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On Thursday, Trump announced his intention to nominate two authors who wrote books that flattered him to a board that makes recommendations on education research. Another author who helped write a favourable book about the president was chosen for the same board a few days earlier. On Wednesday, the Department of Defence announced that China hawk Michael Pillsbury would become the chair of a board that gives Pentagon leadership advice on how to enhance national security.
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On Thursday, Trump announced his intention to nominate two authors who wrote books that flattered him to a board that makes recommendations on education research.
Another author who helped write a favourable book about the president was chosen for the same board a few days earlier. On Wednesday, the Department of Defence announced that China hawk Michael Pillsbury would become the chair of a board that gives Pentagon leadership advice on how to enhance national security. Pillsbury has served as an outside adviser to the president on China. And on Tuesday, Trump said he would appoint his former counsellor and campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, to serve on the board of visitors to the U.
Air Force Academy. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao was among the appointees to the board of trustees at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The positions that Trump has filled in recent weeks are generally on advisory boards in which members go without a salary, though they get reimbursed for travel expenses.
Light said that he believes past administrations have put in sincere work to match up people with the kind of credentials and experience Congress envisioned when it prroject those boards. The White House did not respond to a request for comment about what the president is seeking to Housewives wants sex tonight New Albany with the appointments and how he thinks they would enhance the work of the federal government.
Among the most consequential of the wave of appointments has been with advisory boards at the Pentagon. There was Pillsbury's appointment to the Defence Policy Board. In addition, the Pentagon announced the week that Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie would serve on a separate entity, the Defence Business Board. That board provides the Pentagon's leadership with outside private sector perspectives.
They serve at the pleasure of the administration, so President-elect Joe Biden could move to replace them quickly. You laughed at me on the way out, but I got the last decision. The sttephens came a day after an announcement that the Eden Valley Poultry plant would be closed for at least two weeks because cases of the virus were detected there. As of Saturday, six employees had tested positive.
All were self-isolating until they could be retested in the coming week. People living in areas from New Minas to Middleton should be tested as a precaution and there was no evidence currently of community transmission, officials said. Seven new infections were reported in Nova Scotia on Saturday, and 61 cases were active in the province.
Robert Strang, Nova Nude women Elizabeth chief medical officer of health, said he was pleased with a drop in the of cases. Two were said to be travel related, while the source of the third infection was under investigation. There were 23 active cases in the province. New Brunswick reported one new case of coronavirus disease on Saturday.
The person in their 20s in the Saint John region, was self-isolating, officials said. There were Hot women of sioux Kobern-Gondorf nude 72 active cases in New Brunswick, with four people in hospital, including three in intensive care. The Edmundston region in the northwest of the province was moved into the orange level of COVID recovery Saturday after the of cases doubled in just five days. Chief medical officer of health, Dr.
Heather Morrison said all five cases are travel related and all five are self-isolating. The province has 17 active cases of COVID and has had a total of 89 cases since the pandemic began. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. Paramedics could not revive him and he was pronounced dead at the scene. According to data from the Vancouver Police Department, there were 10 homicides in15 inand 19 in In a written statement Saturday, B.
The deaths happened over the course of the week and the mortality rate has slowed, the ministry said. The outbreak is limited to one farm, which the ministry said cannot project singles port stephens named due to public safety concerns. The ministry also said there are about 15, mink at the farm, and the majority of them don't appear to be showing symptoms.
There are around 60 mink farms across the country, according to the Fur Council of Canada. Last month, the Danish government ordered all farmed minks to be culled, after finding that 12 people had been infected by a unique mutated strain of the coronavirus that causes COVID, which passed from humans to mink, then back to humans. The ministry says samples are being tested to determine the genome sequencing and the strain of the virus, and are Single housewives seeking casual sex Sidney this week.
Much sinfles the funds will go to small businesses that ly applied to the municipality's Small Business Relief Grant program and were placed simgles the waitlist. Businesses that had ly received money from the grant program are not eligible to receive more funds.
Businesses will be selected randomly. Applicants who were ly waitlisted do not need to reapply and will be automatically placed into the random draw. Hunter Biden's ties to Burisma in particular have long dogged the policy work and political aspirations of his father, Joe Biden, now the president-elect of the United States.
It's unclear whether Hunter Biden's work at the Ukrainian company is a central part of the federal investigation or whether prosecutors are simply seeking information about project singles port stephens his sources of income in recent years. The person was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. A lawyer for the younger Biden, George Mesires, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment for this story and a spokesman for the Biden transition team declined to comment.
Hunter Biden confirmed Wednesday that his taxes are under federal investigation. The revelation comes at a delicate time for the president-elect, who is building out his Cabinet and will soon decide on his nominee to run the Justice Department, the same department overseeing the investigation into his son. In addition to Chapais, Quebec of pussy hairs Burisma-related request, the subpoena issued last week also seeks information on Hunter Biden's Chinese business dealings and other financial transactions.
The probe was launched signlesthe year before his father announced his candidacy for president. At one point in the investigation, federal prosecutors were also examining potential money laundering offences, two people familiar with the matter told the AP.
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Giuliani pressured officials to do the investigations and has been pushing unsubstantiated corruption allegations against the Bidens. Giuliani himself had also been under federal investigation, with federal prosecutors in Manhattan examining whether he failed to register as a foreign agent, according to people familiar with the matter. It was unclear singlew that investigation remains active as Trump has discussed the possibility of preemptive pardons for some of his family members and close associates, stdphens Giuliani.
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C'est honteux! An additional sites will get shipments Tuesday, and the remaining 66 on Wednesday. Initially, about 3 million doses were expected lroject be shipped nationwide. It was unclear exactly who would receive the first shots, though health care workers and nursing home residents were the priority.
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Perna said health authorities would decide. The announcement Saturday kicks off a massive logistical operation involving the federal and state stwphens, private companies and health care workers to quickly distribute limited vaccine supplies throughout the U. It offers hope in a country grappling with surging COVID singled and deaths, which are overwhelming hospitals and raising fears that things will only get worse as people gather over the holidays.
Perna compared the vaccine distribution effort to D-Day, the U. But he added that it would take months of work and "diligence, courage and strength to eventually achieve victory. Dora Mills, chief health improvement officer. Medical distributor McKesson and pharmacy chains, simgles CVS and Rite-Aid, also are involved in the initial rollout and vaccinations at nursing homes and assisted pory centres.
In a key distribution challenge, the vaccine, co-developed with BioNTech, must be stored singes shipped at ultra-low temperatures — about 94 degrees below zero. Pfizer has developed shipping containers that sinhles dry ice, and GPS-enabled sensors will allow the company to track each I need to cum today and ensure it stays cold. Distribution sites are mainly large hospitals and other facilities able to meet those ultra-cold storage requirements.
Within three weeks, vaccines should be delivered to all vaccination sites identified by states, such as local pharmacies, Perna said. The vaccine was timed to arrive Monday so health workers could receive the shots and begin giving them, Perna said. In a clean room, pharmacists practiced making separate doses of a training vaccine and ensuring the freezer was kept at temperatures colder than in Antarctica. The Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the vaccine late Friday.
It capped an unprecedented global race to speed vaccines through testing and review, chopping years off the project singles port stephens development process. The FDA found the vaccine highly protective with no major safety issues.
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Concerns that a shot was rushed out could undermine vaccination efforts in a country with deeply ingrained skepticism about vaccines. Peter Marks, said the agency will carefully track any reports of stephenns reactions in the U. On Friday, the Trump administration said it had purchased million more doses of that vaccine on top of million it ly ordered. The Trump administration contends the current orders plus those in the pipeline will be enough to accommodate any American who wants to be vaccinated by the end of the second quarter of The AP is solely responsible for all contentcontent.
Katherine Ward explores which communities could be affected, and why some say the situation is becoming dire. They projecg a sinlges total after opening the team event Friday with a 58 in the scramble format.
The final round will be better ball. The figures come as the province began scheduling vaccinations health-care workers will get after the first doses arrive as early as next week. Eligible workers were notified on Friday, the province says, and it hopes the first clinic will be operating as soon as Wednesday. Manitoba says about health-care workers in critical, acute and long-term care units will be proiect to receive the new Pfizer COVID vaccine.
Older workers in direct contact with patients as well as those in the clinics will at the front of the line and bookings will be accepted in the order received. More dates will be added to immunize the priority group as soon as possible, based on further deliveries of the vaccine. That's when the Electoral College meets. Sijgles Constitution gives the electors the power to choose the president, and when all the votes are counted Monday, President-elect Joe Biden is expected to have electoral votes, more than the needed to elect a president, to votes for President Donald Trump.
The spotlight on the process is even greater this year because Trump has refused to concede the election and continued to make baseless allegations of fraud. That makes the meeting of the Electoral College another solid, undeniable step toward Inauguration Day on Jan.
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Language technologists have created the basis for a new kind of realistic communication in computer games. The Dialog Box supports collaboration and interaction between players speaking different languages. Using a space adventure game as a model, the research team led by Dietrich Klakow at Saarland University has developed the Dialog Box in cooperation with other project partners. Players can pose intuitive questions to the computer, issue commands and receive information. The Dialog Box acts as a mediating agent that enables the computer to understand spoken words and to manage the mission by linking the game being played by German-, French- and English-speaking players.
The research project has received about three million euros in funding from the EU research initiative EUREKA, with half a million euros awarded to the research work carried out in Saarland.
In a space station that is clearly in deep trouble, Player One wakes from his cryogenic sleep. According to 'Uri', the all-knowing onboard computer, the oxygen level is sinking fast. Uri, short for 'User recognition interface', helps the player to locate and identify the source of the problem, to solve it, and thus save the station and its crew. And it all happens without a joystick or a mouse, simply by using spoken questions and commands. Uri provides detailed answers in a pleasant voice and in the same language as that spoken by the player. By executing the spoken commands it receives, Uri brings Player One into contact with the other members of the crew. The crew members then work as a team to repair the station, with each team member speaking to Uri in their own language.
'For our showcase application "Sonar Silence", which is the name our model game goes by, we've created a novel architecture for dialogue systems. The new architecture can be quickly and easily integrated into computer games, but can also be used for other multilingual conversational applications in which several people work collaboratively to solve a problem," explains Professor Dietrich Klakow. The computational linguist from Saarland University was part of the Dialog Box project in which he and his team worked together with the Austrian games company and project coordinator Mi'pu'mi Games, the Idiap Research Institute, the Swiss company Koemei, the Belgian company Acapela and the German firm Sikom Software.
The Dialog Box multilingual agent supports the players by using higher-level knowledge to coordinate the overall game. By sharing important information among the different players, the individual games can be merged seamlessly into a single game. The Dialog Box understands and speaks the languages German, English and French. 'Training the system in other languages is not a problem,' says computer linguist Anna Schmidt, a PhD student in Klakow's research group and recipient of a Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship.
The Saarbrücken language technologists developed the automatic language understanding module for the Dialog Box. Specifically, they taught the computer to understand the players and the situations that the players find themselves in during the game. As a result, Uri knows what an airlock is and can draw appropriate conclusions regarding it, such as whether the airlock is open or closed. To achieve this, the research team put together a vast array of data and information regarding context, environment and background. 'We used a prototype to determine the typical questions asked, which involved carrying out tests with volunteers,' explains Thomas Kleinbauer, a researcher in Dietrich Klakow's group and a research scientist within the Cluster of Excellence 'Multimodal Computing and Interaction'. Everything was then transcribed and translated so that it could be understood by the computer. The researchers were able to build on the results obtained in earlier projects. With this knowledge base available, Uri is in a position to understand questions and commands, recognize relationships and respond accordingly, for example by opening an airlock when requested.
The research group led by Dietrich Klakow is working on numerous other projects to expand and improve automatic language understanding systems. The group has already received a number of awards for its work, including a Google Research Award for Professor Klakow.
The conversational interaction with computers that is possible today has been decisively influenced by the work of computer linguists in Saarbrücken. Saarland University's Saarbrücken campus is one of the major centres of language technology. Many of the threads linking international research projects in the field of language technology converge in Saarbrücken. A new collaborative research centre is examining the role of information density in language use. One of the goals of the Saarbrücken-based Cluster of Excellence 'Multimodal Computing and Interaction' (MMCI) is to construct computer systems that enable users to interact with them in a manner similar to how humans interact with one another. The computer linguists work closely with the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence and the two Max Planck Institutes for Informatics and for Software Systems, all of which are located on the Saarbrücken campus.
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Brand owner invests $30 million to bolster plastics recycling
Updated: September 15, 2020 September 15, 2020
Major global food and beverage company Nestlé announced a $30 million investment in the Closed Loop Leadership Fund. | JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock
After announcing a plan early this year to buy a massive volume of recycled resin in the coming years, Nestlé has begun investing in the U.S. to support that goal.
The company, a major global producer of food and drink products, on Sept. 7 announced a $30 million investment in the Closed Loop Leadership Fund, a private equity arm of investment firm Closed Loop Partners. Nestlé said the investment will help in the "shift from virgin plastics to the use of food-grade recycled plastics in the U.S.," according to a release.
Nestlé early this year announced a plan to invest more than $1.5 billion to source up to 2 million metric tons of food-grade recycled plastics over the next five years. As part of that announcement, the company developed a "packaging venture fund," and the recent investment is the first initiative from that project.
In a statement, Nestlé USA CEO Steve Presley said the investment represents a "significant move" in the direction of increasing U.S. recycling rates.
"It is also a critical step in our effort to secure access to high-quality, food-grade recycled plastics which can be converted into new packaging material for use across our product portfolio," he noted.
The Closed Loop Leadership Fund, which was launched in late 2018 and is led by recycling industry veteran Maite Quinn, is a private equity vehicle focused on acquisitions and taking major positions in companies. Last year, the investment organization became the majority owner in Texas MRF operator Balcones Resources.
In the announcement, Closed Loop Partners CEO Ron Gonen said Nestlé has also "committed to create an end-market for the food-grade recycled plastics processed through the companies we acquire."
In an interview early this year, Chastity McLeod, head of technical packaging for Nestlé USA, said the company was looking to boost markets for food-grade recycled PE and PP, which are not as readily available as food-grade RPET. These materials are used in Nestlé food packaging products that use stretch and shrink film, bundle wraps, trays, closures and more, McLeod explained.
The recent announcement noted that Nestlé "will have access to recycled plastics feedstock processed by companies in which the [Closed Loop Leadership] Fund will invest in order to achieve greater volumes of food-grade recycled plastics for its packaging."
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Posted in News | Tagged brand owners, plastics |

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Is South Africa heading towards another recession?
While some key indicators point decidedly towards negative economic trends, the government insists that SA's finances are stable for the time being. The question behind all these discrepancies, however, is which came first: chicken or nest-egg?
Numerous indicators started painting a gloomy picture for SA's economy this week, as variables hinting at a second consecutive quarter of contracting gross domestic product (GDP) might seem to be imminent. This would indicate that the country is indeed entering a recession.
Financial intelligence firm Fitch Ratings published a detailed report on South Africa's markets, downgrading the country's credit-worthiness to BBB chiefly on account of mining strikes, which have been crippling the economy for almost half a year now. Ratings agency Standard & Poor followed suit and ranked South Africa even lower at BBB-, creating rather a bleak outlook, as the Rand remains in the basement. But the South African government insists that the economy is far from entering another recession, with the Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Review report from last week saying that the situation was stable and contained.
Trying to add perspective to the fact that SA's economy shrank 0.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2014, the government's publication explained that ongoing challenges from violent mining strikes to electricity shortages to tense labour-market conditions all contributed to that downhill trend, adding that any long-term economic growth would need to be adjusted "to the downside" in the light of these findings, but not amounting to a recession.
However, analysts underscore that consumer spending had also gone down in the first quarter of the year despite the series of extenuating circumstances presented in the Monetary Policy Review paper, implying that the government might simply be trying to make excuses. Despite the Reserve Bank's outlook on the situation, the World Bank took the very reasons cited in the government publication as sufficient reason to make a further material downward revision to SA's growth outlook for the year.
Furthermore, continuing the trend of hiked interest rates set by the Reserve Bank in January 2014, it is becoming evident that while the government may not want to admit to a looming recession, it is pulling all the stops to avoid it from happening – which does not go far in creating investor confidence and is almost certainly going to affect the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
"Overall, inflation in South Africa is projected to be above target for an extended period of time, with risks tilted towards higher inflation. Over the longer term, this necessitates higher interest rates, and therefore a tightening cycle," the Reserve Bank commented.
With the new government also having extremist elements, especially in the form of the Economic Freedom Fighters taking 25 out of 400 seats in parliament, confidence in business is slumping even further. President Jacob Zuma is yet to prove to investors that South Africa can still be trusted as a destination for investment, while some controversial pieces of legislation pushed through parliament during the last few months of his first presidency did not help to secure any such trust.
His recently appointed Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene rejected the notion that the economy was facing any major troubles while the governor of the Reserve Bank also tried to remain optimistic about the country's outlook. Gill Marcus told reporters that she was confident that SA would manage to stay shy of hitting another recession – despite ongoing strike action in the platinum sector entering its fifth consecutive month now and crippling one of South Africa's most important industries.
But with further strike action looming on the horizon, as the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) is now considering putting the gold mines on halt for industrial action, the forecast is clearly looking grim – with or without a recession on the cards.
The second quarter numbers from the mining sector, especially the struggling platinum mines, are tipped as the "make it or break it" indicators bound to predict how the economy is going to perform in the end, and whose prediction is just going to hold up. If the ongoing trend of almost 25 per cent contraction in the mining sector (compared to the most recent numbers from 2013) continues, South Africa might be in for a rude awakening.
The only light of hope at the end of the tunnel is directly linked to the recent performance of the US Dollar and the Euro, which could strengthen the Rand in market speculation as well as attract investment. However, these midterm concerns quickly fall on the back-burner when a recession might be waiting just around the corner.


At only 13 years of age Brooklyn Nimegeers is off on a hockey trip of a lifetime.
Today the young Moose Javian is off to Chamonix, France to play with the 14u Draft Day North American All-star team to represent North America in the World Select International Championships.
Nimegeers was first recruited at the Belfry 64 prospect camp in Guelph, Ontario (2018) where she was identified as one of the top 64 13-year-old female players in North America as a 12 year-old. Nimegeers was then selected for a national all-star team for the Beantown classic in Boston. She was then selected to head to France.
Playing for the Moose Jaw Pee Wee Mavericks in 2018-2019 Nimegeers had 49 goals and 14 assists in the course of 10 games. She was part of the Moose Jaw Mavericks squad who were crowned the South Division Champions in the Saskatchewan Female Hockey League.
To get a better understanding of what it is like to head off to France to play hockey MJ Independent asked 10 questions.
1. Brooklyn can you tell me what does it feel like to be chosen to go to France?
It feels really great. I am really nervous about going to play at that level, but I think it is a great opportunity.
2. Who is going with you to France?
I don't know any of the girls on the team, as I am the only girl from Western Canada. The girls are from all over North America. (Ontario, PEI, Michigan, Tennessee, Kentucky, …) Also my Dad.
3. Why do you play hockey?
I love hockey. It is my favorite sport. I have a lot of good friends both on the boys team (PeeWee AAs) and the Mavericks which make it fun.
4. Do you play any other sports?
Yes, I play fastball with the Moose Jaw Ice, track, volleyball, football, and I love inline hockey as well. I was on Team Canada for inline hockey at the junior Olympics the last two years, and am hoping to go to Hawaii with them again this year.
5. In five words can you explain what this past season of hockey was like?
6. I understand you are in an age group higher than your age. What does it feel like to play at a higher level? Do you find it challenging to play at a higher age level?
I've played up an age group a lot in female spring hockey. It is challenging, but not as challenging as playing with the boys. I've played AA boys since Atom , and playing with older boys is the toughest.
7. What is your favourite hockey team?
8. If you were not playing hockey you would rather be .................?
…….Playing fastball. It is a great sport too. If not playing sports, I love camping and hanging out at the lake.
9. Where do you attend school?
10. What do you hope to bring back from France in terms of hockey?
I hope to make a lot of new friends from around the world, and a gold medal wouldn't hurt either….


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In all of 2015, the year before Britain voted to leave the European Union, there were only 30 applications for Cypriot citizenship at the Cyprus High Commission in the UK. After the EU referendum that number has increased by 670% to ~200 in the UK Consulate in 2018 already and there are certainly many more UK Cypriots that are interested in obtaining Cypriot citizenship.
The Federation represents the UK Cypriot community and with an increased demand for Cypriot citizenship we want to ask for your opinion on this process. We'll use our findings to make representations to the Cypriot Government about the process and the criteria.
Also, as the Brexit negotiations enter a crucial period, we want to hear directly from our community on this important issue. We regularly meet with Ministers, Shadow Ministers, Parliamentarians and other stakeholders, so hearing your voice will enable us to advocate on your behalf.


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Kathleen Forbes
I am a business professional who works with multi-national companies to keep organizations' workforce safe and healthy, and mitigate global, health and security risks. As part of that mission, my employer International SOS provides assistance, resources and support not only for the physical health but also for the emotional well-being of employees through vetted counselors, educational webinars and emergency hotlines.
My passion to support people emotionally through various workplace challenges extends beyond my professional calling. On a personal level, I also feel called to help others struggling with addictions, anxiety or depression who may not know where to turn during a crisis. That is why I love Mosaics of Mercy, as they are the loving people others can turn to for support, guidance and resources and to find beauty in their brokenness.
My path initially intersected with these other founding women of Mosaics in 2016. At that time, my family was going through a challenging time when our oldest daughter was hospitalized because of an eating disorder. These women supported and prayed for our family during this rough time, and helped us to not feel alone.
I think we each shared that common experience of feeling scared and alone when facing a loved one's addiction/disorder. Moreover, we believed that if we felt that way, there were probably many others in our community that felt the same way. Together, we co-founded Mosaics of Mercy to help others know they do have people to turn to, who have been down their path and who have ultimately experienced hope and healing. Since the inception of Mosaics, I have served as a volunteer in various capacities: working the Mosaics booth at various community events, serving as a Mosaics prayer warrior, writing notes of encouragement, making hearts and helping contribute to key programs.
Today, four years later, I stand amazed at how much Mosaics has grown, and how many people Mosaics has impacted in the community. Truly, I look forward to seeing how God will grow and strengthen this special ministry moving forward, providing healing, hope and encouragement to a broken world. May God continue to shine His face on Mosaics of Mercy.


We would like to inform you that the Zug Chamber of Economy invites on Thursday, August 24, 2017, at 6 pm, to the next Open House of the Association Innovation Park Central Switzerland. Robert Rudolph, Member of the Board of Management and Head of Education & Innovation at Swissmem, will highlight the topic of Industry 4.0 and emphasize on the opportunity for the Swiss workplace.
For further information, please refer to the enclosed invitation.


The Blu-ray Disc Association says last year's task force to extend the Blu-ray format to allow for 4K content has resulted in a final set of recommendations for consideration. "Through the first quarter of this year, the task force solicited and received numerous proposals, and is now evaluating the various technologies," said the Association.
One of the problems said to be bothering the experts is whether (and how) to make the 4K Blu-ray discs backward compatible, or to start with a new standard that's – in effect – 4K only.
Sony Pictures has already started production of an initial batch of fifteen 'Mastered in 4K' Blu-ray discs, but they are not 4K, only 1080p High Definition discs sourced from digitally re-mastered movies and "optimised" for 4K viewing. They are due for release around mid-May.


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A Handful of Nanny Tips!
Happy Labor Day Weekend from The Staff at Greenhouse Agency!
A Five Star Review from One of Our Candidates!
The Staff at Greenhouse Agency wants to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day!
Episode #2 of In-House With Greenhouse!
It's time for another episode of In-House With Greenhouse! We are extremely proud to release this episode, which features Alene Mathurin of My Nanny Circle. If you are a nanny or seeking a career in domestic childcare, we strongly recommended that you watch this episode which features a trove of valuable information to help in your career progression. Enjoy!
The First Continental Monday! A Great Success!
Greenhouse Agency had its first Continental Monday this week, and it was a great success! It was standing room only at times and many people stopped by to apply, check their status, and to grab a doughnut, bagel, and a cup of coffee (or orange juice) while they waited to be attended. We hope that everyone that stopped by had a good time and that this sort of event is the first of many going forward!
Debut Episode of In-House With Greenhouse!
In-House With Greenhouse, our new video series, is here and boy are we excited! Tune in to this great interview with Roger Cushwa from Domestic Estate Management Association. He is the President of the New York Tri-State Chapter and gives great information about DEMA. If you have ever wondered how DEMA could benefit you, this will give you all you need to know.
Appropriate Clothing for a Domestic Nanny?
Have you ever wondered what you should wear while working as a domestic Nanny? What is appropriate and what isn't? What are the dos and dont's? This article from MyNannyCircle is a handy guide that should give you a better idea of what you should wear for Nanny work.
Greenhouse Agency has a wide range of clients and candidates from all over the world. Many different languages are spoken, different educational backgrounds, ranges of income, numerous religious beliefs, and plenty of worldwide cuisines make up over 30 years of a great domestic and household staffing business. With all of our worldly difference, we are in the end…human. We operate as a team. We need each other to satisfy and fulfill our needs. Someone once wrote, "Be Obsessively Grateful" and that is what we are; grateful for your business and in trusting us to help you.


Your partnership is important to us as the Historical Society strives to preserve and share the extraordinary story of the San Joaquin Valley. Support from individuals, corporations and foundations have always been critical to the effort to save our history and provide history programming through historic site management, lectures, workshops, school curriculum, living history events, historic preservation advocacy and events, and publications. For more information contact Membership Coordinator, Barbara Higgins, at bhiggins@valleyhistory.org or 559-441-0862 on Wednesdays and Thursdays.


The Plaza Del Norte features office spaces with ocean views, private balconies and card access security system, newly renovated interior courtyard. Fiber optics high-speed internet. Easy access to Highway 5 off Palomar Airport Road.


Competition Law – Opportunities and risks in competitive behavior and contract structuring.
Companies have an ongoing obligation to assess whether their conduct vis-à-vis competitors, suppliers, customers or in associations complies with competition law. The same applies to associations which must bring their conduct in line with the standards set out by competition law.
Here, it is necessary to have a keen sense for recognizing which conduct, agreements and decisions are permitted from a competition law perspective and which raise concerns or are prohibited. Only a thorough knowledge of competition law allows to avoid or at least mitigate the risks involved. Frequently, competition law arguments can be used as "leverage" in negotiations. The team of Corinius supports you in this field.


Are you having problems learning how to shoot a bow? Find out all of the basics of archery quickly in a one-week private session. We will teach you the basics of archery like how to stand, set-up, string, aim, release and how to ghoot a bow while moving. Irrespective, of where you are at.. you can benefit from customized instruction to meet your skill level.
Archery is a pastime activity, a work of art, and a beach lifestyle. Archery has been molded and influenced by many archers throughout the ages. A 2002 survey and study by Canadian Sports Data discovered there were 8.5 million recreational archers in the world. 85 percent of seasoned archers polled had used a bow in the last year were under the age of forty-five, and 59 percent were male.
The biggest change has been the generation that did archery in their youth and have grown up with the Lord of The Rings explosion into the global mainstream of competitive sports and sees it as a natural participation activity for their children led by competitive athletes who are affiliated and instruct for our brand and web site.
Equipment: We recommend a beginner bow. These can usually be purchased for a little over $100 Rental equipment can be added on or included in the lessons.
Location: Our school has certified locations in Philipsburg. The exact location depends on which day and time you choose and what level of lessons you need.
Archery Lessons of Philipsburg was developed to help people of all ages that wants to participate in the lifestyle and skilled regiment of archery. We take great parchery in helping people of all ages learn how to shoot a bow.


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Great location in heart of Lakeway. Custom built with an eye for detail and art. Exceptional finish outs. Art collection and furnishings available.
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The charity gift catalogues are arriving in the mail, and you are calling in with questions. What's better? To buy a goat or a soccer ball? Maternal health or biscuits? Charity gift catalogues showcase dozens of gifts. Some of these are nice gifts, some of these gifts are proven to save lives.
Charity Intelligence looks for demonstrated impact when choosing which charities we recommend, so to understand the demonstrated impact of international aid programs, we looked at studies compiled to help evaluate development projects. The best evidence we've found is the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) (www.povertyactionlab.org), and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) (www.poverty-action.org).
Deworming medication: If you want to help kids attend school, deworming medication has proven to be 20 to 700 times more cost effective than scholarships, uniforms and direct cash transfers in increasing school attendance in southern Africa.
Best Buy: UNICEF's "anti-infection" tablets, $20 for 450, $0.04 per pill. The tablets protect children from worms and potentially deadly intestinal infections.
Insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs): Trials found that ITN bed nets are highly effective in reducing childhood mortality, saving 5.5 lives each year for every 1,000 children protected (an 18% reduction in mortality) at a cost of roughly $500 per life saved. When shopping for mosquito nets, buy ones that are "long-lasting, insecticide-treated". These product modifications came out more than 5 years ago and are the best in stopping malaria. Sadly, the gift catalogues do not always provide donors with the product specifications – we're assuming that the international aid charities have adopted these best practices.
2016 Gift Catalogue Prices offered by highly-rated Canadian international development charities with gift catalogues offering deworming pills and/or bed nets.
Chlorine dispensers for safe water: The evidence-based research also highlights the impact of chlorine dispensers. Free access to chlorine dispensers at local water sources was found to significantly increase access to safe water and reduce diarrhea in children, saving lives and reducing early child mortality.
Some gift catalogues offer water purification tablets. The research states that these are frequently used improperly and only a third as effective as chlorine dispensers at the well.
Below is a listing of Canada's major international aid charities that publish gift catalogues offering bed nets at various prices and 2 offer an item that includes deworming pills. While a number contain water provision and sanitation, none specifically notes the use of chlorine dispensers. Hopefully, as more donors ask more questions about these gifts and their effectiveness, the charities will provide more details.
Another popular option for donors is child sponsorship. When giving to a charity through child sponsorship, it is important to understand that many sponsorship programs do not target an individual child, rather they benefit his or her entire community. In fact, Charity Intelligence estimates that over 80% of child sponsorship dollars donated in Canada goes towards community-related programs rather than being directed to an individual child. With these charities, the sponsorship concept is more of a fundraising approach for a broader development initiative. However, if your interest is in finding a direct relationship, some charities do offer this.
Most child sponsorship programs offer the choice of which country you would like to sponsor a child in. In Ci's view, the ideal country for maximizing the potential impact of donor dollars would have low development (high need) and low corruption (higher chance that donated funds reach their intended purpose), what we have called the "low-low" countries. We examined countries from around the world and found 14 countries that fall in the chosen low-low target area, all located in sub-Saharan Africa.
Below we have listed the major child sponsorship charities and the low-low countries where they have sponsored children or communities.


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Saturday, March 5: History to "Come Alive" at Sacramento County History Day
Annual Event is Open to the Public
Sacramento County Office of Education / Sacramento County Office of Education News / Saturday, March 5: History to "Come Alive" at Sacramento County History Day
On Saturday, March 5, close to 300 students from 24 area schools will use dramatic performances, artistic displays, and vivid documentaries to celebrate local, U.S., and world history at the 2016 Sacramento County History Day.
Throughout the day students will present history-based exhibits, 2-dimensional posters, research papers, documentaries, dramatic performances, and interactive websites. This year's theme is "Exploration, Encounter, Exchange in History."
Sacramento County History Day is being held at Inderkum High School (2500 New Market Drive, Sacramento). Most student presentations are available for the public to view. Families can try their hands at gold-panning, origami paper-folding, lassoing a "bronco," and much more.
The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), along with the Center for Sacramento History and a team of dedicated volunteers, hosts Sacramento County History Day. The local event is associated with National History Day, a year-long educational program that encourages elementary, middle, and high school students to explore local, state, national, and world history.
At each competition level, student projects are evaluated by a team of community members, as well as volunteers from the history and education fields. Competition divisions include Elementary (grades 4-5), Junior (grades 6-8), and Senior (grades 9-12). Qualifiers move on to the State History Day Competition, taking place May 6-7 in Rocklin and also coordinated by SCOE.
In addition to teaching the relevance and importance of history for all grade levels and ages, the program helps students develop problem-solving, oral and written communication, research, analysis, critical thinking, and presentation skills that are directly tied to the Common Core State Standards. Students also gain self-esteem, confidence, and a sense of responsibility for/involvement in the democratic process.
Live Cable TV Broadcast/Online Stream
Saturday's 4 p.m. awards ceremony, emceed by film/music historian Matías Bombal (Matías Bombal's Hollywood), will be broadcast live by Access Sacramento on Comcast and CCI Cable Channel 17, AT&T U-Verse Channel 14, and on the Access Sacramento website. Repeat showings of the awards ceremony are scheduled to air (on cable and online):
Sun. March 6 at 8 a.m.
Mon. March 7 at 12 a.m.
Wed. March 9 at 8 p.m.
Thurs. March 10 at 12 noon
Fri. March 11th at 4 p.m.
Mon. March 14 at 10 p.m.
Tues. March 15 at 2 p.m.
Wed. March 16 at 6 a.m.
Inderkum High School, 2500 New Market Drive, Sacramento
9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.—Students present their projects to the judges (not all categories open for public viewing)
9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.—Student performances (in theater)
9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.—Historical entertainers and "hands-on" history experiences
1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.—Public viewing of displays and exhibits (in main gym)
4 p.m.—Awards ceremony (in atrium)


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On Friday 9th November the girls' football team joined 12 other schools in the ERPSSA 7-a-side tournament at Cleves School in Weybridge. Thankfully the rain stayed away, the breeze blew gently and the pitches were in excellent playing condition – all was set for an exciting afternoon. Our first game saw us up against a very strong team from St Ignatius in Sunbury; a highly competitive, end to end game finished 0-0 despite good chances at both ends. The second match against Bell Farm, Hersham was a tale of missed chances and bad fortune. Despite Holy Family being the better team and having 4 wonderful opportunities to score, a single break-away goal led to a 1-0 victory to Bell Farm.
Following a positive team meeting and revised tactics (where we discussed the importance of introducing the little white spherical thing to the big white rectangular thing with the nets tied on), we continued our campaign invigorated and confident. Our third game against Ashley School, Walton saw us play some excellent football. We were solid in defence (again), competitive in midfield and increasingly dangerous in attack. We were threatening the Ashley goal…then the curse of the wounded knee struck as Sophie (our main goal scoring weapon) fell awkwardly in a tackle and had to be carried from the field. 'A little bit of ligament damage' was Dr Tindall's immediate assessment and minutes later the unfortunate Sophie was off to the hospital. Several hours later the real doctor at St Peter's diagnosed 'light ligament damage' to the knee. Not a bad initial assessment…I may open up a sideline business in injury diagnosis; there's plenty of call for it in the Premier League with all the rolling around on the ground that goes on. Anyway, back to the action – with our flow of attacking play disrupted due to the delay, the game ended 0-0. Our final 2 games were against the 2 strongest teams in the group and we played with great determination and effort. We never gave in and I was extremely proud of the team, especially as we are a relatively young team (only 4 Year 6 girls were on the field in the final 2 matches). A 1-0 defeat to Esher Church School was followed by a 2-0 defeat to the hosts Cleves. Our captain took my earlier edict of 'Whatever happens, we must score before the end of the day' too literally by deciding to smash one beautifully into the corner of our net in the final game but as I pointed out to her, if she hadn't done it, one of the 3 Cleves players in our penalty box with her would have done the same thing. No damage done – over the course of the tournament our captain was our best player and led by example all the way through.
Overall it was an excellent day and I was immensely proud of our team. The girls were beautifully behaved and a real pleasure to work with. They represented our school superbly and were everything we expect Holy Family children to be. We also learned a lot and will be a better team for our forthcoming fixtures. Our next game (November 28th) is away to Cardinal Newman…clearly a very special fixture for me. I look forward to it, I'm sure it will be a cracking game.
Team – Eleanor Sandri-Healy (Captain), Zara Pucci, Sophie Rawlinson, Lily McDaid, Harriet Gono, Brogan Fleming, Alysia Beams, Tiffany Smith, Joey Siow.
Please visit the gallery for photographs of the girls in action at the tournament!


During her recent trip to India, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Susan E. Rice gave remarks on the Call to Action for Child Survival, noting that this year's estimated 7.6 million child deaths are "intolerable", especially in light of recent advances in healthcare coverage, technology and knowledge. Read the full remarks.


Also: former President of BERA and member of the Executive Council; former member of the ESRC's Training Board; former member of the UCET Council; former member of the National Forum for Educational Research.
Jean Rudduck's main research interest is the transformative potential of pupil voice, including consultation and participation in relation to pupils' learning, pupils' identities, teacher-pupil relationships and school improvement. She has directed numerous research projects for the ESRC, the DfES, various LEAs and other agencies. A recent project, involving 8 secondary schools, looked at personalised learning and pupil voice. Other research interests include gender and achievement, transfer and transitions and teachers' professional development.
Publications on Pupil Voice are followed by some publications, since 1999, on other topics.
FINNEY, J, HICKMAN, R, NICHOLL, B, MORRISON, M and RUDDUCK, J) (2005) Re-building Engagement through the Arts, Cambridge: Pearson Publishing.
RUDDUCK, J. AND FLUTTER, J. (2004) How to Improve your School: Giving Pupils a Voice, Continuum Press.
RUDDUCK, J and FLUTTER, J (2004) The Challenge of year 8: Sustaining Pupils' Engagement with Learning, Cambridge: Pearson Publishing.
MACBEATH, J., DEMETRIOU, H., RUDDUCK, J. AND MYERS, K. (2003) Consulting Pupils: A Toolkit for Teachers, Pearson Publishing.
JONES, B., JONES, G. and RUDDUCK, J., with DEMETRIOU, H. and DOWNES, P. (2001) Boys' Performance in Modern Foreign Languages - Listening to Learners, London: CILT.
RUDDUCK, J., CHAPLAIN, R. and WALLACE, G. (eds.) (1996) School Improvement: What Can Pupils Tell Us?, London: David Fulton.
DEMETRIOU, H. and RUDDUCK, J. (2004) Pupils as researchers: the importance of using their research evidence, Primary Leadership, March, pp31-34.
RUDDUCK, J., BERRY, M., BROWN, N. and HENDY, L. (2003) with Chandler, M., Enright, P. and Godly, J. (2003) Learning about improvement by talking about improvement, Improving Schools, 6,3, 246-257.
RUDDUCK, J. and DEMETRIOU, H., with Pedder, D. (2003) Student perspectives and teacher practices: The transformative potential, McGill Journal of Education, 38, 2, 274-288 (spring).
RUDDUCK, J. (2002) The transformative potential of consulting young people about teaching, learning and schooling, Scottish Educational Review, 34, 2, pp.123-137.
RUDDUCK, J. (2001) Students and school improvement: 'Transcending the cramped conditions of the time', Improving Schools, 4,2,7-16.
RUDDUCK, J. AND FLUTTER, J. (2000) Pupil participation and pupil perspective: 'carving a new order of experience', Cambridge Journal of Education, 30,1,75-89.
DEMETRIOU, H., GOALEN, P. and RUDDUCK (2000) Academic performance, transfer, transition and friendship: listening to the student voice, International Journal of Educational Research, 33, 425-441.
BATTY, J., RUDDUCK, J. and WILSON, E. (2000) What makes a good mentor? Who makes a good mentor? The views of year 8 mentees, Educational Action Research, 7,3,369-378.
MORRISON, I., EVERTON, T. AND RUDDUCK, J. (2000) Pupils helping other pupils with their learning: cross-age tutoring in a primary and secondary school, Mentoring and Tutoring, 8,3, 187-200.
DODDINGTON, C., FLUTTER, J. AND RUDDUCK, J. (1999) Exploring and explaining 'dips' in motivation and performance in primary and secondary schooling, Research in Education, 61, 29-38.
RUDDUCK, J. (1999) 'Education for all', 'achievement for all' and pupils who are 'too good to drift' (the second Harold Dent memorial lecture), Education Today, 49, 2, 3-11.
DODDINGTON, C., FLUTTER, J. and RUDDUCK, J. (1998) Year 8 - a suitable case for treatment, Improving Schools, 1,3,39-42.
KERSHNER, R., FLUTTER, J. and RUDDUCK, J. (1998) Teacher research as a basis for school improvement: but is it useful beyond the school in which it was carried out?, Improving Schools, 1,2,59-62.
RUDDUCK, J., DAY, J. and Wallace, G. (1996) The significance for school improvement of pupils' experiences of within-school transitions, Curriculum, 17, 3, 144-153.
HARRIS, S., WALLACE, G. and RUDDUCK, J. (1995) "It's not that I haven't learnt much. It's just that I don't really know what I'm doing": metacognition and secondary school students, Research Papers in Education, 10,2,134-153.
RUDDUCK, J., HARRIS, S. AND WALLACE, G. (1994) 'Coherence' and students' experience of learning in the secondary school, Cambridge Journal of Education, 24,2,197-211.
HARRIS, S. and RUDDUCK, J. (1993) Establishing the seriousness of learning, British Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 63 (part 2), 322-366.
HARRIS, S., NIXON, J. and RUDDUCK, J. (1993) School work, homework and gender, Gender and Education, 5,1, 3-15.
RUDDUCK, J. (2004) Consulting pupils about teaching and learning, in Learning Texts, Nottingham: National College for School Leadership, pp80-92.
RUDDUCK, J. AND URQUHART, I. (2003) Neglected aspects of transfer and transition: gender and the pupil voice, in C. Skelton and B. Francis (eds) Boys and Girls in the Primary School Classroom, maidenhead: Open University Press. Pp167-185.
RUDDUCK, J., WALLACE, G. and DAY, J. (2000) 'Students' voices: what can they tell us as partners in change'?, in K. Stott and V. Trafford (eds.) Partnerships: Shaping the Future of Education, London: Middlesex University Press, pp 1-26.
RUDDUCK, J. (1999) Teacher practice and the student voice, in M. Lang, J. Olson, H. Hansen and W. Bunder (eds) Changing Schools/Changing Practices: Perspectives on Educational Reform and Teacher Professionalism, Louvain: Garant, pp41-54.
RUDDUCK, J. (1998) Student voices and conditions of learning, in B. Karseth, S. Gudmundsdottir, and S. Hopmann, Didaktikk: Tradisjon og Fornyelse, Festskrift til Bjorg Brandtzaeg Gundem, Oslo: Universitet i Oslo, pp 131-146.
RUDDUCK, J., WALLACE, G. and DAY, J. (1998) Consulting pupils about teaching, learning and schooling, in H. Horne, (ed) The School Management Handbook (fifth edition), London: Kogan Page, pp 95-100.
WALLACE, G., RUDDUCK, J. and FLUTTER, J. with HARRIS, S. (1998) Using ethnographic methods in a study of students' secondary school and post-school careers, in G. Walford (ed) Doing Research about Education, London: Falmer Press, 76-92.
RUDDUCK, J., DAY, J. and Wallace, G. (1997) Students' perspectives on school improvement, in A. Hargreaves (ed.) Rethinking Educational Change with Heart and Mind (the 1997 ASCD Yearbook), Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, pp.73-91.
HARRIS, S., RUDDUCK, J. and WALLACE, G. (1996) Political contexts and school careers, in M. Hughes (ed.) Teaching and Learning in Changing Times, London: Blackwell, pp.32-50.
GALTON, M., GRAY, J. AND RUDDUCK, J. et al (2003) Progress in the Middle Years of Schooling (7-14): Continuities and Discontinutities in Learning, London: The Stationery Office for the DfES.
RUDDUCK, J. and MORRISON, I. (2001) Sutton Centre, in M. Maden (ed) Success Against the Odds - Five Years On, London: RoutledgeFalmer, pp.275-306.


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Home / News / Car Tech
Cadillac introduces MagneRide 4.0: Fastest reacting suspension made even faster
Cadillac on Thursday announced it's adding a next-generation version of the popular MagneRide suspension damping system to some of its vehicles.
The new MagneRide 4.0 dampers will be standard equipment on the 2021 CT4-V and CT5-V, and available on the CT5 Sport where it will be grouped in a new V Performance pack that also includes additional suspension upgrades and a limited-slip differential.
It will also be standard on the 2021 Escalade's Sport and Platinum grades, and available on the full-size SUV's Premium Luxury grade.
The new version of MagneRide is a fourth-generation system that Cadillac said can deliver up to 45% faster damping response than the current system, which is already the fastest reacting system on the market. It means the suspension will respond faster to varying road conditions and as a result maintain comfort and contact of the tire on the road for longer.
MagneRide 4.0 damper cutout
As the name suggests, MagneRide features dampers filled with magnetorheological fluid, which is basically a fluid whose viscosity can be adjusted using a magnetic field. The higher the viscosity the stiffer the damping.
In the MagneRide system, electromagnets are used to control the viscosity, based on information about the road surface gathered from wheel sensors and an inertial measurement unit (measures body movement). In the latest version of MagneRide, these measurement systems work four times faster than in the previous generation.
There are also new systems to control friction and temperature within the damper, which as a result leads to smoother, more consistent performance, especially during performance driving, Cadillac said.
No doubt we'll also see MagneRide 4.0 dampers fitted as standard to the upcoming Blackwing versions of the CT4-V and CT5-V.
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My struggle with this film is one of expectations. Us is every bit as well made and scary a horror film as I expected it to be. I also, from the much hyped trailer, figured out most of the plot in one watch. There were little details thrown in that seemed like simple style notes that were so closely framed and filmed with such clarity that I figured out what was what. It happens more often than I discuss just from having watched thousands of films in my life. Going in without seeing that trailer and reading as little as you can about the plot is the way to go. My enthusiasm is only dampened by my knowledge of this kind of horror film leading me to certain conclusions that shouldn't have been obvious in the trailer. I only bring it up because I wish I could have experienced those beautifully written and executed twists without knowing what was going to happen. It's so well planned and laid out that they would have been very rewarding to experience in real time.
The Wilson family is on vacation. They're staying at a beautiful summer home with easy access to a bay and the ocean. Strange coincidences keep bring mother Adelaide back to a traumatic event from her childhood. That puts her on edge and stresses out her whole family. Adelaide's suspicions prove founded when her family encounters another family standing in their driveway after returning home from the beach.
Jordan Peele, already an Academy Award-winning screenwriter for his masterful horror film Get Out, returns as writer/director for his sophomore effort Us. The commentary and plot is not as easily accessible as Get Out, though the scares and exploration of theme and form suggest the beginnings of a long and fruitful career in horror filmmaking. Both Get Out and Us are horror films about America. Get Out explores race and privilege; Us explores privilege and the American dream.
Adelaide and her family have foils in the Tyler family, also vacationing in the same neighborhood. Where the Wilsons have a summer home, the Tylers have a summer mansion. The Wilson's buy a used boat; the Tylers have a brand new one. The Wilsons bring a cooler to the beach; the Tylers bring a full bar. The families are friends, but the Wilsons clearly express their frustration at interacting with the better off Tyler family at every juncture. Even the children don't exactly get along, with the older Tyler twins mocking Zora and Jason for acting different at the beach. It would be irresponsible to ignore the racial dynamics in play in these interactions, as the Wilson family is the only black family at this particular beach, but Peele's greater concerns lie with the unattainability of the American dream and the disappointment of relative failure compared to others' success.
Those concerns are brought into the forefront when the Wilsons meet the new family at night in their driveway; they look exactly like them. They are literally doubles. The privilege of living in a world that lets Adelaide's family thrive create all the physical, social, and psychological differences from Red's family. They are the same, but different, and opportunity is all that separates them.
From there, the film evolves from psychological suspense to full on slasher dynamics. The commentary continues to grow and evolve in equally brutal and fascinating ways, though the means to that end is largely violent rather than the earlier passive aggressive interaction. That still exists, though the pettiness largely falls to the wayside when lives are on the line.
I'm a big fan of double/twin horror. The use of misdirection through seemingly identical figures can go in so many different ways. I give Peele credit for using this dynamic in a way I've never seen before. He leans into the match to create a situation where neither side of the conflict has an advantage. They know each other. They are the same whether they like it or not. Their perceived differences mean nothing when forced to confront their conflicting goals face to face. Neither has the advantage and that creates so much more tension than usual in this kind of storytelling. There is also no confusing which is which, as the doubles dress in red jumpsuits and brandish gold scissors the entire film.
Lupita Nyong'o gives one of the greatest horror performances ever committed to film in her dual role as Adelaide and Red. Adelaide and Red, by type, are horror film characters we've seen before. Adelaide is a woman still recovering from trauma in her childhood. She's managed to find her voice again and create a great life through a lot of hard work. Red has been working hard, too, but her story is one of pain and suffering. She is the slighted villain who knows what she could have and grows more bitter by the day for not experiencing those joys for herself. Nyong'o inhabits both roles with an authenticity not often seen in horror, creating even more tension for the audience as both hero and villain are sympathetic characters who make strong cases for why they are right. The voice she created for Red is especially chilling, a guttural and halting vocal fry barely capable of sounding louder than a whisper. At her most desperate, Adelaide picks up on that vocal inflection, too, further connecting their stories in really rewarding ways.
I must also make special mention of Madison Curry's performance as Young Adelaide and Young Red. This is the kind of stock child horror performance that could just exist and set up the story to good effect. Curry brings so much more. The differences that Nyong'o inhabits in far more exaggerated and tortured forms in the present are predicated on the slight differences that Curry brings to two almost-identical characters in the past. In fact, the opening sequence of the film is literally centered on Curry's performance, following Young Adelaide on a childhood trip to the beach she returns to with her family decades later.
I have done my best to minimize any significant spoilers in this review. I believe Us is best viewed with an open mind. This is a very different film from Get Out and that's perhaps its most surprising aspect. Peele has produced two vastly different horror films riffing on American society. They both feel real and significant. Peele joked about Get Out being a documentary, but good jokes often have a shade of truth in them. He is producing horror films that amplify the American experience to terrifying new heights. I cannot wait to see what he does next on the big screen.
Us is currently playing in theaters.


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Twenty Years | Twenty Tales
TPM Illustration
The Business of TPM
During the course of 2012, the founder and editor of TPM, Josh Marshall, realized things weren't working. The company had taken some investment money in 2009 with the intention of growing. However, by three years later, it was clear that the company was spending too much money and making too little. Without a serious "retrenchment," the company's future was in jeopardy.
"I let myself be influenced and took some guidance from people, sort of 'upward or bust' and 'you gotta spend money to make money — it will come together,'" Josh told me recently. "There were a lot of expectations built up in the organization, and I had built a lot of them up, and had allowed them to build up in me."
It's not an unfamiliar narrative: Invest a bunch of money into the company, get way bigger and "take it to the next level." Sometimes it works out. But more often, it does not. For TPM, it was not.
And so, in 2012 and into 2013, Josh committed to a new approach that required cutting spending, including cutting a couple staff positions, which is never easy. And it required a sober explanation to the staff.
"It's very hard to tell an organization collectively that we need to pull back a bit, that we need to retrench a bit, this idea that we're going to be twice as big next year, and the year after that — it's not going to happen," Josh recalled.
Several people left the company around this time, and Josh admits it was one of the most, if not the most, difficult periods in TPM's history.
But, the retrenchment worked. And now, roughly eight years later, as TPM is celebrating its 20th anniversary, Josh says he is more proud of emerging from this period intact than he is of starting the company in the first place.
The origins of TPM as a money-making business were modest, and likely familiar to anyone traversing the web in the early aughts — tip jars and referral links. It was only a couple hundred bucks a month, but it supplemented Josh's income from freelancing for other news outlets.
The first real breakthrough came in 2003 with a company called Blog Ads, created by Henry Copeland. Blog Ads was a sort of proto-programmatic digital advertising company that paired publishers with advertisers.
"It was Blog Ads that got me out of being dirt poor and barely being able to support myself, to where I didn't have to do other things besides TPM," Josh told me.
While Josh was blogging and beginning to make some real money, Millet Israeli, his then-girlfriend and now-wife, was working behind the scenes to make TPM a real "business." Formerly a general counsel at Dow Jones, she incorporated the business, and, over time, put in place the nuts-and-bolts processes we still use today — payment processing, bookkeeping, a 401(k) plan, various compliance and legal frameworks.
She also developed TPM's first "direct" sales strategy — reaching out directly to publishers and explaining to them why TPM's audience was a perfect fit for the books they were trying to sell.
Israeli was the mastermind behind one TPM's most creative ad campaigns, for the DVD release of the 2005 American geopolitical thriller, Syriana. The movie poster featured George Clooney in a blindfold, so TPM put its own spin on it, blindfolding Josh.
"This was my big idea to the marketing company, the production company — let's put a blindfold on Josh," Israeli said. "They loved it, they said 'that's awesome.'"
This sales strategy — persuading potential advertisers that what TPM lacked in sheer size, it made up for in a dedicated, trusting and intelligent audience paired with innovative and engaging advertising "products" — became a cornerstone of TPM's business strategy.
While Blog Ads was critical to TPM's early success, it was the direct sales market that would take TPM to the next level and enable its early growth. In parallel to the direct sales market, a new form of advertising was quickly becoming ubiquitous — programmatic advertising.
Programmatic (also known as remnant or third-party) advertising is when a company sits between advertisers and publishers and matches ads with websites. The most prominent programmatic advertiser is, of course, Google's AdExchange. Programmatic advertising rates are much lower than direct advertising rates, but because there is little-to-no sales process (no cold calling, no pitching, no creative development) they are less resource-intensive. The income from them is also highly predictable.
For the next several years, TPM's income was split pretty evenly between direct ad sales and programmatic advertising. However, in 2010, the two income sources started to diverge and in 2011, income from direct sales accounted for nearly twice that of programmatic advertising.
Though direct sales numbers were high, they weren't nearly as high as they needed to be to cover increased spending. So as the first part of retrenchment, the company did a crash course refocus on programmatic advertising, which had been left more or less on autopilot while the company focused on building direct sales. Although programmatic revenue nearly doubled, the increase in spending that was intended to fuel growth resulted in TPM losing more money than any other year in TPM's history. This was also the year TPM launched TPM Prime.
I came onboard Jan. 7, 2013 and was tasked with increasing programmatic revenue by as much as possible. I heard whispers that TPM was in trouble. I was told by some that I was joining a sinking ship. Maybe I was naive, but it didn't feel like I was joining a sinking ship. Over the next few years we hired several people who were critical to the change in strategy. Amanda Hale came on and was eventually our sole ad seller. Derick Dirmaier (now TPM's head of product) joined toward the end of 2013. Gayatri Surendranathan began as a publishing associate and Christine Frapech joined as design fellow (and remains as senior designer). A few years later, Jackie Wilhelm (who is now our associate publisher) joined. In a lot of ways, this group was the core of TPM's business-side "retrenchment" for several years
In 2013 and 2014, our primary focus was building our direct ad business and our programmatic business. And we were good at it. In 2014 we hit new highs in both areas, reaching a company high in revenue and profitability. Critically, by this point, the company's expenses were dramatically lower than they had been in 2012.But, we weren't resting on our laurels because we all knew how quickly things can change.
So, in 2015, we began spending more time on TPM Prime. It was baby steps at first — making the simple pitch to readers that memberships would improve our journalism and help us survive. The readers responded, and we more than doubled our membership revenue in 2015 — which more than offset slight decreases in advertising revenue — making it another record-setting year for TPM.
Around this time, the programmatic industry was booming. Money was pouring into ad tech and third-party advertising. The reader hears a lot about Google and Facebook, but you probably didn't hear as much about smaller programmatic ad sellers such as SayMedia, Martini Media and a slew of others. The combination of increasing programmatic revenue, membership growth and an election year audience surge pushed us over the $3 million revenue figure in 2016 for the first time. Our membership revenue doubled again and programmatic revenue reached a new peak. The time invested in building Prime in 2014, 2015 and 2016 turned out to be pivotal because it positioned the company for the tech platform-driven crisis in ad revenues which began to hit with a vengeance in 2016-17 and cratered numerous publications.
From 2016 until now, our focus has been almost exclusively on membership growth and everything that goes with it. We still sell direct ads, and we still drive programmatic revenue, but it was clear that memberships were the core of our company ( not just for financial reasons, but also for philosophical ones, which I'll get to in a minute). We made a lot of difficult decisions along the way such as abandoning the custom CMS we had been building and moving to WordPress. We skipped over a lot of trends — we never "pivoted to video," for example, as so may other digital media operations did
From its beginning, TPM has been a reader-centric publication. This informs all of our decisions. From 2013 to 2020, possibly the most consequential decision we made was to eschew scale — which is inherently an avenue to maximize profits for investors — to build a sustainable business that is laser focused on serving its readers. Would we like to get bigger? Sure. We believe in our journalism, and therefore we'd like as many people to read it as possible. But the journalism comes first, and when journalism really, truly is the most important thing, it aligns the interests of the readers and the employees.
This is why, in so many ways, the shift toward memberships felt natural for us. A critical aspect of TPM's culture is that everyone either was a journalist or loved journalism. This extends all the way to our developers. Matt Wozniak read TPM in college, Jacob Harris worked at another publisher before TPM. This is not to say driving memberships is easy — it's not. But now, everyone's incentives were aligned. Our "business" was no longer about selling ads — it was getting people to pay for the journalism itself. That meant the whole of TPM — those on the business team, the writers, and the editors, shared a goal: making great journalism and figuring out how to justify to our readers that it was worth paying for.
The falling ad market and lessons about the unpredictability of market trends factored into the decision to focus heavily on memberships. But so did something more psychological about what focusing on memberships means as a company.
"Advertisers couldn't care less if you go out of business," Josh said. "Your readers, if you do a good job, care greatly if you stay in business…. [We wanted] to make our financial well-being dependent on things that we could be good at and have some control over."
In other words, the work everyone does at TPM contributes to the organization's success, and thank God for that because it has taken each and every person at TPM to get us to where we are today.
We now have 35,000 members. In 2013 when I started, we had around 3,500. In 2021, we're projecting to have more reader revenue than we had total revenue in 2013. Along the way (with help from the TPM Union, no doubt), we raised our salary scale, we increased benefits and we've invested more in journalism.
Again, because it's so important, this means: Our interests are all aligned from reader to worker to founder.
Josh has said that the first decade or so of TPM felt like the company was in an updraft, that basically history and the trends were so much on TPM's side that everything just worked. Then, for a few years, it felt like everything was against TPM from a business perspective. This is why, if you ask Josh what he's most proud of professionally, he won't say starting TPM — he'll say emerging from the darkest time in the company's history and navigating us to where we are now, something he didn't think was the logical or even likely outcome.
And yet here we are, about to begin 2021, emerging from the retrenchment as a strong, profitable company with a solid foundation and full of optimism about the future.
"I can really say the company is in better shape than it's ever been," Josh said.
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The Business of TPM We Asked Alums: What's Your Favorite Story You Wrote For TPM? TPM Has A History Of Weird Offices TPM's Secret Weapon: The 'Constituent-Reader' The Early Days Of TPM Cafe The Florida Recount Echoes Today Seriously, Literally, Etc.: Why TPM Saw Trump As A Serious Contender Back In 2015 How Obamacare Helped Define The Early Days Of TPM's DC Reporting Operation The Legend of the Mudville Muckrakers, TPM's Short-Lived Softball Team We Laughed At Jade Helm 5 Years Ago. We Shouldn't Have. How David Kurtz Came To TPM The Time TPM Went To Toronto In Search Of Rob Ford, And Other Golden Duke Stories A TPM Union Is Born The Rise Of TPM TV The Blog That Redefined Blogs Subpoena Colada: TPM Knows How To Drink The 2007 Story That Brought TPM Into The Major Leagues What Even Is A 'Talking Points Memo'? The First TPM Post TPM's Glossary Of Josh Marshallisms
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The Xavier University Newswire students can sell Health Insurance Today (ISBN# 0323188176) written by Janet I. Beik and receive a check, along with a free pre-paid shipping label. Once you have sent in Health Insurance Today (ISBN# 0323188176), your Xavier University Newswire textbook will be processed and your check will be sent out to you within a matter days. You can also sell other The Xavier University Newswire textbooks, published by Saunders and written by Janet I. Beik and receive checks.


text:
Pastor from leading Church, CSI forces minor girls into prostitution
CUDDALORE: Police have arrested a CSI pastor, a youth and three women on charges of forcing two minor girls into prostitution in Cuddalore district.
The pastor and the youth were also charged of raping the minor girls.
The arrested were identified as Aruldoss, 60, from Tittakudi, Satishkumar from Vadalur, Dhanalakshmi, Kala and Jameena from Tittakudi. Police arrested them on Tuesday night and produced them before a magistrate, who remanded them in judicial custody.
Police said the girls, Class 7 and Class 9 dropouts, from Tittakudi went missing on July 8. Their parents lodged a complaint with the Tittakudi police on July 11.
The police managed to trace the girls, one aged 12 years and other 14 years, by tracking the signal from their cellphone.
They detained Satishkumar, with whom the girls spoke frequently, and rescued the girls from his custody.
Inquiries revealed that the girls had been raped by the pastor and Sathiskumar and sold to pimps.
Police produced the girls before a Mahila court which recorded their statements on August 4. The two victims were sent to a home after medical examinations.
Aruldoss sexually abused the girls after luring them with gifts and presents. A local woman, a pimp, who came to know about the sexual assault, forced the girls into prostitution threatening that she would expose their links with the pastor. She allegedly confined the girls in her custody and after a week she sold them to Kala, another pimp, for Rs 5,000.
Kala too confined the minor girls in her custody and forced them into prostitution. Later she sold the girls to Jameena for Rs 25,000. Jameena forced them into flesh trade and after 10 days, she sold them to Satishkumar for Rs 25,000.
Police said the girls had earlier run away from their houses. When they went missing for the second time, police presumed that they had again run away.
When an investigation team contacted the girls on their cellphone, they gave false information that they were working in a big textile showroom in Tirupur and claimed that they did not know the name of the unit. They told the investigation team that they were not allowed to go out of the unit and were offered food and accommodation.
Source- TOI Chennai
This entry was posted in Exclusivist religions, Threats and tagged Assault on Hindu girls by church, Christianity in India, Prostitution by church on August 7, 2014 by arisebharat.
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Fred Curtis, Jr is 49 years old and is married with six children residing in Harvard Mass. In 2006 he sold Curtis Industries, LLC, a designer and manufacturer of golf course related equipment including Curtis cabs and range enclosures for golf cars and utility vehicles. In 2012, he purchased 250 acres of land in Harvard Mass including the foreclosed Shaker Hills golf club. The course closed in 2012 for major course wide renovations including the new signature 18th hole and the adjoining clubhouse.
I was fortunate in my earlier career to be able to grow a small family business of a few employees into a much larger business of hundreds of employees and significant revenue. The eventual sale of that business and a desire to diversify with real estate — including a small business — Shaker Hills singlehandedly propelled me to enter the golf industry.
MATT WARD: What was the tipping point item that compelled you to purchase Shaker Hills a few years back?
FRED CURTIS, JR. The tipping point in purchasing Shaker Hills was the clarity of significantly improving the product through the vision of the 18th hole and clubhouse redesign.
MW: What's been the reaction from golfers since you took over?
FC: The reaction of golfers has been overwhelmingly positive to the 2012 renovations. Although I do not run the course day to day, my family and I reside on the course and are avid golfers. This allows me to constantly interface with golfers. And, whereas my commitment to course improvement is forever, I realize the importance of the golfers input as vital so I go after it.
MW: Have any major changes been carried out on the golf course since assuming ownership?
FC: The 18th hole went from a straight par 4 of 440 yards to a sweeping par-5 dog-leg of 565 yards playing back to the clubhouse. There's been full clubhouse renovations highlighted by a 100-person top deck with dramatic views of holes 1,9,10 and 18 — a new driving range and 19th hole practice area, new putting green, 30 new bunkers and 10 new tees. We've also provided for 5 fairway extensions and significant irrigation upgrades.
The vision of the 18th hole and clubhouse renovations fosters not only an incredible golf experience but directly creates a one of a kind environment for functions / events that needs to be seen to be believed. The outward 30 acres directly in front of the clubhouse is a naturally tilted hill that falls directly to the clubhouse. My renovations centered around the enhancement and leveraging of this natural beauty. Whether it's a wedding / club championship or corporate outing. Whether it be the spectating of the golf or simply the natural manicured beauty from the clubhouse the overall areas is now undeniably unique.
MW: Many facilities are making a concerted effort in providing top tier customer service. How would you define customerservice and what value has it brought you?
FC: Service is tops in any business. At Shaker, our commitment here starts with the people. Our experienced GM — JoAnn Upham — leads seasoned professionals such as Andy Jordan — the head golf professional and Josh Noiles our Superintendent. Andy's background is strong on service coming exclusively from a private course background. Josh is also super detailed and very communicative with our patrons.
MW: How would you assess the 2016 golf market — is there a healthy mix of players and courses or will there be additional changes occurring in the broader Boston market in the years ahead?
FC: Business is excellent at Shaker Hills with rounds and functions way up year over year since opening. Roughly 3 out of 10 of our golfers are new patrons — having never played the course previously. We see a robust market with no reservations.
MW: What steps are you taking to get more people to both come to Shaker Hills and take up golf as a leisure activity?
FC: Our never ending commitment to course improvement and achieving the wow factor continues to support incremental growth at Shaker Hills. Also, we continue to strategically simplify the golf course to attract new players.
MW: You could change one thing in golf unilaterally — what would it be?
MW: Best advice you ever received — what was it and who from?
FC: Find something that you're passionate about and go after it with your heart — advice I received from my dad — Fred Curtis, Sr.
MW: You wake up each day — what drives your passion to excel?
FC: I'm driven by a clarity of vision that energizes me towards a better place.


Dutch army veterans visited both chambers of the Parliament on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 November.
The veterans were invited by members of the standing committees for Defence. Around 1.400 men and women reacted to the invitation. They were divided in three groups, one on Friday and two on Saturday. The invitation illustrates the appreciation by the Senate and The House of Representatives for the efforts by the military in action abroad to protect freedom. The invitation was especially for army veterans that were wounded in action or suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The speakers of Senate and House, mrs. Ankie-Broekers-Knol and ms. Anouchka van Miltenburg, addressed the guests. Also the minister of Defence , ms. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and the chief of staff of the Dutch military, Tom Middendorp, were present and listened to the stories of the veterans. Many members of Senate and House mingled with the visitors and showed them around in the parliament buildings.


Home 2012 May 31 6 Ways to Manage Your Online Reputation!
Businesses are becoming more exposed in real time than ever before with online platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, FlickR and blogs. Receiving negative online feedback is an unavoidable part of having an online business presence, but there are ways to mitigate the impact they have on your reputation.
ReachLocal provides six tips on how to manage negative feedback before it causes serious or permanent damage to your business reputation.
If you are not online, you are likely to fall behind your competitors and be unaware of any online conversations about your business. Having online awareness gives you the ability to address a customer's issue directly before it escalates and damages your reputation.
Entering your business name into a search engine along with "reviews" or "complaints" can help you assess this. Google Alerts can also monitor mentions of your business and push alerts to you as they happen.
Find out what the problem is straight away and quickly evaluate your options to rectify the situation. Your online community will not only judge you on the complaint, but also how you deal with the issue and respond to it.
Be proactive not reactive. Whether or not a customer has a legitimate complaint, do not get defensive, make up an excuse or assign blame – the customer is always right. Instead, own the situation and take responsibility. If you remain calm, collected and respectful, it is more likely the customer will too. It also shows other customers that you are concerned and acting professionally. In some cases other loyal customers may side with you and discuss their positive experience.
For every negative comment about your company, there will be scores of positive ones. Responding to negative reviews is only one part of reputation management, it is just as important to highlight a positive. If you know of a happy customer, encourage them to post online and thank them on the same platform.
Be active online, it will show your prospects and customers that your business is accessible, responsive and has true personality. Remember, 'people do business with people' so knowing that a person is participating online will instil confidence when customers make a purchase.
Providing great customer service helps to drive positive reviews and word of mouth that will help outweigh any negative comments. Customer service, online or offline, remains a critical differentiator when building a successful business.