Stop by for a Christmas home tour showcasing the homes of over ten farmhouse bloggers! Get inspired this year with beautiful & unique ideas to decorate your home for Christmas!
If this is your first time visiting us at Boxwood Avenue, welcome! I am so glad you're here! My name is Chloe. I live on a cattle ranch in Northern California. I was uprooted from my city life a few years ago and transplanted to a town of 99.
Since moving, I have found joy in living a bit more simply, and a lot more slowly than how I lived in the city. I hope you'll subscribe to my blog so we can stay in touch! Today I want to share our home with you all dressed up for Christmas!
Our entryway is painted Midnight Stroll by Clark & Kensington, which helps make our vintage gold mirror pop! I love the way the faux greenery drapes over the mirror, almost as if it is napping. While I love fresh greens, this faux greenery from Michaels is very realistic!
I always seem to use trays to organize our entryway, these vintage zinc trays from my shop are one of my favorite things this year! I have a few left if you're interested!
I also used a bit of the same greenery in our kitchen. I keep this wintery equestrian print here year round, but it seems so festive this time of year! I draped some vintage French bells over the top and added some greenery to our hood!
Our dining room table was the perfect place to turn to fresh greenery from some of our pine trees out back! One of my favorite ways to decorate is to use what nature provides us! In the winter that means heaps of pinecones and evergreen clippings!
My sister helped me find a small bushy tree to add to our dining room. We used twinkle lights on the tree, which provides the most festive feeling during dinnertime!
The long shelf in our dining room is so fun to decorate. The shelf is actually made of a fence board which I stole from our corrals. When my husband came home to his corrals missing a piece, he was less than thrilled, but the shelf was worth the explaining!
I love decorating this shelf with vintage items from different flea markets! This vintage bottle drying rack was the perfect place to hang our advent calendar! If you'd like to make your own DIY advent calendar using my free printable tags, just click the photo below!
You might have realized that I love vintage French decor! I found this old Champagne crate while shopping in High Point, NC. It was worth the effort to bring home, it has become one of my favorite things! I have drilled holes in the bottom of it where I usually have old castor wheels. For Christmas I removed the wheels and have decided to use it to hold our Christmas tree!
The crate is wide enough that our Christmas tree stand fits inside, however, if you've found a bucket or crate that isn't wide enough to hold your Christmas tree stand, try using a pitcher or glass milk jug - that usually works well for me!
Before you go, I'd like to welcome you into our Christmas guest bedroom! This room used to have purple carpet and a pink bathroom! Since we moved in, we removed the carpet and added a fresh coat of paint, crown molding, and new flooring!
I found the vintage dresser in the storage shed behind our house. I love the detail of the woodwork and the marble top!
To add a little Christmas to this room I updated the pillows on the bed with something a bit more festive, then place a tiny evergreen tree in a vintage French pickling jar. Simple & festive!
I hope you have enjoyed touring through our Christmas home! I'll now send you to my friend Ella Claire's home! I know you will love all of her beautiful ideas! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Have some fun touring everyone's homes, and don't forget to swing back by tomorrow to see them all!


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FYI-FTR: D reminds us on the lesson of the White Rose martyrs
Atheism Darwinist rhetorical tactics Evolutionary materialism's amorality FYI-FTR Governance & control vs anarchy Intellectual freedom Politics/policy and origins issues Science, worldview issues/foundations and society
Posted on May 16, 2016 May 16, 2016 Author kairosfocusComments Off on FYI-FTR: D reminds us on the lesson of the White Rose martyrs
As we continue to look at the issue of wedges used at watersheds to trigger slides down mutually polarised slippery slopes to ruin, D reminds us on the lesson of the White Rose martyrs . . . a movement that is now pivotal in some key ways to the modern self-understanding of the German people. We tread holy ground here, lessons literally bought with blood and tears.
Here is D, reporting on a recent tour of pivotal sites and linked reflections:
Hans and Sophie Scholl, Catholic Christian Martyrs of the White Rose movement
>>Regarding your clear warnings about the inescapable consequences of disregarding the lessons from history, there are a few interesting things I noticed during my recent first visit to the Polish cities of Wroclaw and Krakow a week ago. However, related to another city, Munich, there is a story that you have referred to before.
Munich University young student Sophie Scholl, a brave member of the peaceful White Rose movement, gave her life for spreading the truth about the evil Nazi regime. Her father had been arrested for publicly warning –before Sophie's involvement in the peaceful resistance– about the horrendous consequences of Hitler's evil actions.
When Sophie's parents tried to enter the courthouse to be present at the unjust trial of their children, a Nazi guard did not let them get in and told them that they should have raised their children better. The prophet Jeremiah's sentence about the sick state of the human soul comes to mind. A spiritual malady without natural remedy.
According to witnesses' accounts, at their last encounter shortly before the execution, Sophie's mother reminded her daughter to remember Jesus.>>
To this, I responded in 851 as follows:
As a warning on the matches being played with, a picture of the guillotine used to judicially murder the Scholls and others
>>The White Rose martyrs — especially brother and sister, Hans and Sophie Scholl — are a lesson to us all; sadly, including on the human cruelty and callousness that as you report would not only kangaroo court and behead a brother and sister (along with the others) but would rob parents of their children without good cause and without even opportunity for moral support during their cruel mockery of a trial before a tribunal of judicial murder . . . the ultimate form of lawfare.
Let us cite a classic definition:
"the murder of an innocent, deliberately, and with all the pomp of holy Justice, perpetrated by people installed to prevent murder, or, if a murder has occurred, to see to it that it is punished appropriately."
We must understand the hellish, demonic fires we are playing with.
(As the White Rose martyrs so clearly did.)
And yes, the echoes of the ongoing mass slaughter of the ultimate innocent in the womb under false colours of law, choice and reproductive 'rights', are there. I repeat, we are a civilisation tainted by mass bloodguilt; so if you wonder at how warped our thought and policy have become, understand the corrupting power of bloodguilt and what has had to be done with law, law enforcement, parliaments, the executive, education and mass media to sustain such.
What is playing out today — as Schaeffer and Koop solemnly warned us 40 years ago — is in a sense just the spreading of this gangrene of the soul.
Now attaining to the watershed warping of personal identity, marriage and family. Leading to wedging apart our communities into ever increasing polarisation as we slide down mutually polarised slippery slopes in ever faster snowballing avalanches to ruin.
Let me clip (HT: Wiki) for those who do not understand where ruthless mass manipulation in service to nihilism ends:
Plato's Cave of shadow shows projected before life-long prisoners and confused for reality. Once the concept of general delusion is introduced, it raises the question of an infinite regress of delusions. The sensible response is to see that this should lead us to doubt the doubter and insist that our senses be viewed as generally reliable unless they are specifically shown defective. (Source: University of Fort Hare, SA, Phil. Dept.)
"The government – or rather, the [National Socialist German Workers'] party – controlled everything [–> cf. here]: the news media, arms, police, the armed forces, the judiciary system, communications, travel, all levels of education from kindergarten to universities, all cultural and religious institutions. Political indoctrination started at a very early age, and continued by means of the Hitler Youth with the ultimate goal of complete mind control. Children were exhorted in school to denounce even their own parents for derogatory remarks about Hitler or Nazi ideology." —?George J. Wittenstein M. D., "Memories of the White Rose", 1979
But, as can be seen in the reaction to Heine's literary prophecy a full century before the events, too many today have forgotten or have never learned and refuse to learn.
So, they imagine we who try to warn are obsessed or somehow must be the problem — those who trouble Israel, in Ahab's words to Elijah.
PS: Jeremiah's diagnosis — and some things really need the KJV:
Jer 17:5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool . . .>>
Where, as the latest cyber stalking attempt includes yet another sick-minded attempt to taint the Christian faith for Hitler's evil, let me now cite from the White Rose pamphlets, words bought with blood, Christian martyrs' blood:
>>WR, II: Since the conquest of Poland three hundred thousand Jews have been murdered in this country in the most bestial way . . . The German people slumber on in their dull, stupid sleep and encourage these fascist criminals . . . Each man wants to be exonerated of a guilt of this kind, each one continues on his way with the most placid, the calmest conscience. But he cannot be exonerated; he is guilty, guilty, guilty!
WR, IV: Every word that comes from Hitler's mouth is a lie. When he says peace, he means war, and when he blasphemously uses the name of the Almighty, he means the power of evil, the fallen angel, Satan. His mouth is the foul-smelling maw of Hell, and his might is at bottom accursed. True, we must conduct a struggle against the National Socialist terrorist state with rational means; but whoever today still doubts the reality, the existence of demonic powers, has failed by a wide margin to understand the metaphysical background of this war.>>
(And, yes, Luther indeed said many intemperate things, the consequences of which he doubtless never imagined in his worst nightmares; these are among the sins of Christendom. Luther was wrong, and should have known and done much better, as for instance Rom 11 plainly teaches us: "18 . . . do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you . . . " However, those who would ill-advisedly use Luther's sins to rhetorically taint the Christian faith must first face the blatant fact that he is fifteen full centuries after the founding, and the point just illustrated that within the foundation, there is ample resource to correct such wrongs. Likewise, it would be wise for the people of Israel to understand that in today's perilous age, there is precisely one large and widely distributed group of people numbering hundreds of millions who by and large instinctively support the Jewish people: Bible-believing Christians.)
Let us ponder the story of that movement, and let us tremble.
This lecture, by a survivor, will give sobering food for thought:
[youtube q8vLN-qtQp0]
Of course, this is for record, so onward discussion will be entertained in the still continuing thread. END
Carl Woese: Mechanisms of evolution still a problem
Pop science speaks: Ventriloquists, religion, and consciousness

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


KinKi Kids are a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Johnny & Associates. Although the members share the same surname, the only relation they have to each other is that they both hail from the Kinki region, hence the duo's name. KinKi Kids hold the Guinness World Records for having the most number of consecutive No.1 singles since debut.
The duo first met each other during a Hikaru Genji concert at Yokohama Arena on May 5, 1991. From then on, the two began to appear together in magazine photoshoots together though they did not have a formal name, going through several temporary names such as Johnny's Kansai Group (ジャニーズ関西組, Janīzu Kansai-gumi), Domoto Brothers (堂本ブラザーズ, Dōmoto Burazāzu) and W Domoto (W堂本, Daburu Dōmoto, "Double Domoto"), before being introduced as Kanzai Boya (カンサイボーヤ, Kansai Bōya, "Kansai Boys") by the end of 1992 when they were backup dancers for SMAP. On the first episode of SMAP's variety show Kiss Shita? SMAP (キスした?SMAP, Kisu Shita? SMAP), which began on April 4, 1993, SMAP leader Masahiro Nakai decided that the name was to be "KinKi Kids" when the two joined the show as regulars. Months later, Koichi and Tsuyoshi both appeared in their first drama together called Ningen Shikkaku (人間・失格, "Unfit Human"), which had a peak rating of 28.9% on its final episode. On December 31, 1994, KinKi Kids held their first concert at the Budokan.
In 1996, the duo once again starred together in the drama Wakaba no Koro (若葉のころ, "Days of Youth") playing friends with very different backgrounds. Tsuyoshi played a boy with an alcoholic father who works to take care for his younger siblings while Koichi played a boy who comes from a wealthy yet unloving family.
The duo made their debut in 1997 with a double release of a single "Garasu no Shōnen" (硝子の少年, "Glass Boy") and an album A Album. According to Oricon, both went on to sell over one million copies, making the duo the second artist from Johnny's to have a debut single sell over one million after their agency senior Masahiko Kondo's debut single "Sneaker Blues" (スニーカーぶる〜す, Sunīkā Burūsu) and the first to have a debut album sell over one million. Their second single "Aisareru Yori Aishitai" (愛されるより愛したい, "I'd Rather Love Than Be Loved") went on to become a major hit as well, selling over half a million in its first week and over a million copies by the end of its chart run. By the end of the year, "Garasu no Shōnen" ranked 2nd on the annual Oricon charts, behind Namie Amuro's "Can You Celebrate?". From August 23 to August 24, they were appointed the main personality supporters with Noriko Katō (加藤 紀子, Katō Noriko) for NTV's annual telethon 24-Hour Television (24時間テレビ, 24 Jikan Terebi) with Tokio member Tatsuya Yamaguchi (山口 達也, Yamaguchi Tatsuya) as the marathon runner. Additionally, from October 18 to December 20, KinKi Kids starred in their third drama together called ぼくらの勇気 (Bokura no Yūki: Miman Toshi, "Our Courage: Miman City") with Mai Hosho (宝生 舞, Hōshō Mai), former Johnny's Jr. Yuki Kohara and Arashi members Jun Matsumoto and Masaki Aiba.
In 1998, KinKi Kids, along with fellow Johnny's groups V6 and Tokio, came together to form a special charity-oriented duo called J-Friends, in which they collaborated with famous musicians such as Maurice White, Diane Warren, Elton John, Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Jackson. J-Friends's single "Ashita ga Kikoeru/Children's Holiday" (明日が聴こえる/Children's Holiday, "Can You Hear Tomorrow/Children's Holiday"), released on January 21, 1998, went on to sell over a million copies and ranked 12th on the annual Oricon charts by the end of the year. The year was successful for KinKi Kids as well. The duo's singles "Zenbu Dakishimete/Ao no Jidai" (全部だきしめて/青の時代, "Hold on to Everything/Blue Days") sold over a million and ranked 10th on the charts and "Jetcoaster Romance" (ジェットコースター・ロマンス, Jettokōsutā Romansu) sold over 900,000 copies and ranked 18th; their album B Album sold over 850,000 copies and over a million by the end of its chart run. Furthermore, their 1997 single "Aisareru yori Aishitai" managed to rank 8th.
In 1999, the duo's 7th single "Flower" (フラワー, Furawā) ranked 10th on the annual Oricon charts for selling over a million copies, making it the duo's fourth million-selling single. The year 2000 saw the duo's first Asia tour in Taiwan and Hong Kong, which was held at Taipei 101 and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre respectively and ran from February 22 to February 27, and their second million-selling album KinKi Single Selection.
After all 13 of KinKi Kids' singles since their debut single "Garasu no Shōnen" debuted at the top of the charts, they were listed in the 2002 edition of the reference book Guinness World Records for having the record of the most number of consecutive number-one singles since their debut single. It was the first case for a musical artist in Japan to be recognized by the Guinness World Records. Irish group Westlife was listed as this record holder by the Guinness World Records before the duo's accreditation because of making seven consecutive UK number-one singles since their debut as a group.
To commemorate their 10th anniversary on July 21, 2007, KinKi Kids released a best-hits album entitled 39 on July 18, 2007. The numbers three and nine are pronounced as "San Kyū" (三九) in Japanese and sound similar to "Thank You" in English, signifying KinKi Kids' gratitude to their fans for their support for the past 10 years. The album features the top 11 song favorites, as voted by fans as well as two individual 14-song favorites lists from Koichi and Tsuyoshi, coming to a total of 39 songs, hence the title. 39 went on to sell about 301,000 copies in its first week. In the same month, the duo was once again recognized by the Guinness World Records for their feat of achieving the most number of consecutive number-one singles by extending their own record to twenty-five number one singles since debut. On July 22, 2007, the duo held their 10th anniversary concert at Tokyo Dome, which drew a crowd of about 67,000 fans, making it the biggest concert ever held at the Dome. The record was previously held by Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi in 1992 when his concert drew an audience of 65,000.
On May 31, 2008, the duo announced their first summer tour in eight years. The tour started at Tokyo Dome on July 21, 2008—coinciding with their 11th anniversary—and extended the duo's record for holding the most Tokyo Dome concerts. They released their 28th single "Yakusoku" (約束, "Promise") on January 28, 2009, which debuted at the top of the Oricon charts, not only extending their Guinness record but also improving their own Oricon record for the most consecutive years with a number-one single. The duo's 29th single "Swan Song" (スワンソング, Suwan Songu), released on October 28, 2009, debuted at the top of the Oricon charts, extending their record. At the end of 2010, the duo released their 30th single "Family: Hitotsu ni Naru Koto" (Family ~ひとつになること, "Family: To Become One"), with the lyrics written by Tsuyoshi and the music composed by Koichi. Their 31st single "Time," also used as the theme song for Dynasty Warriors 7, has extended their Guinness World Record again. KinKi Kids started year 2012 with a new single "Kawatta Katachi no Ishi" (変わったかたちの石, "Odd-shaped stone").
For solo activities, please refer to Koichi Domoto or Tsuyoshi Domoto respectively.
In a 2006 survey of people between 10 and 49 years of age in Japan, Oricon Style found the number one selling song "Happy Happy Greeting" (608,790 copies) to be the fourth most popular Valentine's Day song in Japan. The most popular song was Sayuri Kokushō's 1986 debut single "Valentine Kiss", which sold only 317,000 copies. The other songs in the top five were (in order) "Love Love Love" from Dreams Come True (2,488,630 copies), "Valentine's Radio" from Yumi Matsutoya (1,606,780 copies), and "My Funny Valentine" by Miles Davis.
^ "KinKi Kids Biography". Retrieved October 15, 2009.
^ "Weekly Oricon Chart". Artistdirect, Inc. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2012.
^ a b c "Kinki Kids Biography". Artistdirect, Inc. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
^ "Johnny & Associates, Inc". Jame-World. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
^ 人間・失格 たとえばぼくが死んだら(人間失格) (in Japanese). TVdrama-DB. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
^ a b c "1997 Million-Seller List" (in Japanese). RIAJ. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
^ "Kondo Masahiko - Rock Best" (in Japanese). HMV Online. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
^ "Next 100 Years" (in Japanese). Johnny's net. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
^ "Love Me All Over" (in Japanese). Johnny's net. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
^ "People of the World" (in Japanese). Johnny's net. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
^ "1998 Million-Seller List" (in Japanese). RIAJ. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
^ "KinKi Kids 2000 Biography" (in Japanese). Johnny's net. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
^ "2000 Million-Seller List" (in Japanese). RIAJ. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
^ a b c キンキ13連続初登場1位をギネスが認定 (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. January 3, 2002. Archived from the original on January 5, 2002. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
^ "YesAsia 39". YesAsia. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
^ "Hamasaki ties Nakamori for singles record". Tokyograph. July 23, 2007. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
^ "A Record Weekend for Kinki Kids". Japan Zone. July 23, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
^ "MoMusu, KinKi Kids set records with new singles". Tokyograph. April 30, 2007. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
^ "KinKi Kids hold largest Tokyo Dome concert ever". Tokyograph. July 22, 2007. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
^ "KinKi Kids announce summer concert tour". Tokyograph. May 31, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
^ "KinKi Kids return to Tokyo Dome". Tokyograph. October 13, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
^ "Charts: KinKi Kids, Kumi Koda". Tokyograph. February 4, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
^ 2009年11月第2週のシングルランキング情報. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved November 8, 2009.
^ "KinKi Kids get 32nd consecutive No.1". Oricon. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
^ "KinKi Kidsが日本語版の主演、F1映画『RUSH』". Auto Sport. 2013-10-24. Retrieved 2017-05-14.
^ 大公開!『バレンタインソング』といえばこの曲! [The Great Exhibition! When speaking of a "Valentine song", this is the song!] (in Japanese). Oricon Style. February 3, 2006. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
^ "ザテレビジョン ドラマアカデミー賞: 第35回ドラマソング賞「solitude~真実のサヨナラ~」KinKi Kids" (in Japanese). Television Drama Academy Awards. Retrieved October 31, 2009.
This page is based on the Wikipedia article KinKi Kids; it is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (CC-BY-SA). You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the CC-BY-SA.


When I first met Serge he was touring with his former band and had a gig in Salt Lake City. The next week I drove something like twenty hours to meet up with him in Texas as the band started to make its way back east.
We spent a couple nights together in Austin and, as people falling in love tend to do, we played each other all the music that was important to us at the time. That's the first time I heard Sam Cooke. When I heard the song Serge played I couldn't believe I had spent a whole life up until that point unaware of Sam Cooke. But, well, I grew up with a mom who rocked it out to Def Leppard and Whitesnake so there you go... Serge played the song as we sat in the band's tour van taking turns playing each other CDs. It was an overwhelming listen. I just bawled and bawled.
The song came out in 1963, the height of the Civil Rights movement. Cooke was the fifties and sixties version of Jay Z or P-Diddy in that he was one of the first black musicians to get into the business side of the industry by founding a record and publishing company. In 1963, Cooke's 18-month-old son wandered out of the house and drowned in the family's swimming pool. Cooke plummeted into a deep depression. A couple months after that he watched Martin Luther King, Jr. march in Washington and wrote "A Change Is Gonna Come."
A year after releasing "A Change Is Gonna Come" Sam Cooke was shot and killed under hinky circumstances, which basically amount to two women trying to rob him when he was just 33-years-old.
While "Chain Gang" and "Twistin' the Night Away" (watch this vid of Same Cooke performing Twistin.') are epic tunes, nothing compares to the anthem that is "A Change Is Gonna Come." Listen to it. It'll change your day, if not your life.


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Acquisition Strategy for Defense Base Act (DBA) Insurance
The Defense Base Act (DBA) (42 U.S.C. 1651 et seq.) provides workers compensation type insurance coverage for contractor employees performing under government contracts outside the United States. It is intended to be a counterpart to domestic workers compensation coverage and, as such, is the sole recourse for workers who suffer on-the-job injuries or death while engaged in work in foreign locations under government prime contracts and subcontracts. Under a companion law, the War Hazard Compensation Act (WHCA) (42 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the government essentially self-insures for those instances in which an injury to or death of a DBA-covered worker arises from a war risk hazard. Both the DBA and WHCA programs are overseen and administered by the Department of Labor (DOL).
With the significant and unprecedented buildup of contractors providing support to deployed military forces involved in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the market for DBA insurance grew significantly. From a somewhat small and insignificant part of the casualty insurance business line—government-wide DBA premiums paid to the top four DBA insurance carriers totaled $18 million in 2002—it grew over twentyfold to a major market segment covering almost 200,000 prime and subcontractor employees and generating annual government-wide premiums of more than $400 million.
Section 843(d) of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417), enacted October 14, 2008, required the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to Congress on DoD's acquisition strategy for Defense Base Act (DBA) insurance. The strategy needed to "minimize the cost of such insurance for…the Department" and addressed five mandated criteria, to include consideration of having a single DBA insurance contract for the entire Department.
The Department performed extensive market research including a Federal Register Notice for industry input and an internal DoD data call for information on DBA rates paid in the open market on DoD contracts. Based on that research, the Department determined that the current open market (weighted-average) rate for DBA insurance was substantially lower than the single-provider rate available under its "pilot" program with the Army. Nevertheless, several improvements to the existing open market approach were identified. In addition, the Department determined that government-wide self-insurance for DBA coverage has the potential for future savings. The 66 page report issued to Congress in September 2009 can be obtained from the link at the right above.
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DBA insurance, is a form of workers compensation insurance, and is generally required for all public works contracts performed overseas (see FAR 52.228-4 for more information), unless a waiver is granted by the Secretary of the Department of Labor (DOL). DOL policy and practice does not apply waivers to citizens or legal residents of the U.S. or to employees hired in the U.S.
DBA waivers, for the contracts with performance in the countries identified, release the contracting agencies and contractors from the requirement to purchase DBA insurance for foreign workers, as stated in FAR 52.228-3 - Workers Compensation Insurance (Defense Base Act) and 52.228-4 -- Workers Compensation and War-Hazard Insurance Overseas.
For waived employees, the contractor must provide workers' compensation coverage against the risk of work injury or death or ensure that adequate coverage is provided by the host or home country of the employee. The insurance coverage must also include liability for war-hazard injuries, death, capture, or detention of the employee and compensate their beneficiaries in the event of death.
More information on DBA is available at the DOL Longshore DBA webpage.
Types of DBA Waivers
There are two basic types of waivers – contract specific and geographic:
Contract Specific Waivers - a waiver may be granted for a contract due to the contractor being adequately "self-insured" or having purchased workers' compensation insurance with coverage equivalent to that provided by DBA and War Hazards Act.
Geographic Waivers - a waiver may be granted based on the host country having an adequate workers' compensation system which provides coverage for the local national employees or foreign workers performing work on an applicable contract in that country.
Obtaining Current Geographic Waivers
DoD acquisition offices can obtain copies of geographic waivers previously issued from the DOL DBA Waiver webpage.
Waiver Request Process for DOD Contracts
DoD acquisition offices may request waivers if sufficient justification and proof of coverage is available. The request for new waivers must be made in writing on Form BEC 565, Request for Waiver - Defense Base Act, and signed by the head of a department or agency of the United States government. The Form BEC 565 and supporting information should be submitted to the Contract Policy and International Contracting office at (703) 695-8569 or email osd.pentagon.ousd-a-s.mbx.dpc-cp@mail.mil. Copies of the Form BEC 565 may also be obtained by:
Contacting the Contract Policy office at (703) 697-9352 or email jeffrey.c.grover.civ@mail.mil.
Contacting the DOL's Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation, by:
E-Mail:DLHWC-Public@dol.gov
Phone:Longshore National Office at (202) 693-0038
OUSD A&S Offices
Acquisition & Sustainment
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs
Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy
Office of the Executive Director for International Cooperation
Office of the Executive Director for Special Access Program Central Office
Military Services Links
Army Acquisition
Army Sustainment
Army IE&E
Navy Acquisition
Navy EI&E
Air Force Acquisition
Air Force Sustainment
Air Force EI&E
Accessibility | Section 508
DoD No FEAR Act
DoD Links
US Department of Defense
USD Research & Engineering
USD Policy
USD Comptroller
USD Personnel & Readiness
USD Intelligence
DoD CIO
Privacy & Security| Sitemap|
2022 Official U.S. Department of Defense Website


Your flies deserve a nice place to live. Ditch the plastic and dress up your fly organization with our Sol Duc Fly Wallet. Handmade in the USA by Matt Codina. Perfect for swinging up a summer steelhead, or chasing trout up a small creek. Crafted from Horween leather and genuine Shearling wool, each wallet is handmade and stamped. Made to last a lifetime or two.


Alcor, Inc. will collect and use information obtained from credit card transactions only for business purposes. These business purposes include the payment of parts and services.
The credit card information provided by you to Alcor, Inc. will be stored in a confidential manner. Our employees may access such information only when there is an appropriate business reason to do so, such as when a refund must be issued back to the credit card. We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect your information, and our employees are required to follow these privacy standards.
Alcor, Inc. does not disclose any nonpublic information (such as credit card number and their expiration dates) about our customers or former customers to anyone, except as required by law. We disclose information only when it is necessary for State or Federal government business, or under circumstances where disclosure is required by law. Information may also be disclosed for audit purposes, to regulatory agencies or for other general administrative services. We do not disclose information about you to other entities who may want to sell their products to you.
Alcor, Inc.'s website uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol to ensure transaction security.


Pregnancy body pillow – challenge of a pregnant woman is to reach end of pregnancy by sleeping all night placidly. Pillows for pregnant women help you get a restful and necessary rest during pregnancy. Pregnancy is a stage for women as pretty as stressful. During first trimester we may find discomfort such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, disgust, etc … everything related to stomach.
Nights will be relaxed and we will be able to maintain a quality dream. But during second and third trimester of pregnancy, sleeping through night can be quite a feat, so use of special pregnancy body pillow can help achieve better quality and quantity of sleep in last months of pregnancy. Conventional pillows that we usually have at home, or cushions, are not enough to obtain a position that is comfortable and healthy at same time.
We find in normal pillows problems of volume, hardness, and materials give us heat or constantly move, deform and height they have is usually not adequate. In end, opting for specifically designed pregnancy body pillow will be best solution. Pillows for pregnant women usually avoid all these mentioned drawbacks, because they have been specially designed for this stage of woman, and its ergonomic shape and support structure are unique.


text:
Supreme Court Allows Trump's Transgender Troop Ban -- For Now
Tuesday, January 22nd 2019, 11:24 am
Supreme Court Allows Trump's Transgender Troop Ban – For Now
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to allow the Trump administration to enforce its ban on transgender troops while litigation over the ban continues, granting the administration a stay. The high court split 5-4 in allowing the plan to take effect, with the court's five conservatives greenlighting it and its four liberal members saying they would not have.
A U.S. District Court judge had issued an injunction in December 2017 blocking the ban, but the Supreme Court's stay stops that ruling from taking effect for now. The case is still pending in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court will not weigh in on the constitutionality of the ban itself until after that ruling.
"As always, we treat all transgender persons with respect and dignity," Lt. Col. Carla Gleason said in a statement. "DoD's proposed policy is NOT a ban on service by transgender persons. It is critical that DoD be permitted to implement personnel policies that it determines are necessary to ensure the most lethal and combat effective fighting force in the world. DoD's proposed policy is based on professional military judgment and will ensure that the U.S. Armed Forces remain the most lethal and combat effective fighting force in the world."
Until a few years ago service members could be discharged from the military for being transgender. That changed under President Barack Obama. The military announced in 2016 that transgender individuals already serving in the military would be allowed to serve openly. And the military set July 1, 2017 as the date when transgender individuals would be allowed to enlist.
But after President Donald Trump took office, the administration delayed the enlistment date, saying the issue needed further study. While that study was ongoing, Mr. Trump announced via tweet in July 2017 that transgender individuals would be banned from the military, surprising many. LGBTQ advocacy groups filed a lawsuit in Seattle in 2017 challenging the constitutionality of the ban.
— CBS News' Steven Portnoy contributed to this report
First published on January 22, 2019
News 9 The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to allow the Trump administration to enforce its ban on transgender troops while litigation over the ban continues, granting the administration a stay.


Meridian Water is a masterplan vision for a 82 hectare site in Enfield and has been shortlisted in the 'Masterplanning – Future Projects' category at this year's World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards. The award celebrates the best completed and future architectural projects across the globe, and culminates in a three day event where finalists present their schemes to an international jury.
The £10,000 prize has been received for the research proposal 'Revolutionary Low Rise – Informing London's Good Growth Strategy'.
The scheme will create 50 mixed-tenure homes for the London Borough of Enfield, set within a new 'meadow' landscape context.
Paul joins a panel of 50 architecture and design experts who have been selected to provide design guidance to the GLA and local councils.
'Social housing – Definitions and design exemplars' – New book and exhibition coming soon!
The proposals will provide 55 new affordable homes across three buildings in Clapham, as well as reprovisioning the existing community hall.
We are delighted to have won the BD Housing Architect of the Year Award 2011. Thank you to all of our clients and collaborators.
© 2019 Karakusevic Carson Architects. All rights reserved.


The second shipment is away! Check the Siamese Store or the SCRC Facebook Page for when they go on sale.
I know I've talked about my Meezer Teaser project quite a bit on this blog, but I'd like to give a nod of thanks for all the support, fabric and batting scraps, and other help from my friends (both in CQG and otherwise) and my family.
I've been sick for a couple of weeks, so I'm way behind on this blog, but I have been collecting snapshots of my special Meezer assistant on this project and thought I'd share them with you.
Yes, each Meezer Teaser Ball has been rigorously supervised for quality control by one of my crack Snooze-r-visors.
In fact, everyone here is very "paws on" for all aspects of the projects, including telling the labor force just when it is time to quit for the night.
And of course, the testing phase is intensive and requires much time and focus.
I hope to be back blogging on quilting in a few days. I can even see the light at the end of the tunnel on the Tribute to MaryEllen Hopkins quilt, so more design is in sight!
Thanks all for sticking with me.


When coming up for ideas for my interactive multimedia portfolio I began testing with making a semi-transparent web layout. I started with something like this.
This looks alright but its when you start testing with different backgrounds and blending modes in Photoshop you can come up with something that looks very simple and professional yet rich and visually enticing; depending on the background you choose. I chose some Photoshop work I created about a year back during my space art phase.
If you really want to get fancy you could create a switchable background control and let the user choose which they want. Even better… bring a layout like this from Photoshop into Flash and use an animated background while still retaining the layer blending modes from Photoshop. I love Adobe CS4!
This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 at 12:11 pm	and is filed under Graphics, Web. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


Some of you may remember back in November, 2005, when I posted snippets from an FDA public hearing on DTC (see "FDA DTC Hearings: Snippets from Day 1"). Well, yesterday's U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce hearing on DTC seems to be a replay of the FDA version.
You might say that Congress is re-enacting this investigation into DTC precisely because two and one half years after FDA held it's hearing, the agency and the drug industry have done precisely ZIP about the issues raised. In fact, since 2005, the industry and FDA have cozied up and are attempting to rubber-stamp FDA's approval of DTC ads under a payola scheme (see "PDUFA Payola!").
But enough about trivial matters. Let's focus on the testimony, and especially the testimony of Ruth Day, head of Duke University's Medical Cognition Laboratory.
I call Dr. Day the "Bee Lady" because she famously claimed at the 2005 FDA hearing that the bee in the Nasonex TV commercial beat its wings furiously when risk information was being presented but was still when benefit information was presented. Day claimed that the beating wings divert viewers' attention from the risk information (see "DTC Pros and Cons Presented at FDA Hearing" for a more detailed analysis).
It appears that Day is sticking to her story: she retold her study results to the House Committee yesterday and claimed that the Nasonex bee flew around as side effects were listed, but simply hovered when benefits were discussed.
Undoubtedly, a lot of care and attention go into the visual of a drug ad, like the blueness and clarity of the Claritin sky. In fact, recent Claritin OTC TV commercials play that visual cue to the hilt by first showing a subdued color scene that is cleared to crystal blue after the actor takes Claritin. Clearly, if Claritin were still an Rx drug, the FDA may have said this goes too far in making a benefit statement.
But how devious and clever DTC advertisers must be to employ such nefarious devices as variations in bee flight to subvert the fair balance guidelines of the FDA! Not many experts actually give marketers that much credit for manipulating the elements of ads.
Could it be that the drug industry advertisers hire "cognitive science" experts like Dr. Day to design their ads? Could be. Perhaps one day, Day will also move on over to the "dark side." Hey, it could happen!
P.P.S. For those of you who claim the Nasonex bee is Spanish (see comments), here's the Spanish version of my cartoon on the left.
Ooops John -- that bee's got a Spanish accent -- and supposedly it's the actor Antonio Banderas. Better get your stuff straight before you get attacked by Spanish-speaking and/or French readers!
Sounds French to me! O well, maybe I can find a "Speedy Gonzales" quote that would do just as well!
I think he's Spanish, and he's a pest. This ad has been showing for years, it seems. I couldn't figure out why the company didn't change it, because the bee is very unappealing -- now his job function has been revealed! What manipulation. The insect should be swatted out of the picture.
the bee is argentinian Antonia Banderas.
And they didn't get rid of the bee because it's still the most recalled pharma ad personality EVER.
Edward Bernays (Sigmund Freud's nephew) is called The Father of Public Relations, and the creator of marketing. Many think he is the most influential person of the 20th century.
Bernays argued that manipulation of the public was necessary for democracy.
He actually "wrote the book" on Propaganda, and Public Relations...encouraging companies to use psychological sciences to their advantage.


text:
Q: Как изменить расположение кнопок на toolbar У меня есть Toolbar и я добавил в него кнопки:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<menu xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto">
    <item
        android:id="@+id/toolbar_attach"
        android:icon="@drawable/ic_action_attachment_2"
        android:orderInCategory="2"
        android:title="@string/attach"
        app:showAsAction="always" />

    <item
        android:id="@+id/toolbar_accept"
        android:icon="@drawable/ic_action_tick"
        android:orderInCategory="1"
        android:title="@string/accept"
        app:showAsAction="always" />
</menu>

Что нужно сделать, чтобы кнопки оказались слева? Картинка для наглядности:

A: Чтобы галочка переместилась и находилась с левой стороны, пропиши в коде строки:
toolbar = (ToolBar)findviewbyid(R.id.toolbar); //находишь тулбар
toolbar.setNavigationIcon(R.drawable.....); //помещаешь иконку
toolbar.setNavigationOnClickListener(new ...);// вешаешь слушатель на эту иконку и делаешь с ней, что посчитаешь нужным :)

A: my_toolbar.xml:
<android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    android:id="@+id/tToolbar"
    android:layout_height="?attr/actionBarSize"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:background="?attr/colorPrimary"
    android:gravity="center_vertical|start"//кнопки слева
    app:theme="@style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Dark.ActionBar"
    app:popupTheme="@style/ThemeOverlay.AppCompat.Light">

    <android.support.v7.widget.ActionMenuView
        android:id="@+id/amvMenu"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="?attr/actionBarSize"/>

</android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar>

my_activity.xml:
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent">

    <!--Toolbar-->
    <include
        android:id="@+id/tToolbar"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        layout="@layout/my_toolbar" />

</RelativeLayout>

MyActivity.java:
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivity;
import android.support.v7.widget.ActionMenuView;
import android.support.v7.widget.Toolbar;
import android.view.Menu;
import android.view.MenuInflater;
import android.view.MenuItem;

public final class MyActivity extends ActionBarActivity {
  private ActionMenuView amvMenu;

  @Override
  protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    setContentView(R.layout.my_activity);

    Toolbar t = (Toolbar) findViewById(R.id.tToolbar);
    amvMenu = (ActionMenuView) t.findViewById(R.id.amvMenu);
    amvMenu.setOnMenuItemClickListener(new ActionMenuView.OnMenuItemClickListener() {
      @Override
      public boolean onMenuItemClick(MenuItem menuItem) {
        return onOptionsItemSelected(menuItem);
      }
    });

    setSupportActionBar(t);
    getSupportActionBar().setTitle(null);
    getSupportActionBar().setDisplayHomeAsUpEnabled(true);
  }

  @Override
  public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) {
    MenuInflater inflater = getMenuInflater();
    // use amvMenu here
    inflater.inflate(R.menu.my_activity_menu, amvMenu.getMenu());
    return true;
  }

  @Override
  public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) {
    // Do your actions here
    return true;
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Every large enterprise is looking for ways to master the coordination of people, processes and technology to evolve to an intelligent enterprise. The technology part of the formula has always been very problematic especially for large enterprises with siloed systems and layers of integration spaghetti.
Building and managing a modern abstraction layer of digitized business functions could well be the solution to this challenge. This blog is targeted for people looking for some fresh thinking in this area.
Abstraction Layer 101 explains the concept of an abstraction layer and why it is key to reinvention into an intelligent enterprise. You can also learn how to build and manage one, as well as who in your enterprise should be using it. Expand the questions below to find out more.
What do you mean by an abstracted layer? What makes it different?
The intelligent enterprise is one with a clear vision which can be effectively executed by the seamless interaction of people, process and technology. A blended abstraction layer is the key to aligning business and technology teams and ensures focus stays on the real aims of the business.
How do I build it? How long, what's involved, can I reuse existing assets?
Most organizations already have many existing components. So to build this abstraction layer, existing components just need to be brought together in a single place, abstracted away from any specific technologies or coding formats, and properly organized.
Once I have it, how do I manage it? And who uses it?
With an abstraction layer in place and a platform such as ignite from digitalML, cross-functional teams can work collaboratively to rapidly build new digital products and design and implement cloud-based applications to update legacy ones. There are also several roles who are involved in maintaining the abstraction layer. ignite has been developed to support them with this too.
Digitized Business Functions 101 dives deeper into how an abstraction layer uses modularized business functions and services to rapidly deliver new digital products. Learn how to leverage existing frameworks to help build and implement, why the abstraction layer method is no longer just an academic exercise and understand how exceptional enterprises are utilizing this method to gain competitive advantage.
Can you show me what that looks like?
With everything in one place, abstracted from specific technologies, it is possible to see your technical landscape in a whole new way. It should make sense to everyone in the enterprise and give insights that were not possible before. Multiple views of the wealth of information in an abstraction layer of digitized business functions enables you to understand exactly how your digital initiatives are (or aren't) being delivered by your services.
To enable reinvention into an intelligent enterprise, it's vital to abstract your existing services away from any technology and coding standard and to categorize and classify them. A platform like ignite comes with a foundation pack, which includes Business capability models, domain-based information models, Business glossaries, and a pre-built set of abstracted business capability building blocks, along with an extensive toolbox, to make this as simple and quick as possible.
An abstraction layer is no longer purely an academic exercise; it is the best approach to build and govern the hundreds or thousands of internal APIs and API products required for the largest enterprises. It is used to abstract the business knowledge away from any particular technology or coding format and also to abstract relevant information and capability offerings from your existing landscape to rapidly develop new digital business functions.
Who is successfully doing this? Are there examples?
There are a few exceptional enterprises who are already leveraging the blended abstraction layer approach to gain competitive advantage in their fields. This article gives an example of how this can work, across the whole lifecycle, using the ignite platform.
This space is intended to be a forum for like-minded thought leaders to share ideas and best practices so we encourage contributions from our readers. Have an interesting story or position on a topic? Send your ideas our way.


text:
Network Effects: March to the Evidence, Not to the Slogans
Forthcoming, Antitrust Chronicle
10 Pages Posted: 29 Aug 2017
See all articles by David S. Evans
David S. Evans
Global Economics Group; University College London
Richard Schmalensee
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management
Though network effects are important for multisided platforms, the simple winner-take-all notion that they always give larger platforms an insurmountable advantage over smaller rivals has been disproven by numerous counterexamples. It is now being argued that big data is power, so that a firm that has more customer data than its rivals has an insurmountable advantage over them. This argument has no theoretical or empirical support, and it, too, has been disproven by numerous counterexamples.
Keywords: Network Effects, Indirect Network Effects, Multisided Platforms, Two-Sided Platforms, Two-Sided Markets, Online Platforms, Winner-Take-All, Tipping, Big Data and Antitrust, Big Data and Competition Policy
JEL Classification: L11, L12, L25, L41, L86, O33, K21, K23, D85, D42, D43
Evans, David S. and Schmalensee, Richard, Network Effects: March to the Evidence, Not to the Slogans (August 27, 2017). Forthcoming, Antitrust Chronicle. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3027691 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3027691
David S. Evans (Contact Author)
Global Economics Group ( email )
111 Devonshire St.
University College London ( email )
Gower St
London WC1E OEG, WC1E 6BT
Room E62-525


text:
The following categories (inspired by the Key at the back of Peary's GFTFF — see below) are my own attempt to determine why a particular movie may or may not be considered "must see" viewing for film fanatics.
In my reviews, if I vote "Yes" on a particular movie, I list one or more of the following categories afterwards:
Controversial Film:
Films in this category generated controversy during their release, for one reason or another — ranging from their content (i.e., Todd Browning's Freaks) to their cost (i.e., Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate).
Cult Movie:
Films develop cults for any number of reasons; it's my contention that hardcore film fanatics should know about these movies even if they don't become personal favorites.
Foreign Gem
This category is reserved for films which may or may not be known by most American audience members, but are considered to be true masterpieces of international cinema.
Genuine Classic:
Movies in this category are what people traditionally think of when they wonder what they "should" watch in their lifetime — titles such as Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, It's a Wonderful Life, etc., which show up on countless "100 Best" lists, usually for a good reason.
Good Show:
This category is a catch-all for movies (such as 1950's So Long at the Fair) which are, quite simply, a "good show", and shouldn't be missed by any devoted film fanatic.
Historically Relevant:
This broad category includes movies which were the first of their kind (i.e., The Jazz Singer); movies which document a fleeting or significant moment in history (i.e., The T.A.M.I. Show); movies which typified or started a cinematic movement or gimmick (i.e., Godard's French New Wave classic Breathless, or William Castle's use of "Percepto" in The Tingler); movies of dubious cinematic value which were nonetheless hugely popular at the time of their release (i.e., Alan Parker's Midnight Express); and experimental movies (i.e., Michael Snow's Wavelength).
Important Director:
Sometimes a film — regardless of its overall merit — is worth watching simply because it's part of a renowned director's oeuvre; hence this category.
Noteworthy Performance(s):
Some movies may be worth seeing simply on the basis of one or more stand-out performances (i.e., Diane Keaton in Looking for Mr. Goodbar).
Oscar Winner or Nominee
Finally, winning (or being nominated for) an Academy Award permanently secures a movie's place in cinematic history. While we may not agree with the Academy's choices (see Peary's Alternate Oscars, for instance), film fanatics should at least be familiar with the winning and/or nominated titles.
Peary's Key
CC: Camp Classic
CM: Cult Movie
H: Film has a place in film history or is a critics' favorite
PR: Personal Recommendation
S: Sleeper
T: Trash [Not essential viewing]
XXX: Porno [Not essential viewing]
Of Peary's seven categories, I've only chosen to retain two (Cult Movie and Historical Importance). In my opinion, a movie which is hopelessly campy, a pleasantly surprising "sleeper", or a personal favorite may be enjoyable to watch, but doesn't necessarily guarantee its status as "must see" viewing for all film fanatics.


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Life as a Lofthouse (Food Blog):Fried Rice was a perfect recipe for fried rice. This recipe will allow you to add what vegetables or meat you would like. It worked perfect for some leftover rice we had in the fridge and made a whole new dinner alongside a chicken dish.
The kids approved and next time I make it when Mr.Picky is home I am sure he will as well. The flavor with the sesame oil is spot on and although it seems like a lot of soy sauce the dish is not salty at all. Enjoy this new side dish to all your favorites. If you haven't tried sweet and sour chicken yet, this is the perfect thing to pair with it.
Over medium heat, heat oil and add in carrots, peas, onions, and garlic. Cook until just tender.
Reduce heat to low and push vegetables to the side. Pour eggs in the opposite side and fry until scrambled.
Add in the rice and soy sauce and mix all together.
Posted in Recipes, Vegetables/Sides and tagged carrots, chinese food, COOK, egg, fried rice, green onions, Home, leftover white rice, Leftovers, onions, peas, Pepper, Recipe, Rice, salt, Soy sauce. Bookmark the permalink.
Mr.Picky was in need of a rhubarb pie, so I went to my favorite recipe Fresh Rhubarb Pie Recipe – Allrecipes.com. This tastes like a million bucks and always turns out perfect. If you have crust already made it takes maybe 10 minutes to put together.
I love the tartness of rhubarb against a flaky crust and a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream. Ice cream is not my favorite but some dessert require ice cream and this is one of them. Rhubarb is one of my favorite vegetables and I can't wait to try a bunch of new savory recipes I came across.
Roll out first pie crust and place in a 9 inch pie plate.
Combine sugar and flour, and sprinkle the bottom crust with 1/4 of the mixture.
Add the chopped rhubarb and sprinkle evenly with the remaining sugar and flour mixture.
Dot the pie with small pieces of butter and cover with top crust. Slice a few 2-3 inch marks on top of crust for steam to escape.
Place pie on lowest rack of oven, and bake for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat on oven to 350 degrees and continue baking for 40-45 minutes.
Serve warm or cold with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Posted in Desserts, Recipes and tagged Bake, Butter, Flour, Home, never fail pie crust, pie, pie crust, Recipe, Rhubarb, rhubarb pie, Sugar, sweet and tart, vanilla ice cream. Bookmark the permalink.
After coming acoss Perfect chicken tenders recipe | DearCrissy.com they looked so good I needed to try them. Love any new chicken dish I can get my hands on. The family loved these and they could accompany many side dishes. I miss read the directions and over cooked the chicken slightly but will fix that next time. The flavor was wonderful though.
Place all ingredients but chicken in a plastic bag, smash-up in bag to mix liquid. Add in the chicken and place in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour.
Add liquid and chicken to a skillet over medium heat. Continue to cook until sauce is reduced and brown, about 30 minutes. Make sure they do not burn and stir often. Toss the chicken in any remaining glaze before serving.
Posted in Meat/Fish, Recipes and tagged chicken breast, chicken tenders, COOK, easy dinner, Home, honey, Italian dressing, lime juice, main dish, marinade, Meat, Recipe, sticky chicken tenders. Bookmark the permalink.
Crock pot Italian chicken turned out so flavorful. Thanks to Hunk of Meat Monday: Crock Pot Italian Chicken I had a quick meal on a busy day. Wasn't sure what I was going to do with the meat but I quickly put it in the crock pot and left the house.
When I returned home, I simple pulled the chicken out and shredded it then returned it to the pot. I then gave my family the option of having it as a sandwich, quesadilla, or atop a salad. We all tried it a different way. I ate it on a salad for three days in a row it was so good. This was not to spicy for the kids because there are no seeds left in the peppers.
I am still searching for a substitute for an Italian seasoning package. I hate to use those packets of seasoning. They do taste so good and are quick. Need a healthier option will keep you posted.
Sprinkle with seasoning and top with peppers. Add a bit of juice from the pepper jar.
Turn the crock pot to low and cook on low for about 8 hours. Around hour 7 you can remove the chicken shred and return to the pot.
Posted in Crockpot, Meat/Fish, Recipes and tagged banana peppers, chicken breast, COOK, crock pot, Dinner, easy dinner, Home, italian chicken, italian seasoning, mild peppers, quesadilla, Recipe, Salad, Sandwiches, shredded chicken, Slow cooker. Bookmark the permalink.
So I was searching in the fridge for something different for breakfast. I came up with plenty of eggs and half a kielbasa sausage. Then I noticed a rolls of crescent rolls, which are usually bought for a purpose and I was surprised to see it in the fridge. This is how I came up with breakfast crescent pizza.
Keep in mind anything would really work for your toppings. Scrambled eggs are the base and I would choose some great meat or sautéed vegetables on top.
Bake the rectangles according to directions minus 1-2 minutes.
Meanwhile scramble eggs, cook or brown meat, and sauté your vegetables.
Remove the crescent rolls from the oven. Top with eggs, vegetables, meat, and a bit of grated cheese to lock it all in.
Place back in oven for 1-2 more minutes until cheese is melted.
I ate mine with salsa on top or some might like ketchup!
Posted in Breakfast, Recipes and tagged Bacon, Breakfast, breakfast pizza, Cheese, COOK, crescent rolls, Home, mushrooms, Pizza, Recipe, sausage, Scrambled eggs, Spinach, vegetables. Bookmark the permalink.
Came across this recipe from Recipes Straight from the Kowboys Home: "Big Mac" Meatloaf. Big Mac meatloaf sounded right up Mr.Picky's alley. The recipe turned out nice and moist, not sure about tasting like a big mac. It definitely tasted like a cheeseburger. Cheeseburger meatloaf is not your average meatloaf and was a great change.
The technique was really interesting and I am going to run wild with it. I can't wait to stuff all kinds of fillings into meatloaf. I would serve this as cheeseburgers to company by just slicing and serving on buns.
Combine all but the cheese and mix well until evenly combined.
Divide the meat mixture in half. Spread each half flat in to a rectangle on a piece of wax paper.
Sprinkle the cheese even between the two flat rectangles.
Roll each sheet of meat as if making cinnamon rolls, from the long end to long end.
Place the rolls side by side in a 9 x 13″ baking dish.
Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes, remove from oven and top with a bit of ketchup and some more cheese if desired.
Continue to bake another 15 minutes or so.
Posted in Meat/Fish, Recipes, Sandwiches/Burgers and tagged big mac meatloaf, Cheddar cheese, Cheese, cheeseburger, COOK, Dinner, Ground beef, Home, Meatloaf, mig mac, Recipe, stuffed burger, sweet relish, thousand island dressing. Bookmark the permalink.


Jolene and Dana, Public Safety advisors at Fox Valley Technical College, have found a way to incorporate humor to enhance relationship building in their everyday interactions with their students. They thought they would use a similar format to talk to fellow advisors about creative ways to connect with students from the point of first contact. The presentation also served as a reminder that as an advisor, our gift of connecting with students is key to retaining them once they enter the college environment. The presentation used humor to highlight some of the most important touchpoints we can all use to help students reach their academic, career, and personal goals. Since the student experience begins at the initial point of contact with an institution, highlights included opportunities beginning with the admissions stage throughout the entire college experience.
The props were used to support a variety of messages Jolene and Dana felt were key to student success relative to the advising relationship. Listed below are the 10 ways colleges often lose students throughout their academic journey, along with the suggested remedy for advisors to resolve the situation.
Intended Message: Starting at the application stage, reach out to students early by helping them with financial aid, getting them to registration activities, discussing their scores and other admission requirements.
Intended Message: Assist them in getting engaged in college, walk them to their referrals, address potential barriers early on, and recognize the transition is different for every student.
Intended Message: Address how you introduce yourself to students and how to get students to open up. Initial relationship building, as well as ongoing touchpoints, are key to retaining students.
Intended Message: While most students are savvy with their preferred technology, not all students understand the technology at their own college or why they use it. Make sure students are comfortable with technology BEFORE school begins and understand the importance of technology as a support for student success.
Intended Message: Don't use acronyms with new students who may not be familiar with your lingo. Students are often times uncomfortable asking for help and may not speak up and ask what you mean by a particular acronym or abbreviation.
Intended Message: Since students are many times juggling school, family, job, and other roles, we are in a position to be supportive, build relationships, and serve as a referral hub to help them seek assistance both internally and externally.
Intended Message: Not all students come equipped with skills in taking notes, time management, study habits, and know the key to be successful. We have to use our knowledge as advisors to teach our students how to master these skills.
Intended Message: Don't make assumptions based off of limited information. Students often times have unexpected situations that cause them to miss class. What assumptions do we make about these students without knowing the whole story?
Intended Message: We are all busy and just getting through the day can feel like enough. Even the most well-meaning among us can unintentionally come across as not caring in our conversations, e-mails, or body language.
Intended Message: Some student's support systems can be invasive, however, it is important to recognize the significance of these support systems and accept them for the value they are for the student.


A great post by Eugene Wallingford at Knowing and Doing on a topic that has long interested me: What is computer science and is it a science?
Computer science does not study the digital computer. Dijkstra told us so a long time ago, and if we didn't believe him then, we should now, with the advent of ideas such as quantum computing and biological computing.
Computer science is about processes that transform information. I see many naturally-occurring processes in the world. It appears now that life is the result of an information process, implement in the form of DNA. Chemical processes involve information as well as matter. And some physicists now believe that the universe as we experience it is a projection of two-dimensional information embodied in the interaction of matter and energy.
I believe everything I've said here today, but that doesn't mean that I believe that CS is only science. Much of what we do in CS is engineering: of hardware systems, of software systems, of larger systems in which the manipulation of information is but one component. Much of what we do is mathematics: finding patterns, constructing abstractions, and following the implications of our constructions within a formal system. That doesn't mean computer science is not also science. Some people think we use the scientific method only as a tool to study engineered artifacts, but I think that they are missing the big picture of what CS is.
BTW, if you haven't already, feel free to take a look at the interview I did with Eugene a few months ago.


text:
Mirwais (musician)
This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful.
Find sources: "Mirwais" musician – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Mirwais Ahmadzaï (born 23 October 1960), commonly known by his stage name Mirwais, is a French record producer and songwriter. He was born in Switzerland to an Afghan father and an Italian mother. He is a leader in the French electronic dance music scene. A member of the defunct 1980s group Taxi Girl, he met Madonna in the late 1990s, when he submitted a demo to her then record label, Maverick Records.[1]
Mirwais Ahmadzaï
Mirwais
Mirwais Stass
(1960-10-23) 23 October 1960 (age 59)
Record producer
mirwais.org
1.1 Taxi Girl and Juliette et les indépendants
1.2 Solo career
1.3 Madonna
1.4 Fischerspooner
1.5 Y.A.S.
1.6 Uffie
2 Music for films
3.1.1 Taxi-Girl
3.1.2 solo
4 Videography
6.1 Mirwais
6.2 Production
Taxi Girl and Juliette et les indépendantsEdit
Resultantly becoming known in France for this reason for the better part of two decades, Mirwais was a guitarist in the punk group Taxi Girl for eight years, before forming the acoustic outfit "Juliette et les Indépendants" with his then-girlfriend Juliette. Taxi Girl's first EP, "(S.O.S Mannequin)", was released in early 1980 on Pathé Marconi/EMI.
"For a teenager, the late 70s were a strange mixture of disco music and punk, and it was okay to like them all," he says. Taxi Girl captured the punk rock power of The Stooges, the techno futurism of Kraftwerk and the disco euphoria of Giorgio Moroder and molded the diametrically opposed styles into an electrifying new-wave sound that entertained and inspired a generation of listeners bored by the complacency of 80s French pop. Even the current darlings of the French electronic music scene, such as Daft Punk and Air, continue to namecheck Taxi Girl as a major influence on their artistic directions.[2]
Solo careerEdit
In 1990, Mirwais released his eponymous debut solo album Mirwais[3] which contained nine tracks and was performed by Mirwais exclusively in French; he had not yet learned English.
In 1998, he signed to French independent record label Naïve Records and released the single "Disco Science". This single was a success as a club dance hit and appeared in the soundtrack for the Guy Ritchie film, Snatch and the 2006 Luc Besson film Arthur and the Invisibles. In August 2000, he released the album Production,[4] which included the single "Paradise (Not For Me)" made in collaboration with Madonna. It also included two minor chart hits in the UK Singles Chart: "Disco Science" (2000, #68) and "Naive Song" (2000, #50).[5]
Naive Song went to number 2 on the US Dance Club Charts in 2001.[6]
MadonnaEdit
Madonna recruited him for writing and production collaboration on four of her studio albums: Music (2000), American Life (2003), Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005), and Madame X (2019). He also co-wrote a song that would later appear on her greatest hits album Celebration as a previously unreleased track.
Mirwais contributed the following tracks to the Madonna albums:
Music: "Music", "Impressive Instant", "Nobody's Perfect", "Paradise (Not For Me)", "Don't Tell Me", "I Deserve It".
American Life: Co-produced the entire record and co-wrote all songs with Madonna, with the exception of "Nothing Fails", "X-Static Process" and "Easy Ride".
Confessions on a Dance Floor': "Future Lovers", "Let It Will Be", bonus tracks "Fighting Spirit" and "Super Pop", and the deleted tracks "Triggering" and "Keep the Trance".
Celebration (2009 "greatest hits" compilation): iTunes bonus track "It's So Cool", a previously unreleased track from American Life.
Madame X: "Medellín", "Dark Ballet", "God Control", "Batuka", "Killers Who Are Partying", "I Don't Search I Find", deluxe edition track "Extreme Occident", and deluxe and box set tracks "Funana" and Ciao Bella".
The Music album was nominated for three Grammy Awards including Record of the Year. "Music" won several MTV Europe awards. He was also involved in the writing and production of the title track to the movie Die Another Day, co-written and performed by Madonna. The song was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song in 2003.
FischerspoonerEdit
Mirwais also co-produced two tracks "Cloud" and "Never Win" on Fischerspooner's second studio album Odyssey, released in 2005.
Y.A.S.Edit
He worked on a project called Y.A.S. The official website stated: "YAS is the name of Mirwais' new project with the singer and composer Yasmine Hamdan. The album was released in France on 8 June 2009. All songs are performed by her. It is 'Arabic Avant-Garde Music'".
In an interview on 13 January 2007 published on lecourrier.ch, Mirwais said, "At the moment I work with Yasmine Hamdan (one half of Lebanon electro-duo Soapkills). The idea is that today, in Western culture, we hear about Arabs everyday - in a bad way, because of terrorism, etc - but we lack of cultural representations coming from those countries that could mix with the western culture, whereas this youth is eager to. I don't want to do world music, but a good western production with a real Arab identity."[7]
Y.A.S.' album, "Arabology" was released in May 2009, with the first single, "Get It Right", following in June that year.
UffieEdit
After remixing "Pop the Glock", Mirwais became one of the producers of Uffie's album Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans, for which he produced four songs "ADD SUV", "Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans", "Illusion of Love" and "Hong Kong Garden", one of which featured Pharrell Williams ("ADD SUV") and one which featured Mattie Safer ("Illusion of Love").
Music for filmsEdit
Die Another Day, title track of the 20th James Bond movie. Performed by Madonna.[8]
Quelque Chose d'Organique directed by Bertrand Bonello (1996)[9]
Pardonnez-moi directed by Maiween (2006)[10]
GHB directed by Laetitia Masson (2014)
"Snatch" movie 2000
DiscographyEdit
AlbumsEdit
Taxi-GirlEdit
Seppuku (1981, Virgin France)
soloEdit
Mirwais (1990, New Rose Records)
Production (2000, Naïve Records)
"Cellophane" (1990, New Rose Records)
"Disco Science" (1999, Naive Records)
"Naive Song" (2000, Naive Records) US Dance Club #2, Belgium Bubbling Under #3 (Wallonia) and #5 (Flanders)
"I Can't Wait" (2001, Naive Records)
"Miss You" (2002, Naive Records)
VideographyEdit
"Disco Science"
"I Can't Wait"
"Naïve Song"
"V.I. (The Last Words She Said Before Leaving)"
"Miss You"
RemixesEdit
Jean Jacques Smoothie - "Two People" (2001)
Fischerspooner - "Never Win" (2005)
The Slips - "Superbeat" (2007)
Shortwave Set - "Til' 69" (2008)
Sonny J - "Can't Stop Moving" (2008)
Mika - "We Are Golden" (2009)
Uffie - "Pop the Glock" (2009)
Madonna - "It's So Cool" (2009)
Moebius - "Light My Fire" (2009)
MirwaisEdit
1 Le Futur Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 1990
2 L'Amour Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 1990
3 Velours Bleu Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 1990
4 60-90 Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 1990
5 Reviens Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 1990
6 Cellophane Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 1990
7 Modernisme Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 1990
8 Tu Sais Bien Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 1990
9 Régime Sud Americain Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 1990
ProductionEdit
1 Disco Science Mirwais Ahmadzai/Kim Deal Mirwais Ahmadzai/Kim Deal Mirwais Ahmadzai 2000
2 Naive song Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 2000
3 V.I.(The Last Words She Said Before Leaving) Serge Gainsbourg Adapt:Mirwais Ahmadzai Serge Gainsbourg Adapt:Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 2000
4 I Can't Wait Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 2000
5 Junkie's Prayer Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 2000
6 Definitive Beat Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 2000
7 Paradise (Not for Me) Mirwais Ahmadzai/Madonna Mirwais Ahmadzai/Madonna Mirwais Ahmadzai/Madonna 2000
8 Never Young again Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 2000
9 Involution Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai Mirwais Ahmadzai 2000
^ VAZIRI, AIDIN (20 April 2000). "Madonna Adds a French Twist to Forthcoming "Music"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
^ "Mirwais online". Archived from the original on 19 November 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
^ "Mirwais - Mirwais". Discogs.
^ "Mirwais - Production". Discogs.
^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 370. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (14 April 2001). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books.
^ "Mirwais, un héros très discret - Mirwais, a very quiet hero". Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
^ "Die Another Day - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
^ "Mirwais Ahmadzaï". IMDb.
^ "Pardonnez-moi" – via www.imdb.com.
Official Taxi Girl website
Mirwais at discogs.com
Rolling Stone - Mirwais
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mirwais_(musician)&oldid=936717306"


Sweet crimson fruit meets rich, velvety dark chocolate. A heavenly pastry with a delicious sweet cherry filling and topped with dark chocolate chips for its crowning glory.
An irresistible pastry spiral, topped with delicately toasted sprinklings that will take your taste buds for a sweet, tropical spin.
A twisted, tangled knot of pastry with a delightfully indulgent sticky and sweet, softly salted caramel filling. Will leave you totally tongue-tied.
A mini cheesecake with the refreshing citrus experience inside a melt in the mouth lattice of pastry. Spot the smooth, luscious cheesecake filling with the refreshing, cheeky citrus kick.
A flaky pastry with a delightful summary strawberry centre topped with a crumbled shortcake which delivers a satisfying biscuity crunch.


text:
Heavy construction work is under way on development of Kawailoa Wind site
By Alan Yonan Jr.
Getting the word
The contractor building the state's largest wind energy project on Oahu's North Shore has started heavy construction on the facility that will supply the electricity needs of an estimated 14,500 homes.
RMT Inc., a Wisconsin-based firm specializing in the design and construction of wind and solar energy generating facilities, is building the 69-megawatt Kawailoa Wind project for developer First Wind LLC.
RMT broke ground at Kawailoa late last year and recently started work on major features of the project, including the foundations that will anchor its 30 wind turbines, according to RMT officials.
RMT also is building roads and pads to accommodate the oversize cranes that will be used to hoist the 493-foot-tall wind turbines into place. The project, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year, also will include two electrical substations, a maintenance building and a 46-kilovolt transmission line that will feed the power into the Hawaiian Electric Co. grid.
When finished, Kawailoa Wind will be the state's largest wind energy project, surpassing the combined 51-megawatt generating capacity of First Wind's Kaheawa and Kaheawa Phase II projects on Maui.
"First Wind is pleased to again be working with RMT and to continue our commitment to building first-class renewable energy facilities in Hawaii," said Michael Alvarez, president and chief financial officer of First Wind. "We appreciate the cooperation and support of the Hawaiian regulatory officials, local government, landowners, neighbors and our construction team in safely building Hawaii's largest renewable energy facility to date."
In March, First Wind closed on $236 million in financing for the facility. It will sell the electricity generated by the project to HECO under a power-purchase agreement for an average of 22.9 cents a kilowatt-hour through the next 20 years. That's slightly less than what a utility in Boston recently agreed to pay for wind energy from the planned Cape Wind project. NStar negotiated a price of 24 cents a kilowatt-hour under a 15-year agreement that has yet to be approved by local regulators there, according to news website boston.com.


text:
The Gardon or Gard (Occitan and French: Gardon, Gard, , ) is a river in southern France. It is the namesake of the department of Gard. Several of its tributaries are also called Gardon. It is  long, and takes its source in the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Lansuscle, in the Cévennes mountain range. In its upper course it is also referred to as Gardon de Saint-Martin. From its furthest source, that of its tributary "Gardon de Saint-Jean", it is 133 km long. It flows into the Rhône (right-side tributary) at Comps, north of Beaucaire, across from Vallabrègues.

Features
The Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard and the 16th-century Pont Saint-Nicolas are two historic bridges that cross the Gardon. The Gorges du Gardon, which ends at Pont Saint-Nicolas, is a popular recreation area for kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, and hiking.

The village of Collias, approximately  downriver from the Pont Saint-Nicolas, has several kayak and canoe rental agencies which will bus customers upriver to the Pont Saint-Nicolas (until the river level drops low in late June).  Departing from Collias by kayak or canoe will bring you to the Pont du Gard in about an hour and one-half. It is possible to kayak or canoe under the Pont du Gard. Though, at times, the river is not high enough to allow for passage.

Floods
In September 2002 and again in December 2003, the Gardon had record level floods that damaged many of its bridges including the Pont Saint-Nicolas, which has since been fully restored.  The river today shows few signs of the floods.

Places along the river
 Lozère
 Gard : Anduze, Saint-Jean-du-Gard, Saint-André-de-Valborgne, Remoulins, Montfrin

La Grand-Combe and Alès are situated on the Gardon d'Alès, the major left tributary.

References

External links
Regordane Info - The independent portal for the Regordane Way or St Gilles Trail. The Regordane Way runs alongside the river Gardon from Ners south-eastwards

Rivers of France
Rivers of Gard
Rivers of Lozère
Rivers of Occitania (administrative region)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Is your canine infested with fleas? If sure, it's time you get rid of them. One of the simplest ways to eradicate all fleas from your pet in addition to its habitat is utilizing program taste tabs. What precisely are these tablets? They are as soon as-a-month tablets that are used to regulate fleas in canine. They work by interrupting the life cycle of the pests. In particular, the tablets inhibit development of the eggs and the larvae stage.
Awards are given out for a ton of causes, whether for a one hundred meter race at school to a person profitable an award for excellence in a certain discipline, awards are at all times one of the best ways to recognize somebody's contribution and facilitate him for his achievements. There are awards given out in literally each field of life, whether or not professionally or personally, awards are one of the simplest ways to make an individual feel good about the work and energy he has put in.


Uh-oh, there might be trouble in paradise for Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman. The actress reportedly freaked out when she heard her hubby spent time alone in his tour bus with country singer, Kelsea Ballerini. Is their marriage on the rocks?
Say it ain't so! Keith Urban, 47, and Nicole Kidman, 48, have dodged split rumors before, but a new report claims the Australian actress may finally have been pushed over the edge after Keith allegedly spent time alone in his tour bus with his tour mate, Kelsea Ballerini, 21.
Kelsea opened for Keith during his Paso Robles, Calif. tour stop on July 29, and an eyewitness caught the "Love Me Like You Mean It" singer climbing onto Keith's bus after her opening performance, according to Star magazine. The mag's insider reports that Kelsea spent 20 minute s on the bus, and couldn't stop smiling when she walked off.
During this time, Nicole was in London, preparing to shoot her next film, and reportedly blew up when she heard the news. "She was furious," an insider tells the mag. "She called Keith as soon as she heard and demanded to know what women he'd been hanging around with in his trailer." Eventually, the American Idol judge assured his wife that the meeting was 'strictly professional, but Nicole is still questioning his judgment," according to Star.
Do you believe Keith and Nicole are having marriage problems?
The Australian lovebirds, who married in 2006, have made a rule never to spend more than two weeks apart — but that obviously gets a little difficult with their busy schedules. Besides touring, Keith also works on American Idol, while Nicole is constantly filming big movies.
HollywoodLifers, do you think there's trouble in paradise between Keith and Nicole?


text:
Lamar Fountain Preferred Swamp to Prison
December 20, 2011 at 1:15 am	(Gaskins Family, Law and Order)
Tags: Ballad of Lamar Fountain, Berrien County GA, Lamar Fountain, Ray City GA, Walter J. Gaskins
Ray City native Lamar Fountain achieved national notoriety as an escape artist, and stories of his escapades appeared in the news from coast to coast. Previous posts have addressed the six times he found his way out of incarceration. Add to that a jailhouse interview after his capture in 1974, which told something of Fountain's life on the lam:
Perhaps Ray City's original reality survivorman, escape artist Lamar Fountain preferred homeless life in the swamp to prison.
The Charleston News and Courier
Elusive Prisoner Prefers Swamp, Snakes, Potatoes
RAY CITY, Ga. – Lamar Fountain, back in jail after his sixth escape, says he eluded police for seven weeks in a Georgia swamp, ignoring snakes, stealing potatoes and fishing.
Frustrated police officers gave up chasing him and instead hid in the canebrake at night. They caught him on the banks of a fishing hole near Ray City, his hometown.
The slow-talking, 48 year-old escapee said in a telephone interview Tuesday from the Berrien County jail that he hacked trails deep into the southeast Georgia swamp and built four shelters so he could keep on the move.
"I had some help. You've got to have a little bit of help." Fountain said, but he refused to elaborate.
"I got sweet potatoes from people's fields. Sweet potatoes go a long way with a man," he said. "I got sugar cane and pecans, and I have eat some palmetto roots.
"Also, I was fishing and I had an old frying pan I found and some lard. I had a little bit of meal and made some hushpuppies.
Asked about the poisonous snakes that inhabit the Georgia swamps, Fountain said, "I just walked by them. I never killed a snake or a coon or nothing. I walked past rattlesnakes asleep and past six or eight moccasins laying up by a cyprus root."
Since 1969, Fountain has been in-and-out of several Georgia prisons serving a 30-year term for robbery, larceny, forgery and the escape attempt he made prior to his first conviction.
He escaped from a Lowndes County work camp in 1969 and stayed in California for a year, he said, before heading back toward Georgia and getting arrested for fighting in a bar south of New Orleans, La.
Fountain said he had been an alcoholic since he got out of the Air Force at the age of 20.
"I railroaded awhile for the Charleston and Western Carolina out of Augusta," he said. "Then I worked for a paper mill awhile, but I guess I drove a truck more than anything else."
Now, he said, he would like a chance to settle down on land near Ray City which his father left him and raise cattle and hogs.
"I want out. I've never done anything wrong except when I was drunk, and I don't drink anymore."
Fountain claims the original charges against him involved a mixup with a friend's billfold and the fact that he cashed his girlfriend's $37 check at a Valdosta, Ga., bar.
Berrien County Sheriff Walter J. Gaskins, who has had to capture him three times, said Fountain likely will be sent to the maximum security prison at Reidsville, Ga.
The sheriff is not convinced that is necessary.
"This boy don't ever give me no trouble," he said. "I went and got him (from prison) and brought him to his father's funeral and to his mother's funeral and once when his mother had her leg took off."
Escape Artist Lamar Fountain Caught Again
Ballad of Lamar Fountain ~ Escape Artist
Liz Blackmon said,
I am Elizabeth Fountain Blackmon and the niece of Uncle Lamar. He was a character. I am looking for his two daughters, Linda and Gail. Lamar divorced their mother, Ruth or Frances, when I was young and they moved away. Does anyone have any information?


Katie Holmes has been been cast as the first ever face of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.
The actress, 33, who recently divorced husband Tom Cruise after five years of marriage, has signed a deal with the beauty firm which will see her act as both muse and collaborator.
which also shares a natural aesthetic.
According to Bobbi Brown executives, as well as being the first celebrity face of the 21-year-old brand, Ms Holmes name will appear on a capsule collection of fall 2013 cosmetics.
She told WWD: 'This is my first foray into beauty products and the evolution of a look.
The news comes as the actress and designer prepares to stage the first-ever Fashion Week show for her label, Holmes & Yang.
Donna Karan at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center on Sunday.
And by all accounts, the success of the show, and the fashion press verdicts, will mean a lot to her.
The event will take place on the same day as Victoria Beckham, putting the two celebrities – and one-time friends – head-to-head.
The Holmes & Yang pieces, which she described as 'just nice, well-made luxury items that highlight the woman wearing them,' range in price from $700 to $3000.
'We use a lot of silks and leathers and suedes,' she added, as if by way of explanation.
The Holmes & Yang first formal new York Fashion Week presentation and the Bobbi Brown beauty campaign together indicate that Ms Holmes is carving a sophisticated new image for herself, in the wake of her divorce.
Her acting career has not been completely sidelined, however.
She is set to star in a Broadway play, Dead Accounts, from November, and has two movies in the pipeline for next year.
Now Katie Holmes lands a beauty campaign as she "signs deal to become first ever face of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics"