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Red Island
From Bogota to Bittergirl
September 1, 2017 Edward Staskus	Leave a comment
When "Bittergirl: The Musical" came back to the cabaret-style Mack Theatre in downtown Charlottetown, the capital of Prince Edward Island, it came back because it had played to laugh-out-loud crowds during its world premiere there in 2015, and everyone knew the home-grown Canadian merry-go-round about breaking up was worth seeing, or seeing again in 2017.
Based on a 1999 play lived died and written by Annabel Fitzsimmons, Alison Lawrence, and Mary Francis Moore, one of them divorced, one dropped like a hot potato, and one in the whirlpool of being dumped, and their later-on best-selling book, "BITTERGIRL: Getting Over Getting Dumped", the musical is the best of the play and the book and 60s doo-wop mixed with 70s mega-hits.
"When he danced he held me tight, and when he walked me home that night, all the stars were shining bright, and then he kissed me."
The show is a mash up of a live band song dance high emotion low comedy trenchant wisecracking and rip-roaring showcase performances. It's about the one sure-fire way of hurting somebody's feelings, which is to break up with them.
"Baby, baby, where did our love go? Ooh, don't you want me, don't you want me no more?"
Hooking up and heartbreak are as girl group as it gets. Taylor Swift's 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' was still fifty years in the making when Phil Spector's Wall of Sound and Motown were going strong. The Shirelles were the first to hit number one on the HOT 100 in 1961 with 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow'.
When the musical comedy wrapped up its second sold-out run at the end of August, and the last of more than 20,000 theatergoers had left the 200-seat Mack Theatre, the young woman putting away bottles of vodka and rinsing out cocktail glasses behind the bar on the far side of the stage was the one person who had seen the show more times than anyone else, save the cast, crew, and front of the house.
"I love the show," said Natalia Agon, the Mack's bar manager. "Sometimes on my nights off I go see it with my mom or my husband or my friends. It's so fun and I'm so proud of it." Since starting work at the theatre earlier in the summer she has seen "Bittergirl" close to 40 times.
The 25-year-old traced an improbable path to her first sighting of the show. She almost didn't make it. A native of Bogota, Colombia, it took a death threat to shove her off Colombian soil and land her on the red dirt of Prince Edward Island. The threat to her family came from terrorists, in the mail, on embossed stationary, declaring them a military target.
"Bogota was good," she said. "I grew up there. My dad worked hard, and my mom worked hard, to give us what we needed. Starting over from zero was definitely hard."
Bogota is a 500-year-old city in the middle of Colombia, the capital city and largest city in the country. It sprawls across a high plateau in the Andes. More than 10 million people live in the metro area, the economic, political, and cultural center of northwestern South America. "Most Noble and Most Loyal City" is Bogota's motto.
Natalia's parents met in Panama City, Panama. "They were poor when they got together. They would buy clothes or cigarettes in Panama, where they didn't have taxes, and bring it back to Colombia, and sell it," she said. "They did every job on the planet."
By the time she started school her parents had scrimped and saved and purchased and owned and operated a 1,000-acre beef and dairy farm four hours away from Bogota, while still living in the city. "We went there every weekend, my two brothers and me, whether you liked it or not."
At the same time, "bittergirl" the stage play took off, playing from bliss to breakup and back to full houses in Toronto, traveling to London, England, and laughing its way to off-Broadway in NYC. It was the trifecta, the original recipe, extra crispy, and the Colonel's special.
"I'll make you happy, baby, just wait and see, for every kiss you give me I'll give you three, oh, since the day I saw you, I have been waiting for you."
It was a long way from the little Toronto café where the three writers dreamed up the loving and hurting story, based on themselves and everyone they knew. "We've had some adventures together!" said Mary Francis Moore.
"Every night our audiences were waiting for us as we came offstage with their very own stories," the co-authors have said.
'I got dumped in the hospital ten minutes after giving birth…'
'He left me for my little sister and now he sits across from me at Christmas dinner…'
'My husband worked for CSIS and said 'You'll never be able to find me' and I never have…'
"Swear to God. All true." Truth is stranger than it used to be. The snag about some hook-ups is that they're not worth the break-up.
"My parents had a big problem with FARC," said Natalia Agon. "It was because of the farm, about paying the vaccine." Besides the coca trade, in other words, cocaine, which sustained the leftist group during Latin America's longest running war, extortion ran a close second in the financial affairs of the rebels. The money payments were known as vacuna, or the vaccine.
Scottish Border Reivers ran a racket called black mal five hundred years ago, the Sicilian Mafia has always understood the protection trade, and there is little confusion about what the Russian Mafia means when they say krysha up.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, was formed in 1964, a peasant army that grew to number almost 20,000 militants controlling close to 40 percent of the country. The 50-year civil war, recently ended, displaced 7 million people from their homes and resulted in 220,000 deaths, among them 11,000 people killed by land mines.
"My dad paid the vaccine for a long time," said Natalia. "But, once they saw they could use you for other purposes, whether storing drugs or storing guns, it was a yes or no answer, no matter whether you wanted to do it or not."
Pedro and Maria Agon said no to cocaine and guns.
Soon afterwards, just before Christmas 2007, they got a letter in the mail. "It was on thick white paper, official looking, super fancy, with their FARC logo on it. We just left, our house, the farm, all my friends I had known all my life. One day my mom said, pack a bag, you're not going to school on Monday."
She packed pictures and letters from her friends and the blanket she was swaddled in when she was brought home from the hospital when she was born. "You can't do that, my mom said. You have to leave everything."
They left almost everything.
"We got out of there fast."
The Agon's were able to transfer property to sisters brothers aunts uncles, as well as convert some assets to cash. They were uncertain about relocating anywhere else in South America. They considered the United States a safe haven, but Natalia's mother nixed moving there.
"She just didn't like it, even though she had traveled to the States many times. She never felt welcome. She always felt a racial discrimination, even though she was going there to spend money. So we looked at a map and there was Canada. There was no thought process behind it, we just went."
"Bittergirl: The Musical" took the Charlottetown Festival by storm when it opened in 2015, a crowd-pleaser bringing the howls and selling out all summer. Bitterness never felt better, nor misery in the hands of singers and dancers belting it out and mansplaining how he's lost his magic and you've got to go.
"He's a rebel and he'll never ever be any good, he's a rebel 'cause he never ever does what he should, but just because he doesn't do what everybody else does, that's no reason why I can't give him all my love."
It went on to become a north of the border success story, having since been produced coast to coast, Edmonton, Manitoba, Vancouver.
Nine months after landing in Toronto, the Agon's got their Permanent Resident cards. "It was a hard process," said Natalia. "There was a lot of scrutiny, but it was never the you don't deserve to be here kind of scrutiny." The family rented an apartment and Natalia graduated from high school in 2010. She attended Centennial College, majoring in Food and Nutrition Management, and worked part-time in a nursing home.
In 2014 she and her husband-to-be, Miguel Cervantes, moved to Prince Edward Island. "I knew I needed a school that was going to give me a lot of interaction with professors and where there were internships to become a registered dietician." She has an internship on tap at Humber River Hospital in Toronto when she graduates next year.
Natalia Agon enrolled at UPEI in Charlottetown. Her husband worked his way up to become the executive chef at Mavor's, a contemporary eatery part of the Confederation Centre of the Arts. The menu ranges from the Moona Lisa burger, featuring homegrown PEI beef, to four-course dinners paired with Scottish whiskies.
Early in 2017, as part of her studies at UPEI, she joined the group Farmers Helping Farmers, traveling to Kenya, where they worked with the Wakulima Dairy in the Mukerweini District. She also helped distribute female hygiene kits to the Karaguririo Primary School.
"We gave the students a girl empowerment talk," she said. "Their eyes were bright with excitement."
Last year, looking for work, she applied at the Mack Theatre. She got the job. "I run the day-to-day operations and I'm the head bartender," she said. She trains and schedules the other bartenders, keeps a firm hand on the inventory and cash register, and trims the sails on show days. Above all, all summer long she mixed Cowards, Mounties, and Magic Men.
"Those are the names of the three ex's of the show, and they're our three feature cocktails. The definite crowd favorite is the Mountie. I always tell everyone, I think you're going to like it even more once the show starts." At the break, however, the strains of 'Be My Baby' dying away, most order the drink they can relate to the most. Magic Men and Cowards give the vodka-heavy Mountie a run for his money among the crowd pressing at the bar, no matter that Mounties are renowned for saving damsels in distress.
"Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough, ain't no river wide enough, to keep me from getting to you, babe."
"Things have changed a lot in Colombia since we left," said Natalia.
She has since returned several times for visits. Nevertheless, when her father went back to South America, the farm he bought was on the Ecuador border with Colombia. "He's in love with the land. He can't get enough of it." One of her older brothers, a doctor, lives in Mexico and the other older brother lives in Spain. Her mother spends divergent parts of her year with her husband and far-flung children.
The Agon's are a family of expatriates by necessity, not by choice. "My husband is from Guatemala, but he came to Canada when he was a one-year-old and never went back," said Natalia. "His Spanish is broken. But I was born in Colombia, raised in Colombia, and most of my values are from being raised there. I loved it. Leaving was an emotional struggle."
Although it's true that loss is the same as change, and the world is always going to keep changing, surviving and coping with loss is difficult, especially when a chunk of your childhood goes missing. It leaves a hole in the world. It's the price everyone pays for everything they've ever had, or will have.
"Weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbye, did you think I'd crumble, did you think I'd lay down and die, oh no not I, I will survive."
It doesn't matter if it's a boyfriend or your birthplace. It doesn't matter whether it's played for laughs on stage or it plays out in real life. There's a thin line between humor and hurt.
"I never get tired of the show," said Natalia. "The ex and the girls do a great job portraying everyone, our emotions, all we've been through. It's happened to me, when you're dumped for no reason, or it's not you, it's me. I've definitely heard that one before, and I've totally said it, too."
Behind the bar she hears what everyone has to say about "Bittergirl". When a case of nerves orders a cocktail she mixes up a Coward. "The moms, maybe when they've had one too many, remember ordering pizza, eating their feelings. It's just heartbreak."
One day can be sweet as can be and the next day bitter as all get out. "You don't know if you should laugh or cry," said Natalia. Everyone has their share of heartbreak. If you're singing about it, you've lived it. Natalia Agon has lived it and sung along with songs about it, but isn't recording a full album of it.
Whenever bitterness tries to get in on the act, she offers it a Magic Man. "That's my favorite," she said. The Magic Man is a south of the border blend of Kahlua, Pepsi, milk, and crème de cacoa.
Sometimes when husbands and boyfriends are at the bar at the Mack at intermission getting drinks for wives and girlfriends, but can't remember what they want, she suggests they "go check with the boss."
She's not a bitter girl.
147 Stanley StreetBittergirl: The MusicalConfederation Centre of the ArtsEd StaskusMack TheatreNatalia Agon
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It is important for members and the general public to be updated about the issues and happenings of the cooperative. Therefore the following three means of communication are used to inform and update.
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Kassari (deutsch Kassargen) ist eine Insel in der Ostsee. Sie liegt südlich der zweitgrößten estnischen Insel Hiiumaa. Kassari gehört zu den Moonsund-Inseln.

Beschreibung und Geschichte
Die Gesamtfläche der Insel beträgt 19,3 km². Die Küstenlinie ist 59 km lang. Die Insel entstand erst vor ca. 3.000 Jahren aus dem Meer. Der höchste Punkt liegt heute bei 15 m über dem Meeresspiegel.

Kassari ist mit Hiiumaa durch zwei Dämme verbunden.

Kassari wurde erstmals 1564 als Kaskesara urkundlich erwähnt. Heute gehört sie verwaltungsmäßig zur Landgemeinde Hiiumaa. Auf Kassari leben dauerhaft etwa 300 Menschen in den vier Dörfern Esiküla, Kassari, Orjaku und Taguküla. In Orjaku befindet sich seit Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts ein fester Hafen, der heute als Jachthafen dient. Ein Heimatmuseum erzählt die Geschichte der Insel.

Auf der Insel gibt es ein der finnischen Schriftstellerin Aino Kallas (1878–1956) gewidmetes Museum. Kallas war Kassari eng verbunden und nutzte ihre Sommeraufenthalte auf Kassari und Hiiumaa für ihr belletristisches Schaffen.

Literatur
 Uno Kiisa: Kassari. Eesti Raamat, Tallinn 1985.

Weblinks
 Informationen der Gemeinde Käina
 Kapelle und Friedhof von Kassari (deutsch)
 Heimatmuseum von Kassari (deutsch)

Insel (Europa)
Insel (Estland)
Insel (Ostsee)
Insel der Moonsund-Inseln
Hiiumaa (Landgemeinde)

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I am 73 purchased this and have just received it, used it once – ONCE, and had results, will be happy to continue to use it and wonder if the results were so goodwith one useage how my skin will look in a months time.


Miss United Continents 2017- Final Hotpicks and Concluding Thoughts!
September 22, 2017 in News, Other Pageants.
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September 14, 2017 in Editorials, News, Other Pageants.
September 13, 2017 in Miss World, News.
Miss Diva 2017 Review: Who Is The Best Speaker?
September 13, 2017 in Editorials, Miss Diva, Miss Supranational, Miss Supranational India, Miss Universe.


here are two types of players, those that utilize an A/B box like our Mini A/B here, and those that don't know what they're missing. Add one to your pedalboard, and you'll find the Mini A/B is full of indispensable benefits on the gig, in the studio, or even at home. At its core, the simple footswitch design selects between a pair of ¼" jacks on the left side of the unit. Hook one up and you'll instantly be switching between amps, quickly swapping guitars between songs, using it to isolate your tuner from your signal, killing your stage sound as a mute, and more. And with its adorably tiny footprint, the Mini A/B will fit on even the most cramped pedalboards.


The $1 million Woodbine Mile Presented by Bell (G1) is the September feature event at Woodbine Racetrack. A field of fourteen older horses entered the gate in this 1 mile trip around 1 turn of the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, under cool but sunny conditions in the Toronto area. Dell Ridge Farm homebred Shakespeare was sent off as the 2-1 favorite, coming off an allowance victory at Saratoga after a 21-month layoff due to an injury suffered in the 2005 Breeders' Cup Turf. In to challenge the Kiaran McLaughlin trainee were 5-1 second choice Remarkable News, a Venezuelan-bred coming into the Mile off two straight Grade 2 victories, the Dixie at Pimlico and then the Firecracker at Churchill Downs, and 6-1 third choice Kip Deville, trained by Richard Dutrow Jr., who was third in the Oceanport at Monmouth Park last time out.
When the gate opened, jockey Ramon Dominguez sent Remarkable News to the lead and he was stalked by 26-1 Le Cinquieme Essai and Kip Deville through an opening quarter of 23.82. Garrett Gomez aboard Shakespeare was in no hurry for the long backstretch run, as he angled the favorite over to the hedge to save ground over the firmer part of the course, racing in ninth. Remarkable News continued to lead down the backstretch, as 21-1 Galantas moved up to join the pace battle through a half in 46.71, and the pair battled on the pace around the turn through 3/4 in 1:09.98. At the top of the stretch, Kip Deville, who had stalked the pace the whole way, angled out for running room and when asked by jockey Cornelio Velasquez, surged past Remarkable News to take the lead a furlong out. However, Shakespeare, who hugged the inside hedge and rail the whole way, had moved up on the field and was fourth at the 3/16 pole. Switching leads, Shakespeare found another gear and ran right by Kip Deville with 1/16 of a mile to go, and finishing 1 length clear in a time of 1:33.58 over the firm turf course. It was another 1 1/2 lengths back to Galantas in third, a neck ahead of pacesetter Remarkable News in fourth.
Shakespeare in the winner's circle. He was a bit excited and did not want to settle down and pose nicely. Art Magnuson, assistant to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said, "He is a very classy horse. We are very lucky to have him in the barn. He is very special. We could tell early that he was very special. (Owner) Mr. Justice gets all the credit for all the time off and bringing him back slowly and it paid off. I would say that he went into this race about the same as Saratoga. He always trains well. We thought he ran well the first time out. We were surprised he ran as well as he did and he made us seem more confident coming into today."
Shakespeare parades for the fans after the race. His jockey Garrett Gomez said, "He actually showed me a little more speed earlier on in the race then I expected to him. When he was showing it to me, I let him to show it. A couple (of horses) gave me a little coverage and as the race progressed, he was there for me. When I turned for home, I was hoping be able find a way through there, Becrux came off the fence a little bit and gave me a chance to get on through there. Once he had seen the daylight, he hit overdrive for us, he got us home. He ran a really good race, I thought the mile might be a little too short for him, but he proved me wrong, he is a very talented horse."
Owner Frank Justice of Dell Ridge Farm (green tie) leads Shakespeare to the winner's circle. Justice said, "Never had a horse this good before. He is just a fantastic horse. We had him off a year and nine months. We always thought about bringing him back. He just has a presence about him that you'd like to see him race. I was watching the horses and I didn't know where he was really. But when I saw him coming down the rail, I knew he was going to win. It was a tremendous ride. I've never seen anybody ride a horse that good."
Shakespeare strikes a pose while being hosed down after the race. Jockey Garrett Gomez said, "Congratulations to Kiaran McLaughlin. He did a tremendous job on this horse bringing him back. He is just a beautiful animal and I glad to be part of it. He's a talented horse and talented horses make you look good."
Shakespeare in the post parade. Garrett Gomez won the 1991 E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine aboard Lady Shirl, Shakespeare's dam. He added, "The first time I rode him, I didn't realize that's the way he was bred. It was kind of neat because she wasn't very big and to see what she threw is just unbelievable. She was very, very talented and so is he."
Second place finisher Kip Deville returns after the race. 6-1 third choice Kip Deville stalked the pace from the 2 path under jockey Cornelio Velasquez,, gained the lead at the 1/16 pole, but was no match for the late charge of Shakespeare. The Richard Dutrow trainee improved his record to 8 wins, 3 seconds, and 2 thirds with earnings of $1,014,222 for owners IEAH Stables.
Third place finisher Galantas in the paddock before the race. Jockey Todd Kabel said, "I had my horse nice and settled at one point, then he got rank and just took off with me. That cost us a chance of getting the big piece of the pie. He wasn't giving up. He ran a tremendous race. My hat goes off to (trainer) Graham Motion and (owner) Earle Mack for bringing him up here. This was a big race today and he showed up."
Canadian & Summer Stakes results from the undercard.


This October in GL First Kids we are talking about stewardship and all the ways we can take care of what we have, and why. It starts with everything beginning to God, and we are working with the kids on learning how they can use their time, things and money wisely. We will tying it all together by focus our last week on the importance of living our life focused on what really matters.
The other big news this month is the launch of our GL First Kid's small groups at 9am on Sundays. We have three groups broken up by grade; K-1st, 2nd-3rd, and 4th-5th. The small groups will be reinforcing and introducing the concepts that we are teaching in the 11am GL First Kids church service. Make sure you check out whats happening!
Life App: Stewardship: taking care of what you have because it all belongs to God.
As a cook who has worked in restaurants it can get very boring. People for the most part order the same dishes over and over. There is very little change in your job. I love cooking when I can create my own flavors and dishes. That is exciting, making 27 grilled cheese sandwiches in a day, not so much. That's why I love watching the show Chopped.
The excitement of not knowing what's in that basket is one of the best parts. But the very best part is finding out how those crazy ingredients are going to go together, and if it is actually going to taste good.
In our story this week a wealthy man went away on a journey. He gave instructions to his three most trusted servants . In the story Jesus says that the man gave one servant five talents, the second one two talents, and the third servant one talent.
Now a talent is a unit of money, like a dollar or a quarter, except that for a common worker in that time a talent was like 20 years of wages. So all three servants were actually given a large amount of money, even the servant who received only one talent. The two faithful servants doubled their masters investment, while the other dug a hole and buried it.
Now "talents" are a metaphor for the abilities and gifts that God has given each and everyone of us. So of us have received many gifts, some it may seem we have received just a few. But all of them have great value, and we have all received gifts from God. Here is what we can learn from the two faithful servants.
Before the two servants could do anything, they had to figure out what their master had given them.
We have to do the same thing, God has given each of you a unique talent, gift or passion. The best thing that we can do is to figure out exactly what we have right now.
Some of you are gifted creatively, you sing, dance, play an instrument, maybe you paint or draw. Some others of you have been given practical gifts, you could be mechanically or technologically gifted. All of us have traits in our personalities that are a gift. Maybe your compassionate, a great listener, or the best, maybe you can make people laugh. The ability to bring a smile to someones face is one of the greatest gifts.
The two faithful servants invested the money their master gave them, and each doubled the amount they started with.
They knew what their master had given them was something of great value, he had given them something that had been his.
In the story of our lives, God is the master, and He has given each of us something born of who he is. Creativity, compassion, complex thinking, love and even humor. All of these things and more make up who God is. His gift is not just a talent or ability, it's a spark of His very own life.
Even if it only feels like a little gift, we are still supposed to do something with what God has given us. Burying it in a hole and never using it is not good enough. Keeping our gifts and talents inside the church is also not acceptable.
Let's talk about the third servant, he did nothing with what the master gave him. And as a result the master took his talent from him, and gave it to the servant who did the most with what he had been given.
You have lots of hopes and dreams for your future. But a has as you try to plan every detail of your life – you can't. But what you can do is make sure you are taking care of what God has given you. That means doing the best with what you have.


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Home - Health
No One Should Go Through Cancer At 14. But This Is What It Taught Me
It all began at a badminton session.
After I felt a pop in my collarbone area while playing, I began to notice a lump that would, day by day, get progressively bigger and more painful.
I remember how shocked my mum was when I showed her – she immediately booked an appointment with our local GP, who then referred us to the hospital. There, I had a scan and was told we would have to wait eight to ten days for any result.
But just two hours later, we got a call asking us to come back immediately. Something wasn't quite right. They ran some blood tests and by the end of the evening my blood sample was on its way to the Royal Marsden Hospital, a specialist unit. They suspected I had blood cancer.
We got sent home to quickly pack some things, and prepared to stay overnight at the hospital. After a week of more tests, scans and a biopsy, we attended a meeting at the Royal Marsden, where I was diagnosed with grey zone lymphoma, a rare blood cancer, and told I needed to start six sessions of chemotherapy.
While I was going through chemotherapy at The Oak Centre for Children and Young People at The Royal Marsden, I can honestly say I met some of the bravest people in the world – and that includes doctors and nurses as well as patients. I made a new friend, Yasmin – her and her family have got two more years of treatment, but they helped us a lot with getting used to treatment. They made it easier and so welcoming, as did all the staff at the Royal Marsden, who are unbelievable people that I can never thank enough for all the work they did. My doctor, Elisha, made me feel safe and positive whenever we had a check up and whenever I had to go for chemotherapy. She is a hero who saved my life, and I will always be thankful to her for everything she did for my family and I.After chemotherapy had finished and I didn't have a main focus, finding self-love and accepting myself got much harder.I was just 14 at the time I was diagnosed, and I honestly don't think I quite understood how surreal it was. Suddenly, my only priorities were my family and friends, schoolwork and staying alive. But after chemotherapy had finished and I didn't have a main focus, finding self-love and accepting myself got much harder. I didn't look like anyone else at school, and I felt like I couldn't escape what had happened to me. I got stared at a lot, and it became hard to be polite and ignore the way people saw me. My self-image got so bad I couldn't look at myself in the mirror without crying – at one point I literally put bin bags over my mirror because I didn't want to see myself.
I tried not to let my image stop me from going out with Friends when I could, because they made me feel ten times better. In fact, I think the reason I have been able to stay happy and focused through cancer is because of the people around me, I didn't surround myself with any negative energy.
Losing my hair was definitely one of the toughest things I went through, though I knew the treatment was helping me and I lost it for the right reasons. I have a few inches back now, I can straighten it, and I'm already making plans with what I want to do with it when it's grown longer. I think a lot about how lucky I am to be here, and how I appreciate life much more than I did before my diagnosis.Thankfully, I'm now in remission and only need check-ups every three months at the Marsden. But I think a lot about how lucky I am to be here, and how I appreciate life much more than I did before my diagnosis. I've learned that cancer doesn't pick and choose, so we can never dwell on the question 'why me' – because it's just the way the cookie crumbles. But, of course, I would never want anyone to go through what I have been through. I would like to think, with how fast modern technology is advancing, cancer will be beaten once and for all, and the future will be brighter for anyone who is diagnosed.
Above all, every day I try to be thankful to still be here. Some days are harder than others, but I've learned you've got to keep pushing and do things that make you happy. With the help of my doctors, my family and friends, who have been saints from start to finish, I'm back in a place where I am genuinely happy with how my life is.
Can We Cure Kids' Cancer? airs tonight 10pm on Channel 4 and will be available to stream on All4
Have a compelling personal story you want to tell? Find out what we're looking for here, and pitch us on ukpersonal@huffpost.comMore from HuffPost UK Personal Lockdown Let Me Be A More Present Dad – And Partner I'm A So-Called 'Activist Lawyer' Who Assists Migrants. Here's What I Actually Do I'm Hosting #BlackVoicesHPUK, A New HuffPost Series About Being Black In Britain. Here's Why
The media should not promote disinformation under the guise of debateCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageProfessor Karol Sikora, an oncologist at the private Buckingham University, has become a social media star and a regular on TV screens, thanks to his viral tweets.
Talking Horses: Mullins expresses 'huge relief' as VAT travel fears ease
UK music streaming hits a high note amid the lows of Covid
Jordan Henderson: 'I was in a very dark place. It made me a lot stronger' | Donald McRae
World's media ask how it went so wrong for 'Plague Island' Britain
Stephen Colbert has theories about Trump's conspiratorial 'pillow talk' with MyPillow's Mike Lindell
After studying in secret, Illinois dad surprises family by graduating from college
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How we made: All Together Now by the Farm
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The 50 best albums of 2020: the full list
January 19, 2021 Stephen Colbert has theories about Trump's conspiratorial 'pillow talk' with MyPillow's Mike Lindell
January 19, 2021 After studying in secret, Illinois dad surprises family by graduating from college

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


You should still consider water softener installation even if your water is only moderately hard.
One of the biggest mistakes that homeowners and people in general make about their water is assuming that because their water is only moderately hard they don't have anything to worry about. Unlike wildfire odds, where a low rating is much better than a hard one, moderately hard water really isn't all that different from soft water. In case you're not familiar, hard water is water that's been contaminated by heavy metals. This can happen in a number of ways, from the pipes in your building being old and leaking harmful materials into your drinking water to your water getting contaminated by a nearby river. Whatever the causes for hard water, the reality is that no matter how hard your water actually is it's still going to be damaging for you and your family to drink. Over time, even the lowest levels of hard water can cause all sorts of problems in people. The reality is that no matter how much lead is in your water, any lead is far too much.
That's why you should always test your water on a consistent basis, and if you find your water to have any harmful materials or minerals in it then you should strongly consider water softener installation right away. Having a water softener installed on all of the faucets that you use for drinking or cooking water is often enough to ensure that your drinking water is safe for everyone who drinks it. A water softener is essentially just a filter that will take all of the harmful minerals and hard elements out of your water, from too much iron to too much magnesium. In minuscule amounts these sorts of elements certainly won't hurt you, but as soon as they get to anything that can be detected they need to be removed.
The key to ensuring that your drinking water is safe for all to drink is to hire a qualified company to come and test your water and handle your water purification systems installation if that's what you need. Of course, there are plenty of great companies out there that will be willing to test your water and set you up with the exact kind of system you need, but none of them will do a more professional and knowledgeable job than AAA BestWater. For more than 30 years, AAA BestWater has been working with thousands of customers to help them make sure their drinking water is safe. The problem with contaminated drinking water is that you often can't see, smell, or taste it, so you end up drinking bad water for years and years because you simply have no idea. The pros at AAA BestWater will help you identify any issue with your drinking water, both big and small, and they'll educate you on what can be done going forward. Click on their name above, visit their website, do some research, and then set up an appointment with one of their team members. You will be glad that you did.
Comments Off on You should still consider water softener installation even if your water is only moderately hard.


Secondary and Teriary Sector Growth"
第二セッション:The process of Industrialisation: Economic Geography, Gender, and Migration.
13:00〜13:40 "Labour Migration and Economic Development in Global Perspective"
and the High Commission of Agriculture Industry and Commerce"
3. 「Corporate Governance in the Post-War Period.
The Swedish Case of Family-Controlled Multinationals.
2."An Imput-Output Table for Germany or Statistics as Preparation for the War: The Industrial Census of 1936"


As a real estate professional, Diane has been successfully selling homes in Mississauga, Oakville, Toronto and Milton for over 30 years. Residential real estate is her specialty and assisting her clients to achieve a successful sale or purchase of a home is her goal. Diane is pleased to say that "I am now selling to my clients' children!" A former Mississauga Citizen of the Year, Diane has always felt it important to give back to her community, and she remains very involved with many community groups.


text:
African and Mideast Business
Iran's leaders laid groundwork for currency crisis
Open this photo in gallery:
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks during a news conference at the United Nations in New York, Sept. 26, 2012.
BRENDAN MCDERMID/Reuters
Brian Milner
Published October 3, 2012 Updated October 3, 2012
This article was published more than 8 years ago. Some information in it may no longer be current.
Anyone who doubts that international sanctions are taking a heavy toll on Iran need only look at the stunning collapse of the country's currency, the rial, in recent days or listen to the latest ravings of its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But as much as he would love to lay all the blame at Washington's feet for Iran's worsening plight, he ought to look in the mirror for another key culprit.
The rial has been in a steep slide for months, but went into free fall this week, plunging about 40 per cent against the U.S. dollar. Mr. Ahmadinejad, fresh from his annual controversial turn in the world spotlight at the United Nations, was quick to cite the usual suspects – the United States and other Western countries that have imposed an embargo on Iranian oil, blocked financial transfers and curtailed shipping. This time, he tossed domestic political opponents and unscrupulous black-market currency speculators into the mix.
"Two elements have joined hands to pressure the people of Iran," Mr. Ahmadinejad said in widely broadcast comments Tuesday. "One is external and one is internal."
Calling Iran a victim of a "psychological war" perpetrated by the U.S., the ever voluble president acknowledged for the first time that sanctions were hurting, vowed to crack down on speculators, and appealed for public calm in the face of the diving currency and soaring prices for food and other basic goods.
But he took no responsibility for his government's dreadful mismanagement of the economy, a hallmark of the country's theocratic rule long before policy makers chose to develop nuclear capability in defiance of world opposition.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the country was under pressure because "it did not yield to the demands of tyrannies," the Guardian reported.
The public reaction was not quite the rally-round-the beleaguered-leader for which Mr. Ahmadinejad must have been hoping with his America-bashing. More than 90 per cent of those surveyed in one poll found his response less than credible. Tehran's Grand Bazaar closed for business, as shopkeepers joined hundreds of other protesters shouting anti-government slogans and calling for Mr. Ahmadinejad's ouster. Riot police fired tear gas and wielded batons.
None of this was covered on Iranian TV and some foreign broadcasts were jammed. But as previous bloody government clashes with its own citizens have shown, it's tough to maintain any kind of news blackout in this age of social networking and instant messaging.
Iranians face a hard winter, with rising prices, Greek-like unemployment levels and Western restrictions on oil exports, the main source of income for the economy. And the ruling mullahs may have to offer up Mr. Ahmadinejad as a sacrifice to maintain a semblance of order.
"I think the Iranian government deserves responsibility for what is going on inside Iran and that is who should be held accountable," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday. "They have made their own government decisions having nothing to do with the sanctions."
Far from seeing the U.S. as the perpetrator of their misery, many Iranians seem to be embracing the same view.
Cyber attacks on Wall Street banks traced to Iran
U.S. probes RBS over possible Iran sanctions violations
Standard Chartered CEO takes lead in Iran probe talks
Japan's stimulus sharpens risk of global currency clash
OPEC oil output drops as sanctions hit Iran
Follow Brian Milner on Twitter @bmilnerglobe


text:
\section{Related Work}\label{sec:related}

\noindent %
As already mentioned, the understanding of the theoretical foundations of the
view update problem is due to the seminal work of Bancilhon and Spyratos
\cite{BanSpy:1981:usr}. %
In addition to the notions of translation and translatability, that we revisited
in Section~\ref{sec:framework}, they also introduce the notions of \emph{view
  complement} and \emph{translation under constant complement}. %
Given a view that is lossy (i.e., does not preserve all of the informative
content of the underlying database) a view complement is a second view that
contains enough information to attain losslessness when combined with the
original view. %
The constant complement principle prescribes that updates on the view must not
influence, directly or indirectly, the content of the view complement. %
In this paper, we did not discuss the issues concerning these notions, but it
suffices to say that the results of Section~\ref{sec:framework} about the
invertibility of views and the translatability of view updates hold also in the
presence of view complements \cite{FraGua:2012:TR}.

Cosmadakis and Papadimitriou \cite{CosPap:1984:urv} study a restricted setting
that consists of only two view symbols defined by projections over a
uni-relational database schema. %
They show that, in the absence of view constraints, when the database
constraints are functional and join dependencies, the view is invertible if and
only if the database symbol can be rewritten as the join of the two view
symbols. %
Their result has been generalised in \cite{FraGua:2012:tvu} to an arbitrary
number of view symbols defined by acyclic projections and database constraints
consisting of full dependencies. %
Both \cite{FraGua:2012:tvu} and \cite{CosPap:1984:urv} are special cases of the
setting discussed in Section~\ref{sec:cq-views}, where the rewriting is a priori
known to be the join, and determinacy under constraints is finitely controllable
(i.e., it holds or not independently on whether infinite instances are
allowed). %
To the best of our knowledge, \cite{CosPap:1984:urv} is the only comprehensive
work in which the abstract framework by Bancilhon and Spyratos is applied to a
relational setting. %
Necessary and sufficient conditions are provided for the translatability of
insertions, deletions and replacements w.r.t.\ an instance, when the database
constraints are fd's. %
Our general criterion subsumes all these conditions, it applies for more
expressive database constraints (namely, stratified embedded dependencies), can
be checked locally on the view schema, and allows for more general classes of
updates (e.g., conditional and transactional) rather than single insertions,
deletions and replacements. %
In addition, the problem of checking translatability of view updates w.r.t.\
\emph{every} view state is not addressed in \cite{CosPap:1984:urv}, while our
Theorem~\ref{thm:fol-translat} provides a characterisation of translatability
w.r.t.\ every view state in terms of logical implication. %
An example of a view update that is translatable in this sense is given in
Example~\ref{exa:toy-example-2}.

Nash et al.\ \cite{NaSeVi:2010:vqd} investigate the related problem of deciding
whether the answer to a query $q$ over a database schema $\R$ is determined by a
set of view symbols $\V$ defined over $\R$. %
For view definitions and queries expressed in languages ranging from FOL to
\cqs, they systematically study whether determinacy is decidable and whether the
query language is \emph{complete} for rewritings, meaning that queries
determined by views can be rewritten in terms of the view symbols by using the
same language in which they are originally expressed. %
The notion of determinacy used in \cite{NaSeVi:2010:vqd} differs from the one in
this article in that we consider it w.r.t.\ a set of global constraints that,
along with the view definitions, include also additional constraints over the
database and the view schemas. %
Moreover, we are only interested in atomic queries, and rewritings that are
general domain-independent function-free FOL formulae, rather than belonging to
the same fragment in which queries are expressed. %
We remark that our result about determinacy of Section~\ref{sec:cq-views} is not
contradicted by the fact that the class \cq\ of conjunctive queries is not
complete for \cq-to-\cq\ rewritings \cite{NaSeVi:2010:vqd}. %
Rather, in the absence of database constraints (i.e., $\Sigma_\R = \emptyset$),
a corollary of Theorem~\ref{thm:cqrw-main} is that \cq\ is complete for
AQ-to-\cq\ rewritings, where AQ denotes the class of atomic queries.

Fan et al.\ \cite{FaFlLi:2012:vdp} study the connection between determinacy and
invertibility of views w.r.t.\ a query. %
The setting is similar to that of \cite{NaSeVi:2010:vqd}, where the global
constraints $\Sigma$ are given by exact view definitions only, and there are no
constraints on either the database schema $\R$ nor the view schema $\V$. %
Recasting the definition in \cite{FaFlLi:2012:vdp} to match our notation and
terminology, the view $f$ induced by $\Sigma$ is said to be \emph{invertible
  relative to} a query $q$ over $\R$ if there exists a query $q^{-1}$ such that
$q({I_{\R}}) = q^{-1}\big( f(I_{\R}) \big)$ for every database instance
$I_{\R}$. %
Intuitively, this means that $f$ (called a \emph{transformation} in
\cite{FaFlLi:2012:vdp}) preserves, without any loss, the information selected by
the query $q$. %
This is closely related to our notion of invertibility of a view: the view $f$
is invertible (in our sense) iff it is invertible relative to every atomic query
over $\R$, that is, relative to $q(\overline{x}) = R(\overline{x})$, for each $R
\in \R$. %
In other words, $f$ is lossless (i.e., invertible) when it preserves the
information contained in each database relation, selected by the (atomic) query
over the corresponding database symbol. %
In light of the strong connection between these two notions of invertibility,
and between our notion of determinacy under constraints and determinacy in
\cite{NaSeVi:2010:vqd}, as we show that invertibility of views coincides with
determinacy under constraints, in \cite{FaFlLi:2012:vdp} it is shown that
invertibility relative to a query coincides with determinacy in the sense of
\cite{NaSeVi:2010:vqd}.

The framework we presented in Section~\ref{sec:framework} is reminiscent of a
Data Exchange (DE) \cite{FKMP2003:des} setting. %
In DE the connection between source and target schemas is commonly expressed by
means of so-called \emph{source-to-target} tgd's (s-t tgd's), that is, tgd's
where the l.h.s.\ of the implication mentions only source symbols while the
r.h.s.\ mentions only target symbols. %
A \emph{schema mapping} in DE is a triple $\tuple{\sign{S},\sign{T},\Gamma}$,
where $\sign{S}$ is the source schema, $\sign{T}$ is the target schema and
$\Gamma$ is a set of s-t tgd's over $\sign{S} \cup \sign{T}$. %
A schema mapping in this sense is not a view mapping in our sense, but it rather
represents a class of them, namely that of all the views under $\Gamma$,
according to Definition~\ref{def:view-under-constr}. %
Indeed, for a given source instance $I_{\sign{S}}$, in general there can be more
than one target instance $I_{\sign{T}}$ such that their disjoint union
$\umod{I_{\sign{S}}}{I_{\sign{T}}}$ (see Section~\ref{sec:preliminaries}) is a
model of $\Gamma$, therefore $\sign{S} \ndtm_\Gamma \sign{T}$. %
On the contrary, by considering exact view definitions, we ensure a one-to-one
correspondence between views and sets of global constraints inducing them (up to
logical equivalence). %
Clearly, also the notion of inverse of a schema mapping in DE differs from the
standard notion of inverse function in the mathematical sense (and ours). %
Indeed, no schema mapping in DE has a unique inverse, although under certain
circumstances there is, among the others, only one inverse with a specific
form~\cite{FagNas:2010:sis}. %
The case in which there is a unique target instance for a given source instance
under the schema mapping, namely when schema mappings can be transformed into
proper view mappings via an abduction process, is analysed in
\cite{FrNgSh:2012:dap}.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Prague, Czech Republic (BBN) – Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will be out of tennis for at least six months as she recovers from a knife attack – but should be able to resume her career.
The Czech, 26, underwent surgery to tendons and nerves on her playing hand following the attack by an intruder at her home in Prostejov on Tuesday, reports BBC.
The "best-case scenario" sees her on the practice court after six months.
Surgeon Radek Kebrle said that the operation on Kvitova's left hand went "very well, with no complications," but it will be three months until the world number 11 can even grip a racquet.
"It is too soon to specify when precisely she can return to competition, but Petra is ready to do everything she can to get back competing at the highest level," said a statement from her management.
Kvitova had said she was "shaken" and "fortunate to be alive" following the incident on Tuesday.
Kvitova faces a long road back to competitive action but given the nature of the attack she suffered, it will be a victory for the Czech simply to step back onto the court to resume her professional career.
When that will be is unclear as the rehabilitation process cannot get under way until six to eight weeks after Tuesday's surgery, and the early prognosis suggests she will not return to the practice court for six months.
However, her initial statements have been bullish and she will be especially motivated to get back after the impressive form she showed in the second half of 2016.
Assuming she is out for at least six months, Kvitova will return with a 'special ranking' that will allow her to enter up to eight tournaments with the ranking of 11 that she held when she last played.
She will not lack for support as one of the most popular players in the sport, both among spectators and her fellow competitors.
The example of Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro might provide some inspiration – a similarly popular player who returned triumphantly this year after potentially career-ending wrist problems.
	Won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics, losing her semi-final to eventual gold medallist Monica Puig.


text:
Andy Cohen Welcomes His First Child, Son Benjamin Allen Cohen, via Surrogate
The Bravolebrity shared the first photo of his newborn son on Instagram.
Andy Cohen is officially a father. The Watch What Happens Live host announced via Instagram on Monday night (February 4) that his newborn son, Benjamin Allen Cohen, was born earlier that day via surrogate.
"He is named after my grandfather Ben Allen. I'm in love. And speechless. And eternally grateful to an incredible surrogate. And I'm a dad. Wow," Cohen wrote in the caption of a black-and-white photo in which he holds his blanket-wrapped son and flashes a huge grin at the camera.
Of course, many of Cohen's close friends sent their well wishes to the new father via Instagram as well, including Hoda Kotb, Kelly Ripa, Real Housewives's Bethenny Frankel, Nene Leakes, Teresa Giudice, Lisa Rinna, and Kyle Richards, many of whom were also guests at the producer's star-studded baby shower just before the Super Bowl. John Mayer, Cohen's longtime friend, shared a photograph of some baby-size moccasin shoes he bought for the new addition as a congratulatory gift. Plus, the eagle-eyed "Comments by Celebs" memorialized other excited responses from Gabrielle Union, Anna Faris, Gus Kenworthy, and more celebrities who commented on Cohen's first photo of his newborn son.
Just before the holidays, Cohen announced on Watch What Happens Live that he was expecting a child in early 2019, telling a screaming audience, "I want you to be the first to know that after many years of careful deliberation, fair amount of prayers, and the benefit of science, if all goes according to plan, in about six weeks' time, I'm going to become a father thanks to a wonderful surrogate who is carrying my future."
He continued, "Family means everything to me, and having one of my own is something I've wanted in my heart for my entire life."
At long last, any Watch What Happens Live fans who bought some of Cohen's "Mazel" merch can finally put it to good use.
Related: Andy Cohen Recommends Following John Mayer's Snapchat


text:
PH is 'Asia's rising star', says global think tank
The Philippines has been hailed as "Asia's rising star" by a global think tank, as it noted that it expects the country to grow faster than most of the world this year and in 2014. Stellar economic e...
Progress report on our competitiveness programs
The next three years, from 2013 to 2016, are critical years for the Philippines. They represent the last three years of the Aquino administration—the second half of the six-year journey to completed...
The Philippines: FDI on the up (Oxford Business Group)
After years of slow growth in foreign direct investment (FDI) following the global financial crisis, the Philippines is now showing high potential for a return to 2007 FDI levels. The country still la...
Agri anchors, roadmaps, governors
Just as there should be national agricultural commodity roadmaps, there should also be provincial agricultural roadmaps that reflect the commodity plans. Critical to these are the identifi...
PPP Roadshow in Palawan to boost Regional Competitiveness
A roadshow on "Boosting Regional Competitiveness through Public-Private Partnership" will be held here Thursday by the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) and the Department of Trade and Indust...
Philippines wins first investment grade rating from Fitch (Reuters)
Fitch Ratings raised the Philippines' credit rating to investment grade on Wednesday, a first for the Southeast Asian nation, in a move expected to boost investment and lift the country's long-term gr...
Filipinos 'third happiest' in Asia, says report
Thanks to happiness inside the home, Filipinos emerged as the third happiest people in Asia in 2013, a new report showed. The Philippines was named the third happiest among five countries in Asia asse...
Phl competitiveness rank up 12 notches in WEF report (PhilStar)
The international community has acknowledged the recent government efforts to revitalize the local travel and tourism industry as the Philippines proved to be the only ASEAN nation that registered dou...
Gov't To Ease Investment Limits (Bloomberg)
The Philippine government plans to propose legislative measures to ease curbs on foreign direct investments and help reduce unemployment, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said. Discussion...
PHL recognized as a top destination by TripAdvisor, Lonely Planet (DOT)
The beauty of the Philippines keeps shining through as White Beach, Boracay tops the list of TripAdvisor.com's Travelers' Choice 2013 – Best Beaches in Asia 2013, holding on to this crown for th...
DTI optimistic toward 7% growth this year (Manila Times)
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) expressed optimism for the Philippine economy in 2013, as sustained key initiatives and ongoing reforms in the areas of trade and industry will enhance the c...
PH in a 'sweet spot' (Malaya)
One of the greatest comeback stories in the past year has been the Philippines. The island nation has transformed from the "sick man of Asia" to a symbol of what gradual and steady reform can achi...
Game plan for competitiveness
It's one of the key measures of our competitiveness and a report titled "The Ease of Doing Business," prepared by the International Finance Corp. (IFC, a part of the World Bank Group), measures ...
Philippines 'sweet spot' for investment (Tempo)
The Philippines edged its Asian neighbors in providing an environment that attracts big foreign companies. Besides traditional investment sources such as United States of America, Japan, South Korea, ...
Business Process Outsourcing Industry Roadmap
THE Information Technology-Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) Roadmap 2011-2016 forecasts revenues of up to $25 billion and an employee base of 1.3 million by 2016. Government, the private sector, ...
Council to draw up plan making PHL more competitive
After the Philippines was adjudged as one of the worst places in the world to do business in by global ratings agencies, the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) recently summoned captains of ...
Infra key to competitiveness (Manila Standard Today)
The Philippine Exporters Confederation said the faster completion of infrastructure projects under the so-called public-private partnership scheme will cut costs and facilitate trade in the country. ...
Phl needs to work harder to attract more (PhilStar)
The Philippines has caught the eye of foreign investors this year given its positive economic performance. While investor interest is likely to be sustained next year amid favorable economic prospects...
PH economy expected to continue surge next year (The Manila Times)
Despite the risks and uncertainties in the global economy, the Philippines recorded a stellar performance for the first three quarters of the year and is seen to further improve for the rest of 2012 u...
Seoul rates PH as invest site of choice (Malaya)
The Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Seoul has informed the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that the Philippines was reported by the Korea Economic Daily (KED) as the investment...
Gov't to roll out new flagship ICT program
The government, through the Information and Communications Technology Office of Department of Science and Technology (DOST-ICTO), is set to introduce a new ICT flagship program that is focused on a fe...
10 lessons on competitiveness (Inquirer)
As we close out the year, what lessons have we drawn from monitoring and trying to improve our competitiveness rankings over the past 21 months?
The Booming Philippines' Missing Link: Foreigner Investors (JakartaGlobe)
About 100 executives and government officials listened quietly as Guillermo Luz poked holes in the Philippines' fairytale economic revival. (The gathering had the air of a postmortem. ) Luz, head of...
Competitive council sets stretch target (Malaya Business Insight)
After languishing in ranking in the International Finance Corp. (IFC) Doing Business Report for seven years, the government-private sector National Competitiveness Council (NCC) is determined to leapf...
Gameplan Presented: Competitiveness Ranking Vault Is Possible
The country's global competitiveness ranking can be improved to as much as 109 from the current 138 out of 185 countries if all recommendations and reforms are completed on all ten indicators to com...
NCC targets improvement in competitiveness
The National Competitiveness Council (NCC) targets a big improvement in the country's competitiveness after slipping in the International Finance Corp. (IFC) and the World Bank's "Doing Business" ...
Nat'l Competitiveness Council conducts roadshow in Butuan
In line with the establishment of the Regional Competitiveness Council (RCC) the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) of the Philippines in cooperation of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) ...
DTI brings seminar on E2M system in Cebu
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through the Bureau of Export Trade Promotion (BETP) in cooperation with the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), Export Development Council (EDC) and the...
MICC Studying Options for Mining Revenue Sharing
The Mining Industry Coordinating Council announced that it is studying two options for a new revenue sharing arrangement between the government and the mining industry. The basic goal of the MIC...
Roadmaps 'to make PH competitive'
To keep local industries competitive with their counterparts overseas, the government is encouraging them to come up with their own industry roadmaps and implement these strictly. National Competitive...


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Ben Roethlisberger wasn't afraid to call out his own teammates after a loss to the Jaguars, and the Steelers QB says he deserves to do so.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is doubling down on his blunt assessment of his teammates and coaching staff.
One day after criticizing receivers Antonio Brown and James Washington as well as his team's play calling in a radio interview, Roethlisberger stood firm on his remarks, indicating they were intended to help his teammates.
Roethlisberger's comments come in the heels of a 24-17 loss Sunday to the Denver Broncos. When asked how he felt his teammates received the criticisms, he deflected and suggested reporters ask the other players.
With the Steelers down seven points with 1:57 left in the game, Pittsburgh faced a first-and-goal from the 3-yard line.
The first play was an incomplete pass to receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, followed by a 1-yard rush by James Conner. Broncos defensive tackle Shelby Harris intercepted a third-down throw to seal the win, though Roethlisberger felt the pass intended for Brown could have been picked off by cornerback Chris Harris either way.
In Tuesday's radio show, Roethlisberger also criticized play calling at the end of the game, saying "I think we should've went to (Smith-Schuster) four straight plays" in Pittsburgh's final possession.
Late in the third quarter of the game, Roethlisberger launched a pass deep down the right sideline. Washington dove for the ball but dropped it when he crashed to the ground.
Roethlisberger did say that he had confidence in Washington but added that the second-round pick "needs to bounce back" to help the Steelers down the stretch.
"Yes, he's a rookie, but you're can't be out there if you're not going to make those plays for us," Roethlisberger said.
The Steelers dropped to 7-3-1 with the loss.


text:
Coastal Journal
Midcoast Youth Center fundraising goal in sight
The center now needs less than $2,000 before the end of December to help pay for upgrades to the center's kitchen and cooking classes.
By Sean MurphyThe Forecaster
Emily Bradford, an 8th grader at Bath Middle School, chops vegetables as part of a cooking class at Midcoast Youth Center in August. The center plans to use the money from its current fundraiser to help pay for newer kitchen equipment. Courtesy / Jamie Dorr
BATH — With Midcoast Youth Center less than $2,000 away from its latest fundraising goal, Director Jamie Dorr couldn't be happier.
The center is still looking to raise nearly $2,000 before the end of December. There are several ways to contribute:
The center is selling pine holiday wreaths for $20 each. Call Bath Middle School at 443-8270 to learn more.
Local businesses are also displaying flyers with QR codes for quick and easy donating; businesses like Now You're Cooking, Mockingbird Books, Hair Creations, Springer's Jewelers, Over the Moon, Rocky's Ace Hardware, and Brackett's Market have posted flyers with the codes for scanning.
Individuals can also donate by texting 15to30 to 41444.
Visit www.midcoastyouth.org for more information.
"It's really been pretty incredible to see," she said.
The center's 15to30 campaign aims to raise $15,000 in November and December. If the center reaches that goal, an anonymous donor has already pledged to match those funds with another $15,000. As of Dec. 1, Dorr said, the campaign has raised more than $13,000.
The center, formally known as the Midcoast Community Alliance and the Bath Youth Meetinghouse and Skatepark, became Midcoast Youth Center in October, just before starting the fundraising campaign. Dorr said normally she would have run two in-person campaigns at this time, but due to the pandemic that hasn't been possible. With the 15to30 campaign, she said, people can donate online, and the new donations are making up the difference.
"It helps to stabilize the normal amount of funds we would have raised through those two events," she said.
https://www.pressherald.com/2020/10/21/midcoast-community-alliance-skate-park-announce-collaboration/
Dorr said the fundraiser will cover some of the center's general operating costs, but she also hopes to use some of the new funds to pay for safety equipment, such as a fire suppression system and oven hood, so she can install upgraded kitchen equipment. The kitchen, in addition to preparing meals for the students, also serves as what Dorr calls a "teaching kitchen," which offers classes to students as part of the center's after-school programming.
Right now, the center has a small kitchen with plug-in appliances such as a blender, hot plate and microwave, but donors have contributed cabinets and countertops, along with appliances such as a wall oven and dishwasher. Dorr said she even has contractors standing by who have volunteered their time to install everything, as soon as she's installed the new safety equipment.
"We're just trying to put all the pieces together into the teaching kitchen," she said.
The center offers programs and meals for local homeless teenagers, along with classes and after-school programs for area youths, such as the cooking and nutrition classes. Donna Verhoeven, the center's youth outreach coordinator, said she ran the cooking class she over the summer and the classes were very popular with the kids.
"Anytime you involve kids with food, it's a win-win," she said.
The classes, Verhoeven said, teach simple cooking skills, along with nutrition, so kids can learn how to develop healthier eating habits.
"They were pretty excited that they could duplicate these recipes at home," she said.
Emma Kennedy, 13, and Alissa Cogswell, 12, each took the class over the summer.
"It was so much fun," Kennedy said, adding she liked learning how to make stir-fry and pizza bagels.
Cogswell said she learned to make sandwiches, including cutting up fresh vegetables. She said she helps her family out every year at Thanksgiving, and wants to learn more cooking skills, Both girls have signed up for the new class, which starts this week and will run through next spring. Dorr said it takes so long because there are 42 kids signed up, and the classes only work with five students at a time due to the pandemic.
When asked what she wants to learn how to make next, Cogswell said, "An actually good-tasting pizza," complete with dough from scratch.
Sean Murphy 780-9094
Freeport social and racial equity committee seeking members
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The Release of an AR Rahman soundtrack is like a festival for his fans . Rahmaniacs like self liken it to being served with a feast after starving for a week. The wait for the album gets even more desperate when the music company decides to go for single releases. With the case of Raanjhanaa , the desperation , wait and the gamble seems to have paid off as the album is a winner. The songs hit your soul , creating an impact which will last forever and leave you smiling .This is not the review of the OST , and not a critique either. What this post is , is an acknowledgement of the sheer musical genius of a stalwart and a nod to a director who knows how to get the best out of the said stalwart. Before you start reading further , I should warn you about disjoint sentences , abrupt exclamations and high number of spoilers – for reader , I am still listening to the songs on a loop as I write this !
You know you are in for a winner when a brilliant Sarangi wafts in followed by lilting percussion (the tic tic tic sound , kartal may be), mild strings and the ever dependable tabla – all within the first 20 seconds . That the song stars the ever dependable Shreya Ghoshal and the splendid flute (Naveen) is a very welcome addition. Banarasiya has super hit written all over it. Shreya Ghoshal nails her brief and I am sure that the lady will have a slew of award nominations this year , for this splendid outing.The Sarangi , flute and tabla set a sedate pace for Shreya and co to showcase their talents and cometh the interlude – the tabla hands the baton over to dhol even as you are blinded by the brilliance of the flute. The Dhols take center stage at this point and takes us through the latter half of the song which is equally brilliant. The bits and pieces of strings , the muffled kanjira and the thavil (not sure) vie for your attention even as Shreya lures you with her voice and you keep discovering more every time you repeat the song.
Rahman can hardly go wrong when it comes to sufi . Team him up with Irshad Kamil and you have a winner. Get Sukhwinder to render the vocals , and you have a classic . Piya Milenge is a classic example of a sufi ace from the Maestro. Right from the piano , violins and the backing vocal support from KMMC Sufi Ensemble – Rahman gets every thing right The sound of the ghungroos , the tabla and strings provide ample support to Sukhwinder , who hits the ball out of the park with his rendition.KMMI sufi ensemble shine equally and the segment from 2:04 – 2:40 where they take center stage is captivating to put it simply.The lesser said about this song the better as the divinity and the musical brilliance deserve to be experienced rather than being read about. It was quite difficult for me to move on to the next song , as I kept hitting the replay button for quite a few hours. Raanjhanaa may have nine songs , but when one thinks of a stunner , Piya Milenge is the only song which comes to mind.
Nazar Laaye sounds like a left over from Jhoota hi Sahi at the first listen . Is it because of Rashid Ali's fluid vocals ? I am not sure and I do not want to take that road. Nevertheless , the song grows on you – thanks to Neeti Mohan , Rashid and the guitars ( Kebah Jeremiah – am not sure on this too). Nazar Laaye might not be the stunner that Piya Milenge is . It does not grab your attention and make you speechless neither does it make you wax lyrical.It eats you heart little by little and only when you start swaying to the guitars you realize that this melody has taken hold of you.
Tu Mun Shudi to me has an RDB air about and I mean it in the best way possible.The percussion , the part-techno , part desi string work , the shenai and Rabbi's vocals scream energy and wow what an energy pack this number proves to be.Rahman and Rabbi provide a fitting reply to the criticisms received for their earlier collaboration and fans can feel relieved for the fact that Aanand Rai has better sense of music when it comes to Rahman. Tu Mun Shudi is one number which will play on my music system if I end up taking the cross country trip I've been wanting to for a while.
ARR dons the singing hat again for the jazzish Aise Na dekho – a song which has vintage written all over it. The strings are a winner and the accordion makes a lovely cameo yet again . The whistle and the accordion in the interlude are soon going to become a rage and while this is not the best song of the album , this is the loveliest.
Land of shiva is all about percussion. The Damrus , the holy chants and the tinkling bells take you back to the 16th century Kashi in all it's glory preparing for maha arthi. Short and impactful , Land of Shiva will serve to be a superb visiting card to Benaras where the movie is based.
Last , but not the least comes Tum Tak – the song which released first , the song which drew a lot of flak for the composition , the song I fell n love with almost immediately. The kinkinis , the strings , piano and sholkis providing ample support to Javed Ali , as he worships his lady love like a goddess. The shenai in the interludes give lead to the female vocalist Pooja AV mesmerizes one and all with her lovely voice. The song shifts into a bhajanish pace when Javed goes into the Nainon ki baant leja phase making you go Ada.
And thus ends my take on Raanjhanaa – which has completely erased the blemish that JTHJ had created in my mind. It is an album that belongs in the league of other classics like Delhi 6 and rockstar and Anand Rai deserves a pat on his back for giving Rahman full freedom and for his musical sense.
Rahman and Rai – Take a bow please !
PPS : Isn't Dhanush a lucky bugger ? Nothing for 13 years and then two back to back masterclass albums from ARR .
Maryan – The deep and mysterious ocean…..
If there is a musical equivalent of magic , it should be Allah Rakha Rahman's music . This may not be the universal truth , but it does sound true when one listens to some of his soundtracks which deserve to be called classics. This evening when I laid my hands on Maryan's OST – I had a question on whether it will be magic to the ears . It took some time for me to get my answer , but once I had it , i felt it had to be shared and hence this blogpost.
Nenje Ezhu kicks off with chords and percussion which remind you of Rahman's earlier works . The man himself takes center stage thereafter to sing about eternal hope , a hope which is born out of divine love. The song talks of never ending hope and eternal love and the superb lyrics make you repeat the song again and again and again. As ARR croons kadhal endrum azhivathillai , the song reaches it's crescendo and takes you another world – a world where fairy tales come true. Yet this song is not without glitches. The tune has a heard before feel which I couldn't shake off and I felt that the pronunciation of the inspirational words could have been better. That said , the flaws seem minor when compared to the feel of the song.
Innum konja neram is true to its words. By the time the song ends you wish that the song could have lasted longer , that lovely it is. The ghatam , accordion and the flute create a lovely menage e trois , which becomes all the more lovely thanks to the fantabulous lyric and the superlative singing by Vijay Prakash and Shweta Mohan. As the song goes on , one is taken back in time to a journey in a bullock cart , with the lovely bells from the bull's anklets ringing in your ears .The singing , tune and the orchestra work is so very reminiscent of MSV , so much so that one wonders if this is ARR's tribute to the maestro. The song clocks 5 minutes and 14 secs , yet once the song ends , you wonder why the song was short. Innum Konjam Neram Irunthathan enna indeed.
Vijay Prakash is on a roll these days. He completely pwns Innum Konjam Neram with his Hariharan-ish rendition and nails down the brief completely with Netru – so much so that , when one listens to this songs with eyes closed , his rendition reminds one of a young K.J yeshudas in superlative form. Vijay creates magic with the mellifluous tune , Chinmayi and the orchestral work adding to the glory. The orchestral work is very minimal but sweeping – like a banked fire , if one can call it that. In a matter of hours , this song has become a favorite and to me its one of the best songs of the OST , if not the best – you know you've hit pay dirt when you listen to a song for 30 minutes on loop.
Sonna Pareeya is the masala song of the album , if one can call it . To me it is that song of the album , where people take a break from the analysis and just go ho hum to the tune. To me it is one of the weakest song of the album and sounds almost like a kuthu song. What redeems the song is that nayanam in the interludes and the guitar work in the background in addition to the orchestral work. May be it's because the song appears after two killer melodies , it didn't stick with me at all.
Sakthisree Gopalan sure can make a living out of angsty tracks . She is almost as heavenly as she sounded in Nenjukulle and it is her singing which redeems the song along with the splendid tune and superb string work. Just like Aditi Paul's version of ayyayyao was called a lady and the violin , Enga Pona can be called the Siren and the guitar – as they are the only things that stay with you even after the song ends.What works against the song are the horrendous lyric – wonder if the lyricist was not paid enough or on time , to turn in such third grade work .That said , a superb sophomore effort from Sakthisree.
Africa can as well be used by Africa's tourism department or by the African Cricket team – cheenu mama able and willing. Blaaze collaborates with AR Rahman after a long time and ends up creating an almost Carribean sounding visiting card for the African Continent.One need not be an oracle to know that this song will be placed when the titular character lands on Africa and the song may sound better with Visuals.
Last but not the least comes Kadal Raasa. When I heard that yuvan had sung this number for AR Rahman , I thought it was prone to be a disaster but Yuvan surprises ( with or without processing) and how ! Kadal Raasa is all about a man's yearning for his land and roots. The nadaswaram makes an appearance yet again and segues infinitely with the percussion work which goes on to take center stage.The lyrics are again crafted beautifully and give away the titular character's feeling and condition and an inkling of the story. The song is a keepsake , just for the nadaswaram in the interludes , which stays in one's mind hours after one is done listening to the song. While Kadal Raasa is not the best song of the album , its not the worst either and may be could have sounded better had Velmurugan sung it as initially planned.
To sum up , Maryan is not the masterclass that kadal was but its not mediocre like Jab Tak hai Jaan. What it is , is the musical equivalent of magic , thanks to innum konja neram , netru and yenga pona raasa.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Ayurveda is one of the oldest holistic healing systems of medicines. It is based on the fact that health and wellness depends on the delicate balance between the mind, body and soul. The primary focus of Ayurveda is to promote good health, rather than fight disease. According to Ayurveda, the Universe and the living or nonliving is closely connected. So, good health is in balance only when these (the five elements, tridosha, triguna, agni, tejas.ojas) are in harmony with the Universe. Ayurveda believes that man has got powers to heal himself and we can help him to discover his hidden powers by Educating the art of life- complete lifestyle guidance.
Tri-Dosha theory (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) and the 15 Sub Doshas, their locations, qualities.
Normal and abnormal dosha, causes of their vitiation, symptoms and line of treatment of vitiated dosha.
Introduction and definition .of Trigunas, Relation to five elements, relation between triguna and tridosha, effect of triguna on body.
Importance of Agni, Types of Agni, Role in Metabolism, imbalance of Agni Prakriti and agni.
Introduction to Prana (energy), Tejas (metabolic fire) and Ojas (immunity).
PDI Resorts, National Highway 58, Raiwala, Rishikesh, INDIA.The training is conducted at an Ayurvedic Center near Rishikesh. The center provides simple and clean single and shared rooms all with in-suite bathrooms.