Owner Zoe has designed scrapbooking products and fabric lines for different companies for many years, including My Mind's Eye and Kaisercraft. She dreamed to create her own little company and now its her reality. She has just released two new lines, perfect for scrapping those little ones, lucky I have two cute lil subjects!
I can't wait to receive these collections and begin creating! I am sure I will be back to share more really soon!
In the meantime, this is whats on my desk right now….


coaster bedroom coaster 2 3 4 queen bedroom set w dresser coaster bedroom furniture catalog coaster america bedroom furniture.
coaster bedroom coaster king bedroom set w dresser mirror and coaster bedroom eastern king bed coaster bedroom vanity.
coaster bedroom coaster felicity king panel bed available online in fort worth coaster bedroom bench coaster bedroom eastern king bed.
coaster bedroom coaster coaster bedroom furniture coaster bedroom dressers.
coaster bedroom coaster cocoa queen bed coaster company bedroom furniture coaster bedroom dressers.
coaster bedroom coaster upholstered queen bed in charcoal coaster company bedroom furniture coaster bedroom furniture catalog.
coaster bedroom king bed coaster bedroom furniture coaster bedroom bench.
coaster bedroom coaster bedroom vanity coaster america bedroom furniture.
coaster bedroom coaster furniture bedroom bed coaster cappuccino bedroom furniture coaster sandy beach bedroom furniture.
coaster bedroom king bed coaster bedroom bench coaster bedroom dressers.
coaster bedroom coaster platform bed coaster bedroom set reviews coaster bedroom vanity.
coaster bedroom platform bed 6 piece bedroom set in cappuccino finish by coaster coaster bedroom vanity coaster bedroom bench.
coaster bedroom coaster cappuccino sleigh bed coaster bedroom furniture coaster bedroom furniture reviews.
coaster bedroom coaster full bed coaster bedroom eastern king bed coaster bedroom furniture reviews.
coaster bedroom large picture of coaster furniture queen sleigh panel bed coaster youth bedroom furniture coaster bedroom eastern king bed.
coaster bedroom coaster glam king bedroom set coaster felicity bedroom set coaster bedroom furniture reviews.
coaster bedroom coaster bedroom eastern king bed coaster cappuccino bedroom furniture.
coaster bedroom coaster bedroom bench coaster cappuccino bedroom furniture.
coaster bedroom coaster company felicity white led lighting platform bed coaster bedroom set reviews coaster company bedroom furniture.
coaster bedroom coaster bedroom dressers coaster america bedroom furniture.
coaster bedroom coaster company bedroom furniture coaster bedroom furniture.
coaster bedroom youth bedroom coaster bedroom vanity coaster bedroom dressers.
coaster bedroom coaster transitional queen bed with storage drawers coaster bedroom furniture coaster bedroom furniture catalog.
coaster bedroom coaster felicity queen panel bed with metallic legs in glossy white special coaster bedroom furniture catalog coaster bedroom furniture reviews.
coaster bedroom storage bed 6 piece bedroom set in cappuccino finish by coaster coaster bedroom eastern king bed coaster bedroom furniture reviews.
coaster bedroom coaster furniture hunter king platform bed with storage coaster bedroom vanity coaster bedroom eastern king bed.
coaster bedroom roller coaster bed 2 coaster bedroom vanity coaster felicity bedroom set.


I love crunchy rice. Not uncooked rice, but that wonderful golden crust that forms at the bottom of a hot pan or pot when making rice. Korean people call it nooroongji (누룽지), and it's delicious in any form, Korean or not. Nooroongji is key in dolsot bibimbab (돌솥 비빔밥, bibimbab in a stone pot), paella (nooroongji is referred to as soccarat in Spanish), and also in bo zai fan, Chinese clay pot rice. Recently, I had some really great bo zai fan with lots of crunchy browned rice at A-Wah, a tiny restaurant with only a handful of tables in Chinatown.
At A-Wah, the meal began with a small bowl of soup on the house. If you aren't Asian, the waitress may ask you first if you want soup. She did this to a white guy sitting at a table across from us. The reason being, I don't think it's something everyone will like. Flavored with ginger and ginseng, the thin soup tasted slightly bitter and medicinal. Personally, I liked it. I found it fragrant and soothing. David just found it medicinal. I'm not sure what the white guy thought.
After the soup, David's order of Buddha Supreme Pan Fried Noodles ($7.95) arrived at the table. I usually like pan fried noodles with seafood, but this vegetarian version was quite tasty.
Although more interesting vegetables would have been appreciated over the generic broccoli and carrots, the thin egg noodles were fried really well so they remained crunchy under the thick sauce, which by the way wasn't overpoweringly soy sauce heavy as it is at most restaurants. I'll be ordering this again the next time I go, with or without David.
After I had a good share of David's noodles, the waitress brought my bo zai fan, Minced Pork with Squid Rice Casserole ($6.25). The minced pork with squid was in patty form over the rice, and although it could have been more generous in comparison to the amount of rice in the clay pot, it was good. Steamed with the rice, there's wasn't any char on the meat, but it was soft and pliant like a pork version of hamburger steak with chewy squid chunks and crunchy diced water chestnuts.
The best part, however, was the scrumptious browned rice at the bottom. Again, the patty was small in proportion to the rice, but I didn't really mind it because of the delicious crunchy bits. Drizzled with bo zai fan sauce, a thick sweet sauce made from dark soy sauce, I was in crunchy carb heaven. For those not satisfied with less meat than rice, extra protein in the form of roast meats, sausage, or egg can be added to any of the clay pots for a few more dollars.
I'll be making another trip to A-Wah soon. Especially now with the colder weather creeping up on us, I'll be going when I need a little warmth and a lot of crunch.
The crunchy rice is the best part! Will definitely have to check out this restaurant, as I'm always looking for good places in Chinatown. You recommend a lot of great places, by the way, thank you!
@Connie – Yes, definitely the best part. And thanks, hope you like it, but I can't take all the credit. I read about A-Wah in the Village Voice.
@Nicholas – You know I always thought that too, until A-Wah. I've had really bad clay pot rice before in Chinatown, but they know what they're doing at A-Wah.
Cool, clay pot rice in chinatown! I used to go to Yummy Noodle for claypot but, the quality slowly declined. I liked some of the clay pot rice dishes at Congee Village on Allen St, too. Now, there's an alternative option. Thanks!
@Pat – Yes, I used to go to Yummy also. A-Wah is better! Hrm, I used to live right by Congee Village and I never had a clay pot rice dish there. Weird, I must remedy this.
@Kenny – My readers are so interesting! And we do the congee-type thing with the crunchy rice part too. Not red beans though, but I will try it out!
Actually, congee village doesn't serve a classic bo zai fan. They have the classic combos of chinese sausage, bone in chicken w mushrooms, & eel. But, the rice & meat mixture is served in a bamboo looking log without the burnt-crispy rice bits like a bo zai fan should be 🙁 tasty but not quite the same.
@Pat – I've seen that log-like thing. Booo. We need hot crunchy bits.
oooh that looks good. I have to agree with Nicolas, the bibimbap with crunchy rice bits taste better than the bo zai fan that I've had at yummy noodles in Chinatown. Namely, they falter where you said they do.. the rice to protein proportion is off. Too much rice! I have to give this a-wah a try though.
aaah! crunchy bits are the best! i have soooo considered getting my own stone bowl to recreate bibimbap at home!
@Danny – It's so much better than Yummy Noodles. Trust me!
@Sarah – I need a new set too. Now that my kitchen is slightly larger (and I stress slightly!) in my new apartment, I can get some decent cookware now.
i'm 2nd generation chinese and my mother's from hong kong. we went to a korean restaurant recently where they scraped the crunchy rice and served it in a bowl with hot water, which pleased my mom so much – she called it "nong" and said it's traditionally served w/ preserved salted tofu. i remember this, vaguely, as a child. it was watery, crunchy, comforting and salty.
A couple of years late but Persians call their crunchy rice "tadig" and it's amazing!
@Jasmine – Oooh, good to know & and better late than never!


text:
Q: VBA Excel get workbook object from closed file or refer to Excel SQL Table by sheet index I would like to be able to define a Workbook object and get info about its Worksheets object without opening the workbook.
I have the name/path of a workbook and an index representing a Worksheet in it and I would like to get the name of the worksheet.
Furthermore, the reason I want to do this is that I subsequently want to refer to the sheet in the closed workbook as an excel table that I can operate on using SQL statements.
So ultimately I need to be able to construct a string such as "SELECT * FROM [Sheet1$]" where "Sheet1" is the name of the sheet in the closed workbook referenced by the known index.
So a more precise question is can I refer to a sheet in an SQL statement by index rather than name?
But if not, is it possible to set a worksheet object to a sheet in a closed workbook?
This works but obviously I open and close the file. Thanks for any help/insight

Option Explicit

Sub get_sheetname_from_index()

  Dim full_path_and_name As String
  full_path_and_name = Application.ThisWorkbook.Path & _
    Application.PathSeparator & "test_file.xlsx"

  Dim index As Long
  index = 1

  Dim wb As Workbook
  Set wb = Application.Workbooks.Open(full_path_and_name, ReadOnly:=True)

  Dim closed_file_sheet_name As String
  closed_file_sheet_name = wb.Worksheets(index).Name

  Dim x As Worksheet
  Set x = wb.Sheets(1)
 wb.Close savechanges:=False

  Debug.Print closed_file_sheet_name

  ' USe the file name here
  Dim connection As New ADODB.connection
  connection.ConnectionString = "Provider=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;Data _
    Source= " & full_path_and_name & _
    ";Extended Properties=""Excel 12.0;HDR=YES;"""
  connection.Open

  Dim sql As String
  sql = "SELECT * FROM [" & closed_file_sheet_name & "$]"

  Dim rs As New ADODB.Recordset

  rs.Open sql, connection
  While Not rs.EOF
    Debug.Print rs.Fields(0).Name, rs.Fields(0).Value
    rs.MoveNext
  Wend

  rs.Close
  connection.Close

End Sub

A: Here's one way you can get the sheet names, and the names of any named ranges in a workbook without opening the workbook.
Not sure how/if it would work with the sheet index.
Sub GetSheetAndRangeNames()
Dim con As Object
Dim cat As Object
Dim tbl As Object

    Set con = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
    con.Provider = "Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;Data Source=c:\Users\Norie\Documents\Test.xlsx;Extended Properties='Excel 12.0 Xml';"
    con.Open
    Set cat = CreateObject("ADOX.Catalog")
    Set cat.ActiveConnection = con

    For Each tbl In cat.Tables
        Debug.Print tbl.Name
    Next tbl

End Sub

A: With Dao, you can get the sheet name by index number. index starts from 0.
Sub getDaoTableName()
    Dim fn As String
    Dim conn As Object, db As Object
    Dim tbl As Object

    fn = ThisWorkbook.Path & Application.PathSeparator & "test_file.xlsx"

    Set conn = CreateObject("DAO.DBEngine.120")
    Set db = conn.OpenDatabase(fn, False, True, "Excel 12.0 Xml;HDR=Yes;")

    Set tbl = db.TableDefs(0) ' 0 is Sheets(1) : 1 is Sheets(2)
    MsgBox tbl.Name

    Set db = Nothing
    Set conn = Nothing

End Sub

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I am in charge of developing the ShotFlow macOS app written in Objective-C and Swift. I also provide assistance with the web frontend and wherever else is needed.
I worked closely with clients to provide iOS, React Native, and Node.js solutions for their business needs. I also built roadmaps and provided consulting to clients while developing their mobile solutions.
I worked on a major South African bank's iOS app using Objective-C, Swift, and the RxSwift framework.
I played a role in preparing the app for Swift compatibility and took on other tasks that improved the architecture of our code base as it grew. I also mentored other developers in the adoption of the Swift programming language as well as the usage of more advanced development practices suited for large, complex applications.
I encouraged the growth of the iOS development skills at Entelect by creating an internal iOS learning course for other employees and presenting iOS development workshops for teams based at other clients to help them get started.
Developed secure messaging and calling applications for iOS (Objective-C), Mac (Swift), and Windows Phone (C#).
I initially joined the Windows Phone team. While at Seecrypt, I learned Objective-C, Swift, and iOS development. This led to me working on the Objective-C iOS app and the Swift Mac OS X app.
I worked to improve our development environment by writing build and deployment scripts as well as setting up Continuous Integration through Atlassian Bamboo.
While I was studying for my degree, I worked at K2 to gain experience. I worked on a Silverlight application in C#. Working on UI and user experience tasks gave me keen attention to detail while I also developed skills in troubleshooting and debugging.
My degree was obtained through Heriot-Watt University based in Edinburgh, Scotland. I attended remotely via CTI Education Group.
Some of my favourite courses were Software Engineering, Database Design Concepts, Operations Management, Knowledge Management, Program Design, and Hardware Essentials.


text:
Нингуно, Фабрика де Кесос има више значења:

 Нингуно, Фабрика де Кесос (Сан Мигел де Аљенде), насеље у савезној држави Гванахуато у Мексику
 Нингуно, Фабрика де Кесос (Селаја), насеље у савезној држави Гванахуато у Мексику

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Hummmmm now that's quite the analogy but 100 % correct and I had my colonoscopy done! and I turned my Crappy into Happy and it's Awesome thanks Dale.
LOVE IT....Crappy and Happy! xoxo Dale!
Hey Dale. My first laugh of the day, but it works for me!
Appears this poo hit the ground a bit hard!


text:
Q: Aplicando interface em Controllers Tenho alguns controllers que fazem chamada aos seus respectivos models e gostaria de aplicar interface neles. Criei uma interface com alguns métodos que seria importante todos implementarem, da seguinte maneira:
public interface IController<E> {

    public void adicionar(E Element);

    public void editar(E element);

    public List<E> listar();

    public void excluir(E element);
}

E é o tipo de objeto que o controller trata.(Ex. UsuarioController vai implementar IController<Usuario>).
Atualmente no sistema, todos os controllers já possuem estes métodos da interface. O problema é que em um dos controllers, o método adicionar(E element) precisa retornar o mesmo objeto que foi adicionado, e não void, pois este objeto retorna com o id registrado no banco, logo em seguida, exibo os dados deste objeto em tela.
Diante do exposto acima, como posso aplicar uma interface a classes com comportamentos comuns(como os controllers) e uma delas possuir um dos métodos do "contrato" diferente?

A: Se entendi bem seria isto:
public E adicionar(E Element);

Fora isso, não pode usar a mesma interface. O que poderia é herdar dessa existente:
public interface IControllerEspecial<E> extends IController<E> {
    public E adicionar(E Element);
}

Coloquei no GitHub para referência futura.
Isto não resolve totalmente o problema. O ideal seria uma gambiarra maior (que por vezes é necessário). Teria que criar uma interface sem este método adicionar, aí criar essa IController estendendo com esse método com assinatura retornando void. Já a IControllerXXX teria o mesmo método com assinatura retornando E. Do jeito que eu mostrei teria dois métodos adicionar com assinaturas diferentes.
Outra forma é ter interfaces completamente separadas, mas aí começa jogar por terra o mecanismo, porque você começa ter que se lembrar que tem que usar a interface auxiliar. O que acontece se usar a IController e esquecer de usar a auxiliar só com o método que causa problemas? Percebe que esta solução é estragar o design correto para solucionar um problema específico? De repente você tem uma interface de CRUD sem o C. Me parece que conceitualmente isto esteja errado, o contrato fica capenga.
Particularmente eu tentaria mudar algum coisa pra normalizar as operações, fazer retornar sempre a mesma coisa é uma delas, não sei se é o ideal pro seu caso.

A: O que você está dizendo é que ora você quer isto:
public interface IController<E> {
   void adicionar(E Element);
    ...
}

E ora isto:
public interface IController<E> {
   E adicionar(E Element);
    ...
}

Não é possível variar o tipo de retorno dessa forma.
É uma tentação comum querer ser muito granular ao definir uma API. Você gostaria que cada detalhe refletisse exatamente o comportamento de cada objeto.
Porém, quanto mais variação, mais complexidade e na grande maioria dos casos vale a pena sacrificar a economia de uma ou duas linhas de código para obter consistência.
Mantenha a consistência
A solução comum para este caso específico é sempre retornar o objeto incluído. É uma boa prática porque o objeto, após ter os dados incluídos no banco geralmente ganha um ID gerado, timestamp ou algum outro atributo gerado no tempo da inserção e que pode ser necessário no sistema.
Mesmo que hoje você só veja a necessidade para um caso, isso tende a crescer na medida em que o sistema evolui.
Nos casos em que não há nada a fazer, você pode simplesmente retornar o mesmo objeto que recebeu no parâmetro:
@Override
public Entidade adicionar(Entidade entidade) {
    //insere no banco
    return entidade;
}

Vantagens:

*

*Não custa nada

*API consistente (exceções e variações de comportamento aumentam a complexidade do sistema)

*Facilita manutenção do sistema

Desvantagens:

*

*Uma linha de código a mais?

*Não consegui pensar em nada concreto...

API granular
Se, mesmo com o que escrevi acima você ainda desejar ser granular, a solução é definir interfaces de forma mais granular.
Exemplo:
interface IGeneralController<E> {
    //...
}
interface IReturningAppenderController<E> {
    E adicionar(E Element);
}
interface IAppenderController<E> {
    void adicionar(E Element);
}

public class Controller implements IGeneralController<Entidade>, IReturningAppenderController<Entidade> {
    @Override
    public Entidade adicionar(Entidade entidade) {
        //insere no banco
        return entidade;
    }
}
public class OtherController implements IGeneralController<Entidade>, IAppenderController<Entidade> {
    @Override
    public void adicionar(Entidade entidade) {
        //insere no banco
    }
}

Parece até legal, mas agora você tem um código mais verboso e um monte de condições e casts que você terá que fazer em tempo de execução.

A: Dependendo da sua implementação você poderá utilizar uma abordagem diferente. Ter um método com um void e outro com o return do objeto. Poderia ter na sua interface:
public interface IController<E> {

 public void adicionar(E Element);

 public void editar(E element);

 public List<E> listar();

 public void excluir(E element);

 public Element retornaElement();
//Se você controla os id's pode utiliza-lo como parâmetro. Caso não, caso sejam incrementais irá sempre buscar o último registro inserido.
}

É preciso ficar atento quanto a concorrência, dependendo do seu tipo de aplicação para esta operação. Outro ponto de atenção é quanto a garantir que o commit do comando de inserção no banco realmente existiu para que você consiga de fato recuperar o último registro inserido.
Desta forma, sua implementação poderia ficar:
public Element implementacaoController(){
  // código
  adicionar(element);
  // garantia de commit e conclusão da transação
  return retornaElement(); //aqui dependendo da sua implementação poderia passar o id do element, ou seja, element.getID(), ou simplesmente recuperar o último registro inserido.
}

Caso tenha dificuldades com o comportamento do método em inserir e recuperar durante a mesma execução. Experimente trabalhar com métodos isolados sendo exibidos através de um terceiro método.
Dependendo do seu contexto, talvez essas abordagem atenda a sua necessidade.
Abraço!


Platinum registration earns you a ton of fantastic benefits!
First-in-line privileges at every dance, concert, and ball.
Priority seating for the masquerade and Date Auction.
How do I get a platinum badge?
When you register, you have the option of choosing Platinum Registration. If you later want to upgrade, we're still working on a solution for that.
When you pick up your badge (your convention ticket/nametag all in one) at the convention, it will specially indicate your Platinum status. During the convention, you will be asked to jump to the front of the line for any concert, or dance that you arrive at least 15 minutes early for.
Platinum badges are only $150, and that covers your entire weekend convention registration in addition to all the platinum benefits.
There will be a platinum-only line on Saturday. You must show up to each autograph session at least 15 minutes early and be in the Platinum line to get your free autograph/photo op.
This means you can take a picture with the guest with your own camera. We won't be providing photographers, cameras, or printing.
Go to the registration page.
Applies to presently announced guests, but exclusions may apply to not-yet-announced guests. Limit one autograph and one photograph from each guest, more may require a fee. Free platinum autograph and photograph applies during Saturday only. You can not get your autograph/photographs if you miss these sessions. Line-jumping/First-in-line/Priority seating may only be available if you arrive early enough, so you must arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled open time for the desired event.
MetaCon 2019 is a family-friendly multi-genre Minneapolis comic convention in downtown Minneapolis, MN. This three-day event highlights a collision of comics, sci-fi, anime, and gaming, bringing authentic fan culture to life in a fun way.
Join us to celebrate science-fiction, fantasy, comic books, Japanese animation, cosplay, and your favorite popular culture.
Meta Con is an AnimeCon.org project, organized with and by local fans and UpcomingCons.com. Copyright © MetaCon. Contact us.


Awards On Resume Example, download this wallpaper for free in HD resolution. Awards On Resume Example was posted in November 8, 2018 at 6:52 pm. This HD Wallpaper Awards On Resume Example has viewed by 23 users.
If you wanna have it as yours, please click the wallpaper and you will go to page download, so you just choose the size above the wallpaper that you want in "Download Size", Click it and download the Awards On Resume Example wallpaper.


Test children's knowledge with these interactive word puzzles!
2. List the items you will find in your closet from the grid below Weekly Childrens Newspaper www.robinage.com 3. Criss-Cross Words! Complete the words using the appropriate vowels. Weekly Childrens Newspaper www.robinage.com 4. How many five-letter or more words can you make from the scrambled letters. Weekly Childrens Newspaper www.robinage.com M H A K U E I T D S 5. Identify which book the following quotes belong to: Weekly Childrens Newspaper www.robinage.com a. Fear of a name increases fear of a thing itself." b. You used to be much more..."muchier." You've lost your muchness. c. Toto, Ive got a feeling were not in Kansas anymore. We must be over the rainbow 6. Unscramble these Indian food names: Weekly Childrens Newspaper www.robinage.com a. HARBSAM b. DOORNATI TIRO c. AAVPADV 7. Answers: Weekly Childrens Newspaper www.robinage.com a. hanger, shelf, clothes, mirror, drawer and towels b. 1: O, 2: E or I, 3: I, 4: A c. Mistake, stake, makes, steak, takes, teaks, meats, teams, steam, dimes, times, tides, dates, sated d. a: Harry Potter Series, b: Alice in Wonderland, c: The Wizard of Oz e. a: Sambhar, b: Tandoori Roti, c: Vada Pav 8. Thank You! Connect with us @ slideshare.net/followrobinage facebook.com/followrobinage twitter.com/followrobinage Weekly Childrens Newspaper www.robinage.com Print this slideshow to teach kids offline!


text:
Arizona Milesplit
Arizona Track & Field and Cross Country Videos
2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990
All Interviews Races Features Training 100m
Youth Boys' 100m, Finals 1 - Age 17-18 AAU Junior Olympics Games 08/06/2022
Youth Girls' 100m, Finals 1 - Age 17-18 AAU Junior Olympics Games 08/06/2022
Youth Boys' 100m, Finals 1 - Age 14 AAU Junior Olympics Games 08/06/2022
Youth Girls' 100m, Finals 1 - Age 14 AAU Junior Olympics Games 08/06/2022
Youth Boys' 100m, Finals 1 - Age 9 AAU Junior Olympics Games 08/06/2022
Youth Girls' 100m, Finals 1 - Age 9 AAU Junior Olympics Games 08/06/2022
Youth Boys' 100m, Semi-Finals 1 - Age 17-18 AAU Junior Olympics Games 08/04/2022
Youth Girls' 100m, Semi-Finals 1 - Age 17-18 AAU Junior Olympics Games 08/04/2022
Youth Boys' 100m 14-year-olds, Semi-Finals 1 AAU Junior Olympics Games 08/04/2022
Youth Girls' 100m 14-year-olds, Semi-Finals 1 AAU Junior Olympics Games 08/04/2022
All Access: What's On Your MileSplit Profile? Jan 01, 2021
Brandon Martz Announces College Decision Jan 03, 2023
Division II Boys 800m, Prelims H2 May 12, 2022
Daniel Lozano-1st in 800 Prelims Apr 07, 2017
Boys 200 Heat 10 Apr 16, 2017
Ava Potts - 1st in Soph Girls race Sep 08, 2019
Girls 1600 Finals Section 3 Apr 16, 2022
Joe Benson 4A Champ Oct 20, 2016
Devon Allen Interview Mar 19, 2022
Division IV Boys 3200m Final May 12, 2022
Tweets by MileSplitAZ
MileSplit Arizona Editor: Logan Stanley,

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Intel Capital Nears Half Billion Dollars in 2015 Investment with over $22M in New Deals Announced at Annual Global Summit
Now in its 16th year, Intel Capital Global Summit hosts more than 1,000 entrepreneurs, business leaders and industry executives for networking and company-building.
Intel Capital expects to invest more than $500 million in technology companies this calendar year, up from $359 million in 2014.
Press conference hosted by Intel Capital President Arvind Sodhani and incoming Intel Capital President Wendell Brooks will be available for live viewing at www.intel.com/newsroom/globalsummit on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 10:30 a.m. PST.
Recipients of Intel Capital's inaugural Entrepreneur of the Year Award also announced.
SAN DIEGO, Nov. 3, 2015 – Intel Capital, Intel Corporation's global investment and M&A organization, announced today at the Intel Capital Global Summit new investments totaling more than $22 million in 10 startups. From disruptive, new wireless charging solutions (Chargifi*) to powerful new ways to digitally model the human body (Body Labs*) and more, the companies joining Intel Capital's portfolio are trailblazing disruptive innovation across a wide range of technologies.
"With today's announcement, we're on track to invest more than $500 million in startups in 2015," said Wendell Brooks, Intel corporate vice president and incoming president of Intel Capital. "Together with another robust group of exits, we're poised for one of the organization's strongest years ever."
Today's announcement was made as the annual Intel Capital Global Summit kicked off in San Diego. Now in its 16th year, the venture capital industry's premier networking event hosts more than 1,000 founders, CEOs, innovators and change-makers for two days of company building, networking, learning and inspiration.
"What sets Intel Capital apart is the way our global network drives innovation across the technology spectrum," said Arvind Sodhani, Intel executive vice president and outgoing president of Intel Capital. "As I prepare to retire after a 35-year career at Intel, I'm proud to say we've built Intel Capital into one of the largest, most successful and most influential venture investment groups on the planet."
In his opening keynote, Sodhani presented the first-ever Intel Capital Entrepreneur of the Year Award to Kevin Reid and Rodney Rogers, co-founders of Virtustream. This award recognizes their ability to build a startup from the garage to a $1.2 billion exit in less than six years.
More details on the new investments, which hail from five countries:
New Communications
FreedomPop* (Los Angeles, California, U.S.) provides disruptive mobile services so no one is left off the "connected grid." Launched in 2012, FreedomPop is rewriting the rules of the American telecoms industry, offering consumers access to free high-speed Internet and mobile phone services nationwide.
LISNR* (Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.) is the creator of Smart Tones, a new communication protocol that sends data over audio using a high-frequency, inaudible technology. It is a digital sound file that turns any speaker or piece of media into a beacon, working seamlessly across physical and digital spaces more effectively than all current solutions in the marketplace, most notably Bluetooth and traditional ACR. LISNR is the latest portfolio company to receive an investment from Intel Capital's groundbreaking $125 million Diversity Fund.
Sckipio* (Ramat Gan, Israel), the leader in G.fast modems, is the first company to announce and ship commercial G.fast chipsets that will deliver up to 2 Gbps broadband the last mile to the home over existing copper wiring.
what3words* (London, United Kingdom) is a multi-award-winning addressing platform that allows people to find and communicate a location more accurately, more easily and with less ambiguity than GPS or postcodes (which don't exist in many countries). what3words works across platforms, can be easily integrated into other applications and presents huge efficiency opportunities for businesses.
Technology around Me
Body Labs (New York, New York, U.S.) collects, digitizes and organizes all of the data and information related to human body shape, pose and motion. Its mission is to transform the human body into a digital platform upon and around which goods and services can be designed, produced, bought and sold.
Microprogram Information* (Taichung, Taiwan) is an Internet of Things solution and service provider that provides turnkey hardware and software solutions and backend information management services for rental bicycles, taxi fleets, mobile point-of-sale systems and others. The company has strengths in e-payment service flow, embedded system integration, RFID/MiFARE familiarity and service support experiences.
Perfant Technology* (Beijing, China) develops imaging and video technologies for artificial intelligence, machine vision, 3-D reconstruction and virtual reality. Perfant's new panoramic camera, eyesir, can be used in tourism, aviation, virtual reality, smart homes, real estate, media, weddings, sports and various events.
Old Problems, New Solutions
Chargifi (London, United Kingdom) is a wireless charging network using power as a platform for enhancing people's everyday experiences. From coffee shops to hotels, restaurants, offices and airports, "Chargifi Spots" form an intelligent network giving people access to power for mobile devices where and when they need it most.
KMLabs* (Boulder, Colorado, U.S.) is a leading manufacturer of compact, high-performance, ultrafast advanced laser systems for research and industrial applications, including multi-photon imaging, spectroscopy, OCT, THz-generation, CEP, micro- machining and attosecond, coherent soft X-Ray and EUV pulse generation. It is the only commercial supplier of a coherent "tabletop x-ray laser" light source. The company's femtosecond (one quadrillionth of a second) laser systems and Ti:sapphire lasers offer unprecedented new solutions for industrial metrology, imaging and materials characterization.
Prieto Battery* (Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S.) is a 3-D advanced battery provider focused on commercializing a patented Lithium-ion battery technology that delivers transformational performance at a competitive cost using non-toxic materials with the ability to customize shapes.
In addition, Intel Capital announced that Parallel Machines*, an early stage company focused on providing highly optimized environments for advancing predictive analytics and machine learning, has joined its portfolio. The company, which has offices in Tel Aviv, Boston, California and Seattle, was founded in 2014 by renowned entrepreneurs with backgrounds in distributed computing, system programming, machine learning and mathematical statistics.
For the first time, this year's Global Summit also offered a showcase for existing Intel Capital portfolio companies to unveil new products.
Altia Systems* demonstrated PanaCast, the first personal panoramic 4K video experience for Intel® Unite™, with a 180-degree field of view that enables participants to "look around" the live video with simple touch gestures.
Avogy*, maker of the Zolt Laptop Charger Plus – which is smaller and lighter than traditional, heavy "brick" chargers and allows users to simultaneously charge their laptop and two additional mobile devices – announced the device will be available on Nov. 17.
Braigo Labs*, founded by 13-year-old Shubham Banerjee, one of the youngest entrepreneurs in the world, demonstrated the capabilities of its Intel® Edison on-chip Braille transcription technology.
Fortscale*, a leader in user behavior analytics for enterprise security, showcased Fortscale 2.0, an upgrade of its award-winning solution that results in an unparalleled ability to target and eliminate insider threats.
Two Bit Circus*, founded by the son of Silicon Valley legend Nolan Bushnell to inspire the next generation of innovators through high-tech entertainment experiences, demonstrated an interactive installation utilizing Intel® RealSense™ technology.
For details on these new products, visit the Intel newsroom at www.intel.com/newsroom/globalsummit.
This year's invite-only event features distinguished speakers, including Beth Comstock, vice chair of GE* and president and CEO of GE Business Innovations; Tom Reilly, CEO of Cloudera*; and Padmasree Warrior, strategic advisor to Cisco*.
"As all of these exciting investments and new products show, Intel Capital is dedicated to seeking out disruptive innovation around the globe and helping the entrepreneurs behind it achieve new heights," Brooks concluded. "Leveraging the power of Intel's worldwide technology footprint is an advantage no other venture investor can offer at such scale."
View the Multimedia Press Kit
(includes the full story with high resolution photos, videos, quotes, fact sheets, and more)
The Global Summit is the venture industry's pre-eminent technology networking event. The 2015 Summit brings together more than 1,000 registered attendees from Intel Capital portfolio companies; Intel's global customers and partners; and industry leaders from around the world. The Intel Capital Global Summit 2015 is sponsored by Accenture; Credit Suisse; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; IBM; KPMG; Crystal & Company; the government of Canada; Kingsley Gate; NASDAQ; Needham & Company; Silicon Valley Bank; and TriNet.
Intel Capital, Intel's strategic investment and M&A organization, backs innovative technology startups and companies worldwide. Intel Capital invests in a broad range of companies offering hardware, software, and services targeting computing and smart devices, cloud, datacenter, security, the Internet of Things, wearable and robotic technologies and semiconductor manufacturing. Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested nearly US$11.6 billion in over 1,400 companies in 57 countries. In that timeframe, 213 portfolio companies have gone public on various exchanges around the world, and 377 were acquired or participated in a merger. Through its business development programs, Intel Capital curates thousands of meetings each year between its portfolio and Intel's partners in the Global 2000. For more information on what makes Intel Capital one of the world's most powerful venture capital firms, visit www.intelcapital.com or follow @Intelcapital.
Intel, Intel RealSense, Intel Unite and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.
Tags: Arvind Sodhani, Intel Capital, Investment, Wendell Brooks


Is your idea of good vibes to wear an all-black ensemble, sitting in a rocking chair and stroking a cat whilst Metallica breaks the bass in the speakers? Or maybe your idea of a good time is a 2000 piece puzzle, some Irish coffee and silence so tranquil that you can hear a pin drop? Its true that good vibes are subjective, but these Melbourne based bars have curated a vibe so unique, so their own that no matter what vibe is your preference, you'll want to chill out there.
Neapoli Wine Bar can be found right off of bustling Bourke Street, but a relaxed atmosphere won't be hard to come by at this venue. Neapoli is a European inspired restaurant and bar which means whatever your heart desires, at any time – you've got it! Whether it's a pale ale with your lunch, one glass of wine turns into one bottle or you'd simply like an espresso in the evening, Neapoli has you covered. Munch on some of their famous thick cut chips and read a book in their dangerously comfy maroon arm chairs. Neapoli's wine list is updated every few weeks, in order for you to enjoy a selection of red, white and rose wines! You can even finish off dinner with handcrafted hazlenut or salted caramal gelato, just to name a couple. Aretha Franklin or D'Angelo and the Vanguard will croon lightly in the background, tempting you to settle in and stay for a while.
Niagara lane is a historic cobble stoned laneway lined with 19th century red brick buildings. Located inside one of these buildings is a quaint canteen called Sun Moth. Step inside and take a seat at one of the communal timber tables and have a listen to whatever track owner Luke Mutton has handpicked from his eclectic music collection. Café by day and bar by night, at Sun Moth you can start with a warm hot chocolate as you read over your class paper and after a confirmation that it is indeed the afternoon, cheekily swap over to a remarkable natural orange wine. A variety of fresh pies are baked daily for your lunch-time meal consideration. The space is abundant with natural light during the day but once the sun starts to set, a projector picks up the slack, playing anything from music videos to abstract moving images. Quirky, eccentric and appealing, Sun Moth shines during every visit.
Can a bar even claim to be on the Vibe-Richter scale if they're not located in an obscure lane way? Luckily for Double Happiness Bar, they most certainly are. Double Happiness is a cosy, trendy bar with kitsch decor inspired by Chinese Communist Propaganda. Traditional ornamental designs are dominant, and a plethora of communist propaganda such as posters, statues and trinkets pay tribute to Chairman Mao. The hum of conversation can be heard from around the communal fire as people sip on the famous espresso martini cocktail or an alcoholic bubble tea. Their logo is named after the traditional Chinese character denoting joy and happiness, therefore it is simply impossible to be unhappy in this eccentric space. This secret hub is the perfect foundation for a great night, no matter the vibe you're feeling!
Located in the lesser known section of Lygon Street in Brunswick East, you can find a local watering hole named Dunning Kruger. 'Isn't the Dunning Kruger a psychological term?' I hear you ask? Well yes it is! The 'Dunning Kruger' effect is an individual's mistaken belief that their ability is greater than it realistically is. Owners Gene Mills and Courtney Tuul first heard the term in an episode of 'This American Life' and were entertained by it – so much so that they decided to name their bar after it! Drink savvy Wills has carefully curated a beverage list that includes beer on tap and in bottle, four red, four white, two sparkling and one rose – choices he doesn't mind having a chat about. On the daily Tuul bakes up a storm, with multiple pies on offer such as the Choc Malt Pecan & Apple Bourbon. Mills and his pastry professional partner Tuul have established a speakeasy vibe with a modern flare. The concept behind the bar is a simple one, great drinks, good vibes and even better daily homemade pies!


text:
Share it: Print it:
How Four Donors Responded to the Pandemic
Donors shift their giving to meet community needs.
2020 has not only changed how we live, but also how we give.
At the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, our donors have been finding ways to shift their giving to meet the needs of their communities, which includes responding to COVID-19.
In some cases, they are leveraging their donor advised funds (DAFs) as a flexible tool that allows them to respond to the needs of our times that align with their passions.
With such uncertainty one might think that giving might wane, but at the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, our donors have made record-breaking grants, including to the Minnesota Disaster Recovery Fund, which was established to support communities affected by the coronavirus crisis.
Below, four donors share how 2020 has not only changed how they look at living, but also how they look at giving.
David and Janet Change How They Give
Over the last seven years, David and Janet have used their donor advised fund to support arts organizations, but in the wake of COVID-19, the couple made it their purpose to support organizations that provide essential services to the community, such as Second Harvest Heartland and the Midway YMCA.
"These are very different times that require different thinking," David said. "We've been fortunate enough to have this money, and we have an obligation to direct it. Obligations change when we have greater circumstances."
David and Janet, Foundation fundholders
Abby and Ken, Foundation fundholders
Abby Helps Youth & Families
Through their fund, Abby and her family have been supporting a variety of interests including food shelves, youth programs, conservation and music. Recent racial tensions in our country have also influenced how she looks at giving.
"I have a hot button now, and it is around anti-racism," said Abby.
For years, Abby has also been a supporter of the Community Sharing Fund, where she often referred clients for services during her time as a social worker.
"I'd go to homes of people who had so little," said Abby. It's doing the small things that make a huge difference. It (Community Sharing Fund) was a way for me to provide some help and hope."
Mary's Gift of Vision in Dark Times
Thanks to Mary, parents can now see their babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) any time, day or night. Mary serves as the advisor for a donor advised fund created by her dear neighbor Sydney before her death. Sydney's love for babies inspired Mary to give to M Health Fairview St. John's Hospital in Maplewood, where her donation helped fund the installation of cameras in the NICU, allowing parents to view their babies from iPads.
"Cameras were installed the same day the Governor issued the official stay-at-home order on March 27," said Mary, who appreciates that the Foundation has allowed her to support the causes important to Sydney and to her through the fund.
"I kind of did what works best for me, which is what Sydney would really like," she said. "Education and babies were some of her top priorities."
Mary and Sydney
Sue, Foundation fundholder, with Gina, founder of Ziggy's Art Bus
Sue Offers A Resource in Times of Need
For Sue, giving is a family affair. Once something she did with her siblings, charity is now a practice she carries out with her own children.
Sue uses her fund to support her church, people with disabilities and the arts. Since COVID-19, she has ramped up her giving to provide people with resources in their times of need.
"In the different organizations that I'm giving to or we as a family are giving to, there are deeper needs that are rising up, like there's a lot homelessness and issues with suicide," said Sue. "I'm deeply involved with those organizations so it really helps me to see the need. I can be hands-on and meet the need where it is."
Sue also supports On Our Own, TreeHouse and Ziggy's Art Bus, which partners with Crescent Cove, one of our nonprofit endowment fundholders, to provide children with serious and life-limiting illnesses free guided art experiences.
If you would like to learn more about DAFs, contact one of our gift planners by calling 651.224.5463 or emailing philanthropy@spmcf.org.
If you already have a fund with the Foundation, we're always happy to explore charitable options with you. Contact your philanthropic advisor to talk about how you can support the immediate needs in your community.
Inspire Generosity Donors Story
2020: A Year Unlike Any Other
In the face of the challenges of 2020, we experienced unparalleled generosity from our donors and innovation from our staff as we responded quickly to meet the needs of our community.
View Our 2020 Year In Review
Gift planner Elizabeth McCray breaks down the three most common ways donors are giving retirement assets to the causes they care about.
Helping Children Reach Their Full Potential
Minnesota nonprofits discuss the importance of early childhood development.
Giving with Intention
Through her donor advised fund, Mya Honeywell designed a creative way to engage her clients while giving back to her community.
Watch Mya's story
Changing the Narratives of Black, Indigenous & People of Color Through Art
The Twin Cities Theatres of Color Coalition discusses the role performing arts plays in social change.
Donor Q&A: Ray
A lifelong volunteer and community mentor shares his philosophy on the importance of giving.
Using Stock to Support Your Favorite Charities
Did you know that you can donate stock as a way to grow your fund and support your favorite nonprofit organizations?
How Caroline and Aurea Learn From Each Other
A beautiful relationship between a donor advised fundholder and her advisor is the gift that keeps on giving.


text:
Saturday Author Spotlight: A.M. Arthur #Interview & #Giveaway
I am super excited to have A.M. Arthur, author of What You Own, Belonging Series, and so many more amazing books as my Spotlight author this week. It's wonderful knowing when you open a book by an author you know you're going to be blown away. You're going to go on a journey that is written beautifully and will submerge you into a fantastic world. That's what you get with A.M. Arthur.
She has an INCREDIBLE giveaway for one fan today and, of course, a wonderful interview. I'd like to take a moment and look at some of her books first:
For Ryan Sanders, the Paige Community Center is more than a place where he teaches at-risk teens about musical theater. He found a sense of belonging there during one of the hardest times of his life. With the center facing a financial crisis, he'll do whatever it takes to keep the doors open—even soliciting fundraiser donations from Langley-Quartermaine Financial.
Adam Langley has a plan: survive an internship at his father's company, finish college, get his trust fund, and find his former high school best friend Ryan and beg his forgiveness. In that order, because if Ryan does forgive him, Adam believes he'll finally find the courage to come out to his wealthy, bigoted father.
Adam's carefully considered plan is shattered when Ryan appears at the office a full ten months before Adam is ready, and Ryan is just as stunned. Against his better judgment, Adam gets involved with the fundraiser—and Ryan. Old feelings won't be denied, and as Ryan and Adam reconnect, they realize neither knows the entire truth about the horrific night three years earlier that tore their friendship apart.
Twenty-two-year-old Alessandro Silva knows that returning to tiny Perch Creek to help his foster mother was the right thing to do. With no degree and a delinquent's reputation, he's lucky to have landed a job waiting tables. But not everyone is happy he's back, and the only thing keeping his move home from being a total bust is his boss's hot brother.
Jaime Winters spent most of his life watching the world go by, first from a series of hospitals and then from behind big stacks of textbooks. Studying is easier than facing the fact that years of heart failure means he's still a virgin at twenty-three. Until the new waiter in his sister's diner awakens desires he'd long ago given up on.
The last thing Alessandro wants is to fall for someone as fragile as Jaime. And Jaime may have a new heart, but he's scared of what giving it to another person would mean. Their no-strings-attached, instructional approach to sex keeps emotion safely at bay, until a secret from Alessandro's past forces them to confront their feelings in the present…
Cole Alston swore he'd never return to his childhood home in rural North Carolina, but when his mother dies, he inherits her hoarded property. He hopes to sell everything and use the money to start over in Canada, far away from his abusive ex-boyfriend. It's a daunting task, and Cole has no idea where to start. Luckily for him, the local antique store owner, Jeremy Collins, volunteers his services in sorting the hoard. Their professional relationship soon evolves into a personal one, but Cole must overcome his past and his anxiety before he can accept a new man in his life or the possibility of a happy future.
"Fixing the home can heal the heart-if you can find all the pieces. "
Police officer Samuel Briggs is getting to know the people on his new, third-shift beat, but he'd prefer they not know too much about him-or the painful past that drove him away from New Mexico to start fresh in small-town Stratton, PA.
All he wants is peace, a manageable routine, and time to fix up his project home. There's no room in his broken heart for a new relationship. It's crowded with too many memories. But there's something about the Dixie's Cup short-order cook, who's flirty one minute, distracted the next, that piques Sam's interest.
Part-time cook, part-time hardware salesman and full-time handyman Rey King lives to work-but not because he loves it. Relationships? No time. Until one glance at Sam's haunted eyes sends a plumb line straight to his wary heart.
One afternoon of impulsive, no-strings sex begins to grow into a cautious friendship. But when Rey is seriously injured protecting a friend, the cracks in their already shaky foundation begin to show. Falling in love wasn't in either man's recovery plan...and this time, the risk could be too great.
Warning: Contains one emotionally wrecked cop, one angsty short-order cook, a few too many secrets, some meddling small-town folk, and plenty of hot man-on-man action.
Of course you can check out all her books on Goodreads: A.M. Arthur on GR or other links that will be posted below.
You're doing an awesome giveaway to one fan. An ARC of your new book The Truth As He Knows It (Out February 10th) Tell us about this book?
Truth kicks off a brand new series, Perspectives, which will have at least three titles. It's the story of Shane, a guy who strips for extra cash to keep the lights on, and Noel, a rookie cop who's still in the closet. They're an unlikely pair at first, but they can't deny their mutual attraction, and after one night of very hot sex, they both realize they want what should have been a one-off to be a lot more.
Except, you know, secrets. Secrets like whoa.
What is your process like (From idea to print)?
Well, most of my books don't go to literal print, but I understand what you mean. My process is fairly straightforward. I always have something new simmering while writing a WIP, so I never lack for projects. When I'm ready to start something new, I always begin by writing biographies for the two heroes. I need to know who these guys are, and what they've already dealt with in their lives. That's not to say I outline their book. But do need to know their history.
Then I write. I have a notebook to keep track of things like eye color and friend's names. Lately I've been printing out calendar pages by the month so I can keep track of the passage of time more easily. After I have a first draft, I let it sit a few days before going through and reading it. I try to read it in one day, which helps make sure the timeline is right. I also edit as I go, tightening and removing extraneous words. Then I polish up an outline and submit it to my editor.
Are there going to be anymore Belonging Series books?
No. Belonging was meant to be a three-book trilogy. That doesn't mean I won't write a short or something featuring the characters. And they do pop up in my new Restoration trilogy from time to time, so they aren't gone for good.
How much say do you have in your covers when dealing with a publisher?
For each book I fill out an Art Fact sheet. It asks about the heroes' appearances, important locations, theme, things I don't like on covers. The art department goes from there. Afterward, every publisher is different. For my Dreamspinner books, I am usually given 3-4 mock ups that I can comment on/choose from, and a final cover is made from that feedback. Samhain consistently knocks my covers out of the park.
Carina has been an interesting journey, and I love them for listening. The initial covers for No Such Thing and Maybe This Time weren't my favorite, and by the time Stand By You came out, we were having discussions about unity and making the series feel the same. So I was very, very blessed when I was given two brand new, gorgeous covers for NST and MTT that flow very well with SBY.
How do you come up with the titles for your books? Do you know them from the beginning or do they form as you write?
Yes. LOL. It depends. Sometimes I know the title right off the bat. I knew the title for Perspectives #2 before I wrote a word, and I already know #3. The Belonging titles all changed during production for various marketing reasons. I'd say most of my titles are ones I initially came up with. So far I think I've had to change four. Even if I come up with a title while writing, it may not be what the publisher ends up using.
Do you remember, and if so can you tell us, what the first M/M book you read was and did it push you toward writing in this genre?
Regularly Scheduled Life by K.A. Mitchell. I saw the review on Dear Author, and I thought "wow, this sounds amazing." I only kind of new about m/m romance, but not really. Until then, the bulk of my exposure to m/m was fanfiction. That particular book didn't push me to start writing m/m romance, exactly. But it began my long, exciting journey of reading within the genre, and I have no regrets.
Do your books (any or all) have a playlist? Is music key? If not what helps keep you in the zone?
You know, not really. Half the time I write to silence or to the white noise of a fan running in the background. If I do play music, it's instrumental.
Tell us about some of your future projects?
After Truth, I have Getting It Right releasing March 16. This is the first in a new Carina Press trilogy called Restoration, and it features Belonging supporting character James "Tag" McTaggert. A lot of folks have been asking for his book, so I'm really excited to share his love story. Restoration #2, Finding Their Way, releases in July, and this is Tag's friend Boxer's story. And October will see Perspectives #2, The World As He Sees It, which is Tristan's story. So far, that's 2015.
In The Truth As He Knows It, is there any parts of you or your experiences that you incorporated into this book?
You know, I never think too hard about what of myself goes into my books. But thinking on it, the strength of Shane's relationship with his older brother Jason is very much like my relationship with my big sister. We'd do anything for each other, and we're very close. Granted, we haven't been through any ordeals as traumatic as Shane and Jason, but the love and loyalty is the same.
What forms of social media, and/or websites do you have so your fans can follow your career?
Email: am_arthur@yahoo.com
Website: http://amarthur.blogspot.com/
Twitter http://twitter.com/am_arthur
Tumblr http://www.tumblr.com/blog/am-arthur
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AM-Arthur
So now you know the giveaway. One LUCKY reader will win an ARC copy of The Truth As He Knows It! *Cheers* Just enter below. Contest runs until February 6th. Winner will be notified via email so be sure to check your spam.
I want to thank A.M. Arthur for being with us today and sharing her future projects and giving one of you an awesome chance to win this book.
Good luck to you all. Remember... Review. It matters!
Posted by Diverse Reader at 5:54 AM 19 comments:
Labels: A.M. Arthur, Author, blog, Gay romance, Giveaway, LGBT, MM, Reader
Blog Tour: Soulmate for SIN by Izzy Van Swelm~ Character Interview & #Giveaway
Title: Soulmate for SIN
Author: Izzy van Swelm
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Publication Date: 28 Jan 2015
Cover Artist: Adrian Nicholas
Genre: Contemporary, Gay, MM Romance
The effects of an attack on SIN, a twenty-nine year old University lecturer, reach out further into his future than SIN could ever imagine. In a story, which seems doomed to start with an end, SIN learns about the forever kind of love, and how family is not just biological. 'Soul-Mate for SIN' shows how twists of fate can take a loving, but ordinary family, from a small market town in Lincolnshire, England and turn them into something extraordinary.
Character Interview with Gabe (Gabriel)
Hello, what's your name and where do you work?
Hello, my name is Gabe short for Gabriel and I'm a nurse working for the NHS in the ICU and HDU.
That's a lot of abbreviations can you tell our readers what they mean?
Oh, sorry. The NHS is the National Health Service, which is our health care system in the UK. I'm trained as a nurse who can work in the Intensive Care Unit, and the High Dependency Unit in a hospital. Intensive Care is where someone will be if they are very ill needing life support care, usually it's just before and just after major operations or serious downturns in their medical conditions.
High Dependency is where patients go when they are getting better and no longer require invasive life support but are not stable enough for a normal ward.
I love it and of course it's how I met my boyfriend. I like looking after patients and seeing very ill people heal and go home well. I really like getting to know the families as well. I'm quite a people person (Flicks long thick hair and grins)
Can you tell us what you look like?
I'm about six foot (Lol, aren't we all), but I love to wear boots with high heels, as work demands flats all the time. It's nice to break out sometimes. Anyway, I have shoulder length dark hair, always tied in a ponytail for work…I'm sort of lean I suppose…my arms are strong, but that comes from nursing. I know gay men are always supposed to be at the gym, but I rarely have time. Oh and brown eyes…I have brown eyes.
So you say you met your boyfriend through your work can you tell us about that?
Um…No not really lol. It would give too much away. I will say it was a very worrying and heart breaking time for his family.
What do you like to do for fun?
I like spending time with …my boyfriend and we like playing games, RPG you know? I love dancing…I mean really love it. I let go of all my stresses and inhibitions when I hear dance music. I love to go out with friends. We all like a gay club in Nottingham called The Rainbow Lounge, even my boyfriend's parents have been there!
Wow, that's very unusual isn't it?
What for parents to go out with their kids? Yes, I don't think it happens often but it isn't unheard of and I think if the places are nice sometimes parents of LGBTQ young people like to show their support by having a nice night out together. My boyfriend's mum had a great time. I think his dad was a bit more hesitant, but he was enjoying himself at the end, although I think Miss Clitty Sparkles was a bit much for him. LOL
I can imagine…I interviewed her recently! Did you see Lady Charlotte at the club?
OMG I don't think I'd be brave enough to interview her…Yes, we've seen Lady Charlotte several times at The Rainbow Lounge but I don't think she's appeared there since Christmas, not sure why.
Can you tell us something about Soul Mate for SIN?
Not that much really…Izzy will be really angry if I give away too many spoilers. I get to do some dancing! There are some hard times for some lovely people, but some funny moments too, and I get the love and family I've always wanted. Oh and some…private moments but a gentleman doesn't tell (winks) No animals were harmed in the telling of this story :)
Glad to hear it lol. Thank you Gabe for talking to us today.
You're welcome anything for Izzy. Thank you.
Izzy van Swelm is English, but took her Mother in Law's maiden name as a pen name. Izzy dreams of a world where all sentient species have rights and respect. A world where LGBTQ lovers and friends, old and young, can walk holding hands meeting nothing more than the occasional affectionate eye roll. A world where intelligence, gentleness and compassion are the overwhelming attributes of politicians, and religion is practiced by those who believe, but never forced on those who do not.
Izzy is a romantic, a dreamer, a vegetarian and just a little eccentric. Izzy writes because she loves to tell stories, and she hopes that her stories will bring happiness, enjoyment and maybe to some…a little hope.
Author Page~ Facebook
Wilde City: http://www.wildecity.com/books/gay-romance/soulmate-for-sin/
Amazon: TBD
ARe: TBD
Tour links:
27 Jan - Prism Book Alliance
28 Jan - Diverse Reader
29 Jan - RJ Scott
30 Jan - Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews
31 Jan - The Novel Approach
1 Feb - Rainbow Gold Reviews
2 Feb - The Hat Party
3 Feb - Hearts on Fire Reviews
4 Feb - JP Barnaby
5 Feb - Love Bytes
6 Feb - GGR Reviews
7 Feb - Kimi Chan Experience
Labels: Blog Tour, Contemporary, Gay romance, Giveaway, Izzy Van Swelm, MM
Saturday Author Spotlight: A.M. Arthur #Interview ...
Blog Tour: Soulmate for SIN by Izzy Van Swelm~ Cha...
Release Day: I Think About You by K.S. Thomas
Cover Reveal: Memories of the Heart by Felice Stevens
Help Make The Purple Heart a movie! #Giveaway
Author Saturday Spotlight: K.A.Mitchell #Interview...
Blog Tour: Whitley Gray's Artistic Endeavor #Revie...
Andrew Grey *Guest Post & Giveaway*
Author Saturday Spotlight: Charlie Cochet *Intervi...
Cover Reveal: Playing With Fire by Paisley Walker
Summer Symphony by Brandon Shire *Review & Giveaway*
Because of a Story... His Name Was Brian
Author Saturday Spotlight: Amy Lane *Interview & G...
One Year Blogiversary!
Most Emotional Reads of 2014 *GIVEAWAY*
Let it Go by Sid Love *Promo, Review, & Giveaway*
Author Saturday Spotlight: Chris McHart *Interview...
Best Shifter Book of 2014 *THIRDS Series by Charli...
Book Release: Black & White by Traci Hayden *Givea...
Best Mystery/Suspense of 2014 *TOP 5*


The Supreme Court of Pakistan temporarily stopped Pakistan International Airline (PIA) from going ahead with its rebranding plans. PIA is currently in the middle of rebranding process where it is painting its planes using a Markhor head as brand identity.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar inquired from the CEO Musharraf Rasool Cyan about the cost of repainting the planes to which the CEO quoted it will cost Rs2.7 million per plane. However, Justice Nisar observed that the cost for each plane would be Rs3.4 million a figure he got from media reports where he was corrected that it's not the case.
CJP: Do you know what time I reach Islamabad yesterday?
CJP: Tell me why my flight was delayed?
CEO PIA: Due to some issues the flight was delayed.
It is important to note that flight was delayed due to severe thunderstorm in Islamabad and unscheduled maintenance issue with the aircraft.
During court proceedings, the chief justice attacked the PIA CEO personally by asking Cyan what his niece was doing in the national carrier. However, the CEO denied and said I am ready to go under oath and deny. Then CJP brought out another point and reminded him that there is a writ against him. CJP also asked PIA CEO what is his qualification and then observed what an economist has to do in PIA.
It is important to mention that PIA told CJP that they have applied decals on one of their planes to which the Chief Justice replied. Keep it on just one until you submit a report. So the matter will be pending until this is done. This will further increase the costs as it will disrupt PIA schedule and timeline it has set for the repaint.


text:
Generation of Chaos
Platform(s): PSP
Publisher: Nippon Ichi
Developer: Idea Factory
Release Date: Feb. 21, 2006
About Agustin
PSP Review - 'Generation of Chaos'
by Agustin on April 9, 2006 @ 1:14 a.m. PDT
Battles for world domination have been dragging on for generations. Now Allen of Zodia rises to end all wars and bring peace to the world. After the opening story, the player uses the strategy mode to build and strengthen the kingdom. In the beginning, the kingdom is small and weak. However, as you progress through the game, the player can conquer neighboring kingdoms and stretch its ruling powers throughout the land of Duke.
Publisher: NIS America
Generation of Chaos is not an especially deep game. Despite the NIS America logo on the front – probably the only reason anybody is interested in this game in the first place – there is none of the mounting complexity of Disgaea and Makai Kingdom. Sure, the game starts off nearly impenetrable, with a stat distribution screen. No tutorial, no opening video, just distributing points in a roundabout fashion into stats that are, for any new players, nearly meaningless.
This introduction says volumes about what developer Idea Factory planned for players to experience: something they've done already. "You've done this before. Just distribute those points and make sure to deal more damage points to the enemy than they deal to you, 'kay?" They had a little surprise in store, though, and it's all in the game's presentation. The gameplay seems deeper than it is because simple actions are far too hard to execute, and what do we end up with?
I'll be generous: not much. As pretty as the box art is, as nice as NIS America was to give out free soundtracks with online pre-orders, this game is salt rubbed into a wound opened up by the cancellation of Makai Wars.
I can't discount everything about Generation of Chaos. Voice acting, graphics, and sound effects are all passable, even somewhat exceptional, for a PSP game, but that breakdown has its downsides, too. The voice acting has the tight-lipped ring of mediocre anime dubs. None of the actors try very hard to fill the shoes of their characters, but, then again, maybe that has more to do with the generic designs and two-dimensional writing.
Said writing sprawls about much further than it needs to, spinning a boring tale that is probably best described as a shameless sort of progression that could only exist in the sort of game with super-deformed sprites. Think SaGa, or any other open-ended Japanese RPG. To keep things open, they must be simple, yet the script goes on and on, mirroring the gameplay in how often it feigns intricacies.
Loading voices also causes more of the random stuttering that the PSP is becoming famous for. Even if text is skipped, the game still looks to the slow-moving UMD drive to load voices anyway, making the script just a little more painful to wade through.
Once the text finally stops ambling along, the next step is to watch a small horde of sprites move back and forth on a game board reminiscent of Candy Land more so than other, better strategy games like Culdcept and Romance of the Three Kingdoms, two games Generation would have done well to emulate a bit. What it does take from the latter is a simple random-event system. Patrolling soldiers can run across landmarks unseen on the board (usually an endless march of goldmines), and specific forts can have various afflictions suddenly thrown upon them. The player has no control over these events and can do little to help their soldiers along if something is going to delay progress for two months in game time. These events are the only changes to the progression of the game, which hides very little of its whole from the player at the start. Fine, at first, because it seems like there will be a lot to play with, but a few hours later, players will be begging for the proper pacing of Makai Kingdom.
Then, the battles, the bandied 60-man triumphs, the moments that were exploited in screenshots to make fanboys drool (or weep) because of the memories of Dragon Force invoked. Anybody who plays this game will never mutter Dragon Force and Generation of Chaos in the same sentence again, except to express the most sincere regret. Players control the action by giving simple directions to a commander. Think Dynasty Warriors without having too much control over your leader. The rest of the men go at it on their own, and players have nothing to do but pray for success.
You can mix up the action by sending down commands for formation changes, but it doesn't help the action along one bit. The game's single coup against the status-quo &#8211 real-time battles &#8211 is more of a curse than a positive point. Ample time is given for decision making, even though there is little of that to be done in the first place. When I say ample, I truly mean it; the game moves at such a slow pace, I wouldn't be surprised to see a small surge in PSP sales triggered by pale Nippon Ichi fans throwing the PSPs they originally purchased for Makai Wars straight at the wall.
Generation of Chaos, to get to the point, plays like a Korean freeware game. Idea Factory had their hearts in the right place &#8211 they didn't go out to reinvent the wheel, but just wanted to make a quick and dirty strategy game with a lot of fun to be had. The problem is, they have taken this task to be much lighter than it really is, and they spent their work fleshing out the wrong things. Say what you will about Nippon Ichi, but they do know how to put a level-grind together. Their games may be long, their rules extremely hard to penetrate, but the rewards reaped are always enormous.
Generation of Chaos might prompt a player to take a look at the instruction manual for the first time in ages, but that would be the end of the rewards, once the gameplay is revealed for the simple farce it is. Don't get me wrong; simple can be a good thing in a strategy game &#8211 look at Fire Emblem for an example as to how it is properly done. Generation is simple in a way that requires dozens of obtuse concepts to be learned with little justification. It simply isn't a good game, and it is definitely the weakest game in NIS America's lineup. Hopefully, a better PSP strategy RPG will be realized in the absence of Makai Wars, but this definitely isn't it. As I'm typing this paragraph, a battle has been running in the background. I'm winning. That probably tells you more about this game than any detailed review ever could.
Score: 5.5/10
More articles about Generation of Chaos


It's still early days and we cannot write-off Nokia Corporation (ADR)(NYSE:NOK)'s new Lumias just yet, despite being widely panned by the critics and the gaffe over the misleading promotional videos.
But the Finnish handset maker has another ace up its sleeve - its feature phones that are still the mainstay of the company.
Demand from emerging markets for the affordable and multi-utility feature phones could help in the survival of the company.
Shares in Nokia, which were rising in anticipation over its smartphones before the launch, tanked on the day of the launch and has not quite recovered from it. The share price has dropped more than 36 preen so far this year.
On the other hand expectations over Apple's iPhone 5 have driven the stock price of the Cupertino company up to record highs, making it the most valuable company in the United States.
Disregarding for the moment the fate of its Lumias, the company's feature phones are seeing a lot of traction in emerging markets such as India. This is a segment where it does not have to compete with Apple while others like Samsung and LG which also offer lower-end phones do not quite match up to the European company's standards.
Feature phones have more capabilities than basic mobile phones but are not as capable as smartphones.
There are countries where a significant proportion of the population do not have the infrastructure or the consumer affluence to buy smartphones. and it is in these areas where feature phones like that made by Nokia more than suffice.
As the second-biggest seller of mobile phones in the world, the Finnish company has a global franchise that can capitalize on demand for these products.


TORONTO, March 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Elekta (EKTA-B.ST) today announced that its Elekta Unity magnetic resonance radiation therapy (MR/RT) system has received a Medical Device License from Health Canada, clearing the technology for commercial sales in Canada.
"We are pleased to have achieved this important milestone toward making Elekta Unity available in Canada and expect that this important new treatment option will become available to patients later this year, subsequent to receiving a service license from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission," said Richard Hausmann, Elekta President and CEO. "Researchers and clinicians from the Odette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have played critical roles in developing and evaluating this transformative technology, and we look forward to the day when their patients and other Canadian cancer patients will have access to this transformative approach to radiation therapy."


Need to sell your Car, Van or Truck in the South East?
Has it failed its MOT?
If you are looking at ways to sell your car because it has been damaged in an accident or because it is a non-starter, then we will happily buy it from you. We specialise in scrapping cars and vans for our customers in Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey and Kent. We also salvage vehicles that we can repair or has parts that we can recycle.
You can contact a member of the team today if you would like a free valuation of your old vehicle. All payments will be transferred directly into your bank.
The price we quote you today will be the price we pay.
The make of cars that we buy and scrap include: Nissan, Toyota, Mercedes, BMW, Datsun, Lexus, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi and Classic Ford.
On the day of collection, can you please ensure that you have the keys to the vehicle, your V5C (Log Book) document, the locking wheel nuts for the car if you have them and any other paper work that you think we might need.
We do not ask you to clean the car before we collect it but we do recommend you remove any personal belongings that you may have left inside it including CD's, work tools and clothing.
If your car, 4X4 or van has been damaged or it is a non-starter and you are wondering if it can be salvaged, then the answer is yes. SMC South East salvage all types of vehicles including cars, trucks and vans. We will offer you top prices for any vehicles that can be fixed. This would include insurance write offs.
We can collect your vehicle the very same day. So if it has been involved in an accident and needs to be taken away, then please give us a call.
If you are considering scrapping your vehicle then simply complete our online form or contact us with your vehicle details and we can offer you a price for your vehicle today.
Contact one of our experts today and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have and provide you with a free quotation.


text:
Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese receive nominations for DGA Award
By Susan King, Los Angeles Times –
LOS ANGELES — There's only one newcomer to the feature film nominees announced Monday for the 64th annual DGA Awards: Michel Hazanavicius for "The Artist."
Not only is it the 44-year-old French filmmaker's first nomination from the Directors Guild of America, it also is the first time that guild has nominated a silent film in the feature category.
Earning his fifth DGA nomination is Woody Allen, 76, for the comedy "Midnight in Paris." He won the top DGA Award 34 years ago for "Annie Hall." He was also nominated for 1979's "Manhattan," 1986's "Hannah and Her Sisters" and 1989's "Crime and Misdemeanors." He also earned a DGA Lifetime Achievement honor in 1996.
David Fincher, 49, picked up his third DGA feature nomination for the thriller "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." He earned his first feature nod three years ago for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and last year for "The Social Network." He won the DGA Commercial Award in 2003 and was also nominated in that category four years ago.
Alexander Payne, 50, earned his second DGA feature nomination for the family drama "The Descendants." He was previously nominated for 2004's "Sidewalks." Last week, Payne received a Writers Guild of America nomination for the script of "The Descendants."
Rounding out the five nominees is Martin Scorsese, 69, for his valentine to the movies, "Hugo." He won the DGA Award for feature films five years ago for "The Departed" and in the TV category last year for "Boardwalk Empire." "Hugo" marks his ninth DGA Award nomination. In 1999, he was given the Filmmaker Award at the first DGA honors gala and was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.
"I am honored to have been recognized by my peers for my work on "Hugo," Scorsese said in a statement. "It means a great deal to me to have the respect of my peers. The fact that our picture honors the work of Georges Méliès, one of the inventors of cinema and an artistic forefather to us all, makes the nomination all the more meaningful."
Notably missing from the list of nominees are Steven Spielberg for "War Horse" and Terrence Malick for "The Tree of Life." Malick won the National Society of Film Critics Award for his direction this past Saturday.
The DGA Awards are considered one of the most reliable bellwethers for the best director Oscar: Only six times have the guild and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences disagreed on a year's best director of a feature film. The last time was nine years ago when Rob Marshall won the DGA for "Chicago" and Roman Polanski received the Academy Award for "The Pianist."
The DGA Awards will be handed out Jan. 28 at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland. Kelsey Grammer will be the host.
PrevPreviousABC's 'The Revolution' can't replace 'One Life to Live,' hosts say
Next'CBS This Morning' gets a makeoverNext


text:
<?php if ( ! defined('BASEPATH')) exit('No direct script access allowed');

class prof extends CI_Controller {

  function __construct()
  {
    parent::__construct();
  }

  function index()
  {
  	$this->load->view('header');
    $this->load->helper('form');
    $this->load->library('form_validation');
    $this->form_validation->set_rules('id', 'Id');
	$this->form_validation->set_error_delimiters('
', '
');
    // $this->form_validation->view('prof_view');
    $this->load->view('footer');

  }

}

?>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


International Journal of Computer Systems Science and Engineering, Vol 24, Sept. 2009, pp 303-315, CRL Publishing Ltd.
September 9-11, 2009, Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K.
Patras, Greece. August, 27-29, 2009.
Proc. 5th International Conference on Ph.D. Research in Microelectronics and Electronics (PRIME), pp. 120-123, July 12-17, 2009, Cork, Ireland.
(ACSD'09), Augsburg, Germany, 1-3 July 2009, pp. 23-31.
A Desynchronisation Technique using Petri nets.
special issue of "Fundamenta Informaticae" - papers selected from ACSD'08 Conference.
Ansari, M.; Kotselidis, C.; Luján, M.; Kirkham, C.; Watson, I.
M.M.Khan, J.Navaridas, X.Jin, L.A.Plana, M.Luján, J.V.Woods, J.Miguel-Alonso and S.B.Furber.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 17-20, May 2009.
pp. 23-31, 17-20, May 2009, Chapel Hill, North Carolina,USA.
Proc. IEEE Computer Society Annual Symposium on VLSI (ISVLSI), pp. 121-126.
May 13-15, 2009, Tampa, Florida, USA.
May 10-13, 2009, San Diego, CA. USA.
April 15-17, 2009, Liberec, Czech Republic.
Proc. 4th IEEE International Conference on Design and Technology of Integrated Systems in Nanoscale Era (DTIS)/, pp. 173-178, April 6-7, 2009, Cairo, Egypt.
Mohammad Ansari, Kim Jarvis, Christos Kotselidis, Mikel Luján, Chris Kirkham and Ian Watson.
Mohammad Ansari, Mikel Luján, Christos Kotselidis, Kim Jarvis, Chris Kirkham and Ian Watson.
Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on High Performance and Embedded Architectures and Compilers (HiPEAC'09), LNCS 5409, pp 4-18, January 2009.


Platters such as this have so many uses. You can use it as a deli tray, offering cheese, olives, strips of roasted pepper and pickled eggplant for a cold antipasto appetizer. Yet it also make a charming and inventive presentation when offering guests "welcome" snacks such as cookies, pastries or even finger sandwiches. Constructed of stoneware. Microwave and dishwasher safe. Rectangular Platter measures 14 inch long x 9 inch wide.


Avishai Cohen | "As Is... Live at the Blue Note"
Israel-born Avishai Cohen made quite a splash in 1992 after moving to NY City and has since become one of the more important contemporary voices in Jazz. In addition to playing with Brad Mehldeau, Danilo Perez, joining Chick Corea's Band "Origin" and Corea's "New Trio" (until late 2003), Avishai has redefined the sound of modern jazz with 8 fabulous releases under his own name (as well as releasing a book of his music (Song Book, Vol. 1)).
His latest, "As Is.. Live at the Blue Note", not only gives us a well executed live perspective of selected excerpts from previous releases, but also allows us to see this phenomenal trio in action via an included Live DVD from the Blue Note. The band (consisting of Mark Guiliana (drms), Sam Barsh (pno) & Jimmy Greene (sax)) is simply divine. This is a jazz album of the highest order (as is the case with all of Avishai's releases) and not just another "bass player" album. Although the CD is chock full of beautiful bass solo and wonderful grooves, it's really the musicality & cohesiveness of the band as a whole that stands out. The quartet (quintet on the song "Etude" with the addition of trumpeter Diego Urcola) nimbly navigates and interacts with each other while staying true to Cohen's tricky (yet always enjoyable and tangible) compositions. Cohen is known for his global, border-less and almost transcendent perspective on music, as well as his ability to present songs in a way that is never "heady" or awkward. This CD is a wonderful example of exactly that. Listening to this CD gives one a broader view of what music can do when put into the hands of masters who can not only speak the language but also surrender themselves to the moment, while letting the music dictate where it wants to go. Definitely a "must have" for music lovers.


When Ryan Holmes, the founder and CEO of the social media management platform Hootsuite, sits in his office what are the sounds he hears? Nothing? The quiet, focused traffic of staff going about their business?
No, what the entrepreneur hears is the clanking of weights and the thump of bass from a Bluetooth speaker as some of his 1,000 employees work out in the company gym that sits outside a corner of the CEO's office. It might seem unusual, but from the get-go Holmes built fitness into how Hootsuite went about its business.
"For health, for morale and, yes, for the bottom line, it's the best decision we could have made. And it didn't require much of an investment or sacrifice – just as a commitment to enable exercise in the office," he said.
Holmes might be unique as a multi-millionaire CEO who has staff clanging barbells outside his office every day but he is far from being alone when it comes to realizing the crucial importance of wellness in the workplace. For everybody, both employer as much as employee.
The benefits to employees of having a comprehensive wellness program at work are obvious: the ability to exercise, access to healthy food, in-house or virtual medical facilities, workplace physiotherapists and staff gyms, yoga, pilates and mindfulness classes – these are all becoming the norm in organizations all over the world.
And for companies funding what can seem like significant costs attached to these facilities and programs, there is the welcome certainty that not only do their employees feel healthier and happier, they are as a result more productive, producing an even healthier bottom line.
According to Debi O'Donovan, Director of the UK's Reward & Employee Benefits Association (REBA) "business leaders are wising up to the power of using workplace wellbeing strategies to drive up engagement, improve company culture and ultimately boost productivity".
"This is not about merely replacing the crisp machine with bowls of fruit for staff, although that is a good idea, but rather about propagating deep cultural changes which span employee health, wealth and happiness, to leadership, development, talent management and workforce planning," said O'Donovan.
Take this for a deep cultural change challenge: you are a busy, under-pressure manager trying to lead your staff to meet already stretched quarterly targets and you've got a choice between getting them together to discuss preparation for a presentation or a scheduled team run (gym session, pilates class, take your pick).
It's not difficult to see which option would prevail in a company where a deep commitment to wellness wasn't truly embedded. The deep cultural challenge is how to get there. But companies that succeed in making employee wellness part of their culture, where the team run or gym session is not always competing with the presentation prep, these are the enlightened organizations who are reaping the rewards.
As Ryan Holmes of Hootsuite acknowledged, while his commitment to fitness in the workplace is aimed at having his staff healthier, it's with a keen eye on improving the bottom line. He quotes a 2011 study published in the Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine which showed that incorporating just 2.5 hours of exercise per week into the workday led to a noticeable reduction in absences.
"Perhaps most importantly, fit and healthy workers are less prone to exactly the kinds of preventable, debilitating illnesses that take such a heavy toll on families and on society," he said.
That toll is enormous. Take the UK alone. Between 2013 and 2014 over 11 million days of work were lost due to stress, depression and anxiety – an average of 23 days per person. Mental health is increasingly becoming a major factor for employers to contend with – one in six workers in the UK are affected at some stage by stress-related anxiety or depression, at a cost of £26 billion to employers annually.
It's important to acknowledge that the stress may not be always, or even frequently, work-related, but that doesn't gainsay its impact on the bottom line for companies and organizations – and, of course, the enormous emotional and human cost on individual employees, their colleagues and their families.
The increasing awareness of the importance of wellness in the workplace can also be put down to the realization that with the greatest global shortage in skilled talent in over a decade, it can be a key driver in both attracting and retaining employees.
REBA's Debi O'Donovan, writing in Raconteur recently, said workplace wellbeing focusses on three strands of physical health, emotional health and financial wellness. "Physical health is the most obvious, covering both prevention and cure. For example, bike-to-work schemes, exercise programs, nutrition, stop-smoking campaigns, rehabilitating people back to work and so on," she says.
"Emotional wellbeing deals with stress, anxiety and more complex mental health issues. But increasingly it focuses on the positive side such as building mental resilience and using mindfulness as a management tool.
"Financial wellness as part of a wellbeing strategy is the newest, but fastest growing kid on the block," according to O'Donovan. "For most of us, work is our primary, and often only, source of income, both immediately and for the future when we can no longer work. Money is the biggest cause of stress, while how much we have has the greatest correlation to our level of health.
In their enthusiasm for improving wellness and wellbeing in their workplaces, however, companies also have to be aware of not crossing another, more subtle but still valid line – not to be overbearing, intrusive or forced in the encouragement of employee participation. Otherwise a company risks appearing as if it wants to 'own' the employee, which is guaranteed to backfire.
Ultimately, it's a question of balance – whether that's over a yoga ball, or something else entirely!


Kitchen Planners Bath - The Tipped.co.uk directory of Bath kitchen planners lists kitchen planners in Bath who offer kitchen planning and kitchen installation. Read reviews of your nearest local kitchen planner in Bath and write your own reviews too. List your kitchen planning business on the Bath Kitchen Planners Directory today!


text:
Roy James Ruff Jr.
Recommend Roy's obituary to your friends
Send Flowers for Roy
Service Live Stream
Obituary of Roy James Ruff Jr.
Please share a memory of Roy to include in a keepsake book for family and friends.
Colonel Roy James Ruff Jr.
Sunrise: December 30, 1951 in Winnsboro, South Carolina.
Sunset: September 1, 2022 in Humble, Texas.
Colonel Roy J. Ruff Jr. was born to Roy J. Ruff Sr. and Annie Ruth Clark in Winsboro, South Carolina. Following graduation from Frankfurt High School in Frankfurt, Germany he returned to Columbia, South Carolina and joined the Air Force; first being stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado, for training in 1971. He proudly served his country for 31 years before he retired as a Colonel. While in service he obtained his B.A. Degree in 1977, MBA Degree in 1981, as well as attending Squadron Officer School in 1983, Air Command and Staff College in 1986, the Interagency Institute in 1995 and Harvard University in 1997. While serving in the military, he spent many years as a Hospital Administrator.
Throughout his military career Colonel Ruff received recognition and honors for his service such as, The Air Force Commendation Medal; Air Force Outstanding Unit Award; Air Force Excellent Organization Award; and the National Defense Service Medal. After serving his country he continued to serve others as a valued employee of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Colonel Ruff is preceded in death by his parents, Roy J. Ruff Sr. and Annie Ruth Clark; sister Lula M. Perry; brothers Stanley A. Ruff, Willie J. Ruff; and brother-in-law Richard Maple. He is survived by his loving wife Vy Nguyen Ruff; daughters Camisha Lalita Ruff, Chanetra Ruff Clisby, Nicole Kyoko Ruff Lehman (Jeffrey Robert Lehman), Lauren Christine Ruff; sons Richie Nguyen Ruff, Ronnie Nguyen Ruff; sisters Annie L. Randolph (James), Rose Marie Maple, Priscilla Ruff; grandchildren Johnathan Wayne Dokes Jr. (Tianna Charmaine Dokes), Amaya Deziree Dokes, Emery Craig Clisby Jr,. Akiya Siray Goodwin, Sha'Marr Amaanii Jibreel Odom, Simone Marie Lehman, Robin Reese Lehman; great grandchildren Mia Isabella Dokes, Matthew Isaiah Dokes, Myles Ian Dokes, Evanua Shantara Clisby, Sophia Aliana Tenney, Jamal Amaanii Odom, and a host of many other family and friends.
Colonel Ruff loved the life he lived and enjoyed his hobbies of playing golf every chance he could, listening to the Golden Oldies, Motown, Funk, and Jazz music, playing cards with friends, and just being surrounded by family, friends, and neighbors. He helped others without hesitation with a kind heart and giving spirit.
Colonel Roy J. Ruff Jr. will remain in our hearts for a lifetime. We will love you always.
"A man's love for his family is like no other. Your unconditional love for us will be in our hearts for a lifetime. Until we meet again for you to hold us in your open arms rest in peace. We love you dearly. "
Clayton Funeral Home Pearland
Pearland, Texas, United States
Roy Ruff Jr.


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

namespace AssaultBird2454.VPTU.Pokedex.Pokemon
{
    public class Link_Ability
    {
        public string AbilityName { get; set; }
        public Pokedex.Abilitys.AbilityTypes Ability_Type { get; set; }
    }
}


Supported lodgings is a flexible option for young people leaving care who are already reasonably self-sufficient, or who require more support after moving on from fostering or residential care, before gaining their own permanent accommodation. It can be viable for a small group of young people who would like more independence than fostering but are ready to accept the guidance and support offered towards living independently.
The scheme recruits, trains and assesses potential providers who can provide support and assistance within their own home.
The scheme is for young people who are "looked after" by Bromley who sometimes may have complex and differing needs, including young people with mild learning difficulties and unaccompanied minors.
All potential providers will be assessed, have a medical and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and will provide three references. Once the assessment is complete they will then be booked on fostering panel for agreement as a provider for Bromley.
Supervision is provided, as well as support groups and training.
The young person will receive financial support from the Leaving Care Team until they turn 18 where they will then claim benefits if appropriate.
We are looking for providers who have experience of dealing with young people. Clear boundaries are needed with support and guidance and a sense of humour thrown in.
The young person will need their own room.
Providers are currently paid £250.00 per week.
If you need further information or are interested in being considered for an assessment please contact us on 0208 313 4108.


I now reside in Texas and I too have a group of female friends and we just decided that since none of us had any family close by during the time we were all raising our families, we would become a family and so we are. Every other Thursday we gather for breakfast and usually once a month we rotate having celebrations at each others homes. Our children think of each other as cousins and have been in each others' weddings, etc. I cannot imagine having closer relationships than I do with this group of women - we have been through so much together sharing joys, tragedies, good times and bad, trying to diet, adjusting to aches and pains of growing older but always finding laughter - they are my sisters.
The Girls from Ames reminds me of my two college roommates. We are quite different from the Ames girls. In our case, we have very little in common except that we have always accepted each other's idiosyncrasies. We don't care much for each other's friends or husbands, but the three of us go away for a weekend each year. The older I get, the more often I hear about other friends that do this, so I think "The Girls From Ames" will hit a chord.
I have always wanted friends that would stand the test of time. Although God has sent many deep and sometimes critical friendships to me, I have not had the privilege of knowing someone so intimately for so many decades. What a tremendous treasure you all have in eachother. Like a life raft that you can climb into whenever the waves are too high or you just need to get out of the water for bit.


text:
Newsweek: More earthquakes coming due to 'climate change' – AGW 'can affect the underlying structure of the Earth'
UCL's Professor Bill McGuire's recent book Waking the Giant: How a Changing Climate Triggers Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Volcanoes, he ponders the effects of the 100m rise of sea-levels that's threatened should all the remaining ice on the planet melt.'
It's the ebb and flow of rainwater in the great river deltas of India and Bangladesh, and the pressure that puts on the grinding plates that make up the surface of the planet.
Recently discovered, that causal factor is seen by a growing body of scientists as further proof that climate change can affect the underlying structure of the Earth.
Because of this understanding, a series of life-threatening "extreme geological events" – earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis – is predicted by a group of eminent geologists and geophysicists including University College London's Bill McGuire, professor emeritus of Geophysical and Climate Hazards. "Climate change may play a critical role in triggering certain faults in certain places where they could kill a hell of a lot of people," says Professor McGuire. Some of his colleagues suspect the process may already have started.
By: Marc Morano - Climate DepotApril 28, 2015 7:11 PM
http://www.newsweek.com/nepal-earthquake-could-have-been-manmade-disaster-climate-change-brings-326017.html
Filed under: astrology, earthquake, new study, wacky


Giving birth is an incredibly difficult process for any woman to go through, and it can be especially scary for first time mothers. That's why the family in this video decided to lighten the mood for a new mom to be by singing a song!
This woman was in labor for the first time, and she was surrounded by her family, who wanted to support her however they could.
The video opens with the cast of characters being introduced as Mommy, Daddy, Uncle, Grandma, and Auntie. The two nurses in the room were also introduced, and everyone seemed to be in high spirits. Even the new mother had a smile in her face as she lay in bed preparing to go into labor.
The uncle then started to beat box, and before long, the entire family was singing the song "Push It." First released in 1987 by rap duo Salt-n-Pepa, the song is one of the most popular tunes of the twentieth century.
This was a great way to make a nerve-wrecking situation like delivering a baby a whole lot more fun. Check it out in the video below!