the music of 2020 commence! We're kicking off the new year with a new Ozzy Osbourne track from his upcoming album Ordinary Man. Any guess on the title of the single? That's right, the first track on the album is also called… 'Ordinary Man.' The newest track features not only Ozzy, but the legends themselves, Elton John and Slash!
The song is a little softer. And everything you love about all three musicians beautifully collaborates into one song. Ozzy's lyrics are transformative and reflective. Elton John's piano skills are soulful. Slash's guitar riffs give the song the classic rock feel while mind-boggling listeners.
Ozzy begins the song with deep acknowledgment of his past and what he can make of the present.
I was unprepared for fame
Then everybody knew my name
No more lonely nights, it's all for you
I have traveled many miles
I've seen tears and I've seen smiles
Just remember that it's all for you
After a few verses, Elton John joins Ozzy and gives a little insight of hope mixed with rationalization.
Many times I've lost control
They tried to kill my rock 'n' roll
Just remember I'm still here for you
I don't wanna say goodbye
When I do, you'll be alright
After all, I did it all for you
This is just the first song on Ozzy's upcoming album. 'Ordinary Man' is a sneak peek and a beautiful first single. And while the lyrics are captivating, it's the production of the single that really hits home for me. In the last 20 seconds of the song, a full orchestra has a solo, and it gives the tune a significant punch of impact.
The album was recorded after Ozzy openly admitting his struggle with depression brought on by not being able to create music. He stepped back most of 2019 to handle some medical issues. And now he's back, and obviously feeling better than ever.
2020 Elton John New album new music Ordinary Man single slash
Neil Peart from Rush dead at 67
Original 1968 "Bullitt" Mustang is Up For Auction


Superpro Corten AristoRod 13.26 x 15Kg.
0.8mm x 15Kg. 0.8mm x 15Kg.
1.0mm x 15Kg. 1.0mm x 15Kg.
ESAB OK AristoRod 13.26 is a bare,solid 0.8Ni-0.3Cu-alloyed wire for the GMAW of weathering steels such as COR-TEN, Patinax, Dillicor, etc.. It is also suitable for high strength steels with a Y.S.of up to 470 MPa.AristoRod 13.26 is treated with ESAB's unique Advanced Surface Characteristics (ASC) technology, taking MAG welding operations to new levels of performance and all-round efficiency, especially in robotic and mechanised welding.Typical features include excellent start properties; trouble-free feeding at high wire speeds and lengthy feed distances; a very stable arc at high welding currents; extremely low spatter levels; low fume emission; reduced contact tip wear and improved protection against corrosion of the wire.


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The AFLA holds monthly luncheon meetings on current topics involving foreign and international law from September through May in New York City. These luncheon meetings typically include leading U.S. and foreign practitioners in private practice, the public sector and government, as well as academics and researchers from around the world.
Recent past speakers have addressed such topics as new legal developments in Asia, Europe and Latin America, current cases before the International Court of Justice, global antitrust enforcement, trends in investor-state and international commercial arbitration and ethics in international and transnational legal practice.
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm The United States and the International Criminal Court (AFLA Luncheon and Annual Meeting)
Dunnington, Bartholow, & Miller LLP, New York New York
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Enforcing Judgments and Arbitration Awards against a State: Recent Developments in French and European Law
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, New York New York
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Restaring America's Government of Laws
Duane Morris, New York NY
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Perspectives of Foreign Trading Partners on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm US and Civil Law Estate Administrations: a Comparative Perspective
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Corporate Responsibility in the Age of Terrorism: Questions of Liability Under the Alien Tort Statute and the Antiterrorism Act
Hogan Lovells US LLP, New York NY
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm The Extraterritorial Reach of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act after U.S. v. Hoskins
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm The Legalization of Marijuana in Canada and the Future of Cannabis Law in the United States
Fox Rothschild LLP, New York New York
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm International Trade Regulation Concerns in Mergers and Acquisitions Due Diligence
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm White Collar Defense in India: Roadmaps and Roadblocks
Perspectives of Foreign Trading Partners: The USMCA
The following is a recording of a discussion held February 20 2019 with Canadian and Mexican trade experts on the negotiation process and the provisions of the USMCA that will change the trade landscape for the USMCA Parties, businesses and legal advisors. Darrel H. Pearson is a Partner of Bennett Jones LLP (Canada) where he …
JD Feerick: Reflections on the Constitution and Presidential Succession
The following is a recording of our luncheon Friday, October 20 2017 with Dean John D. Feerick, who offered his Reflections on the Constitution and Presidential Succession. John D. Feerick was a drafter of the 25th amendment to the United States Constitution that celebrates its 50th anniversary of ratification this year. Dean Feerick authored a …


As an Early Learning Hub, the Lane Early Learning Alliance is a self-organized, community-based coordinating body created to provide a "system approach" to early childhood education that works to improve the efficiency and outcomes for our youngest children. The Lane Early Learning Alliance helps leverage and coordinate existing programs to build on their important work, share lessons learned across service providers, and encourage the reduction of duplicated services in order to provide the most relevant and effective services to families.
The Lane Early Learning Alliance is partnering with the Kids in Transition to School (KITS) program to give children a big boost to their early literacy, self-regulation, and social skills through a system of positive teaching and behavior change strategies.
KITS also builds strong families by providing parents with tools and skills to teach and advocate for their children at home, in school, and in the community.
Lane County's network of twelve school-based Family Resources Centers (FRCs) serve as a critical access point for families with children, help increase early connections to neighborhood schools, and are a strong foundation for the implementation of several Lane Early Learning Alliance's strategies.
The FRCs are key partners in early literacy programming, parenting education activities and classes, and family engagement strategies. The Lane Early Learning Alliance is investing in building the capacity of FRCs through extended summer hours, culturally responsive programming, school transition activities and increased outreach.
The Lane Early Learning Alliance oversees Lane County's Preschool Promise program, which provides free, high-quality preschool to children, ages 3 and 4 years old, who live at 200% of the federal poverty level.
By incorporating a mixed delivery approach, Preschool Promise is centered around the philosophy that families should be able to choose the setting that works best for their children and family. From culturally responsive environments and inclusive programming to well-educated teachers, Preschool Promise builds a learning environment that can create lasting benefits.
"...Devoting resources to early learning programs is the most cost effective and high-yield investment we can make as a state...Children who arrive at Kindergarten ready to succeed are more likely to read at grade level in third grade, graduate high school on time, and move on successfully in life."


Heat in a pan the butter and fry the eggs sunny side up. Set aside. Cut the shallots, chilies and garlic into thin slices. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and chives into small pieces.
Heat in a pan the oil and fry the shallots, garlic, chilies and the salam for 3 minutes. Add the tomato and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the kecap, the salt and pepper and toss. Then gently add the eggs followed by the water. Cook slowly until done. Mix in the chives and the asemwater and serve.


This past Friday, I dragged three of my co-workers with me to Atlantic City for a night away from New York City. Trading one crazy city for another? Sounds like my kind of night. We stayed at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino and proceeded to run around the hotel, which was pretty much a giant maze. Our first stop was Boogie Nights which was beyond hilarious and super cute at the same time. Since the club was 70's and 80's themed, we were surrounded by an older crowd and a Michael Jackson impersonator, all underneath an enormous disco ball. What better way to start off the night than with some peace signs across the eyes and finger pointing?
Once we appropriately felt out of place, we headed to Anthem Nightclub which was more our cup of tea (or rum). It slowly filled up as my friend tried to negotiate drink prices (which surprisingly worked) and we eventually joined a Bachelor party which was just all kinds of strange. Atlantic City is full of the weirdest people and I love it. And what kind of trip would it be if we didn't gamble a little? Or a lot? We grabbed a taxi once we were ready to take our dancing shoes off and headed to Caesar's to try our luck. We had gotten free vouchers with our bus tickets so we took full advantage of them; I even ended up winning a total of $20. Jackpot, right? I was rolling in the deep. Two of my friends had trouble with their vouchers and, after an hour of arguing, managed to get $40 worth of food vouchers for the hotel. What does that mean? I found myself eating mozzarella sticks, loaded boardwalk fries, the best buffalo wings I've ever had, and chicken fingers at 4 am and nodding off at the table from a food coma. What a classy broad.
I littered my Instagram with a few pictures from that night (those don't belong on my blog). ;) And these pictures? They're from the morning after and therefore feature a very exhausted, and very hungover Jen.
I'm not sure if you noticed that my shoes didn't have time to shave that weekend, resulting in a little bit of facial hair to accumulate underneath the laces. I had a chance to review these adorable Shwings, which are attachable wings (and other shapes) for your shoes. I love that they add a little bit of fun to my footwear and I can't wait to attach some gold shwings I have to my converse sneakers. Have you guys seen any of these around or tried some out before?
I love all the muted tones in your outfit. Really loving the necklace as well.
Where's that necklace from?? It's so cute!
Very impressive outfits. I love the way you presented the new clothing.
those mustaches are TOO CUTE!
Haha I loooove the moustaches on your shoes! That is too hilarious.
Sounds like a great time. Love a laid back outfit that is comfortable and looks put together, which I think you achieved flawlessly.


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So I found more searches on my Chinese characters issue by including "virus" in my search and stumbled upon this forum: forums.devshed.com/….help-strange-file-virus-looks-like-chinese-asian-characters-436584…. As I suspected, it has something to do with Acer computers (and I suppose what I saw on my Mac was an extension of the problem in the html files created from the Acer PC).
Nonetheless, I've probably seen this problem twice on two separate Acer computers. Both occurred before a major system malfunction. Both had Norton antivirus software installed. Most importantly, I do not recall installing many rogue applications. But anyway, you guessed it, my desktop PC croaked on me. Last thing I recall was, I received a message of a fatal BSOD crash while I was away from my PC. It was eventually rebooted, but has not worked since. Now, it just won't boot. I think a similar sitch occurred with an old work laptop. Chinese characters appeared, system crashed, wiped out everything, lost all my data, Windows failed….


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« Josh Bowen: Never Give Up
Josh Bowen: Sleep – the Ultimate Fat Killer »
David Host: Kentucky's Unnecessary Trauma
By RP Nation, on Sat Sep 5, 2015 at 10:12 AM ET
Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis sits in jail today because Governor Steve Beshear and his staff appear to have overlooked a 76-word statute.
I do not condone Ms. Davis' apparently willful violation of a federal court order. Nor do I agree with her stated position that she has a constitutional right to ignore any of her duties as a public official. Nevertheless, a cursory review of KRS §402.080 – the Kentucky law which authorizes county clerks to issue marriage licenses – shows that Ms. Davis possesses no power to issue marriage licenses to anyone. Indeed, it appears reasonably clear that none of
Kentucky's 120 county clerks have that authority until the Kentucky legislature amends the statute to contain gender-neutral language.
The text of KRS §402.080 states as follows:
"Marriage license required — Who may issue.
"No marriage shall be solemnized without a license therefor. The license shall be issued by the clerk of the county in which the
female resides at the time, unless the female is eighteen (18) years of age or over or a widow, and the license is issued on her
application in person or by writing signed by her, in which case it may be issued by any county clerk."
Under the express terms of KRS §402.080, "the female" must apply for a marriage license before a county clerk "shall" issue a marriage license; and the statute further declares that "[n]o marriage shall be solemnized without a license therefor." Although the U.S. Supreme Court did not strike down this statute directly two months ago, KRS §402.080 is certainly unconstitutional within the meaning of its decision. Thus, it appears that Kentucky has operated without a valid marriage statute since the date of the Court's decision.
Although I remain a dedicated member of the "loyal opposition," I believe that Steve Beshear is an able and honorable man who has served as one of my native state's better governors during my lifetime. In general, he has thoughtfully put the interests of Kentuckians ahead of any other agenda – which is why I have been surprised and disappointed by his decisions following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling.
The fundamental impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling was to strike down as unconstitutional any state marriage law which expressly restricts marriage to opposite-sex couples. Yet, the Court does not have the authority to reach into any state and write a replacement statute. Thus, each state had an obligation to immediately review its marriage statutes to determine if action by that state's legislature might be necessary to implement the Court's ruling.
Some states might have already had gender-neutral marriage laws on their books prior to efforts in recent years (through additional statutes or state constitutional amendments) to expressly define marriage as between persons of the opposite sex. In those states, no legislation was necessary for the Court's ruling to go into effect immediately. In states like Kentucky, however – where the Court's decision invalidated the core statute which authorizes marriage – legislative action seems essential in order to preserve anyone's right to marry. As Governor Beshear has rejected bipartisan requests to call the Kentucky legislature into special session, a serious question exists whether any person has received a legally valid marriage license in Kentucky during the last two months.
As Kentucky's chief executive, Governor Beshear's critical responsibility following the Court's ruling was to assess its specific impact upon Kentucky's marriage laws, and determine what steps were necessary to bring those laws into compliance. Instead, he immediately instructed Kentucky's county clerks – 120 independently elected constitutional officers – that they must begin issuing marriage licenses on a gender neutral basis, even though it seems that Kentucky law no longer authorizes them to issue any marriage licenses.
I respect the fact that having engaged in a good-faith effort to defend Kentucky's existing marriage laws (to the extent that he hired outside counsel when Kentucky's attorney generalrefused to proceed with an appeal), Governor Beshear wants to move beyond this issue. I further understand his concerns about the cost to Kentucky taxpayers of calling a special legislative session – particularly when that special session is almost certain to feature lengthy and acrimonious debate regarding how to implement a U.S. Supreme Court decision with which a significant majority of Kentuckians appear to disagree.
Yet, I cannot perceive how Governor Beshear has any choice under the existing state of Kentucky law. Moreover, a special session would allow the legislature to formulate "conscientious objector" provisions which excuse county clerks whose religious beliefs prevent them from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Perhaps most important, this measure would end the trauma associated with Kim Davis and the stance she has felt compelled to take.
At some point, the absence of immediate corrective legislation could cost Kentuckians far more than the expenses associated with a special legislative session.
RP Nation Civility, Love


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Catherine Winter
Tony Trimingham OAM - CEO
Sandra Lines
Chrissie Kelly
James Lomas
Angela Tolley
Jenni Young
Chloe Span
Sally Glover
Anna Daglish
Denise Mead
Natasha Stapleton
Gayle Shaw
Amy Steven
Tony Trimingham arrived in Australia in 1968 as a Ten Pound Pom from the English Lake District.
His lifelong loves are Manchester City Football Club and the Beatles although he has an eclectic taste in hobbies including history (esp. English Medieval), theatre, opera, all kinds of music, poker, cricket and collecting stuff.
He is a bridge Grand Master (although he hasn't played for years), a member of the Australian Sceptics Society and the Richard 111 Society. He has been on 'the road less travelled' for about 32 years and recommends the journey.
Tony has worked for the past 30 years as a counsellor, group leader and psychotherapist.
Sandra is the FDS Volunteer Manager and a co-founder of the organisation.
She has a certificate IV in Alcohol and other Drugs and a diploma in Community Welfare.
Up until 4 years ago she was responsible for all aspects of the telephone line operating and working with the volunteers. She now holds a part time position and works closely with James who has taken over a large part of her duties. Unfortunately, this has led to having less contact with the volunteers which was an integral part of her job and one which she enjoyed.
She has worked closely with the Centre for Volunteering for over 20 years on supporting volunteers.
She loves to read physiological thrillers and watch UK programmes on renovating houses.
Sandra is a mother to Nicola and Jess and grandmother to Joshua.
Catherine first came to FDS in June 2019 as a parent struggling with the impact her son's substance use was having on her family. She regularly attended the Elizabeth Support Group and found that as well as getting help for herself, she also got a great deal of satisfaction out of listening to others and offering her support. Catherine feels very passionate about the FDS model and welcomed the opportunity to join the organisation in November 2020 as a Family Support Worker.
Originally coming from Scotland, Catherine came to Australia with her parents at age 13. She definitely calls Australia home, but loves to go back to visit her home country when she can.
Outside of work she enjoys the physical challenge of Boot Camp and Yoga. She loves catching up with friends and family & walking her dog Baxter.
Catherine Winter - Family Support Worker
Chrissie is a highly experienced Community Services Professional specialising in the Alcohol and other Drugs and Mental Health sectors. She also has had an extensive career delivering nationally recognised Community Services qualifications in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector; working previously as a TAFE Team Manager and TAFE teacher.
Chrissie holds qualifications in: Alcohol and other Drugs, Counselling, Community Services Management, Community Development, Disability, Mental Health, Trainer and Assessor, Volunteer Management & Coordination and Active Volunteering.
Chrissie is also an accredited Mental Health First Aid Instructor.
Chrissie Kelly - Queensland State Manager
James joined FDS in October 2015. As our Volunteer Coordinator, his role encompasses working with the Volunteer team, undertaking Interviews with potential volunteers, assisting with the delivery of the volunteer training courses, overseeing the 24/7 telephone roster including debriefing and supporting volunteers and any other administrative requirements.
Prior to joining FDS, James had worked in a number of customer service, administration and learning and development roles, primarily in the Social Service sector.
James is passionate about social justice and equality.
James is currently completing a Cert IV Coordination of Volunteer programs.
Outside of work James enjoys most sports, collecting records, playing guitar and drums, Scrabble, gardening and DIY projects.
James Lomas – Volunteer Coordinator
Angela has a BA in Communications and extensive experience as a publicist in film, theatre and publishing. She first connected with FDS as a parent reaching out for support. While a regular attendee at support group meetings, she volunteered on the FDS 24/7 Support Line. Since losing her 28 year-old son to suicide, Angela embraces with passion her new role as a Family Support Officer with FDS in South Australia. Angela is driven by the courage of so many families struggling to cope with the impact of drug and alcohol use in their midst. Like many she meets, she never expected to find herself in that place of overwhelming fear and grief. She is pleased to be able to direct her empathy and lived experience to a positive end.
A committed advocate for the FDS model, Angela also enjoys spending time with her family (including her dog), going to the theatre, travelling, Zumba and French language
Angela Tolley – Family Support Officer, South Australia
Jenni commenced with FDS in July 2016 in Head Office. Jenni is responsible for data entry. Jenni's attention to detail and accuracy is immeasurable.
Jenni is a grandmother of 3 and in her spare time enjoys reading and cross-stitch.
Jenni Young – Head Office Administration Officer
Chloe is the Victorian Project Officer for Family Drug Support Australia and is responsible for running support groups, community workshops and the FDS flagship program, 'Stepping Stones to Success' for families affected by problematic alcohol and drug use.
Chloe has a background in case management for people receiving unemployment benefits, is a Board Member of Students for Sensible Drug Policy Australia and is in her qualifying degree to become a social worker. She is also a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) and the Australia Community Workers Association (ACWA).
Chloe Span – Family Project officer, Victoria
Sally originally graduated with a Bachelor in Arts in Sociology and English and worked in Sales & Marketing and Account Management but found herself pursuing further study in psychology. In January 2018, while studying counselling and working as an Alcohol and Other Drugs caseworker, she began volunteering on the FDS support line, and in June 2019 started with FDS as a Family Project Officer with the amazing SA team: Kendall and Angela. Sally enjoys working with family members whether that is at support groups, delivering Stepping Stones or one to one support.
Sally enjoys reading, creative writing, yoga, spending time with close friends and loves the ocean, music and travelling.
Sally Glover – Family Support Officer
Anna transitioned from the private sector into the health domain initially as a Carer for her mother in 2014, then joined the FDS Team as a Volunteer on their National Support Telephone Service in 2018, and became a Family Support Worker at FDS in 2019. Having completed a BA in Humanities majoring in political science, Anna identifies the complex landscape of policymaking and is working towards better outcomes for families within drug reform in Australia. Currently undertaking a Masters Degree in Human Services, with a dissertation in Childhood and Family Studies, Anna has a strong research focus on AOD and Mental Health, positing dependency as a health issue in alliance with Queensland Human Rights Legislation 2020.
As an advocate for harm reduction initiatives, she supports therapeutic rehabilitation for recovery and re-integrative purposes. Anna's passion for social justice drives her commitment to empower families and friends of loved ones that are faced with a dependency journey. Spare time revolves around spending time with her precious family and friends and loving her cats and dog.
Anna Daglish - Family Support Worker
Denise has been working with FDS since January 2018. Denise commenced working with FDS in a P/T capacity as the Accounts Officer. Denise moved into a F/T role as an Administration Assistant in June 2019.
Denise has held various finance positions and customer service roles. She has a passion for supporting people and is committed to the FDS model and believes in the benefits of Supporting the Family.
To unwind Denise spends time with her Cattle X couch potato dogs and cat, for exercise she enjoys Zumba and other dance styles.
Denise Mead - Administration Assistant
I have always been passionate about social justice, equality and empowering people. Since completing my Bachelor degrees in Psychology and Social Work I have been fortunate to work across the globe in a variety of fields supporting individuals and families from different cultural backgrounds on their unique journey, from remote parts of Australia to Africa and across Europe. I think it is vital that services acknowledge the value in supporting families and recognising without judgement the challenges experienced by family members, as well as encouraging coping and self-care.
Natasha Stapleton - Family Support Worker Queensland
Gayle joined FDS in June 2020 bringing with her nearly 30 years of administrative experience working in various sectors including legal, health and 10 years working in the not-for-profit community sector including several years in the AOD field.
Gayle believes in the FDS model and considers it a privilege to help make a positive difference in the lives of the families assisted by FDS.
In her spare time Gayle enjoys gardening, drawing, photography and spending time with her family enjoying the outdoors.
Gayle Shaw - Administration Assistant
Amy has worked in the Welfare sector since 2004, primarily with adolescents and families, both in the out-of-home-care sector and in a family preservation capacity.
She is a trained counsellor with additional tertiary qualifications in Community Education and Media & Communications.
Having frontline experience and extensive training in trauma informed practices, Amy is empathetic, patient, and compassionate in her approach with clients.
Amy is originally from Edinburgh in Scotland and also lived in Greece for many years before settling in Australia in 2007. She enjoys immersing herself in new cultures and exploring the world.
Amy - Bridging the Divide officer, NSW.
Armstrong Legal is happy to assist Tony and the Family Drug Support Organisation by offering free legal advice from expert Criminal Lawyers.
FDS complies with State and Federal Government requirements to establish and maintain a child safe environment.
FDS Insight Magazines


A PhD fellowship (SKO 1017) is available at the Natural History Museum (NHM), University of Oslo. The position is placed in the research group "Frontiers in Evolutionary Zoology".
The fellowship period is for 4 years, with 3 years in total devoted to carrying out a research project outlined below, and 1 year a compulsory work load (25 %) that will consist of teaching and supervision duties, collection work, outreach activities and research assistance.
The PhD project will address the foundations of speciation and dispersal in intertidal invertebrates characterized by seemingly no dispersal capacity. Many invertebrate species have very wide distribution ranges, but seemingly no or very low dispersal capacities. Some cases are known, for example, as the "Meiofauna paradox". However, detailed studies of some traditionally recognized widespread species revealed complexes of cryptic species. Regardless of whether the distant populations are conspecific or belong to different cryptic species, two general questions can be asked: "Why are these taxa from distant areas so similar?" and "How can they have dispersed over long distances and occupied distant shores in the absence of propagative stages?". The beetle genus Aegialites is widely distributed across the northern Pacific Ocean shores, both in Asia and North America where the beetles live on coastal rocks flooded at high tides or sprinkled by waves. These beetles are wingless and have no obvious adaptations to dispersal, yet they occur even on some distant islands that have never been connected to continents.
The first aim of this project is to investigate the evolutionary history of this genus and to test if speciation is driven by vicariance or not. Second, the genome of an Aegialites species will be determined to allow genome re-sequencing approaches for the next hypotheses to be tested. Third, genome re-sequencing approaches will be applied to understand the dispersal capacity of Aegialites species at different geographical scales and, fourth, to test if hybridization between Aegialites species occurs possibly explaining their high morphological similarity. The results will contribute to answering the two more general questions above. Even though field work will be conducted to fill gaps in existing material, it will be necessary to complement these with historical museum material. Therefore, in this project both classical zoological and population and evolutionary genomic approaches will be explored including the usage of historical museum material for molecular studies (often called museomics).
The Natural History Museum has a modern DNA laboratory. The PhD will be associated with the research group "Frontiers in Evolutionary Zoology", specifically Torsten Struck (Professor of Evolutionary Genomics) and Vladimir Gusarov (Associate Professor of Entomology).
A Master's degree or equivalent in biology or related disciplines like bioinformatics.
Strong motivation for research in zoology and/or genomics.
Experience with next-generation sequencing of genomes and working with small amounts of tissue material (i.e., whole genome amplification) is preferable.
Computing skills and background in bioinformatics are expected for handling and analyzing large data sets emerging from next-generation sequencing approaches.
Background in entomology, particularly knowledge of beetle morphology and systematics, will be an advantage.
Full funding of the project research-related activities, including molecular lab work, field work and presentation of results at international conferences.
In assessing applications, particular emphasis will be placed upon the academic and personal ability of the candidate to complete the project within the given timeframe and write a PhD thesis under supervision. Interviews with selected candidates will be arranged.
Please also refer to the English translation of regulations pertaining to the conditions of employment for research fellowship positions.