text:
Alpha Math Learning is a local Glenview math tutor offering private instruction for students that are interested in sharpening their math skills. Alpha Math Learning is owned and operated by Mr. Patel. Mr. Patel is certified with the Illinois State Board of Education and American Tutoring Association.
As a local tutor and private instructor in Glenview, Alpha Math Learning is familiar with the curriculum's adopted by all of the local school districts for all grade levels. We maintain working relationships with many teachers in the local school systems, as communication with private tutors such as our selves and our existing clientele's teachers, is welcome by the School District.
Most parents realize the importance of providing a solid foundation for their child's education. This is why Alpha Math Learning offers local math tutoring programs in Glenview, IL 60026. We specialize in standardized test prep Math for ACT, PSAT, SAT; SAT-Math Level 1 and SAT-Math Level 2 subject tests and Algebra-I. If you are seeking a local home schooling instructor in Glenview, IL 60026 to assist your student in furthering their education and math skills, then we can help.
At Alpha Math Learning, Instructor Mr. Patel gives precise instruction to the students so they understand the outcomes of the problems provided. He has students demonstrate what have been taught as we go through each problem and concept respectively. He lets the students solve individual problems independently offering guidance as needed. Thus Instructor gets to unlock the potential in each student in order so they can learn the study material effectively.
If you are seeking a local math tutor or private instructor that is personable and passionate about teaching math then look no further. Mr Patel possesses a background as a leading classroom math teacher, trainer, mentor for over five years. He has been teaching since February 2009 at all the school levels to college level Math involving Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus and Standardize Math Test programs such as ACT/SAT/PSAT-Math, AP Calculus etc; at two learning centers (and later as an Independent Educator) in Chicago area to a very diverse group of students.
Contact us today to discover our flexible and affordable math tutoring programs for students local to Glenview, IL 60026.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SCHOOLS IN GLENVIEW, IL
In 2014, Business Insider ranked Glenview's Glenbrook South High School as the 19th Best public high school in the United States.
In 2015, Glenbrook School District 225 was ranked as the 2nd in the state only behind its neighbor New Trier Township, and 10th in the nation by Business Insider.
Glenview Montessori school is a fully accredited, non-sectarian school of 2-6 year-olds and is part of the Deerfield Montessori Schools, one of the first Montessori schools established in Illinois.
Public elementary schools and middle schools in Glenview primarily lie within the predominant K-8 district, known as Glenview School District 34, located in central Glenview, which operates six elementary schools (Glen Grove, Honking, Hoffman, Lyon, and Westbrook) and two middle schools (Attea and Springman).
Public high schools are operated by Glenbrook High School District 225; most Glenview residents attend Glenbrook South High School. Portions of the village of Glenview who live on or east of Harms Road are served by New Trier Township High School District 203; students who reside there attend New Trier High School. Residents in the small portion of Glenview south of Central Road are part of Maine Township High School District 207, those who reside there attend Maine East High School.
Private Schools include Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Saint Catherine Labouré. Both schools educate pre-K and K-8 students. Among the private schools, Glenview New Church Schools offers a Christian-based influence on its education. GNCS offers pre-K and K-8 as well as offering some part-time High School classes in MANC (Midwestern Academy of the New Church) program.
Residential Areas and School Districts include parts of Glenview within their boundaries.
Southeast and East Glenview residents are served by Willamette School District 39 and Avoca School District 37
Northeast Glenview is served by Northbrook/Glenview School District 30
Northwest Glenview is served by West Northfields School District 31
Southwest and South Glenview are served by East Maine School District 63
Certified College Consultant
As an educator, it has always been my desire to join a solid Non-Profit organization whose goal is to help young Americans obtain a college education and yet sets stringent standards for the certification.
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The Heartland Institute of Financial Education (HIFE) is a National 501 (c) (3) Non-Profit organization whose mission is to promote financial literacy across North America. Our mission begins with HIFE College Planning. It is the goal of HIFE to help students obtain a college education.
HIFE College Planning supports the efforts of high school students and parents by helping families accurately assess their child's aptitudes and interests. The Heartland Institute's College Planning Coaches work directly with students by using these assessments to select the proper major and proper college. Not selecting a suitable major or appropriate college will, often times, cause 4-year degree program to take 5 years, or even longer!


text:
MHL: Media Hash List
Improving Data Integrity in Digital Media Workflows
Products and Tools
Please note that there are currently efforts on the way of specifying a version 2 of MHL (as "ASC MHL") at the Advanced Data Management Subcommittee of the ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council at the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC).
Resources on theasc.com:
📄 ASC MHL Specification page (with committe draft for public review)
📄 ASC MHL One-Sheet page
You can follow the progress of implementation of the new reference implementation for ASC MHL here: https://github.com/ascmitc/mhl.
The information on this webpage is about the "original" MHL specification and will soon be updated.
MHL Tool: cross-platform command tool
This is the open source reference implementation of the MHL standard.
The source code is available at the github repository:
https://github.com/pomfort/mhl-tool
Precompiled binaries for Linux, OS X and Windows can be downloaded here:
http://pomfort.com/downloads/
© 2022 mediahaslist.org, Pomfort GmbH – Impressum | Data Policy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: How to count over rows and avoid duplicates? For a university project I have to calculate a kpi based on the data of one table. The table stores data about baskets of a supermarket and the shopped line items and their product category. I have to calculate a number of all product categories of products which were bought in a specific store. So in tables it looks like this:
StoreId   BasketID  CategoryId
1           1           1
1           1           2
1           1           3
1           2           1
1           2           3
1           2           4
2           3           1
2           3           2
2           3           3
2           4           1

As a result of the query I want a table which counts the distinct product categories over all basket associated to a store.
Something like this:
StoreId   Count(CategoryId)
1            4
2            3

If I do a not dynamic statement with hard values, it is working.
select basket_hash, store_id, count(DISTINCT retailer_category_id)
from promo.checkout_item
where store_id = 2
  and basket_hash = 123
GROUP BY basket_hash, store_id;

But when I try to write it in a dynamic way, the sql calculates the amount per basket and adds the single amounts together.
select store_id,  Count(DISTINCT retailer_category_id)
from promo.checkout_item
group by store_id;

But like this it isn't comparing the categories over all baskets associated to a store and I'm getting duplicates because a category can be in basket 1 and in basket 2.
Can somebody pls help?!
Thx!

A: As your expected result, Do you want following statement?
SELECT StoreId,  COUNT(*)
FROM (
       SELECT DISTINCT StoreId, CategoryId
       FROM table_name
)
GROUP BY StoreId;

Please, replace "table_name" in statement by your table's name.
I'm not sure what is "dynamic way" meaning.

A: I'm confused by your requirements. This is what I suppose you mean:
with checkout_item (store_id, basket_hash, retailer_category_id) as (
    values
    (1,1,1),(1,1,2),(1,1,3),(1,2,1),(1,2,3),
    (1,2,4),(2,3,1),(2,3,2),(2,3,3),(2,4,1)
)
select distinct store_id, basket_hash, store_cats, basket_cats
from (
    select store_id, basket_hash,
        max(store_cats) over (partition by store_id) as store_cats,
        max(basket_cats) over (partition by basket_hash) as basket_cats
    from (
        select store_id, basket_hash,
            dense_rank() over (
                partition by store_id
                order by retailer_category_id
            ) as store_cats,
            dense_rank() over (
                partition by basket_hash
                order by retailer_category_id
            ) as basket_cats
        from checkout_item
    ) s
) s
order by 1, 2
;
 store_id | basket_hash | store_cats | basket_cats
----------+-------------+------------+-------------
        1 |           1 |          4 |           3
        1 |           2 |          4 |           3
        2 |           3 |          3 |           3
        2 |           4 |          3 |           1

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Spotlight: Dr. Adam Newman
Dr. Adam Newman is a Kingston physician who specializes in treating patients with addiction and substance use disorders (SUD). He is also chair of the board of directors for Kingston House of Recovery for Women and Children, a residential treatment facility that would provide mothers with a safe place to recover from addiction, while continuing to raise their children and obtain necessary health care.
In his role as board chair, Newman lobbied for, and received, official support from Portage, the Montreal-based mother and child program after which Kingston House of Recovery is modelled. Earlier this month, the organization agreed to provide resources to set up the Kingston facility, train staff and administer the program, as well as campaign the Ontario government for funding.
Newman told the Kingston Whig Standard in a June 7 article that Portage has already spoken to MOHLTC Minister Christine Elliott and received a "very favourable response," but funding has not yet been committed.
"We in Kingston, we're all experts in seeing what happens to women who don't have a program like Portage," Newman told the Whig Standard. "We all have lots of experience looking after women who are pregnant, using substances, who have babies and end up having the babies be put into foster care. We're experts in observing this failure."
A recent study of women with SUD attending methadone/ buprenorphine clinics in the South East region found fear of losing their children, and a lack of access to care for their children, to be the two biggest barriers to seeking treatment.
Kingston House of Recovery would be the first facility of its kind in Ontario. In the South East region, a shortage of treatment options for SUD has been further challenged by the growing opioid crisis. A residential treatment facility exists for men, but not for women. No facilities currently exist where parents can attend with children.
Dr. Adam Newman provides eConsult advice on Opioid & Addiction Medicine for the South East region. New specialists joining eConsult recently include: Drs. Michael Fuoco (Urology), Dusan Kolar (Psychiatry — Mood Disorders), Christine Law (Ophthalmology — Pediatric), Michael Leveridge (Urology — Oncology), Bikram Sidhu (Endocrinology), Samuel Silver (Nephrology) and Gavin Winston (Neurology — Epilepsy).


text:
2021 LINE-UP
VENDORS & SPONSORS ▼
Into The Paranormal
midmichparacon
4 Theme Parks That May or May Not be Haunted
Theme parks are great places to spend some time for people of all ages. However, there's a slight creepiness to many theme parks across the world, and eerie urban legends back up that sense of unease. Read on to find out what happened where that brings horror and true crime lovers to these places.
1. Dreamworld, Australia
The Dreamworld park features many different rides, such as safaris, rapids, and roller coasters. This Gold Coast attraction has been generating a lot of buzz in the area with reported hauntings at rides like "Buzz Saw" with the ghost of miller John Darke showing up during the early hours of the morning. Tragically, Dreamworld faced a newsworthy incident when four people were killed on the Thunder River Rapids ride in 2016.
2. Mimaland, Malaysia
Mimaland was Malaysia's first theme park, and it shut down quickly after reports of hauntings. This now abandoned park featured replicas of dinosaurs that brought to mind the blockbuster movie series "Jurassic Park." After this tropical water park claimed the death of rowers due to its rocky waves, the park stays uninhabited but open to the public for hiking and fishing. Although security guards attempt to keep the park closed, many still go for field trips to experience the paranormal.
3. Cedar Point, Ohio
Cedar Point is known for its high-flying roller coasters, and it's a great park to visit with your family. However, the sleepy town of Sandusky is said to hold dark secrets, such as a haunted carousel. Paranormal investigators have witnessed the wife of the horse sculptor, who was murdered in a jealous rage, continue to ride her favorite pony after midnight.
4. Walt Disney World, Florida
Orlando is a dream destination for everyone who wants to see the Magic Kingdom and Mickey Mouse. This theme park, however, has seen many accidents that have led to many urban legends. The construction of Disney World began in 1971, and Pirates of the Caribbean was installed in 1973. The classic ride's slogan is "dead men tell no tales," and many riders report experiencing paranormal activity during the boat ride.
The Pirates of the Caribbean exhibit is full of animatronic characters that are said to change places during the ride without any employee's help. Paranormal investigators have looked into this phenomenon with no evidence. It's important to explore and see for yourself if something doesn't feel right in a theme park. Trust your instincts and report your findings! For more exciting information about hauntings and more, come check out 2019's 3RD ANNUAL Mid-Michigan Paranormal Convention where you'll get exciting information about hauntings, psychics, and more.
Plan Your First Cross Country Ghost Hunt
The Unexpected Benefits of Increasing Your Spirituality
Psychic Abilities: 4 Signs That You Could Be an Empath
💀💀💀 HUGE THANKS TO OUR WONDERFUL MID-MICHIGAN PARANORMAL CONVENTION SPONSORS 💀💀💀
💀💀💀 IF YOU ENJOY THE MID-MICHIGAN PARANORMAL CONVENTION, CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AMAZING EVENTS 💀💀💀
For Media Inquiries please e-mail our team at MidMichParaCon@gmail.com


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text:
<!DOCTYPE html>

  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <title>CSS Shape Test: float right, polygon(60px 20px, 100px 60px, 20px 60px, 60px 100px) border-box reference</title>
  <link rel="author" title="Ting-Yu Lin" href="mailto:tlin@mozilla.com">
  <link rel="author" title="Mozilla" href="http://www.mozilla.org/">

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


8 - 6 jaw self-centering lathe chuck. With 2pcs top & bottom tongue groove reversible jaws. STRAIGHT RECESS OR PLAIN BACK SPINDLE MOUNTING. The item "8 6-JAW SELF-CENTERING LATHE CHUCK w. Top&bottom jaws-0.003 TIR-new" is in sale since Friday, July 20, 2012.


Join Karl Kapp for an in-depth discussion in this video Why games?, part of Gamification of Learning.
Everyone at one point in their life or another has played some sort of game. Whether it's tag as a youngster on the playground, kicking a ball around with a group of friends trying to score a goal, playing a video game on your smartphone, or playing a board game. Games are part of every culture, and a shared human experience. What gamification allows us to do is take the elements from games and integrate them into instruction. This integration provides opportunities for rich engagement, motivated learners, and making learning not only tolerable but actually fun.
Learners who are having fun and who are engaged in the learning process will have better retention and recall of content, than learners who are made to suffer through boring, static instruction. Besides my work as a professor, I'm also a passionate gamer and a researcher in the area of game-based learning and game thinking. I'm excited to explore with you the concepts of gamification of learning and instruction. In this course we're going to explore the various elements of games that are used in gamification. We'll look at some case studies of gamification, and discuss the science and theory behind how gamification can motivate and engage learners.
Knowing the science and theories behind gamification will help you to understand the best methods of applying these concepts, in your own design of instruction. By using common game elements like story, feedback and mystery, you can create an engaging gamified learning event that will capture your learners' imagination and attention. And help them to retain and apply the lessons you're teaching. Join me in discovering the many facets of gamification, and learn how you can apply those ideas and concepts to your own classroom and e-learning modules.
Play, learn, and have fun.


Historically, health care in the United States focused on managing disease and illness. Today 75% of all health care costs are spent on preventable diseases including obesity and diabetes. Furthermore, obesity and diabetes contribute to the number one killer of men and women: Heart Disease. Because there is not a lot of time during regular physicals and appointments to focus on health and wellness behaviors, health coaching has evolved as one way to assist with changing health behaviors.
Is the missing link in our current health system.
Is a new paradigm of care that defines success by not as more procedures and tests, but better client/consumer engagement in their own health.
Empowers clients to make lasting behavior changes that are the cornerstones of life-long well-being.
Bridges the gap between health recommendations and a client's ability to implement those changes into their complex life.
Capital Health Coach ECN is one way to invest in your health on-demand. Visit Coaching Focus Areas to learn more about our expertise.


text:
Astronomers uncover evidence for early Solar System shake-up
by Lee Cavendish, 11 September 2018
Studies of a binary pair of asteroids provide an insight into the past of the Solar System
SwRI studied the only large binary known in the population of ancient bodies referred to as the Trojan asteroids finding evidence for an early planetary shake-up in the Solar System. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Scientists at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, United States, studied an unusual pair of asteroids and discovered that their existence points to an early planetary rearrangement in our Solar System.
These bodies, called Patroclus and Menoetius, are targets of NASA's upcoming Lucy mission. They are around 113 kilometres (70 miles) wide and orbit around each other as they collectively circle the Sun. They are the only large binary known in the population of ancient bodies referred to as the Trojan asteroids. The two swarms of Trojans orbit at roughly the same distance from the Sun as Jupiter, one swarm orbiting ahead of, and the other trailing, the gas giant.
"The Trojans were likely captured during a dramatic period of dynamic instability when a skirmish between the Solar System's giant planets — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — occurred," says SwRI Institute Scientist Dr. David Nesvorny. He is the lead author of the paper, "Evidence for Very Early Migration of the Solar System Planets from the Patroclus-Menoetius Binary Jupiter Trojan," published in Nature Astronomy. This shake-up pushed Uranus and Neptune outwards, where they encountered a large primordial population of small bodies thought to be the source of today's Kuiper Belt objects, which orbit at the edge of the Solar System. "Many small bodies of this primordial Kuiper Belt were scattered inwards, and a few of those became trapped as Trojan asteroids."
A key issue with this Solar System evolution model, however, has been when it took place. In this paper, scientists demonstrate that the very existence of the Patroclus-Menoetius pair indicates that the dynamic instability among the giant planets must have occurred within the first 100 million years of the Solar System formation.
Recent models of small body formation suggest that these types of binaries are leftovers of the very earliest times of our Solar System, when pairs of small bodies could form directly from a collapsing cloud of "pebbles."
SwRI scientist studied the binary asteroid Patroclus-Menoetius to determine that a shake-up of the giant planets likely happened early in the Solar System's history, within the first 100 million years. Image credit: W.M. Keck Observatory/Lynette Cook
"Observations of today's Kuiper Belt show that binaries like these were quite common in ancient times," says Dr. William Bottke, director of SwRI's Space Studies Department. "Only a few of them now exist within the orbit of Neptune. The question is how to interpret the survivors."
Had the instability been delayed many hundreds of millions of years, as suggested by some Solar System evolution models, collisions within the primordial small-body disk would have disrupted these relatively fragile binaries, leaving none to be captured in the Trojan population. Earlier dynamical instabilities would have left more binaries intact, increasing the likelihood that at least one would have been captured in the Trojan population. The team created new models that show that the existence of the Patroclus-Menoetius binary strongly indicates an earlier instability.
This early dynamical instability model has important consequences for the terrestrial planets, particularly regarding the origin of large impact craters on the Moon, Mercury and Mars that formed approximately four billion years ago. The impactors that made these craters are less likely to have been flung in from the outer regions of the Solar System. This could imply they were made by small-body leftovers of the terrestrial planet formation process.
This work underscores the importance of the Trojan asteroids in illuminating the history of our Solar System. Much more will be learned about Patroclus-Menoetius binary when NASA's Lucy mission, led by SwRI scientist Dr. Hal Levison, surveys the pair in 2033, culminating a 12-year mission to tour both Trojan swarms.
Keep up to date with the latest news in All About Space – available every month for just £4.99. Alternatively you can subscribe here for a fraction of the price!
Tags: All About Space, Gas Giants, Lucy mission, news, Solar System Evolution, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), Trojan asteroids


text:
Summer Girl … and Other Duties as Assigned
William Rickman2015-05-28T12:56:50-04:00August 20, 2014|
By Barbara W. Dueholm
Chicago's Greyhound bus terminal in late August 1966 certainly lacked cheer and charm, and perhaps safety. But to me, holding a one-way ticket back to Calumet County, Wisconsin, it was a suitable escape platform from my job as a "Summer Girl" and a puzzling family situation—a family that I wasn't a member of, but had somehow become the center of. When I had arrived in Chicago that June, I had no idea that a family could implode so completely as to leave me, a 15 year old, in charge.
The author at age 15
Back in the 1960s, the Sunday Milwaukee Journal carried columns and columns of advertising from Chicago families rich enough to pay a teenager to look after their young children for the summer. Their older children, presumably, were sent away to camp. The Help Wanted: Summer Girl ads were mesmerizing. This family has an in-ground swimming pool; this one belongs to a tennis club. I didn't play tennis but dreamed of having lots of free time to learn.
Really, how difficult could taking care of two young children be? I was already saddled with six younger brothers and sisters to watch daily, ages 18 months to 13 years. And that was without the diversion of a backyard pool or access to a tennis club. Yes, we had fields of hay, timothy, and clover to tromp through; stands of pine on the hills too steep to farm and other such rural amenities. But a backyard pool, to my 15-year-old mind, would make child care a snap. So my Summer Girl job search became refined to only those families offering a pool and two or fewer children.
About a half-dozen carefully written letters were sent out, explaining how much childcare experience I already possessed and how perfect I was for the position. A critical detail: yours truly already knew how to swim. My still-tender age, not being an asset, was barely mentioned.
Soon enough, a response came from an elegant-sounding woman with two children, ages two and four. A few additional telephone calls with the charming Mrs. Wallace cemented an offer of employment, to begin immediately after Memorial Day. The Wallaces had the requisite backyard pool; I'd have the unthinkable luxury of my own room and one-and-a-half days off per week. The pay was $25 per week, cash, so not only would I return home that fall with a tan but I'd also be rich. If there was any guilt about abandoning my 13-year-old sister to care for the siblings I was leaving behind, it didn't register at that time or afterward.
My father put me on the train in Fond du Lac on a sunny early June morning. He had always tended toward being a martinet: Speak only if you are asked a question; never contradict an adult, don't go barefoot indoors or out; be good. In my entire life he'd never said "I love you" to me or anyone in my earshot. That morning as I boarded the train he kissed my forehead and said simply: Be good.
Apart from traveling solo for the first time ever, only one other thing was memorable about that train trip: the delights of Chicago awaited me and my unquiet mind skipped from one imagined fantastic scene to another. This summer would be fun.
Chicago's train station was and remains impressive, even if you're not a 15-year-old who'd barely ever left Calumet County, Wisconsin. When I disembarked there was a family, seemingly awaiting an arrival. But they can't be my summer family. They have three children, one a baby. Mrs. Wallace had said a two- and a four-year old. Nevertheless, they approached and called my name. Yes, that's me. The gentleman introduced himself: I'm Dr. Brandt. Mrs. Brandt quickly explained that Mrs. Wallace actually had secured another summer girl, and had given me to Dr. and Mrs. Brandt for the summer.
Given me? Three children instead of two, the baby not even a yearling, and no return ticket home. Be good, be good, be good echoed in my underdeveloped little brain. Lacking any other option, I followed the Brandts out of the imposing station into the bright sunlight to their car. Here things started looking up: Dr. Brandt drove a red-and-white '65 Ford Galaxie convertible. Certainly they must also have a backyard pool. Dr. and Mrs. Brandt took the front seat; the three children and I were in the back. Soon enough I fell into conversation with Kevin, age four and a half, and Susan, age two and a half; poor Baby Brandt at only eight months could only wheeze and stare at me as I held him in my arms for the trip home.
In the roller coaster that is indentured servitude, the next dip was the size of the house itself: a small and narrow two-story townhouse, connected to endless others, with only a tiny backyard … and no pool. The first floor contained a small living room, dining room, and a galley kitchen. Upstairs were three small bedrooms and a bath. Dr. and Mrs. Brandt had the largest bedroom, of course. Kevin and Susan shared a room and Baby Brandt was in the smallest room. Any idea of my own private room evaporated. The house tour finished in the basement where a space had been set up for me, partitioned with bright pink bed sheets hung from the ceiling to hide the mechanicals from me. Back in Calumet County, to my knowledge, not even the poorest of the poor slept in the basement. The basement was for storing potatoes and onions and jars of canned fruits and vegetables; perhaps laundry was done there but never was it a place to sleep. In my mind echoed the direction: be good, be good, be good. So there I was, in my little basement space shrouded in pink linens from the furnace, the washer and dryer, the ironing board, and the hot water heater. Not a basket of potatoes or a bag of onions or a jar of vegetables could be seen, unless I could be called such.
This definitely was not the romance and excitement I'd signed up for, but what could I do but stay overnight. My own home in rural Wisconsin was an overcrowded, noisy, and difficult place but at least there I didn't have to sleep in the basement. Unless they are sociopaths, most 15-year-olds don't know how to hide grave disappointment—even without uttering a word. So Dr. and Mrs. Brandt immediately set about shoring up the relationship. I wore glasses, unattractive ones, as they all were back in 1966. Would I like to get contact lenses? What ugly-duckling 15-year-old didn't? That could be done instantly as Dr. Brandt was completing his residency at a large Chicago hospital. It would be their treat! No deduction from my pay. Only later did I learn those coveted contact lenses, far too expensive for my family to afford at retail, were of no cost to them—they were prepared at a teaching hospital where doctors did favors for one another. Ditto for some deferred dental work I clearly needed. I thawed. Three children, including a baby, and the pink sheets, could, I suppose, be tolerated.
The older, wiser, contact-wearing author
Mrs. Brandt was 27; tall, lean, with long dark hair. Even in early June, she already sported a very nice tan. A sheltered place in the tiny backyard was her permanent and daily tanning space, complete with chaise lounge and side table for iced tea. My own mother loved to sunbathe and she'd worked out a similar, secluded setup back in rural Calumet County, minus the iced tea.
The first two weeks were a whirlwind of eye and dental appointments at Dr. Brandt's hospital. Mrs. Brandt drove me and the children from suburban Niles "into town" in her snazzy convertible. In a matter of days my ugly eye glasses were history. That all this got done so quickly and without any fuss seemed miraculous at the time. After the wooing promises made on my first day were met, we settled in.
Dr. and Mrs. Brandt received the Chicago Tribune daily. The first order of business for Mrs. Brandt, still dressed in a beautiful negligee, was to carefully peruse the entire paper for the large clothing ads placed by Marshall Field's which she did at the dining room table, while drinking coffee and smoking Kent cigarettes. When that was done, she would phone Field's and ask them to send over items she fancied—sometimes one or two but more frequently a half dozen or more. Everything arrived promptly and she set about trying on each item. I could not figure out why the delivery guy didn't just wait, because 80 percent of it got sent back that same day: wrong shade of green; didn't like the drape of the skirt, didn't flatter her figure. Had she never exited the dress-up doll stage, I wondered. But she kept enough items to annoy Dr. Brandt regarding her spending.
Mrs. Brandt had a seemingly wide range of lady friends that she frequently spoke with on the telephone. The long cord from the wall-mounted phone in the kitchen easily stretched to the dining room table, so neither smoking nor drinking coffee had to be compromised during her chats. Often she would arrange a lunch date with one or more friends, which meant dressing up in one of those fabulous outfits from Field's and going out. None of her friends ever came to the house. Mrs. Wallace, who had "given me" to Dr. and Mrs. Brandt, called early on to lament that her Summer Girl, the very one she'd thrown me over to get, had left her after only a few weeks. Would Mrs. Brandt give me back to her? Mrs. Brandt laughed when she related that conversation. Instead of feeling any regret, my only thought was how horrible that household must have been for a Summer Girl to give up a backyard pool and a private room to return early to Wisconsin.
The days fell into a rhythm: Get the children up in the morning, feed them, and make certain they were entertained afterward; do laundry when necessary. Make a serviceable lunch for the children, and then get them down for a nap, after which we'd walk to the park to get some space and air. Baths after dinner at night and then off to bed for the children and for me.
Now that she had a Summer Girl to manage the household, Mrs. Brandt could also nap daily. Perhaps because of all the coffee consumed, she herself had a difficult time getting down for a nap. So she asked me to give her a back massage prior to her daily nap. She was nonchalant about the request, so it never occurred to me to decline. Our neighbor back home, Mrs. Haberman, paid me 50 cents a week to wash her hair and put it up in pin curls. Mrs. Brandt's request for a back massage didn't strike me as materially different from fiddling with Mrs. Haberman's hair. During that quiet hour or so each afternoon when everyone else napped, I explored. They had a nice hi-fi, tons of record albums—Jack Jones, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, and Tony Bennett. My life-long fondness for standards, accompanied by lush strings, can be dated from that period. They also had a very modest library: Jane Austen, Herman Melville, George Eliot. More interesting to me were the many large photo albums full of romantic pictures of Dr. and Mrs. Brandt enjoying foreign scenes. In the photos they always looked so sophisticated and so happy; I never tired of looking at them.
Dr. Brandt was also tall and dark-haired but as burly as Mrs. Brandt was lean. He was 30 and had been notified that as soon as his medical residency was complete in the fall, he would be drafted and sent to an Army post in Texas. To Mrs. Brandt, her husband's impending military service was unfair and cruel. Texas was worse than the USSR, for God's sake. Where would she wear her fur coat? That Dr. Brandt didn't cause the Vietnam War, or the draft, was not consequential to her.
My one evening and day off per week were cherished solitary hours. Although I was only 15, the local multiplex admitted me to Irma la Douce, Thunderball and lots of other age-inappropriate fare. The newly-acquired contact lenses and careful use of eye makeup worked their magic. Sunday was reserved for church. I'd never been big on it, but services gave me a reason to get out of the house for hours. Our Lady of Ransom was not only a suitably long walk away, but also suitably named for my experience. My fit of weekly religiosity caused Dr. and Mrs. Brandt to mirror it in their own religious rituals at home. Both my religiosity and theirs were short-lived.
In that tiny house with only the ground floor as common area, Dr. and Mrs. Brandt's arguments were impossible to miss: below the children's bedrooms and above mine, they battled on the first floor. Money and spending, the draft, and the woman next door were recurring topics. Doris lived in the townhouse next door; she was the human embodiment of a Barbie doll—at least from the waist up. In 1966 vernacular, Doris was stacked … and blond … and tan. She and her architect husband (no kids, I was thankful) were frequent backyard guests at Dr. and Mrs. Brandt's for pre-dinner cocktails, smoking, of course, and chatting. What heterosexual guy would not look at Doris, in her halter top and shorts and perfect tan? But to Mrs. Brandt, looking was the prelude to all sorts of out-of-bounds activities. That Dr. Brandt worked so much as to make dinner at home a rare treat did not register with Mrs. Brandt. So the arguments and accusations escalated: She would not move to Texas; he would not support her spending; she would not countenance his seeing Doris; he insisted Doris was only a neighbor. This was not unlike the verbal jousting I'd experienced at home; only the topics at issue differed.
[blocktext align="right"]But after my contact lenses were in place, my dental work taken care of, and my credibility as a reliable Summer Girl firmly established, all hell broke loose.[/blocktext]
But after my contact lenses were in place, my dental work taken care of, and my credibility as a reliable Summer Girl firmly established, all hell broke loose.
I got up one early July day to find Mrs. Brandt, as usual, having coffee and smoking Kent cigarettes at the dining room table with the Tribune spread out in front of her. Also as usual, Dr. Brandt had spent the night at the hospital on call. Medical residencies are tortuous.
Mrs. Brandt calmly told me she was leaving to visit her parents in California; that a taxi would be there momentarily. She had left cash and groceries for me; milk would continue to be delivered. Dr. Brandt would provide more money as I needed it. The children were getting up so I fed them breakfast. But when are you coming back, I asked? Is Dr. Brandt coming back? It didn't immediately dawn on me that she had no plan to come back. With all my other questions unanswered, I blurted out: But what about Baby Brandt—he has asthma. What should I do? Oh, just walk him in the night air, said Mrs. Brandt.
The taxi came and with sweaty effort the driver hoisted multiple heavy pieces of luggage into the trunk. Mrs. Brandt was gone. The children seemed nonplussed. Had this happened before? How could it have with Baby Brandt only 9 months old? An immediate call to my parents provided no help at all. "Don't leave those babies" was really all that my mother said. Wait, I'm just a baby myself! Be good, she said; be good.
Left alone with three children under age five, a full larder, stacks of record albums, and more cartons of Kent cigarettes in the cupboard than I'd ever seen in private hands, I did what any other abandoned 15-year-old might. I made chocolate chip cookies by day, and after the children were in bed each night, learned to smoke Kent cigarettes and appreciate the standards sung by the greats. When Baby Brandt had his usual asthma attacks, we walked in the night air. Kevin and Susan did not like this one bit, parading down the sidewalk in their pajamas, but I could not leave them alone at home. We'd walk, walk, walk. I continued to sleep in the basement even with an empty bedroom upstairs. I'd been in it only immediately after Mrs. Brandt left, just to see if she'd left any clothing behind. She hadn't. Dr. Brandt called periodically; did I need money? When I did, he brought it, staying only briefly to nuzzle the children, whom he clearly adored. It stung that he would not stay more than a few minutes, but what man would, with a 15-year-old girl in the house and already accused of stepping out with a neighbor?
I pleaded with my family by letter and phone: please, please can I leave? Always the same answer: Don't leave those babies. Be good, just be good.
It took little time for the generous larder to run low. The grocery store was blocks away; I could not possibly carry the shopping back in the pram with Baby Brandt. Temptingly, that snazzy convertible was right there. Mrs. Brandt had given me the keys when she left for California. No matter that I wasn't old enough yet for a driver's license. I'd driven a tractor—standing up so I could shift gears—and I'd driven my older brother's 1950 Hudson stock car around a hay field. Surely I could get the hang of the Galaxie's automatic transmission. Off we went, convertible top down whenever possible, to the grocery, to a park too distant to walk. What was the harm? Even with a driver's license, no one wore seat belts or used car seats in those days. Four-and–a-half year old Kevin was deputized to hold Baby Brandt.
My parents visited. They only stayed an hour or so, just to make certain, I think, that the children in my care were OK. They brought several pounds of Sheboygan bratwurst in the wholly mistaken belief that familiar food might keep me from getting too homesick. Neither Kevin nor Susan had ever heard of, much less tasted, bratwurst. But as I was the cook, that's what they got—until it ran out. If nothing else, it was a break from the constant stream of casseroles, one of the few things I felt confident making. No one, not neighbors nor my parents, ever advised me to contact Child Protective Services. I did not know there was such a thing as Child Protective Services.
The back lot neighbor, Mrs. Theobald, was a retired tailor and she befriended me. Not enough to offer to watch the children for a few hours so I could get a break but I enjoyed our chats. Unable to fit all the new acquisitions into her closets, Mrs. Brandt had given me several of her clothing cast-offs. Mrs. Theobald offered to tailor them to my barely 5'3" height. So we spent the children's nap time together many days, me modeling the clothing and Mrs. Theobald on her knees with a pin cushion strapped to her wrist and her lit cigarette in an ashtray nearby. My very favorite was a form-fitting jewel-toned sleeveless dress with a little bolero jacket; no way did I look 15 in thatoutfit. Mrs. Theobald always referred to Dr. and Mrs. Brandt as "Blair" and "Carol" which I could never bring myself to do; she also had lots of free time to observe the neighbors. She told me that the marriage between Doris and her husband was doomed. I was aware of "doomed" marriages back home—too many babies, too much alcohol, total incompatibility. But Doris and her husband intrigued me—what could be wrong with their union? How could that be, I asked Mrs. Theobald. Oh, he doesn't really like girls, she said. That was an entirely new reason for me to think through. Her forecast about Dr. and Mrs. Brandt's marriage was similarly pessimistic—but for different reasons. Well, Carol comes from wealth, she said and Blair does not; doesn't matter that he's a doctor. The draft into the Army only hurried down the inevitable, she concluded.
The daily routine went on and on: children fed, entertained, bathed and put to bed; clothing laundered, groceries purchased. Not one phone call came from Mrs. Brandt. By mid-August I finally told Dr. Brandt that I'd have to return home soon. My junior year in high school would begin after Labor Day. Who knows what phone lines lit up across the country, but in less than a week, Mrs. Brandt and her parents materialized. Mrs. Theobald told me Mrs. Brandt's family had made their fortune out east in the girdle business, women's girdles being very big business in the '40s and '50s. In retirement they enjoyed the endless summer that is Southern California. Mrs. Brandt's mother wore lots of large and expensive pieces of jewelry. She was a tiny blond woman and all that jewelry made her look even smaller. Mrs. Brandt's father, like her, was tall and lean. Awkward introductions and pleasantries were exchanged. The weeks-long abandonment of children and family was not mentioned. In fact Mrs. Brandt said almost nothing at all, leaving her parents to do the heavy conversational lifting. Her father pulled a roll of bills from his pocket and paid me. Now I could leave.
Kevin, Susan and Baby Brandt said good-bye to me with as much emotion as they'd shown their own mother when she'd left them weeks before. The taxi took me, my newly tailored clothing, and my smuggled packs of Kent cigarettes to the bus station. I didn't know enough to tip the driver. Settling into my seat, the euphoria of being allowed to return to my own dysfunctional home ebbed. I thought about my summer and concluded that, except for the smoking part, I'd been good enough.
Barbara Dueholm is retired from the public broadcasting division of the University of Wisconsin Extension.
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JCC August 22, 2014 at 10:40 pm
This was great. I loved the way she effortlessly takes is back to a very different time.
BWD August 23, 2014 at 10:44 am
Yes, a very different time, when smoking cigarettes was considered cool and wearing seat belts was not. BWD
Clare August 22, 2014 at 11:53 pm
I love this story! I almost cheered aloud when the bratwurst showed up.
Kerry August 23, 2014 at 10:34 am
I love the vibrancy of the author's writing, especially describing driving Mrs. Brandt's car to get groceries. Nice.
AB August 23, 2014 at 8:27 pm
Bravo! Terrific story and beautifully written. Too bad Mad Men has finished shooting, "Summer Girl" would have been a great episode.
Charlotte Biegelsen August 24, 2014 at 11:28 am
Great story! I've been sharing it with friends.
Charlotte Biegelsen August 24, 2014 at 1:07 pm
Moderation? This is a wonderfully well-told and well-worded story. Anyone who has cared for kids or convertibles or the '60s or bratwurst or just enjoys reading about people has a treat in store.
MKD August 26, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Oh, I absolutely LOVED this piece! I went through so many emotions reading it…concern for that 15-year-old girl, laughter/horror that "all hell broke loose," shock that anyone could abandon children like that…and, as Charlotte mentions above, the idea that bratwurst could cure homesickness.
I'm also impressed with the pluck of this girl! Resourceful indeed! A great read, and I plan to tell my friends.
KS September 3, 2014 at 7:11 pm
Such a great piece! Proof that reality often provides much more solid, interesting material than anyone's imagination could ever construct.
Matthew Chaboud October 11, 2014 at 4:13 pm
Having known the author, having come from Wisconsin, and having lived in Chicago while regularly driving up to Niles, the most vivid anchor in all of this is somehow the idea of an Emma Watson look-alike listening to standards and smoking Kent cigarettes while a good part of the would-be cast of Peter Pan slept upstairs. This is a beautifully told and bizarrely gripping story.


Graham has more than a few clever makeup tricks up her sleeve, as well: A hydrating cream blush to keep her cheeks dewy and a pat of bronzer as the perfect earth-toned eyeshadow. "I believe in loads of highlighter," she adds, slicking it on top of her lip and across the collarbone. "Let's just draw that in." That said, the pièce de résistance may be Graham's tip for immovable brows—a bit of L'Oréal Elnett hair spray, spritzed onto the spoolie and used to brush them up. "These suckers don't move," she says. Simply brilliant, much like the woman herself.
In This Story:Ashley Graham, Beauty Secrets, Supermodels!


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Finally, a journalist for a mainstream UK media outlet is methodically tracking weapons shipment serial numbers and English-language paperwork recovered from al-Qaeda groups in Syria, and he's literally showing up at arms factories and questioning arms dealers, including officials at the Saudi Embassy in London, asking: why are your weapons in the hands of terrorists?
Veteran Middle East war correspondent Robert Fisk recently published a bombshell report entitled, I traced missile casings in Syria back to their original sellers, so it's time for the west to reveal who they sell arms to. In it Fisk recalls a bit of detective sleuthing he's lately been engaged in after stumbling upon a batch of missile casings and shipment paperwork last year hidden in what he describes as "the basement of a bombed-out Islamist base in eastern Aleppo" with the words "Hughes Aircraft Co/Guided Missile Surface Attack" emblazoned on the side of the spent tubes.
Of course, the Syrian government recaptured the area from Islamist insurgents including al-Nusra terrorists and their allies in December 2016, and has made rapid gains throughout the country's east and south since; and Fisk has been trekking around the country to see what he can find.
Readers, a small detective story. Note down this number: MFG BGM-71E-1B. And this number: STOCK NO 1410-01-300-0254. And this code: DAA A01 C-0292. I found all these numerals printed on the side of a spent missile casing lying in the basement of a bombed-out Islamist base in eastern Aleppo last year.
Well-known British reporter Robert Fisk says that a doctor at the hospital which treated the victims of an alleged chemical weapons attack said there were no chemical weapons … and that it was a member of the White Helmets who started the false rumor.
This would appear to confirm what the former British ambassador to Syria says.
Oh, the hypocrisy of it. The ignoble aims. The distraction. The outrageous lies and excuses.
I'm not talking about America's tweet-from-the-hip president and his desire to escape from the cops' raid on his lawyer's office – there's a Russian connection, all right.
And I'm not talking about his latest sleaze. Life with Melania might not be great at the moment. More distracting to sit with the generals and ex-generals and talk tough about Russia and Syria.
I'm not talking about Theresa May, who wants to step out of the Brexit ditch with any distractions of her own: Salisbury attacks, Douma – even Trump. So Trump telephoned Macron, when the poor lady thought she'd won his hand. What is this nonsense?
Macron has now hitched his own wagon to the Saudis against Iranian "expansionism" – and no doubt arms sales to the Kingdom have something to do with it. But how sad that the desire of young French presidents to act like Napoleon (I can think of a few others) means that they devote themselves to joining in a war, rather than pleading against it.
Now we have our spokespersons and ministers raging about the need to prevent the "normalisation" of chemical warfare, to prevent it becoming a part of ordinary warfare, a return to the terrible days of the First World War.
This does not mean any excuses for the Syrian government – though I suspect, having seen Russia's Syrian involvement with my own eyes, that Putin might have been getting impatient about ending the war and wanted to eradicate those in the last tunnels of Douma rather than wait through more weeks of fighting. Remember the cruelty of Grozny.
Middle East sage on ISIS, refugees, Harper, 'short-termism' and more. A Tyee interview.
Arguably the world's most famous international war correspondent, Robert Fisk has been travelling to strife-ravaged regions of the world for over 30 years. His columns — he has been contributing to the British newspaper the Independent since 1988 — are trenchant, often angry analyses of missteps in military interventions in the Middle East.
Fisk has interviewed numerous leaders and figures in the region, including Osama bin Laden (three times). The current refugee crisis, created by instability in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, is the worst of its kind since the Second World War, he says.
Fisk blasts both politicians and the media for lack of historical perspective on the region. In particular, he points to the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, in which the British and French colonial powers covertly agreed to carve up much of the Middle East between them. It was a secret agreement that was later exposed by the Russians, one Fisk points to as a valid reason for ongoing resentment throughout much of the Middle East.
Currently on a cross-Canada tour, Robert Fisk spoke to The Tyee about the deepening crisis in the Middle East and how the global community should react to it.
The Tyee: Seeing the images coming out of the Middle East, of so much of Syria destroyed, of the things ISIS is up to, of the droves of refugees, of dead children on the beach, people feel a sense that something must be done. You have pointed to the dire complications presented by the bombing campaigns. What is to be done?


I know I should stop posting NOTDs when my skills are le suckage, but sometimes, I just can't help it. Especially when a pretty purple comes along! We all know what a sucker I am for pretty purples, so Agyness, part of the Asos Paints by Ciate Winter Collection for 09, comes along.
Here we have Agyness in natural light. She's a really pretty deep violet purple colour, a little blackened, with that lit-from-within glow.
Pretty, isn't she? She's equally good in indoors lighting, and it really brings out her shimmer.
I couldn't really get a good pic of the shimmer, so I took this picture for you, since3 it does show the shimmer very well. It's very pretty blue and pink shimmer.
And then, because I got bored, I decided to add a flakie over it. This was Maybelline's Pink Pinata. I think it's been discontinued.
And, because I was STILL bored, I added RBL's Matte topcoat over it. And then I was satisfied. The results were truly stunning, although I have to say the matte-ness of the whole thing made the purple base look black.
And sometimes, it just looks like a little bit of everything! This is so pretty - it's when it really looks like a rainbow!
While I thought Agyness was pretty, I really liked it better when it was oomphed up a bit more with the flakie and the matte topcoats. As with the other Ciates in the Asos Paints Winter 09 Collection, Agyness, like Pixie and Mary-Kate, has been quite smooth to apply. Not as smooth as the other two, but better than you'd expect for the price point. As usual, the formulation was good, but the brush was a bit draggy. I wish ASOS would change the brushes on these, so as not to ruin the awesome formulation of the polishes.
Another thing I noticed when I matted and flakiefied my mani - the RBL Matte topcoate didn't stay on for very long. It started showing tipwear after day 2...Which made me kind of sad. So after the second day, the tips of my nails started looking glossy, while the rest of my nail was matte. Of course this is easily rectified by applying another layer of topcoat, but I thought I'd just put it out there for my readers. I'm not sure if this is due to it being matte, and thus more chippy (like matte and suede polishes), or whether it's just this polish. I suspect it's the former.
woah....that is SUPER cool looking!!
That is one stunning mani!
such a gorgeous purple! and i love the flakies on it!
Woah the end result looks so trippy. It almost looks like a lava lamp.


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text:
Kevin Hart Steps Down as Oscar Host Amid Backlash Over Anti-LGBTQ Tweets
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for MTV
Kevin Hart will no longer be hosting the 91st annual Academy Awards.
One day after he was announced as the master of ceremonies at this year's Oscars, the comedian has resigned from the position amid backlash over anti-gay tweets and comments her made close to a decade ago. Hart, 39, deleted many of the tweets on Thursday, addressing the controversy and his resignation on Instagram.
"My team calls me, 'Oh my God, Kevin, everyone's upset by tweets you did years ago," he said in the video. "Guys, I'm nearly 40 years old. If you don't believe that people change, grown, evolve as they get older, I don't know what to tell you. If you want to hold people in a position where they always have to justify the past, do you. I'm the wrong guy, man."
He declined to apologize for the tweets, telling followers that he previously addressed this same issue more than once in the past. Hart said he would not again say he was in the wrong, but did say that he's "moved on" from his old views.
"I chose to pass on the apology," he said. "The reason why I passed is because I've addressed this several times. This is not the first time this has come up. I've addressed it. I've spoken on it. I've said where the rights and wrongs were. I've said who I am now versus who I was them. I've done it. I'm not going to continue to go back and tap into the days of old when I've moved on and I'm in a completely different place in my life."
Less than two hours after the video was posted, Kevin tweeted that he chose to resign from hosting the Academy Awards. He said he did not want to distract from the accolades of the nominees and, despite his previous statement, did apologize to the LGBTQ community.
"I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's...this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past," Hart tweeted.
He went on to say that he was sorry he "hurt people," adding that he is continually "evolving" and hopes to maintain that trajectory. He sent "love & appreciation to the Academy," and said he hopes to one day be asked to host again.
The Academy must now find someone to fill his shoes, a feat Variety has suggested won't be easy. The outlet noted that it appeared, based on how late in the game they announced Hart as the host, that no one was interested in the position. Sources said they had a more difficult time filling the role this year than they had in the past.
Source: Kevin Hart Steps Down as Oscar Host Amid Backlash Over Anti-LGBTQ Tweets
Filed Under: academy awards, Kevin Hart, Oscars
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Come and have some fun and games. Everyone welcome. This is a group for playing games, relaxing and having fun, while getting to know each other a little better. Please feel free to come and join us, the more the merrier, all are welcome. If you have a game you would like to see on here please feel free to create one under discussions.


Internet spending has jumped by more than a quarter in the last two years, a new report analysing how the UK uses payment cards online has revealed. Card spending on the internet totalled £154 billion in the UK in 2016, averaging £422 million a day, figures from The UK Cards Association show. This is a rise of 28 per cent since 2014, when online spending amounted to £120 billion.
Analysis found that one in four card purchases online is on entertainment, with consumers buying cinema and concert tickets, takeaway orders and digital content. The UK now spends online more per household than any other country, at US$5,900 in 2015. This is higher than Norway (US$5,400), the USA (US$4,500) and Australia (US$4,000).
The report also looked at internet spending patterns on debit and credit cards in the UK and found that a quarter (26 per cent) of all card spending was online last year, up from 22 per cent in 2014 with 1.8 billion purchases in 2016, an average of 150 million a month. This is an increase of 38 per cent from 1.3 billion in 2014. Entertainment sales make up the highest proportion of all online purchases (26 per cent); although these only account for 7 per cent of the total value, reflecting the relatively low cost of digital entertainment such as apps and music downloads while 41 per cent of in-store card purchases are on food and drink, the sector only makes up 7 per cent of online transactions. More than a quarter (27 per cent) of all online spending by value is on financial services, the highest share of any sector.
According to the latest figures from HM Revenue and Customs for properties whose value is over £40,000, the provisional seasonally adjusted UK property transaction count for March 2017 was 102,810 residential and 10,390 non-residential transactions.
The seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of residential property transactions increased by 0.5% between February 2017 and March 2017 with this month's seasonally adjusted figure is 40.9% lower compared with the same month last year.
The large year-on-year drop is due to the unusually high transaction count in March 2016 followed by the substantial reduction in April associated with the introduction of the higher rates on additional properties in April 2016. Non-tax factors may have caused changes in the property market as well, for example the Bank of England's plans to curb Buy-to-Let mortgages could have resulted in a rush to purchase before April 2016, and the EU Referendum affecting transactions in the following months.
For March 2017 the number of non-adjusted residential transactions was about 20.9% higher compared with February 2017. No direct comparison should be made between March 2016 and March 2017 due to the large peak in March 2016. However, 9% of the annual transactions for 2016-17 were received in March 2017 which is in line with years prior to 2015-16.
Every year protection providers publish claims data to explain the number of claims they have paid out to customers. However, a view from Aegon's customer and consumer panel has revealed that four out of five (83%) people who purchased protection policies were unaware that providers publish this information.
In addition to this, 81% of people believed that the UK protection industry pays out less than 90% of life protection claims each year. In fact, 52% of people thought this figure was less than 70%. While 92% of consumers thought the industry pays out less than 90% of critical illness protection claims each year, with the majority (58%) of people believing this figure was less than 70%. More than half (52%) of respondents were surprised to find that protection providers in the UK paid 97% of all protection claims in 2015.
Respondents had a good grasp of the most common reasons claims aren't paid, with not meeting the illness definition, providing inaccurate information on applications and claiming for something that's not included in the policy listed in the top three.
According to the latest analysis by Nationwide Building Society, house prices recorded their second consecutive monthly fall in April, while the annual rate of growth slowed to 2.6%, the weakest since June 2013. The Lender expressed surprise that there is a softening in house price growth with key metrics such as the unemployment rate being near to a 40- year low, confidence is still relatively high and mortgage rates have fallen to new all-time lows in recent months.
Nationwide observed that while monthly figures can be volatile, the recent softening in price growth may be a further indication that households are starting to react to the emerging squeeze on real incomes or to affordability pressures in key parts of the country. Various data suggest that the latest slowdown in house prices may be part of a broader trend with retail sales growth slowing markedly in recent months, from a 14-year high of 7.3% in October, to 3.7% in February and 1.7% in March.
The Lender suggested that household budgets may be coming under pressure, as wage growth has moderated and inflation has accelerated. The household saving ratio, which measures how much income goes unspent each quarter, fell to an all-time low of 3.3% in Q4 on data extending back to 1963. The data also suggests there may also be more fundamental reasons for the slowdown. House price growth has been outstripping earnings growth for a sustained period of time, steadily eroding affordability on a number of metrics. For example, according to Nationwide, the typical house price is currently 6.1 times average earnings, well above the long run average of 4.3 times earnings, and close to the all-time high of 6.4 times recorded in 2007. Moreover, even though mortgage interest rates have touched new lows in recent months, the cost of servicing a typical mortgage is only just in line with long run average, and above long run averages in London and parts of the South of England.
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) estimates that gross mortgage lending reached £21.4 billion in March. This is 19% higher than February's lending total of £17.9 billion, and 19% lower than the £26.3 billion lent in March last year. The sharp fall in year-on-year lending was expected, as March last year saw significant rises in activity as borrowers rushed to beat the second property stamp duty deadline that came into effect from the beginning of April.
Gross mortgage lending for the first quarter of 2017 was therefore an estimated £59.1 billion. This is a 4% decrease on the fourth quarter of last year and a 6% decrease on the £63.0 billion lent in the first quarter of 2016. The CML feel that mortgage lending appears to be in neutral gear with the gross estimate for March at £21.4 billion being broadly in line with average monthly lending over the past year. Within this aggregate level, the CML has highlighted that there has been a shift towards first-time buyer and remortgage customers, away from home movers and buy-to-let landlords.
The CML expect this profile to continue over the short-term, as low mortgage rates encourage existing borrowers to remortgage and government schemes help first-time buyers.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published its mission statement this week. The documents the regulator has released represent a big step forward in explaining how the FCA see their role and in our transparency. They explain how and why the FCA regulates financial conduct in the UK and what they want their regulation to achieve. The mission statement highlights a view of the issues and challenges in the sectors the FCA regulates, their plan and priorities for the period ahead and the budget they need to deliver on the promises made.
The FCA's mission is to serve the public interest, and to add public value through a valuable contribution to society. This sounds obvious to many but the lesson of history is that the financial services industry can't take it for granted. The FCA remains a young institution and has plenty of work to do to give their mission the impact the regulator feels is necessary in today's modern world.
The FCA operates on a big landscape – 56,000 firms under their regulation is one indicator. Parliament has given them the overall objective to ensure that the markets they regulate function well. To advance this strategic objective they have three operational objectives: to secure an appropriate degree of protection for consumers; to protect and enhance the integrity of the UK financial system; and to promote effective competition in the interests of consumers.
The Mission sets out a framework which underpins a decision-making process, including decisions on how the FCA prioritise within and across the different sectors they regulate; how they respond to specific issues within markets or firms; and decisions on how their individual functions, such as policy, competition, authorisation, supervision and enforcement, operate.
Pet insurers paid out a record £706 million in pet insurance claims in 2016 – the equivalent of £1.8 million every day – to help the UK's pet owners cope with the unexpected costs of owning their pet, such as vet's bills, according to figures published during National Pet Month by the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
The increase in claims and costs reflects the ever increasing range of veterinary treatments now available, as well as increasing vet bills. For example, £366 to treat a cat with lethargy and £3,400 to treat an English springer spaniel who swallowed a grass seed. However, despite rising claims, the vast majority of pet owners are not insuring their pets. The average claim was £757- up from £721 in 2015 – a 5% increase.
Pet insurers dealt with 708,000 claims for dogs, paying out £544m, up 9% from 2015 where insurers paid out £501m. For cats, 193,000 claims were handled, worth £112 million – a rise of 7% from 2015, in which insurers paid out £105m. Owners of dogs are nearly twice as likely to insure their pet than owners of cats: 30% of the 8.5 million dog owners and just 16% of the 7.5 million cat owners are thought to have pet insurance.
Underhand tactics by the personal loans industry are costing consumers as much as £400 million every year according to TSB Bank. Its research reveals the underhand tactics which could be costing people in the UK as much as £400 million each year.
Consumers are being punished for shopping around – with providers making a hard mark on their credit file just for asking for a loan price or quote. Many providers hide important product features from consumers – which could save, or cost them money and customers can feel trapped with their loan provider – because they are prevented from switching to get a better deal.
Nearly one in 10 people in the UK are thought to have a personal loan and these underhand tactics are costing them as much as £400 million each year. TSB's investigation reveals that nearly two-thirds (61%) of providers perform unnecessary hard credit checks when a consumer looking for a personal loan just asks for a price or rate. Almost 80% of people say personal loan fees and charges should be clearer and nearly seven in 10 (69%) people want switching their loan to get a better deal to be made simple and straightforward.
In its recently published report, Consumers Matter, TSB has identified three simple changes that will go a long way to making the loans market work for consumers: to start with consumers must be able to shop around for a good deal – with loans providers never making a hard mark on a consumer's credit file until they choose to actually purchase. Secondly providers must come clean on hidden product features upfront and be clear on how the loan works – to enable customers to find the right loan for their needs. And finally the industry must stop locking in customers and create a new switching service – to free customers who feel trapped with their current provider.
The General Election has started in earnest with a crowdfunding project for a potential candidate known as Mr Fish Finger to take on Tim Farron in June's General Election reaching its financial target.
The political outsider vowed to conduct any related business in their campaign to become MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale dressed as a fish finger if they reached funds of at least £500 – and a total of £665 has been raised so far.
Heads Together aims to change the national conversation on mental health and wellbeing, and is a partnership with inspiring charities with decades of experience in tackling stigma, raising awareness, and providing vital help for people with mental health challenges. Mental health is an important issue of our time. We all suffer moments of self-doubt, stress or general sadness. This can sometimes run into a couple of days. But when days lead to weeks and weeks to months then this is a serious problem. One of the best ways to alleviate the problem is to talk about it. Through awareness and education they believe they can finally, one day soon, end the stigma. Please help if you can, in any way you can. Talk to a colleague, a friend a partner if you are feeling low. If you are able to, please donate.
With the recent changes to lender assessments on Buy to Let mortgage it's a good time for a reminder of the network's requirements when it comes to income proof.
HLP record keeping expectations often mean that we ask for more than a specific lender may need as part of the application process. We understand this can seem to be confusing or unnecessary but I can assure you that we do this to help keep you safe and help in the event of subsequent file reviews by lenders. Many lender's will do retrospective checks on cases and often ask for a copy of 'evidence of income' at a later stage.
It's therefore very important that you take care to read the lenders criteria before submitting the application; BM Solutions, for example, require rental profit to be evidenced by SA302's – even for employed applicants! Although they may not require it at application they reserve the right to view it later on, and as the biggest mortgage lender in the UK, it's vital that you are following their guidelines.
The protection gap in the UK is believed to be as high as £2.6 trillion and our partners do a fantastic job in trying to get this down. As a network we are consistently making changes to our procedures to make sure you are able to do this in a compliant way and this is why we decided to remove the Discontinued Plan Form and to integrate this into the suitability letter, produced through HLP CRM. This has raised some concerns with the information that is being gathered on the existing policy to enable you to make the recommendation to cancel the policy. With the size of possible complaints from protection cases it's imperative that you take all reasonable steps to review the clients existing policy and document not only the pros of cancelling it but also the cons. There will be times when, despite impassioned requests, the client won't or can't give you the details. In these situations you should take care to document this and to make clear that you have made your recommendation in the absence of the full details. When reviewing files we do take a wider look at how often this might happen. The best approach is to try and obtain the policy certificate in every case and upload to the record. If the client cannot provide this a good description of what they have will help. If all else fails then your advice will be impaired, but remain relevant, but you must make it clear on the file and through the suitability letter that you requested the policy details and that the customer was unable to provide them to you, for your own protection.
According to the Royal Chartered Institute for Surveyors (RICS), new buyer enquiries in the UK were reported to be flat for a third successive month in March, and although the picture remains mixed across the UK, the areas with declining buyer interest outweigh those with increasing demand. The strongest growth in new buyer enquiries was seen in Northern Ireland and the South West (+34 and +22 net balances respectively); and, on a bright note for London, buyer interest has been increasing modestly over the last four months (+9 net balance in March).
New instructions to sell fell noticeably with 13% more respondents to their survey seeing a fall in fresh listing rather than a rise over the month. Stock on estate agents books has consequently dipped to a new record low with branches (on average) now holding only 43 unsold properties. Consequently, there has been an impact on sales activity with transaction volumes failing to rise across the UK in each of the last four surveys. In March, 3% more respondents saw a fall in agreed sales rather than a rise; that said, sales did rise relatively firmly in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Going forward, the national near-term sales outlook also appears somewhat subdued (+16% to +12% in March).
RICS suggest that the lack of supply in the market continues to underpin prices, with 22% more respondents seeing a rise over the last month across the UK, however, the difference between central London and the rest of the UK continues to widen. If figures from the capital are excluded from the headline figure, price growth in the UK has accelerated since December and price rises in the North West are particularly strong.
In the lettings market, RICS has highlighted that tenant demand continued to rise as 11% more respondents to their survey noted an increase (rather than a fall) on a non-seasonally adjusted basis. Even so, demand growth remains more modest than in March 2016. New landlord instructions also remain in negative territory for a sixth straight month, and the imbalance between supply and demand continues to drive rents upwards. Contributors anticipate further growth in rents in virtually all areas over the next twelve months with the exception of the capital, where rents are anticipated to continue to decline over the near term.
The number of million pound apartment sales in England & Wales has grown nearly threefold (196%) since 2006, from 1,002 to 2,967 in 2016, according to the latest research by Lloyds Private Banking. The rate of growth in transactions for apartments has far outpaced other prime market property types with sales of million pound terraces rising by 165%, followed by semi-detached properties (154%) and detached (88%) in the past decade.
Apartments represented 22% of all million pound property sales in England & Wales in 2016 compared with 17% in 2006. Apartments accounted for 26% of the increase of all million pound property sales between 2006 and 2016 in England & Wales.
Unsurprisingly, the overwhelming majority of million pound plus apartments are in London with 96% of sales in the capital. The number of apartment sales in the capital has increased nearly threefold (193%) from 973 in 2006 to 2,853 in 2016, representing 35% of all million pound property sales in Greater London in 2016.
The South East had the highest percentage increase of apartment sales in the past decade with a nearly fivefold (389%) rise from 9 sales in 2006 to 44 in 2016, followed by the East of England (283%) and South West (150%). These large percentage increases, however, were from very low bases with these three regions combined accounting for only 3% of total apartment transactions above £1 million in 2016. The only other regions to record sales of million pound apartments in 2016 were the North East and North West, both with just one sale.
Statistics released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders indicate that there were more loans advanced for house purchase in the February month than any February since 2007, although due to the seasonal dip in activity, borrowing was relatively low compared to monthly activity the past twelve months. The proportion of household income used to service capital and interest rates continued to be near historic lows this month for both first-time buyers and home movers at 17.4% and 17.6% respectively.
Affordability metrics for first-time buyers saw the typical loan size decrease slightly from £132,300 in January to £132,100 in February. The average household income also decreased to £40,000 from £40,200. This meant the income multiple went from 3.53 to 3.54. The average amount borrowed by home movers in the UK increased to £176,000 from £175,300 the previous month, while the average home mover household income increased slightly month-on-month from £54,900 to £55,000. The income multiple for the average home mover was unchanged at 3.34.
Buy-to-let activity was driven by buy-to-let remortgage lending which accounted for over two thirds of total lending. The number of loans for buy-to-let house purchase advanced in February was at a ten month low in part due to the traditional seasonal dip in activity in the winter months.
More than half of first time buyers are dependent on family money to raise the deposit on a home of their own, new research from Nationwide Mortgages has revealed.
Almost a third (31%) said that they would be calling on the Bank of Mum and Dad, while eight per cent were reliant on other relatives such as grandparents, according to the research, which asked would-be and recent first time buyers about their home buying plans. Another 15 per cent said that funds from an inheritance would be used for a deposit on a property. There are also potentially damaging misconceptions about what can be used as a home deposit. While two thirds (63%) said they were active savers into savings accounts, with a quarter (26%) specifically identifying the Help to Buy ISA as their savings vehicle of choice, a significant proportion thought they could use a personal loan (10%) or credit cards (5%) to fund a deposit. This is despite the fact that unsecured borrowing for this purpose could potentially damage their chances of securing a mortgage.
Those questioned were, however, prepared to make sacrifices to achieve the home buying dream. When asked what they would give up in order to buy a home, more than half said they would give up nights out (55%) and restaurant meals (51%), although they were least likely to give up extra TV services and entertainment (28%).
However, seven per cent said they'd even consider giving up a partner or spouse if it meant they could get a foot on the housing ladder. This rose to 11 per cent of the 45-54 age group who would forego a relationship if it meant they could buy a home.
Raising a deposit clearly represents the biggest hurdle for first time buyers. Those surveyed identified their biggest home-buying challenge as being able to pull together enough for a deposit on a home (30%), with the price of the house (21%) and cost of the mortgage (14%) some way behind.
Engineering researchers say they have solved the riddle of why shoelaces come undone.
After a detailed study, they discovered that two forces act like invisible fingers, first loosening the knot and then tugging until laces are left trailing on the ground. They used a slow motion camera filming a person running on a treadmill to figure out how the failure of the knot occurs in seconds after it is triggered by an interaction of complex forces.
It was found that the running foot exerts a force seven times greater when landing on the ground than the one exerted while standing, forcing the knot tying the laces to stretch and relax, loosening it slightly. At the same time, as the knot loosens, the swinging of the laces that occurs as the leg moves forwards and backwards causes an inertial force to be applied on the free ends of the laces, pulling the already-loosened knot apart. The researchers say the finding could have knock-on uses when applied to other intertwined structures, like DNA.
Adding weights to the loose ends of a swinging laces showed that they untied themselves more often, as the inertial forces on their ends were greater. The study also found that, while some laces might be better than others for tying knots, they all suffered from the same fundamental cause of knot failure.
The latest Lloyds Bank UK Consumer Digital Index shows the benefits of being digitally savvy, with people saving hundreds of pounds a year by using online discounts, cashback and vouchers.
The 2016 Index showed that people could save an average of £744 per year by being online. The 2017 Index now focuses on how people can benefit from cashback and discount sites to save money. Half of those that are online use discount, cashback and voucher websites, but it is the younger generations seeing the most benefit. Those aged 30-39 lead the way, with just under three in five (59%) using these sites to save money. The research suggests digitally capable people have a greater ability to deal with a change in financial circumstances, save money, and make money go further. Around 85% of the UK population is highly digitally capable, equating to around 42 million people. On average, they save nearly twice as often each year, save more than twice as much, and check their balance more than twice as often.
Beyond voucher sites, people continue to make savings when buying products or services online. Nearly two-thirds (62%) save money on holidays and over half save on insurance (57%) and clothes (54%). Holidays are the most popular saving and interestingly, the Index shows that this is regardless of income. For example, over half (53%) of those with a household income of less than £20,000 a year are saving money on holidays.
There are some unsurprising trends in certain categories. For example, more young people (66%) save on clothing whereas more of those between the age of 30 and 49 save money on insurance (62%). With 9% of the UK not yet adopting digital, the clear benefits of being online are not being realised by all. Despite the significant savings that can be made, 68% of those that are 'offline' say nothing will tempt them to go online.
From this week buy-to-let landlords will begin to feel the direct effects of the next tightening of taxation of the sector. Tax relief on landlords' mortgage costs will now be restricted to the basic rate of income tax. And, over the next three years, the proportion of their borrowing costs that landlords can offset against tax will taper down to zero.
On top of this, landlords are affected by new rules restricting other deductible expenses that they incur from renting property, including reforms limiting tax relief for wear and tear in fully furnished properties. A new raft of restrictions limiting what landlords can offset against tax follows the introduction of higher rates of stamp duty on property purchases by landlords. Since April last year, anyone buying a second home has had to pay 3% on top of the normal rate of stamp duty applying to the property. So, each investment by a landlord will have a stamp duty bill of at least 3% and as much as 15% of the purchase price, depending on its cost.
The increasing tax burden on landlords coincides with a tightening of regulatory requirements on the buy-to-let sector. This requires Lenders to consider likely future interest rates over a five-year period (unless the loan rate is fixed or capped for five years or more). More specifically lenders have to stress test their lending against an expectation of an increase in buy-to-let mortgage rates of at least two percentage points; and assume a minimum rate of 5.5% even if the stress test of a two-percentage point increase would actually produce a lower rate than that.
In a further tightening of regulatory requirements, firms will, from the end of September this year, also have to apply special underwriting rules to landlords with a portfolio of four or more mortgaged. The regulator is suggesting that lending to these landlords is inherently more complex because of the potential problems associated with higher debt totals, more complex cash flows, multiple tenancies and risks of property or geographical concentration.
According to Nationwide's Chief Economist Robert Gardner, the annual rate of house price growth slowed in March to 3.5%, from 4.5% in February. House prices fell by 0.3% in the month, after taking account of seasonal effects.
The research shows that there was a mixed picture across the UK in Q1. Six regions saw the pace of house price growth accelerate, six saw a deceleration and one (East Midlands) recorded the same rate as the previous quarter. Interestingly, the spread in the annual rate of change between the weakest and strongest performing regions was at its narrowest since 1978 at 6.8 percentage points – the second smallest gap on record.
The South of England continued to see slightly stronger price growth than the North of England, but there was a further narrowing in the differential. Northern Ireland saw a slight pickup in annual house price growth, while conditions remained relatively subdued in Scotland and Wales.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed new rules to help customers who are in persistent credit card debt. This follows the FCA's study of the UK credit card market, which found significant concerns about the scale, extent and nature of problem credit card debt.
Under the FCA's definition, credit card customers are in persistent debt if they have paid more in interest and charges than they have repaid of their borrowing, over an eighteen month period. Customers in persistent debt are profitable for credit card firms, who do not routinely intervene to help them.
The FCA estimates that around 3.3 million people are in persistent debt, with over half (1.8 million) for two consecutive periods of eighteen months. Today's proposals require firms to take steps to help customers repay their balances more quickly and to offer further assistance to those who can't.
Under the new rules, firms will have to take a series of steps to help customers in persistent debt. When a customer has been in persistent debt for eighteen months, firms will be required to prompt them to make faster repayments if they can afford to do so. If a customer is still in persistent debt after a further consecutive eighteen month period, firms must take steps, such as proposing a repayment plan, to help them to repay their outstanding balances more quickly. Customers who do not respond, or who confirm that they can afford to repay faster but decline to do so, would have their ability to use the card suspended.
The FCA also proposes that where a customer cannot afford any of the options proposed to repay their balance more quickly, firms must take further steps to assist them to repay the balance in a reasonable period, for example by reducing, waiving or cancelling any interest or charges. It is expected that firms would normally suspend use of the customer's card during this period.
Researchers at the University of York say they have identified a potential link between consuming Marmite and the apparent increase of gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) – a chemical messenger associated with healthy brain function. They believe this is because Marmite is rich in vitamin B12, which encourages the body to produce the neurotransmitter that "regulates the delicate balance of activity needed to maintain a healthy brain".
Researchers tested 28 healthy volunteers, half of which were assigned to the active Marmite group while the rest were placed in a control group who consumed peanut butter. They measured each participants' response to visual stimuli and recorded electrical activity in the brain using electroencephalography (EEG). Those who ate a teaspoon of Marmite every day for a month showed a 30% decrease in their brain's response to visual patterns.


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ELISA >
Rantes ELISA Kit, Human
BACKGROUND RANTES (short for "regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted") also called CCL5, belongs to the CC chemokine family and induces leukocyte migration by binding to specific receptors in the G protein–coupled receptor family. RANTES (CCL5) has been shown in vitro to mediate eosinophil, lymphocyte, neutrophil, and monocyte chemotaxis, and it initiates several other proinflammatory events, such as integrin activation, lipid mediator biosynthesis, and degranulation. RANTES production, which is generated predominantly after cellular activation in CD8+ T cells, monocytes, endothelial cells, epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and platelets. RANTES has been shown to modulate cytokine production, inducing a switch from Th2-type to Th1-type cytokines. RANTES also induces the upregulation of Th1 cytokines (IL-2 and IFN-γ) and Th2 cytokines (IL-5).1 RANTES triggers two signalling pathways in T cells. At nanomolar concentrations, G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-mediated signal is generated, leading to cell migration. At higher concentrations (micromolar and above), a protein tyrosine kinase (PTK)-mediated signal is triggered, leading to cell activation.2 RANTES-induced activation appears not to be confined to T cells, but dual signalling pathways may also be induced in monocytes and neutrophils. A particular characteristic of RANTES is its ability to self-aggregate, forming multimers at high concentration. that the aggregation of RANTES is necessary for its activating effects. One of its receptors, CCR5, is a co-receptor for HIV entry into CD4+ cells. Together with the other chemokines which bind to CCR5, RANTES is able to suppress HIV-1 infection in vitro. In addition, high concentrations of RANTES have been shown to enhance HIV infection in vitro, independently of its binding to chemokine receptors. The enhancement of HIV infection mediated by RANTES is partially due to its activating effect on cells.3 In addition to binding specific chemokine receptors, RANTES is also able to bind to cell surface glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) which promote RANTES oligomerization): this mechanism is involved in RANTES-mediated enhancement of HIV infection.4
1. Schall, T.J.: Cytokine. 3:165-83, 1991
2. Appay, V. et al: Int. Immunol. 12:1773-82, 2000
3. Appay, V. & Rowland-Jones, S.L.: Trends Immunol. 22:83-7, 2001
4. Proudfoot, A.E.I. et al: J. Biol. Chem. 276:10620-6, 2001
Target Protein Species:
31.2pg/ml – 2000pg/ml
No detectable cross-reactivity
with any other cytokine
Store at 4°C. Use within 6 months.
ELISA Kits are based on standard sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technology. Freshly prepared standards, samples, and solutions are recommended for best results.
Product Sheet CL0494
Human Rantes ELISA Kit CL0494 57927.68 руб.