Joan Harman Ransom, born July 22, 1913 in Porter, OK. Joan Harman Ransom attended the University of Oklahoma and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. She became an illustrator of children's books and the Chicago Lying-In Hospital's Our Baby's First Seven Years baby book. She was a watercolorist, a ceramist and was one of the orginal members of the Chicago Old Town Triangle, pioneers of the famous annual Old Town Art Fair. In 1953 she and her husband moved their family to Mexico City where they lived for 23 years. In the course of their stay there, she was Public Relations Director for the Ixtapan Resort and Spa and later co-manager, with her husband, of the Refugio del Salto Hotel in Valle de Bravo, where they were also land developers. In addition she wrote articles on Mexico for the Christian Science Monitor and was a columnist for the Brownsville Times. Returning to the U.S. in 1976 they have resided in Oceanside, CA for the past 16 years. She is survived by Glenn, her husband of 67 years; two children, Scott Ransom of Telluride, CO, Barbara Ransom Povall of Pasadena, CA; and three grandchildren, Chelsea Povall, Susie Ransom Wood and Scotty Ransom. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on Monday, March 13, 2006. She was 92.


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Martinů ist der Familienname folgender Personen:
 Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959), tschechischer Komponist
 Oldřich Martinů (* 1965), tschechischer Polizeioffizier und stellvertretender Direktor von Europol

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Assam: SECI tenders 70 MW of Solar project
The Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) has announced 70 MW grid-connected solar PV power plant to be installed at Amguri Solar Park in Assam.
February 6, 2018 Sraisth
The Amguri Solar Park is located just 150 km east of the Kaziranga National Park, famous for one-horned Rhinoceros.
Diganta Talukdar/Wikimedia
SECI has released a tender, on behalf of Assam Power Generation Corporation Ltd (APGCL), Guwahati, Assam, for setting up of 70 MW grid-connected solar PV project in a single capacity in the state of Assam.
The project will be developed under a "Build-Own-Operate" (BOO) basis at Amguri Solar Park, Amguri, located in the Sivasagar district of Assam. BOO is a project model under which a private entity receives a concession from the private or public sector, or government to finance, design, construct, own, and operate a solar facility.
SECI has fixed the maximum tariff payable to INR 3.43 ($0.053)/kWh under 25-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). The power generated from the plants will be sold to the Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd (APDCL).
The power plants interconnection with the grid will be provided by the State/Central Transmission Utility or DISCOM. The selected power developer should finish the project within 12 months of the effective date of PPA.
Bid submissions are due on March 14, 2018.
SECI has also advised prospective bidders to visit the solar park before the pre-bid meeting.
Sraisth
Sraisth joined the pv magazine team in September 2017. He covers the Indian PV market and is responsible for the pv magazine India website.
More articles from Sraisth

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LAHORE: The Election Tribunal will give its much awaited verdict in alleged rigging investigation of NA-122 constituency today (Saturday).
During General Elections on May 11, 2013, Sardar Ayyaz Sadiq had secured the seat of National Assembly from NA-122 constituency by bagging 93,389 against 84,517 votes of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan. Imran Khan demanded recounts and verification with the actual results still pending as of January 2015.
Last year in November 2014, Lahore High Court permitted the tribunal to probe the rigging case. Sardar Ayyaz Sadiq tried to halt the proceedings by filing a plea in LHC that was declared non-maintainable by the LHC. Imran Khan's petition to recounts votes was accepted by tribunal's judge Kazim malik.
Later on, on February 14, 2015 filed another plea to review the records by the NADRA that was accepted by the tribunal too. On June 16, PTI and PML-N were ordered by the tribunal to record their conclusive arguments. By August 17, the counsels finalized their arguments and the tribunal reserved its verdict.
The alleged rigging case investigation by the election tribunal expands over a span of two years. Total 58 hearings were held throughout the process.


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Q: is it possible to use the same asio::io_context of an asio::serial_port for an asio::steady_timer? using asio library, I want to use timeouts for an asio::serial_port read/write calls.
Is it possible to use the same asio::serial_port asio::io_context and the same read_handler used for an asio::async_read call, so that in any case (read completion or timeout) event will triger the read_handler handler, (with different error codes of course).
Any possible suggestion will be welcome.

A: Yes. Many examples in the library and documentations will show you this, and it might be one of the most important design goals: integrating all kinds of different asynchronous APIs and devices in one interface.
Just look at the library examples https://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_69_0/doc/html/boost_asio.html or alternatively the many examples on this site: https://stackoverflow.com/search?tab=relevance&q=%5bboost-asio%5d%20deadline_timer%20timeout

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Our itinerary together begins on Baltra Island, a former military base during World War II, and now an Ecuadorian naval and air force station. Once all formalities are completed, we venture east along the volcanic shores of North Seymour and Santa Cruz Islands, until we reach the Plazas Islands.
Our adventures start with a dry landing at a manmade jetty on South Plaza Island. During the next day, we will explore Santa Fe Island and San Cristobal Island, home to the provincial capital of the Galapagos province. Then, we sail south to Española Island, with its remarkable visitor site (a favourite of many visitors): Punta Suarez. Here, we'll wander along the rugged coastline, home to hundreds of marine iguanas, sea lions, marine birds, and even albatross (during much of the year). In the afternoon, Gardner Bay provides a wonderful setting for a combination of beach-time, swimming, snorkelling or exploring aboard the glass-bottom boat. We end on Monday with a visit to the world-famous Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island, the most populous in the archipelago.
Wherever we sail, whatever we do, the entire crew aboard La Pinta will do their utmost to ensure your Galapagos experience is truly deeply moving and memorable.
We take the dinghy over to this idyllic sandy-white beach populated by colonies of sea lions. Galápagos hawks are often easily observed, perched atop salt bushes. The Santa Fe land iguana, unique to just this island, may be spotted during the walk. Following the walk, we can snorkel and swim along a natural wave barrier or ride the glass-bottom boat.
We land at the eastern tip of San Cristóbal Island this morning. The trail that ascends from the beach provides spectacular views of the shoreline; we can observe frigates, plus a colony of bachelor sea lions. After the walk, if conditions are favourable, there is a chance to swim from the beach and snorkel.
Our morning outing at Punta Suárez provides an exciting walk on lava/boulder terrain to visit its unique sea bird colonies, including the waved albatrosses (April – January), boobies, swallow-tail gulls, and the famous "blowhole" lava formation. Also, look for red-green-black marine iguanas. Many regard this site as the best in the Galápagos. Back on board for lunch.
Disembarking in the morning, we visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and the captive rearing programme for the giant tortoises. Here we witness the efforts and results of Galápagos fieldwork and study done in the name of science. We transfer via bus across Santa Cruz Island and a short ferry ride to Baltra. Our journey ends at Baltra Island, where we transfer to the airport to take the flight back to the mainland. Baltra's flat substrate (due to its uplifted origin) is the reason why the island was chosen back in the 1940s as the construction site for an airport.
Accommodation, all meals, soft drinks*, island sightseeing, naturalist guides and lecture services in English/Spanish only, wet suit rental and snorkelling gear, Internet*, taxes and transfers in the islands. Transfer from main hotels in Quito (Casa Gangotena, Hilton Colon, Swissôtel, Marriott, Dann Carlton) and in Guayaquil (Hilton Colón, Oro Verde, Hampton Inn, Sheraton) to airport for flights to / from Galápagos are included in these rates. To coordinate these transfers we must have guest's hotel contact.
* Internet connections aboard consist of 2 computer stations in the library and Wi-Fi in the yacht's social areas; due to the Galápagos' remote location, Internet connections are intermittent and low-bandwidth.
Airfare to/from Galápagos, Galápagos National Park admission fee (US$ 100, subject to change without notice), Transit Control Card for Galapagos (US$ 20 per person), alcoholic drinks, tips, gifts, and additional items.


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How to Contact Karen Gillan: Phone Number, Fanmail Address, Email Id, Whatsapp, Mailing Address
Karen Gillan: 8 Ways to Contact Her (Phone Number, Email, House address, Autograph Request, Social media profiles)
Karen Gillan: Ways to Contact or Text Karen Gillan (Phone Number, Email, Fanmail address, Mailing Address, and Autograph Address) in 2022- If you're looking for Karen Gillan 2022's contact information, such as her phone number, contact information, WhatsApp number, or social media profiles, you've come to the right place.
Karen Gillan Bio and Career:
Karen Gillan was born on November 28th, 1987, in Inverness, in the Scottish highlands. Her parents are Marie and Raymond Gillan. Her father is a musician and a recording artist, and he sings. At sixteen, she moved to Edinburgh to enroll in Telford College's acting program. After waiting another year, she went to London to enroll in the theatre arts program at the Italia Conti Academy. During the time that she was attending that school, she was discovered by a modeling agency. But she was confident in her conviction that she did not want to pursue a career as a model but rather as an actor.
Karen Gillan's early television work consisted of guest parts in various television programs, one of which was the detective series 'Rebus.' After that, she became a member of the comedy series "The Kevin Bishop Show " ensemble cast." In addition, she was the director of an anthology of short horror films entitled "The Well."In 2010, she made her debut in the film industry with a part in the spooky thriller "Outcast. The film's story, directed by Colm McCarthy, centered on an assassin who tracked down his former sweetheart, who belonged to an ancient magical race.
Between 2010 and 2013, her performance as Amy Pond on the long-running British television series 'Doctor Who' became more well-known. She made her second appearance on the big screen with a significant role in the romantic comedy film "Not Another Happy Ending" in 2013. This was her second performance on the big screen. During the same year, she also played the leading role in the supernatural horror film "Oculus." The movie had a budget of five million dollars, but it made 44 million dollars worldwide, which is an incredible return on investment. Additionally, the majority of evaluations that were written about it were favorable.
In the superhero film "Guardians of the Galaxy," released in 2014, she has a starring role as one of the key characters. The superhero team from Marvel Comics that had the same name as the film served as inspiration for the movie. It was a huge commercial success, so it was nominated for and won several honors. After that, she was cast as the main character in the television series "Selfie."She has roles in the feature films "The List" and "The Big Short," both released in 2015. She also had a supporting role in the satirical documentary "7 Days in Hell." The same year, she was the director, writer, and managing director for the short film "Coward," which she also directed.
Karen Gillan Profile-
Known By Name– Karen Gillan
Zodiac Sign- Sagittarius
Birth Place– Inverness, United Kingdom
Nickname– Karen Gillan
Parents– Father: Raymond John Gillan, Mother: Marie Gillan
Height-1.8 m
Social Media Accounts of Karen Gillan:
Facebook (Facebook Profile): https://www.facebook.com/thekarengillan
Twitter Profile: https://twitter.com/karengillan
Insta Profile: https://www.instagram.com/karengillan
YouTube Channel Link:
Place of Birth: Inverness, United Kingdom
Husband/Boyfriend: Nick Kocher
Children: NA
Karen Gillan's Phone Number, Email, Contact Information, House Address, and Social Profiles:
She had a role in the movie "In a Valley of Violence," released the following year. Despite the movie's positive reception from critics, it did not do well at the box office. Her next significant role in a film was in 2017, in "Galaxy Guardians Vol. 2." It was a sequel to the film "Guardians of the Galaxy," which was released in 2014. In the same vein as the last film, it has been a huge financial success and has been recognized with several awards and nominations. Even the naysayers gave it high marks. In the same calendar year, she also had roles in the films "The Circle" and "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," both of which were released.
She had a prominent role in the film "The Party's Just Beginning," which she also developed, directed, and produced in 2018. Karen Gillan initially gained widespread recognition due to her participation in the British science fiction television series 'Doctor Who,' in which she portrayed the character Amy Pond from 2010 to 2013. Since the 1960s, the program has developed into a significant part of the popular culture of the United Kingdom. It follows the adventures of a mysterious extraterrestrial known only as "Doctor Who," who travels across time and space on a time-traveling spaceship. She rose to fame on a global scale as a result of her work in the movie "Guardians of the Galaxy." She portrayed an extraterrestrial supervillain named Nebula and was a nasty pirate of the universe.
James Gunn served as the movie's director, and a Marvel Comics superhero team inspired the story with the same name. The film, with a budget of around $230 million, has grossed more than $770 million worldwide, making it a huge financial success. In addition to that, it was nominated for two Academy Awards. She takes on the role of her Galaxy Guardians Vol. 2 counterparts in the sequel. It was a huge commercial success, much like its predecessor. In addition to that, the movie took home many Teen Choice Awards.
Among Karen Gillan's many accomplishments is the Cosmopolitan "Woman of the Year" award she received for her role as the Best Actress in the 'Doctor Who' TV season that aired in 2010. She was also given the 5th Young Scot Award for the same role, which was given to her in the same category. In addition, she was considered for two National Television Awards in the area of 'Best Female Drama Performance.'Her performance in 'Guardians of the Galaxy' earned her several accolades, including the 'Empire Award given to the year's most promising newcomer in 2015.
She was awarded Best Lead Actress in a Short Film at the London International Film Festival in 2016 for her performance in the film Bound for Greatness. It is common knowledge that Karen Gillan is not married at this time. Andrew Brooke and Patrick Green had a relationship in the past. She works for the international philanthropic organization "Fashion Targets Breast Cancer" in addition to her profession in the film business.
Karen Gillan Contact Address, Phone Number, Email ID, Website
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thekarengillan
House address (residence address) Inverness, United Kingdom
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/karengillan
Twitter https://twitter.com/karengillan
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Ways to Contact Karen Gillan:
1. Facebook Page Contact: @Karen Gillan
3. Insta Profile:@Karen Gillan
4. Twitter:@Karen Gillan
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The RGB codes for non-dither web colors are organized by HSL codes to make this color chart consistent with our inuitions about color. Each table represents a group of colors with similiar luminosity and saturation. Each of the 6 rows in each table corresponds to a hue. That is, each row in the chart corresponds to 60 degrees around a color wheel.


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Russell Howard says it's time to 'legalise drugs'
Daisy Phillipson
Russell Howard has weighed in on the drugs debate and suggested legalising substances in the UK could solve a lot of problems.
The comedian made his argument during a recent episode of The Russell Howard Hour, which you can watch a clip of below:
There's long been a strong case for the decriminalisation of drugs, from boosting the economy to making use safer through regulation.
Providing a real life example, Portugal - which legalised all drugs in 2001 - has experienced dramatic reductions in overdoses, HIV infection and drug-related crimes.
What's more, studies have shown that stricter penalties in drug laws do not reduce consumption - in fact, they increase aggression on the market.
Despite the plethora of evidence demonstrating the benefits of legalising drugs, the UK is still miles away from easing policies on marijuana, let alone other substances.
Clearly Howard wants this to change, as shown in his recent segment, which starts off with him talking about the £55 billion black hole in the UK economy which is set to be filled with spending cuts and tax hikes.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman is considering upgrading cannabis from a class B to a class A drug. Credit: Mark Thomas/Alamy Stock Photo
As said by the comedian, if we decriminalised drugs, 'the country could benefit to the tune of nearly £20 billion every year'.
"Britain gets rich, crime goes down," he adds, before joking; "The only problem: King Charles will have to hide because if you're high, you're definitely going to try and eat his fingers."
Howard went on to highlight the hypocrisy of politicians' war on drugs when traces of cocaine were reportedly found at a number of locations within the Houses of Parliament.
"The government's drug policies don't work," he continues. "Drug deaths in Britain have gone up year on year for over a decade."
In addition to Portugal, other countries that have had good outcomes by relaxing their drug laws include Switzerland, Czech Republic, Uruguay, Canada, Mexico and the Netherlands.
"Our government should be following these countries and their laws," he says.
"But instead, we've still got the Psychoactive Substances Act of 2016 which was meant to crack down on legal highs but ended up restricting the sales of all sorts of weird s**t including whipped cream and toads...
"We're throwing taxpayers money away on this s**t and, frustratingly, some class As are relative relatively harmless."
Studies have shown psilocybin can help people suffering from depression. Credit: Pexels
Howard points to studies that show magic mushrooms are the safest recreational drug, while legal ones such as tobacco and booze often lead to cancer and liver failure.
Furthermore, an increasing amount of research is coming out showing the psychedelic component of shrooms is a powerful treatment for people suffering from depression.
Howard finishes his argument by saying: "One of the biggest advantages - never mind the money - we could stop treating addicts as criminals and instead treat them as people who need help.
"It makes so much sense."
Featured Image Credit: Russell Howard / YouTube
Topics: Drugs, UK News, TV and Film, Politics
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DOPAMINE is available as AudioUnit, VST, AAX32 (ProTools 10.3.5 and above), AAX64 (ProTools 11 and 12) plugins, as well as a standalone application.
You can authorize DOPAMINE on up to three computers that you own and one USB stick with a simple one-click software procedure (no hardware key needed).
Macintosh® Intel Core i3 1.4GHz with 4Gb of RAM, 1280x800 video. Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and above are supported.
DOPAMINE is available as VST, AAX32 (ProTools 10.3.5 and above), AAX64 (ProTools 11 and 12) plugins, as well as a standalone application.
32bit and 64bit are natively supported. You can authorize DOPAMINE on up to three computers that you own and one USB stick with a simple one-click software procedure (no hardware key needed).
Core i3 1.4GHz with 4Gb of RAM, 1280x800 video. Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows® 10 are supported.


It remains impressive, how many good resolutions there are for the year to come looking at our eating habits. Less sweets, no alcohol, reducing body fat, eating healthy… who has not heard of them? However, implementing them is often too much or rather too tedious. Who likes to constantly check nutrition tables of groceries or meticulously stick to a nutrition plan? The consequence: In the end none of it is rightly implemented. What remains is nothing but frustration. Do it completely different in 2019: keep it simple! Eat varied and healthy. If you follow some easy steps on a daily basis, your health will profit. Often it is the small things that help achieve the big goals. It is worth it!
What is true for life, is true for food: eat as colorful as possible. Pimp your meals daily with fruits and vegetables, as colorful as a rainbow: This is because the variety of colours are so healthy, as they provide the body with different and important nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and also secondary plant compounds. "Red" e.g. = tomatoes, "green" e.g. = lamb's lettuce and French beans, "blue" e.g. = blueberries, "orange" e.g. = carrots, "yellow" e.g. = corn, "white" e.g. = onions. Enjoy at least three portions of vegetables per day (e.g. one portion for lunch and one for dinner plus a bowl of side salad) as well as two portions of fruit.
Apart from the energy we get from food, we also need sufficient fluid in order to feel good and stay healthy. This is true not only for hot summer days. If there is a lack of fluid in our organism, concentration and performance can decrease, both in our everyday life and during sports. Particularly when you do sports, you should make sure to drink sufficiently to avoid starting your training or competition with a fluid deficit. To highlight a fluid deficit, it is worthwhile to check your urine. The colour can be a good indicator of your fluid balance. If it is pale yellow, there usually is no need to be concerned. If it is dark and equals the color of beer or apple juice, it might on the other hand be an indication of a deficit. If this is the case, try to drink more frequently throughout the day or work out an individual hydration strategy.
What is the best drink, after all? It's all about water! Admittedly soft drinks are extremely tasty, yet these sugary drinks and even beer are real calorie bombs. Those who struggle to drink pure water and need a flavor kick, have other calorie-free options. Water with a dash of lemon juice, fresh ginger, a slice of cucumber or mint leaves is refreshing, just as are unsweetened fruit and herbal teas. Even coffee, in moderation of course, can be part of the daily fluid intake. Smoothies as well as freshly-squeezed juices can be drunk "on top" if you face high carbohydrate requirements as a result of strenuous physical work or intense physical activity.
There should never be a lack of sufficient protein on your nutrition plan. Chicken, beef steak, salmon, eggs and curd cheese, all of these contain a lot of protein. Protein supports the feeling of satiety. The latter is not even the main reason, why you should eat protein at every main meal as well as after sports and as a snack in between. Protein is crucial for our immune system, a healthy organism and supports muscle growth and maintenance.
Therefore, we should ideally eat this building block in regular intervals throughout the day. What does a nutrition plan like this looks like? Here is an example: Have cottage cheese for breakfast, grilled salmon filet for lunch and scrambled eggs for dinner, for instance, and a protein shake (such as DELUXE PROTEIN powder) after strength training.
Carbohydrates are controversially discussed. Low carb or high carb? Crucial for health and physical performance is the type of carbs, how much and to what time they are eaten. Follow the mantra - eat as naturally as possible. Eat carbohydrate rich foods that are minimally processed and gently cooked – whenever possible. Favour steamed potatoes over fries and when it comes to pasta and bread, opt for the wholegrain variety over common white flour products. It's worth it.
If you go all-out during sports, your body needs a lot of carbohydrates as it burns a lot of energy. Vice versa this also means for example during recovery periods and times of less physical activity, the portions of pasta, bread, potatoes and rice can be reduced.
Something that should not be found on your plate too often are so-called empty carbohydrate foods. They are poor in nutrients and dietary fiber and in the worst case contain added sugar. These foods include white bread and sugary cereals and cornflakes.
Good to know: immediately before, during and after exercise or competitions easy digestible and readily available carbohydrates can absolutely make sense.
Eat healthy and tasty. The PowerBar plate model supports you to put together your ideal main meal.
So, what are you waiting for? You already made the good resolutions: start with us into a healthy and sporty year!


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Home » Vietnam's first private sector retirement savings vehicle debuted
Vietnam's first private sector retirement savings vehicle debuted
by Neoma Simpson March 5, 2021
Vietnam Ho Chi Minh city @ AAPhoto
Vietnam gets its first private defined contribution plan, which launched by Dragon Capital VietFund Management.
The new savings vehicle will be targeted at Vietnam's 35 million to 40 million urban dwellers.
Visit Vietnam Insider's homepage for more stories.
Dragon Capital VietFund Management, a Ho Chi Minh-based money management firm, has launched Vietnam's first private sector retirement savings vehicle.
The defined contribution plan, with government tax incentives for employees and employers alike, offers savers three fund options — a relatively high-risk 50-50 split between equities and bonds, a 65% bond-35% stock mix and a conservative 80% bond-20% stock mix.
Savings can be withdrawn tax-free upon reaching retirement age, currently 62 for men and 60 for woman.
Related: How much is enough for retirement in Vietnam?
Life insurers in Vietnam have had some success selling savings products in recent years but those heavily regulated offerings invest almost exclusively in government securities, Dominic Scriven, executive chairman and co-founder of Dragon Capital VietFund Management, said in an interview.
Meanwhile, with 20% of Vietnam's population, now 96 million people, forecast to be in retirement by 2030 and 30% by 2050, tapping private savings to supplement the country's only pension plan — the Vietnam Social Security Fund, with only about 10 million contributors at present — is a priority, he said.
Mr. Scriven, a 25-year veteran of Vietnam's money management market, said Dragon's team has been engaging with local regulators for years in an effort to channel private savings into retirement pools. Earlier this year, Dragon secured Vietnam's first "voluntary supplementary provident plan" license.
He said the new savings vehicle will be targeted at Vietnam's 35 million to 40 million urban dwellers, where per capita GDP in metropolitan areas such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City ranges from $7,000 to $10,000.
For Dragon, which has focused on offering overseas institutional investors exposure to Vietnamese stocks and bonds, the new retirement offering amounts to "broadening our vision from being entirely focused on foreign institutions to really looking at the underlying market," Mr. Scriven said.
Dragon Capital VietFund Management oversees roughly $4.5 billion in assets under management, according to PI Online.
By DOUGLAS APPELL
Dragon Capitalretirement in VietnamVietFund Management
Neoma Simpson
Do foreign shareholders improve financial strength of Vietnamese...
How to use offshore pension plans to secure...
The journey of Dominic Scriven in Vietnam –...
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Dragon Capital invests $3.7m to up stake in...


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DNotes
Can Cryptocurrency Really Help Unbanked Populations?
Home » Business » Can Cryptocurrency Really Help Unbanked Populations?
For the longest time, cryptocurrency's main claim to fame has been that it can aid unbanked populations and help those who are served poorly in the financial world, but this is not exactly the case. Major banks are getting in the way, not allowing the blockchain to be used to its full extent, and as a result, cryptocurrency simply isn't doing all it's able to do.
Changes are predicted for the future, but the only way for these changes to occur is through our efforts to make sure that oppressed and unbanked nations know what digital currency is and help them to understand it. Only through cryptocurrency education can we bring the world of finance back to its feet and grant everyone the opportunity to obtain what is rightfully theirs.
Read the full story below.
Pop culture and technology often bring about new words. Following the premiere of "Seinfeld," people on the street found themselves using the phrase, "yadda, yadda, yadda" when describing the mundane tasks of their daily lives. Now, the FinTech sector has brought about a new term we can all appreciate… "Financial inclusion."
While a specific definition has yet to be given, on basic terms, we can assume it means, "Finance is included." In many ways, it can be used to decipher the meaning behind cryptocurrency that we've all held in our heads for so long. For many years, we've been under the impression that cryptocurrencies can aid unbanked populations and those who lack sufficient monetary means in third-world countries. However, this may not be exactly true.
Modern banking techniques have injured the world. Predatory and faceless, banks have found ways to turn things like $600 payday loans into massive, $2,000 boils wrought with hidden fees. At one point, banks were community-minded and simple. Each town had an individual bank to serve its needs, but it wasn't long before the "little guys" were bought out, and banking has reached an entirely different level.
Cryptocurrency is a solution for many of these issues. However, virtual currency isn't getting the chance to step in and appropriately intercede as needed. For one thing, banks still view the blockchain as reminiscent of the Internet; something to possess private networks for the sake of customer security. They aren't willing to branch out the entire blockchain as it is.
One of the major issues with this is that the unbanked wish to remain anonymous. This could be for a number of reasons: lack of "legal status," fear or distrust of the banking system, etc. Bank regulations are turning unbanked people off, and the only way to stop this is by opening up the networks and allowing them to be transparent. Allowing money to move anonymously helps poor workers, not criminals and terrorists.
Cryptocurrency can offer a lot, but one of the problems we're facing is that it presently doesn't hold liquidity in smaller countries. Many startups are now finding alternative ways to provide nations access to virtual coins through debit cards, phone minutes and similar means. Cryptocurrency is strongly thought of as a tool for the rich, and it's going to be a long time before the poor, migrant workers of the world truly understand it, but we should still be striving hard to make sure everyone, rich and poor, is able to use it appropriately.
At the present time, cryptocurrency, despite its power and security, is looked at as a useless commodity in many ways simply because it is failing to do all it has promised. However, many are working to change this, and by the end of the year, many fixes are predicted; fixes that will allegedly make the blockchain the Internet's heaviest and highest-ranking rival.
The views expressed by the authors on this site do not necessarily represent the views of DCEBrief or the management team.
Author: Nick Marinoff
Nick Marinoff is a freelance author, writer and journalist. His first book, "Take a 'Loan' Off Your Shoulders: 14 Simple Tricks for Graduating Debt Free" is now available on Amazon.com amazon.com/author/nickmarinoff. He is currently a lead content writer and news editor for Money & Tech, and is a regular contributor to both NewsBTC and Bitcoinist.net. Other publications include Black Impact Magazine, Benzinga.com and The Loan Gurus, to name a few. He is a proud graduate of FHSU in Hays, KS.
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Also called "guard railings", presumably to guard peds against motor traffic, these just spare drivers the inconvenience of looking out for peds. At the same time, they prevent peds from crossing the road where they want to, and make them slalom around a traffic island in the middle (this often, means as a ped you need two traffic light phases to cross one road!).


And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's. And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.


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Volleyball team puts their heart into season
Amber Grutzmacher, Staff Writer|December 15, 2017
Starting out fifth in the state, the Sheridan Lady Broncs have done very well this season with a conference record of 5-5. Although the Lady Broncs did not advance far in regionals by losing both games of three, they definitely fought hard against Thunder Basin and Campbell County.
Their journey to regionals contained many victories. They had the best record during the Border Wars tournament than any of the other Wyoming teams. Border Wars is a tournament between the Montana teams and Wyoming teams that occur every year. Outside of Border Wars, the Lady Broncs achieved another huge victory by defeating Cheyenne East, which they have not done in the last four years. Losing the first two sets in the game was very stressful for the Lady Broncs, but they pulled themselves together and beat them in the next three games. "When you have the fun and success together it hits a home run for me," said head coach Maureen McEwen. In between every set, the Ladies pulled themselves together and talked through their mistakes. According to senior outside hitter Emily Hooge, "The team is very good at not getting mad at each other, and they move on fast from their mistakes." Encouraging one another before and after games also helps them forget their faults.
"Losing the first two games motivates us to come out stronger, and we are good at bouncing back and shaking things off," said senior right side hitter Olivia Conrad.
Hooge explained another aspect that motivated the girls to come back from losing two sets in a row is their head coach, McEwen. During timeouts, McEwen is always positive and encouraging her players to push themselves to their full potential.
Overall, the teammates played very well together. "Of the four years I've been part of the volleyball team, we had the best chemistry this year," said Conrad. "All of us generally cared about each other and each other's well being."
McEwen challenged the team through team building activities which have increased the team's solidarity. At the beginning of every year, she has the volleyball players do a talent show in the school's auditorium. "Having the talent show is just something that puts us out of a volleyball mind really quick and just gets us to know each other better," said McEwen. Getting to know her players outside of volleyball is something that is important to McEwen. Besides the talent show, they also do the quote and word of the week that helps motivate the ladies each day to improve and work to their highest potential.
Coach McEwen was thrilled with the leadership the seniors showed this year, saying, "Every one of them really stepped up in every role that they had and embraced who they were." She said that they all cared for each other and helped out the younger classmen, which she and the volleyball program needed. McEwen is sad to see her seniors go and will really miss this last season she had with them. "Did we get to where we wanted to be in the end? No," she said. "But in spite of everything else we had a fantastic season and it all started with the seniors."
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Us County Extension Svc, Youth Organizations & Centers, listed under "Youth Organizations & Centers" category, is located at 444 Cherrycreek Rd Lincoln NE, 68528 and can be reached by 4024417180 phone number. Us County Extension Svc has currently 0 reviews.
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An exhibition dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Astana opened at the National Archive of Kazakhstan. The archival documents presented at the exhibition reflect the history of Astana. The exhibition features official documents from various archives related to the transition of the capital from Almaty to Astana and the further development of the Kazakh capital. According to the organizers, the exhibition items have a great historic significance as they contributed to the establishment and development of Astana. The exhibition visitors can see the original copies of Astana's master plans of various years, documents on renaming of the capital and relocation of various Government entities. There are also various photographs that demonstrate how the image of Astana changed in 20 years.
- Our documents will be preserved for centuries. I think that our descendants will be learning our documents with great interest, because I don't know what other country built such capital in a short period of time. According to our colleagues, Astana is a phenomenon and our pride. The future generations will study the documents that will be useful for them. Our exhibition will last for a month.


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We're off to Memphis, TN for the weekend to watch Ethan, my 15 year-old son, participate in a cheer competition. Then, on Monday we head out to Gatlinburg for a 5-day family trip.
Traveling along with us are Nancy & Adam. Nancy is Ethan's biological grandmother, and the mother of Adam…who turns 19 years old on day 2 of our trip.
Headed into our road trip I already have some anger building up towards my kids that I'm unaware of… until "my ugly side" begins to surface.
My anger is mainly due to the general messiness and bad attitude of my three kids over the last few days. This is an insight I have after the fact, not in the moment.
Joey, my 13 year-old gives me some attitude on the road trip, and I finally crack. I get so frustrated at him that I squirt him water from the bottle in my hand. Unfortunately, I soak the other two next to him, only getting Joey a little wet.
The rest of the road trip I'm generally in a bad mood – snapping at the kids and being short-tempered.
When we arrive in Memphis it's cold. Joey wants to put on a jacket, warmer shoes, and some pants, but his luggage is packed in the back of the SUV under a bunch of stuff.
Jena, my wife, gives me a look that tells me to chill out (thank God for her…seriously). She overrules my decision and allows him to get on some warm clothes. I whine and complain.
At dinner, Jena gives me a pep talk telling me to chill out. I eventually calm down.
I allowed my ugly side to surface.
Yes, I had a right to be angry. However, I had a choice in how I responded to the situation. I chose to let my ugly side surface rather than handling the situation in a healthy way.
You have an ugly side too. It's that part of yourself you're not proud of. It's where your weaknesses hide under the surface.
It might be anger, lust, greed, depression, busyness, etc.
You too have a choice to make when confronted with your ugly side. You have the power to let it surface, hurting yourself or those around you.
You also have the choice to respond in a healthy way to the situation.
I find the following methods are helpful for me, and maybe they'll work for you too.
#1 – Recognize your ugly side is surfacing.
The first step is recognizing what your ugly self is.
Most of the time you simply react to a particular situation without thinking about it. You don't think. It's a knee-jerk reaction.
In my case, Jena helped me see that I was being a jerk.
That's often the case. Those around us usually recognize our ugly self before we do.
#2 – Break the pattern.
If you're angry, you become angrier. If you're sad, you become sadder. If you're stressed, you become more stressed.
Do something to break the negative pattern.
In my case, I took a few deep breaths and went for a walk alone to the bathroom. I was also able to calm down over a nice dinner with the family.
I apologized to Joey for how I reacted to the situation and we had an enjoyable conversation at dinner.
#3 – Take some time to reflect.
Afterwards, it is helpful to take a timeout and reflect on what happened.
Ask yourself why you acted the way you did. Look for what was going on underneath the surface.
This is a helpful step to becoming self-aware. You'll often discover the root of the problem, which you can then address.
Most people are too busy to take the time to reflect. They continue the negative pattern over and over again.
The next morning I woke up before the rest of the family. I grabbed some coffee at a nearby café and walked around downtown Memphis.
I took the opportunity to reflect on the situation. I realized the root of the problem was that I was aggravated at the kids over the last few days due to their attitude and general state of messiness.
I also realized that I had a choice in how I responded to Joey the day before. I could have chosen a different path.
Those insights helped me to move forward, ready to choose the right response next time; ready to keep a good attitude regardless of my kids' behavior.
#4 – Ask God's help.
Many of you reading this blog post believe in God, but some of you might not. If you don't, I respect your viewpoint. I am in no way trying to preach to you or push my agenda.
I simply believe that God is there ready and willing to help you through life – especially when coming face to face with your ugly side.
God wants to mold and shape your character. Ask him to give you the power and strength to choose the right way to respond. I believe he'll show up.
The good news is that most of the ride up to Memphis was quite enjoyable.
We had designated time the kids were unplugged from all technology.
During those times, we played games together and bonded as a family.
I was reminded how much I do enjoy the company of my family, and how awesome my kids really are!
It is so good to be reminded that God's unconditional love is real. He knows our flaws. Only in Him we are able to humble ourselves to accept feedbacks and say sorry when we must. Especially to our children.


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At the beginning of this week I decided to take a much needed break from social media tools. I sometimes feel worn down by watching other people's lives on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and all the unwanted noise that comes out of it. I do enjoy using these tools, and often find inspiration from them, but they're also a HUGE distraction. It's good to turn down the volume once in awhile, and now was as good a time as any because I have a lot of work to do.
Over the last few days I've found myself with iPhone in hand wondering what to do with the thing. By not allowing myself to check Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram I have much less distraction from my phone. It makes me realize just how frequently I look at the darn thing, and use social media to procrastinate or distract myself.
I sometimes wish I could do without these tools, but they play a large role in how I share my work with the world. I'm not sure how I would do this otherwise. They are also the source of connections with interesting people, events, and ideas, so it's not all bad.
Sometimes you need to step back from familiar things in order to fully appreciate what they bring to your life. And I am reflecting on this as part of break. But until I return to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, I'm going to enjoy a quiet, centred, less distracted mind.


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Dictionary of Literary Biography: German Fiction Writers, 1885-1913 (Part 1: A-L, Part 2: M-Z)
Series Name: Dictionary of Literary Biography Series
Print | Hardcover
Two generations of German and Swiss writers born between 1853 and 1890 whose literary activity spanned both world wars are treated in this two-volume set. All had their first significant prose works first published between 1885 and 1913.No writers were excluded because of philosophical or political conviction or unsavory personal associations. Thus, readers are exposed to figures who appear in virtually every literary history but also unjustly neglected writers who may have been "discovered" only in recent years.The volumes include an appendix: "Historical and Cultural Premises of German Fiction" as well as essays entitled "Writers and Politics: 1871-1918," "Germanophilism," "The Novel of Impressionism," "The Twenties and Berlin," "The Conversion of an Unpolitical Man," and "The Making of a People." Also included is a checklist for further reading.
38 entries include: Rudolf G. Binding, Alfred Doblin, Paul Ernst, Gerhart Hauptmann, Hermann Hesse, Heinrich Mann, Thomas Mann, Jakob Wassermann, Arnold Zweig.
Dictionary of Literary Biography Series
This award-winning multi-volume series is dedicated to making literature and its creators better understood and more accessible to students and interested readers, while satisfying the standards of librarians, teachers and scholars. DICTIONARY OF LITERARY BIOGRAPHY provides reliable information in an easily comprehensible format, while placing writers in the larger perspective of literary history. DICTIONARY OF LITERARY BIOGRAPHY systematically presents career biographies and criticism of writers from all eras and all genres through volumes dedicated to specific types of literature and time periods.
"It is hands-down the best overall literary reference work ever published, a proverbial diamond as big as the Ritz..." -- Library Journal (June 15, 2006)To see the full review click here.
— Library Journal
A pleasing and useful reference source." -- CHOICE (October 1998) (On DLB 187)
— Jeffrey E. Long
"Libraries with an interest in the book arts and the history of publishing, will find this volume, along with its companions on the same subject, of value." -- Library and Information Science Annual 1998 (on DLB 170)
"Provides booksellers, collectors, librarians and others seeking information with a rich and complex look at many of the key historical figures in the world of books." -- Bookman's Weekly (3/9/98) (on DLB 184)
"The online DLB provides fast, easy access to the set that librarians and researchers know well... Onscreen help is well written and useful, and the search form provides a number of access points, including author, title of work, genre, full text, and DLB volume title... The text of the print and online essays is identical, although the latter adds hyperlinks to other entries. The bibliographies are duplicates as well, but the online version omits the helpful organization by source type. Some features of the print DLB are missing, including up-front identification of the DLB volume. Also missing are the invaluable facsimiles and photographs. Recommended for all libraries, expecially those without access to the print." -- Choice (August 2002)
"Entertaining. Abundant illustrations and manuscripts enhance the volume. Recommended." -- CHOICE (April 1996) (on DLB 153)
"Recommended for university and college libraries with strong children's literature departments." -- CHOICE (July/August 1996) (on DLB 161)
"Outstanding." -- CHOICE
— Choice
"Recommended for libraries serving children's literature programs." -- CHOICE (December 1996) (on DLB 163)
"Many libraries keep this superb series on standing order, the best way to appreciate fully all the individual volumes." -- CHOICE (February 1999)
"This series brings to life many writers undeservedly forgotten." -- CHOICE (April 1996)
"A worthy addition to all academic and large public libraries." -- CHOICE (June 1996)
"Stimulating . . . readable . . . exemplary collection." -- CHOICE (July/August 1999) (On DLB 201: Twentieth-century British Book Collectors and Bibliographers)
"This database provides 'over 11,000 biographical and critical essays on the lives, works and careers of the world's most influential literary figures from all eras and genres.' Entries present biographical information, genres, writings, detailed biography, and further reading. Searches can be done on Author, Title, Birth Year, Death Year, Nationality, Subject/Genre, Essay Topics, Full Text keywords, Ethnicity, Gender and DLB volume title, or a combination of these." --Lawbook Co., 2007
— Lawbook Co.
"This series provides reliable biocritical data on a range of writers, now extending onto several continents." -- Canadian Literature
"Of the usefulness of such a volume, published in a prestigious series, no one who has worked on late Victorian short fiction will have any doubt. The vast majority of the essays are both solidly documented and pleasant to read. They most indubitably come up to the high standard one has come to associate with the DLB. -- A&B: Analytical & Enumerative Bibliography (Vol. 10, No. 2, 1999) (on DLB 135: British Short Fiction Writers, 1880-2914: The Realist Tradition)
— A&B: Analytical & Enumerative Bibliography
"An excellent addition to the ever-growing body of reference material that is becoming available for serious scholars of children's literature." -- American Reference Books Annual [1997] (on DLB 163)
"Affords the full range of readers excellent biographical, critical and bibliographic starting points for research. Although reference libraries will want to collect the entire series, each volume is complete in itself." -- ARBA (American Reference Books Annual) 1999
"High standards of quality." -- American Reference Books Annual
"A valuable addition to the bibliography of children's literature." -- American Reference Books Annual [1997] (on DLB 161)
"As always in the Dictionary of Literary Biography series, these entries serve as an excellent introduction to individual authors, especially in the case of the lesser-known names, where the DLB entry may well be the only such modern critical overview available." -- ARBA 1998 (on DLB 172)
"Valuable addition to Gale's Dictionary of Literary Biography series. Its articles are clearly and concisely written and exhibit a high standard of scholarship. It is the work of competent and distinguished specialists. Highly recommended for college and university libraries supporting strong programs in German literature, comparative literature, or German history. Major public libraries in German settlement areas of North America may also find it useful." -- ARBA 1998 (on DLB 168)
"An indispensable critical appraisal of leading US. Poets of the twentieth century and therefore belongs in every university or research library's Americana collection." -- ARBA 1998 (on DLB 165)
"This volume has all the virtues of its predecessors in the DLB series: lucid, balanced writing; coverage of a wide range of authors; and a thorough primary and secondary bibliography. In addition, this volume has a particularly comprehensive and illuminating introduction." -- ARBA 1998 (on DLB 173)
"Libraries with a clientele interested in children's literature will want this volume, even if they are not subscribers to the DLB series." -- American Reference Books Annual [1997] (on DLB 160)
"Succeeds in providing an overview of major American collections and those responsible for their assembly. Informative, readable." -- RQ (Summer 1995) (on DLB 140)
"The DLB continues to be the top literary reference resource. Highly recommended for reference collections." --Library Journal, June 15, 2007
"With this volume, the continuing DLB series has maintained it's exemplary standards of scholarly integrity that for fully two decades have distinguished it from other literary research tools." -- ARBA (American Reference Books Annual) 1999 (on DLB 184: Nineteenth-Century British Book Collectors and Bibliographers)
"Will serve well those who need or wish to pursue information on precursors to today's collectors and bibliographers." -- ARBA (American Reference Books Annual) 1999 (on DLB 187: American Book Collectors and Bibliographers, Second Series)
"An important reference tool. Maintains the high standards of the series." -- CHOICE (April 1996) (on DLB 156)
"Comprehensive. Excellent illustrations. Rich resource material." -- CHOICE (December 1995) (on DLB 146)
"An excellent survey of the literatures, cultural history, and intellectual life of the Balkan peninsula that is a welcome addition to Dictionary of Literary Biography. Highly recommended." -- CHOICE (December 1995) (on DLB 147)
"Provides(s) the quick overview of biographical information and of the literary, religious, and political background that serious students would need." -- CHOICE (December 1995) (on DLB 151)
"This valuable collection nonetheless serves as an excellent introduction to literature of the Middle Ages in Germany. The illustrations are abundant and informative. The bibliographies in individual articles are uniformly excellent." -- CHOICE (December 1995) (on DLB 148)
"Frequent quotations, good bibliographies, and many illustrations accompany each entry and engage the reader. Consulting this readable reference work can profitably extend the perspective of anyone concerned with the English-speaking world, 1700-1820." -- CHOICE (April 1996) (on DLB 154)
"Recommended for research libraries with strong holdings in the book arts or art history." -- CHOICE (September 1998) (On DLB 188)


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Criminal Assets Bureau targets two Galway families
Francis Farragher
From this week's Galway City Tribune – Garda raids at seven locations on the east side of the city earlier this week were aimed at 'hitting in the pocket' two families alleged to be heavily involved in the drugs trade, the Galway City Tribune has learned.
Close to 100 personnel from different Garda and Customs specialist units were involved in the searches of residences in the Castle Park and Radharc na Gréine estates early on Tuesday morning.
According to Garda sources, they are confident that the raids – which also involved the seizure of a 191 Audi car worth an estimated €45,000+ in the Garryowen area of Limerick – will lead to arrests over the coming weeks and months.
Files have already started to be prepared for forwarding to the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) in relation to the seizures on Tuesday which included €22,000 in cash; £4,450 in sterling; a range of high-value designer goods, as well as the freezing of €17,000 in a bank account.
Searches carried out prior to this week's operation by specialist Garda units had resulted in the seizure of €18,680 in cash and the freezing of bank accounts to the value of €66,000. Two Rolex watches were also seized – these items have a value which can range between €10,000 and €100,000 each.
The strategy behind the CAB/Garda crackdown on illegal drugs gangs is based on striking at the finances of the local drug barons – as well as the seizure of cash/goods and the freezing of bank accounts, Revenue are closely involved in the 'monitoring of income' of the gang members with a view to issuing substantial tax bills.
Detective Superintendent Shane Cummins, who is in charge of crime operations in the Galway Garda Division, said this week's searches were part of an ongoing operation aimed at tackling the sale and supply of illegal drugs across the city and county.
This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read more on the raids and Garda Asset Profilers, see this week's Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.
Related Topics:galwaygardagalway city tribunegalway newsfeaturedCABCriminal Assets Bureauraids
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Cyberattack leaves HSE in the dark on children's mental health in Galway


Examine best practices regarding PreK-12 health and physical education instruction to address the Bellingham Promise outcome focused on developing healthy & active individuals.
Meet three times a year to address issues related to health and physical education standards, instruction and assessment, and professional development needs.
To increase opportunities for teachers, principals and Department of Teaching and Learning to collectively collaborate around the development of healthy & active individuals as stated in The Bellingham Promise.
To create an ongoing process for addressing standards, instruction and assessment decisions, alignment and communication regarding health and physical education instruction.
To advise regarding needs and priorities in health and physical education.
This group will make any necessary decisions based on a consensus of those present and primarily serve in an advisory capacity to Department of Teaching and Learning and the Superintendent.
Understand how the Developing Healthy & Active Individuals advisory group relates to other Teaching and Learning Advisory groups and The Bellingham Promise.
Review recent research on best practices in health and physical education.
Examine current district practices in health and physical education.
Examine current state, local and other related standards, assessments and instructional implications.
Collect feedback from staff, students and parents, as needed.
2017-18 School Year – No meetings during the 2017-18 school year.
2016-17 School Year: All meetings are 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the District Office.
2015-16 School Year: Meetings are from 4 to 6 p.m. at the District Office.
Establish team norms, review the scope of the work related to the Bellingham Promise and related advisory groups.
Describe current district health education practices, with attention to curriculum, instruction, standards, assessment, and professional development.
Examine current research and best practices reports about effective health education.
Compare current Bellingham Schools health education offerings/experiences with needed/desired effective practices.
Identify and recommend shifts in current Bellingham Schools health education practice to reflect best-practices research.
Develop status report for the Department of Teaching and Learning and the Superintendent.
Director of Teaching and Learning shares outcomes with DTL team to surface potential impact on priorities across the system.
2016-17 and beyond: Teaching and Learning Advisory Group meets fall, winter and spring. Dates to be scheduled and communicated at the beginning of the school year.
The advisory group may recommend that a review committee be formed to address significant curricular needs.


This ethical gift will help unemployed youngsters in Ethiopia learn a skill so they can make a living – through beekeeping. This donation to Bees for Development supports our 'Skills for life' project.
Why not consider our ethical gifts for your friends and family? This gift will enable young people to learn beekeeping, giving them skills and income, and a more hopeful future. This donation to Bees for Development Trust will be used to support our 'Skills for life' project in Ethiopia where chronic poverty remains a reality for many young people. The card can be sent to you, or directly to your friend or family member. The card includes a space for a personal message. Call us on 01600 714848 if you would like us to write a personal message on your behalf. The card contains a testimonial from a young woman who has benefited,'With the training I received from Bees for Development I sold honey for the first time last season. The skills I have gained will help me in my future', Kindu, Amhara, Ethiopia.


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The Steeldrivers - The Steeldrivers (LP)
The Grammy-Nominated 2008 debut includes If It Hadn't Been For Love and Blue Side Of The Mountain.
The Steel Drivers hail from Nashville, TN and concoct a sound that combines elements of tradition with contemporary flourishes. One might call the group's self-titled debut neo-acoustic. It's a sound that relies on mandolins, fiddles, and guitars, one that skirts bluegrass without being constricted by it. Banjoist Richard Bailey, bassist-vocalist Mike Fleming, mandolinist-vocalist Mike Henderson, fiddler-vocalist Tammy Rogers, and guitarist-lead vocalist Chris Stapleton deliver 11 full-bodied tracks on The Steel Drivers, highlighted by Stapleton's scratchy, Tom Waits meets bluegrass vocals.
Blue Side of the Mountain
Drinkin' Dark Whiskey
Midnight Train to Memphis
Midnight Tears
If You Can't Be Good, Be Gone
If It Hadn't Been For Love
Hear the Willow Cry
Sticks That Made Thunder
East Kentucky Home
To Be With You Again
• The first time this title has been available on vinyl
• Includes the fan favorites "Where Rainbows Never Die" and "Ghosts of Mississippi"
• The album was two-times GRAMMY® nominated—for "Best Bluegrass Album" and "Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals"


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text:
Mayoral Candidates, City Council Gather for First Debate
Sam Schultheis, Author|April 26, 2017
NICK TURNER • THE SPECTATOR
Sex scandals, old rivalries and new faces abound in the race to decide Seattle's next mayor.
Five of ten registered candidates running to become Seattle's next mayor.
A lawsuit was filed two weeks ago in King County Superior Court which alleged that Seattle Mayor Ed Murray sexually abused troubled teens in the 1980s.
The plaintiff, a 46-year-old man from Kent, Wash., claimed that Murray "raped and molested" him over the course of several years, starting in 1986 when the plaintiff was just 15-years-old. The mayor publicly denied the accusations, going so far as to seek a physical examination of his own body to disprove claims made in the lawsuit.
The scandal dealt a serious blow to Mayor Murray's bid for reelection, one which many believe is now doomed to fail. Patrick Schoettmer, an instructor in political science at Seattle University, believes the lawsuit is "immaterial," and that it no longer matters whether the allegations are true, at least not to voters.
"The court of public opinion moves much quicker than the court of justice," he said. "Voters are good at remembering bad things. They're bad at remembering why."
Just days after the lawsuit was filed, former mayor Mike McGinn and urban planner Cary Moon jumped into the race. The two latecomers are running alongside Nikkita Oliver, Jason Roberts, Alex Tsimerman, Mary Martin, Casey Carlisle, David Ishii and Keith Whiteman.
Nikkita Oliver speaking at her launch party earlier this month.
McGinn and Moon will, of course, deny that their bid had anything to do with the timing of the lawsuit, Schoettmer explained, since neither candidate wants to be thought of as an opportunist.
"If you were on the fence about whether or not you wanted to jump in, the scandal blowing up made the choice a lot easier," Schoettmer added. "The iron is hot, now is the time to strike."
But controversy was nowhere to be found when seven of the 10 declared mayoral candidates, and those running for two at-large seats on the city council, gathered at the Seattle Mennonite Church in Northgate last Thursday for a debate hosted by the 46th District Democrats. At the debate—which was more of a forum or town hall meeting—each candidate presented their platform in what was technically their first public appearance together.
Nikkita Oliver, a third-party candidate running as an independent, announced her candidacy in March. Schoettmer explained that, with a candidate like Oliver, voters will scrutinize them more than usual. But at the same time, Schoettmer added, since Oliver doesn't have much of a record to run on, she's a "tabula rasa," or blank slate, and so people are more willing to read into what they want to be true, rather than what might actually be true.
Mayoral candidate Nikkita Oliver being interviewed after speaking in a forum at Seattle Mennonite Church last Thursday.
"People are not feeling as secure, and when people are feeling uncertain, if they're feeling desperate," Schoettmer said. "They're more likely to take risks on less conventional candidates."
The next mayor will inherit the burdens of an entire city when they take office. After the debate, Oliver explained that she wants to focus her efforts on homelessness, housing affordability and other issues that disproportionately impact vulnerable and marginalized populations.
"I was invited to get into this race on behalf of a lot of communities," Oliver said, describing her relationships with organizers at the grassroots level. "By virtue of that, we have some very deep roots into communities that are looking for change, and need change."
"When we serve the most impacted in our city well, when we work together well to further solutions, everybody is going to be healthier," she added. "And I think those folks are really going to come to the polls and turn out to bring a candidate into the forefront that will do that."
McGinn struck a fiscally conservative note, pointing to Seattle's regressive tax system and explaining that the city needs a more frugal, responsible budget. Rather than build on the progress he made during his tenure as mayor, Schoettmer believes McGinn will try to re-envision himself. The former mayor comes from a more "controversial era," Schoettmer said, and he doesn't play well with others.
"Being a bomb-thrower in the era of Trump is probably not the greatest calling card," Schoettmer said, describing McGinn's style. "That could elicit pretty easy associations that would not be ideal in a city as liberal as Seattle."
Murray and McGinn are widely considered the top contenders. The latter served as Seattle's mayor for four years until the former claimed his seat in a decisive victory in 2014. Now the two face each other in an unexpected rematch, but things are much different this time around.
Murray's bid for reelection has been shrouded by suspicion and condemnation in the days and weeks since the lawsuit was brought to the media's attention. But the incumbent made no mention of it at the debate, and focused instead on a proposal for a city income tax on "high end" households along with his usual talking points like the "grand bargain," building affordable housing and fighting homelessness.
"The people we elect will determine, to a very large extent, what the next century looks like for this city," Schoettmer said. "We are today building the Seattle of tomorrow. What will that Seattle look like?"
Nick may be reached at
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GM Cutbacks Due to Offshoring, Not Tariffs
By Jeff Ferry, CPA Research Director
General Motors is having a very good year in 2018. That's right. You read that right, a good year. Maybe even an excellent year.
In Q3, its earnings performance knocked it out of the park. Wall Street was expecting earnings of $1.25 and the carmaker delivered $1.87. On the Oct. 31st conference call with investors, CEO Mary Barra was bullish on the full-year outturn, forecasting the company's outcome this way: "We expect full-year EPS [earnings per share] to be at the top of our previously-communicated guidance range with potential for further upside.."
But, if you read the news, you might ask: didn't GM announce the shutting of five auto plants in November, and the likely layoff of up to 14,000 workers in the US and Canada due to the tariffs? That's drastic surgery. Isn't GM hurting?
The fact is that the Nov. 26th cutbacks GM announced have little to do with its current sales, nothing at all to do with the tariffs, but a lot to do with the ongoing trend towards offshoring vehicle production to Mexico. GM is reducing its exposure to the small sedan market by shutting four US and one Canadian plant because those plants are operating well below capacity, in some cases at only 50 percent of full capacity. But in the past nine years, GM has increased its production in Mexico by 300,000. If even half of that production was allocated to the shutting US plants, those plants would likely be operating at profitable levels. Having ramped up its Mexican production faster than all of its rivals, GM is now the number two vehicle producer in Mexico and on its way to becoming number one.
It's notable that the most popular model GM is axing, the Chevrolet Cruze, is produced at two plants: Lordstown, Ohio, and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. The Lordstown plant is now slated for closure. GM is not closing Ramos Arizpe. The Mexican plant will be building the mid-size SUV Blazer, which hits the market next year. The last time GM sold Blazers was back in 2005, when they were produced at three GM plants, Moraine (OH), Linden (NJ), and Pontiac (MI). All those plants are now gone.
We compiled production figures from auto industry analysts Marklines to compare US production and Mexican vehicle production. All our data includes cars (including SUVs) and light trucks. Figure 1 shows that Mexican auto production has surged in the last nine years, up 85% over 2008.
Percent of
NA Total 2008
Percent of NA Total 2017
2008-2017 (%)
Total NA
Figure 1: Mexico has gained 6 points of share of vehicle production from its northern neighbors in just nine years.
Figure 2 shows that along with Nissan, GM has been the most aggressive at ramping up production in Mexico. GM's Mexican production is up by 300,000 units over the 2008 level. A look at Figure 3 shows that GM's US vehicle production fell by some 330,000 units in 2017, while its production in Mexico rose by 126,000 last year. Ford is now the number one producer of vehicles in the US.
Figure 2. Nissan and GM have increased Mexican production aggressively.
Figure 3. It looks like GM production may have peaked in 2016 while Ford is now the number one producer of vehicles in the US.
With the closures announced last month, it's likely that GM's US production will continue to fall, while its Mexican production rises. If GM wasn't loading up its Mexican plants, but instead shifted some of that production to the US facilities it's planning to close, those facilities would be running at much higher levels of utilization and would probably be profitable.
GM is already highly profitable. CFO Dhivya Suryadevara boasted of $2.8 billion in profit in Q3 in North America alone (using the EBIT or earnings before interest and taxes definition of profit), a profit margin of 10.2 percent, up almost 2 points on the same period last year. The profit is driven mainly by pickup trucks, especially the new crew-cab models. GM's average selling price in the quarter was a stunning $36,000, up $800 over the same period last year. Sales of high-end crew-cab trucks are running 30 percent above forecast, Barra told investors. As GM ditches its low-end sedan models, it is becoming increasingly a maker of high-end trucks for the American market.
Behind the Cutbacks: Mexico, SUVs, Trucks, Shareholder Value
The closures of the US and Canadian plants are not driven by a lack of profits, and they are certainly not driven by the steel and aluminum tariffs. Although the tariffs add a few hundred million dollars to GM's costs, that additional cost is completely overshadowed by the additional revenue and profit flowing from better-than-expected truck sales.
No, the closures are driven by two fundamental forces: first, the continuing shift of American car-buying tastes away from sedans and towards trucks and SUVs. Secondly, they are driven by GM's desire to move production out of the US, where auto workers earn some $30 an hour, and into Mexico, where they earn about $3 an hour. Underlying all of this is GM's core philosophy, as explained to investors by CEO Barra: "I want to assure our owners that we are focused on creating shareholder value."
The new USMCA deal negotiated by President Trump's team promises minor improvements in industry incentives to produce in the US. Democrats in Congress and the United Auto Workers are likely to push in the new Congress to toughen up those rules, in particular by setting incentives for Mexican auto workers to get more workers' rights and higher pay. President Trump and new Mexican President Lopez Obrador may turn out to be open to such reforms of the trade agreement. But even so, such reforms will take years to make a dent in the gap between costs in the US and Mexico.
There is a way to provide additional incentives to US-based producers to produce more vehicles in the US: tariffs on auto imports into the US. The Department of Commerce has completed a study on this and while the study remains confidential, rumors say that it found a tariff on imported vehicles would be a viable solution to stimulate the US-based industry. A tariff is likely to have positive effects on US auto industry revenue, employment, profit and investment. GM sold its entire European business (to Peugeot) a year ago. The Big Three are more North America-focused than ever (if we ignore China, where the Communist government makes it near-impossible to produce internationally for the China market). A tax on non-North American imports would tend to favor GM, Ford, and Fiat-Chrysler.
The so-called "chicken tax" of 25 percent on imported light trucks has delivered a strong, highly profitable US truck business since its enactment in 1964. A similar tariff on imported cars could have a significant impact on our imports of $180 billion of vehicles last year. Since the new USMCA agreement will exclude Canada and Mexico from any tariffs, the two largest sources of imports are Japan ($41 billion) and Germany ($21 billion). GM North America's revenue this year is likely to come in at around $110 billion, so if it could capture an additional $10 billion in revenue from the importers hit by tariffs, it would make a significant difference to its capacity utilization, profitability, and the viability of its US footprint.
Shareholder Value vs. Community Value and Long-Term Industry Value
There is a fundamental, philosophical question over how we reconcile the importance of the motor vehicle industry to the jobs and economic and social health of dozens of cities and towns across America with GM management's focus on "shareholder value." Today, this latter term is not just about maximizing short-term profit. Today's stock market is in love with so-called "disruptive technologies." In vehicles this means electric vehicles, self-driving vehicles, and "transport as a service." GM is freeing up cash in order to invest in ambitious technology ventures. It's doing this partly because these new paradigms may be the transport industry of the future. But it's also doing this because the stock market puts higher valuations on the stock of any company that pursues these buzzword-y strategies.
History has shown that the way to succeed in many industries is to maintain a broad enough product line to generate the revenue and profit to fund new development. Shutting down a clutch of sedan models will help GM generate cash. But will shrinking the product line to generate cash to bet on new long-shot technologies ensure its long-term future? It's a risky strategy.
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