text:
10 Things You Didn't Know about Klue CEO Jason Smith
Are you familiar with Jason Smith, the CEO of Klue? It's probably already obvious that he's what many people would likely refer to as a unique individual, provided you know anything at all about the company that he is in charge of. If you don't, here's a short synopsis. Klue is a company that allows business owners to see what their competition is doing in real time. The system actually tracks various activities involved with marketing and other day-to-day business operations and then compares competitors' actions to your own in order to help you better ascertain what you could be doing with your own business. Just coming up with an idea like that is challenging. Being able to pull it off is something else entirely. Chances are, you'll want to know more about the person who's responsible for it all. Here are 10 things about Jason Smith that might surprise you.
1. He believes in taking risks
No doubt about it, he definitely believes in taking risks. When he decided that his company needed another round of funding to survive the pandemic, he made the decision to try and secure that funding via Zoom conferences because it was his only option. Everyone told him that it was a huge risk to make this move, but he had risked a lot to start the company and he was more than willing to take another risk in order to make sure that it continued to operate.
2. He's also a firm believer in people, not just business
One of the reasons that he stands out as a CEO is because he believes in people more than he believes in numbers. He'll be the first to tell you that numbers are important. In fact, they are almost always what decides the success or failure of a business. However, those numbers are nothing without the hard work and ingenuity of the people that are involved.
3. He likes the idea of getting to know people better
He thoroughly enjoys the idea of getting to know people on a more personal level. Most CEOs aren't even capable of telling you the names of everyone who works for them, much less knowing any personal details about their staff. As far as he's concerned, it's virtually impossible to run a business successfully if you're not willing to get to know the people who are involved. Knowing what motivates a person to do their best work, as well as knowing their likes and dislikes, can make all the difference in the world between having an employee that goes above and beyond or having one that is so unhappy they're calling in sick in order to avoid being there.
4. He's extremely ambitious
Obviously, he's ambitious or he wouldn't be in the position that he's in today. He's always had a strong desire to succeed in business and when he gets an idea in his head, he says that it's almost impossible to talk him out of moving forward with it. Like a lot of entrepreneurs, he tends to almost obsess over certain business-related ideas until he can see them through to fruition.
5. He takes action based on his gut instincts
He listens to the advice of other people, but he tends to take action based on his own gut instincts. Even when everyone else advises against something, he has a tendency to think through all of the advice that he's been given and then make a decision on his own based on his gut feelings. It's not something that everyone is comfortable doing, but it's virtually the only way that he's comfortable functioning.
6. He's well qualified thanks to a good education
He attended the University of British Columbia and received a Bachelor's degree in Marketing back in the 1990s. That has allowed him to enjoy being in a rather unique position when it comes to being the founder and CEO of any business, but especially one like Klue. Since the entire business centers around marketing, this degree gave him the foundation that he needs in order to develop certain skills that will benefit him throughout his entire career. It's something that has clearly worked thus far and it will undoubtedly continue to serve him well in the future.
7. He loves his native Canada
There's no doubt about it, he genuinely loves Canada. In fact, he says that he can't even imagine having his business based anywhere else because he's so fond of it. As far as he's concerned, it's important to be happy wherever you live and he knows that he has definitely found happiness in what he often thinks of as one of the most beautiful places in the world.
8. He likes the challenge of beginning a new startup
Like a number of entrepreneurs, he enjoys the challenge of beginning a new start up almost as much as he enjoys heading up a successful company. Some entrepreneurs thrive on the ability to have one start up after another. For many of them, it's about the process of thinking about a new idea, creating it and watching it grow, and then selling it to someone else once it has gotten to a certain point. That way, they have a chance to make some money off of it, but they're also free to do something else.
9. He knows how important family is
He realized a long time ago that without family and friends, it's almost impossible to do anything consistently. He loves spending time with his family and he credits them for his success, saying that if it weren't for them and the support they provide, it would be virtually impossible for him to have the focus, drive or ambition he needs to experience any level of success whatsoever.
10. He understands the power of social media better than most
He frequently uses social media to talk about his business goals. He understands that by keeping the business relevant on social media, he is constantly generating a buzz about it. In fact, he uses the power of social media to his advantage because he understands it well enough to know that it can sometimes be the difference between a successful business or one that fails.
10 Things You Didn't Know about US Foods Holding CEO Pietro Satriano
Garrett Parker November 7, 2018
10 Things You Didn't Know About Macy's CEO Jeffrey Gennette
10 Things You Don't Know About US Bancorp CEO Andrew Cecere
10 Things You Didn't Know about International Paper CEO Mark Sutton
Garrett Parker November 11, 2018
10 Things You Didn't Know about Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson
10 Things You Didn't Know about Amgen CEO Robert Bradway


text:
Geely Holding Group Brands and People recognized at the 2020 Autocar Magazine Awards
As Exclusive Partner of Geely Automotive in Nigeria, Mikano International Limited is proud to congratulate Geely Holdings Group on the recent awards and Trophies added to their accolades.
Geely Holding Group Executives and subsidiary Brands have won accolades at the 2020 Autocar Awards held in London, UK; where automotive industry achievements from the past 12 months and outstanding career contributions are recognized.
In the prestigious awards, Peter Horbury, Geely Holding's Executive Vice President of Design, was awarded the Autocar Lifetime Achievement award, while Hakan Samuelson, Volvo Cars' Chief Executive Officer, was awarded Autocar's top award – the Issigonis Trophy. Volvo subsidiary Polestar, the electric performance brand, was named 2020 Game-changer by Autocar.
Håkan Samuelson, Chief Executive Officer, Volvo Car
Geely Holding congratulated the award winners, contributing to the Group's global success in recent years.
Peter Horbury's well-deserved Lifetime Award reflects more than fifty years of dedication to design at leading automotive brands, where he helped develop some of the industry's iconic cars. During his tenure at Volvo Cars in the 1990s, Peter was credited with introducing a new sleek design – an approach he extended after the Swedish company was acquired by Geely Holding in 2010. At Geely Holding, Peter oversaw the growth of Geely Auto's global design function which has now grown to five studios in Europe, America, China, and South East Asia with more than 1000 members of staff. With a newly confident, Chinese inspired but internationally focused design language, Geely Auto has seen its sales triple over the last eight years. The Lynk & Co brand, a premium brand positioned between Geely Auto and Volvo Cars was also developed by Peter Horbury's team in Sweden alongside Geely's engineering unit, CEVT, and unveiled for the first time in late 2016 before going on sale in China in 2017, where the brand has sold over 300,000 units to date.
Hakan Samuelson was awarded the Issigonis Trophy for the major impact that he has had on Volvo Cars over the past eight years is also very deserving. Hakan Samuelson has overseen major growth at Volvo Cars during his tenure as CEO with growing global sales, an expanded manufacturing footprint in China and the US, and fully committing to electrifying the Volvo range.
Peter Horbury, Executive Vice President of Design, Geely Holding
Geely Holding's electric performance brand, Polestar, was recognized by Autocar Awards as a game-changer in 2020. The judges said the brand was redefining perceptions of a modern Grand Tourer vehicles with the introduction of the Polestar 1, which utilizes a cutting-edge drivetrain, driver-focused dynamics, and concept car looks. The Polestar 1 uses Geely Holding's most advanced drivetrain to date that utilizes a 2.0 turbocharged and supercharged engine that is mated to an electric powertrain that offers up to 124km of electric range and can produce a combined 609BHP and 1OOONm (7381b – ft) of torque.
The Autocar awards for Geely Holding leaders and for Polestar follow accolades for the company's achievements in recent years, contributing to the Group's growing market presence and sales volumes.
Geely Holding Chairman Li Shufu is quoted to say: "The recognition that we have received from Autocar are the results of more than two decades of continuous internationalization at Geely Holding where we have focused on developing our internal talent and bringing the best products and services to the consumers."
Mikano International Limited joins in celebrating this Globally Trusted Brand, now in Nigeria.
Visit www.geely.ng to find out more about Geely Nigeria.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-Sponsored Content
The post Geely Holding Group Brands and People recognized at the 2020 Autocar Magazine Awards appeared first on BellaNaija – Showcasing Africa to the world. Read today!.
« Make Up & Braids – See What a Day in Maraji's Life is Like	New Music: Chike – Wahala Dey »

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


1. Before we can schedule an appointment, we need to review your case to make sure we are the best firm to help you with your particular situation. You will need to fill out an intake form which will give us the information necessary for us determine if we might be able to find a solution. The cost for this first review is $250 and you can pay by clicking here.
2. Once we have reviewed your information, if we determine your case is not a good one for us to help with, we will do our best to direct you to someone who is better able to help.
3. If we think we are the best firm to help you, we will contact you to make an appointment for a consultation with us. This consultation is when we will create a plan and strategy designed to maximize the chances of success for your particular case. Consultations can be done in our office or over the phone.
We cannot accept every case and you are not our client unless we tell you that your case has been accepted.


Raised on the adventurous stories of the Midnight Shadow, Lady Bria Delaney longs to wield a sword and fight against tyranny. When the unjust rules of a neighboring lord terrorize her friends, she dons the mask and cloak of her childhood hero to right the wrongs and save them from oppression. After encountering Lord Knowles, she is stunned to find her fierce attraction to the very enemy she has secretly promised to destroy.
Will the Midnight Shadow triumph over oppression? Can the heat of passion overcome the chill of suspicion? Will a legendary hero find love in the arms of her hated enemy?
Midnight Shadow is a medieval romance adventure filled with excitement and intrigue, secret identities and dangerous enemies, suspense and action, and an undeniable passion that rises above all fears.


text:
View more on these topicsPensions Analysis
Role reversal for Friends merger
Friends Provident and Resolution have changed the terms of their proposed merger for a second time in a bid to prevent rivals scuppering the deal.
The agreed tie-up will now see Resolution as the offerer rather than Friends. This means Resolution just needs to achieve a straight majority of shareholders while Friends needs 75 per cent of its shareholders to approve the creation of Friends Financial. The commercial terms of the deal remain the same.
The move follows Pearl last week getting FSA clearance to acquire 20 per cent of Resolution. Pearl currently holds 16.5 per cent and, under the terms of the previous deal structure, would just have had to build a stake above 25 per cent to be able to block the merger. Pearl director Hugh Osmond could still launch a full cash bid for Resolution and speculation is mounting that he might look to tie-up with other insurers to try to broker a deal.
Meanwhile, Resolution is to acquire Scottish Provident's broker consultant business from Abbey for Intermediaries. Resolution says the move for the business which has 65 staff will boost its distribution in the IFA market and help it to manage its costs. Resolution had been paying Abbey introducer fees after its acquisition of the Abbey Life businesses in September 2006.
Resolution head of UK new business Hugh McKee says: "We are delighted to have the distribution channel within Resolution. It is important to have an alignment between distribution channels, product development and marketing."
Abbey spokesman David Stewart says: "This development gives Resolution an intermediary salesforce and will free Abbey to focus on the strong delivery of its core business of mortgages and general insurance."
Lord Hunt to investigate the rise of claim-chasers
FOS review to look at allegations of unfairness and why complaints can't be made by textThe review of the Financial Ombudsman Service will investigate why consumers use claim-chasing companies and pay a proportion of any compensation to them rather than going direct to the watchdog for free.Speaking to Money Marketing this week, the head of […]
'UK facing protection crisis'
Consumer advocate Mick McAteer fears the UK could be thrust into a protection crisis on a similar scale to the pension crisis in three to four years.He claims the protection gap, estimated at £2.3trn by Swiss Re, could widen because the retail distribution review excludes the protection market.He says the FSA must proactively engineer a […]
Euro stars
Almost half the Adviser Fund Index panellists believe that continental Europe will be the best-performing equity region over the next year.Out of 16 respondents in last month's survey, 43 per cent expect Europe to perform best. They say strength in the German economy, restructuring in France, enlargement of the EU and mergers and acquisitions have […]
Mott bolsters financials focus
PSigma income guru Bill Mott has raised the exposure to financials in his income fund to 35 per cent, claiming the sector now offers "outstandingly good value".
Jelf Employee Benefits
England vs Australia: pensions
Well, the cricket season is here, and England and Australia are stepping up to the wicket. Although we compete with each other in the sporting world, when it comes to pensions, Australia's pension programme is held up as a model for our auto-enrolment initiative. Auto-enrolment was introduced because people weren't saving enough into their pensions, and it is still early days but signs are positive. However, in Australia, saving into a pension is compulsory, and in fact employers are the ones who have to pay in. Employees in Australia can make additional contributions into their pensions, but they don't have to. Should the onus be on the employer or employee to save? Well in the UK we think it's both, but to get 'adequate' savings for retirement it's the employee who has to pay more in.


text:
Santa Cruz's Cowell Beach Ranks Top On 'Beach Bummer' Most Polluted List
Filed Under:Beach, Beach Bummer, Cowell Beach, Heal The Bay, Pollution, Santa Cruz, Water Pollution
Cowell Beach, Santa Cruz (santacruzlafco.org/Creative Commons)
SANTA CRUZ (CBS SF) — A stretch of beach near the wharf in Santa Cruz has the dubious distinction of having the worst water quality on the West Coast, according to a new report.
The Santa Cruz Sentinel reported Thursday that the environmental nonprofit group Heal the Bay placed Cowell Beach at the top of its annual "Beach Bummer" list.
The annual report showed 92 percent of Bay Area ocean beaches have outstanding water quality and low bacterial pollution levels.
Heal the Bay analysts assigned A-to-F grades to beaches in San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa and Marin counties.
Out of 28 bayside beaches, 22 received A or B grades for the summer period, but there were pockets of pollution in San Mateo and San Francisco counties, according to the organization.
An A was given to 42 of 44 oceanside beaches from Marin to San Mateo counties.
The report analyzed weekly bacterial pollution levels at beaches statewide for three distinct time periods during 2013-14.
"Each year, we've seen an improvement statewide," said Amanda Griesbach, a water quality scientist with Heal the Bay.
The organization gave Marina Lagoon and Pillar Point Harbor, beaches in San Mateo County, failing grades.
Griesbach said there are still some problem areas on bayside beaches.
"There is still a bit of a discrepancy between bayside and oceanside beaches due to the water circulation," she said.
A poor grade means beachgoers face a higher risk of contracting illnesses on a particular beach, according to the organization. Griesbach said researchers look for a higher concentration of bacteria in the water, because high bacteria levels can be an indicator of higher health risks.
Heal the Bay spokeswoman Randi Parent said the purpose of the report is to remind people to keep an eye on their favorite beaches and the water conditions.
Parent added the organization was happy with this year's results. The organization attributed California's severe drought as a major factor to the improved water quality at beaches statewide, because record-low rainfall reduced polluted runoff into the sea.
A Santa Cruz spokesman called the news of Cowell Beach disappointing but said officials are working to zero in on a cause.
TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.


Distributed systems could be more secure with distributed trust model based on PKI (public-key infrastructure). The format of certificate may be different among different PKI systems. Those differences may disturb some applications performing verification of the certificate chain. In this paper, how those differences work during mutual verifications is analyzed with the new concept "certificate-format-compatibility". Moreover, a new distributed trust model based on bridge CA (certificate authority) with high compatibility is designed out. Using this trust model, the mutual connections between entities in different trust domains would not be affected by the different certificate formats.


text:
Desmellopsis aframomicola är en svampart som beskrevs av J.M. Yen 1969. Desmellopsis aframomicola ingår i släktet Desmellopsis, ordningen Pucciniales, klassen Pucciniomycetes, divisionen basidiesvampar och riket svampar.   Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Basidiesvampar
aframomicola

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Blue Italian Heaven
The Blue Italian Heaven is a tropical green drink made from Disaronno, dark rum, blue curacao, pineapple juice and lime, and served over ice in a highball glass.
The Blue Lagoon cocktail is not as famous as a naked Brook Shields during her early years, but it is still a good drink recipe. A blue colored cocktail made form vodka, blue curacao, pineapple juice and triple sec, and served in a chilled cocktail glass.
Blueberry Smash
The Blueberry Smash drink is made from Stoli Blueberi blueberry vodka, lemon juice, agave nectar, pineapple juice and fresh mint, and served over ice in a highball glass.
Body Heat
When it's too cold to bear on your own, snuggle up to a sexy body and let the body heat warm you up. The Body Heat drink recipe is made from coconut rum, banana liqueur, pineapple juice, orange juice, lemon juice and grenadine, and served blended with crushed ice in a highball glass.
The Bohemian cocktail is made from citrus vodka, pineapple juice, passion fruit syrup, cranberry juice and fresh raspberries, and served in a chilled cocktail glass.
Bohemian Luxury
Give up your Bohemian ways and settle down to a life of style and luxury. The Bohemian Luxury cocktail is a red colored bubbly drink made from Chopin wheat vodka, Chambord raspberry liqueur, pineapple juice and chilled Rose champagne, and served in a chilled champagne flute.
Bongo Cola
The Bongo Cola drink recipe is made from dark rum, coffee liqueur, cola, pineapple juice, cherry brandy and lemon juice, and served over ice in a Collins glass.
The Bubble Gum shot is made from Pisang Ambon liqueur, Malibu coconut rum, Chambord raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice, and served in a chilled shot glass.
Cachaca Colada
The Cachaca Colada is a Brazilian version of the classic Pina Colada drink recipe. Made from Leblon cachaca, pineapple juice, lime juice, pina colada mix and simple syrup, and served blended in a chilled rocks glass.
Cactus Kicker
The Cactus Kicker is a desert-inspired cocktail made from silver tequila, Midori melon liqueur, pineapple juice, sour mix and Sprite, and served over ice in a highball glass.


text:
define(function(require) {
  require('spec/base/attributeSpec/base');

  require('spec/base/attributeSpec/configurableTarget');

  require('spec/base/attributeSpec/configurableAttribute');

  require('spec/base/attributeSpec/tracking');
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Do superheating and supercooling only occur from liquid? Superheating of a liquid past its boiling point (retarded boiling) is a well-known phenomenon. However, is there such a thing as supercooling of gas past its condensation point?
Conversely, supercooling of a liquid (retarded freezing) is also well-known. Does the reverse ever occur: can I superheat a solid up past its melting point?

A: Superheating and supercooling should be possible whenever there is a first order phase transition. This includes a wide variety of magnetic, structural, and electronic phase transitions. The physical mechanism is the same as in the water-ice transition: in a first order phase transition. the energy functional is still a local minimum at the old phase, there is a barrier to the formation of the new phase and so an adiabatically cooled sample will remain in the old phase past the point when the old phase is a global minimum.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


CURLSMITH is the first gourmet haircare brand specifically created for curls.
Curlsmith has a fair and transparent supply chain, sourcing our rare ingredients from the most remote parts of the world, closely co-operating with and supporting local communities. We are proud to shake the hands which harvest our raw ingredients.
We use only the best clean ingredients, with no Sulphates, Parabens, Silicones, Mineral Oils, Phthalates, DEA's. Curlsmith is certified by The Vegan Society and PETA. Our products are tested on friends and family, but never on animals.
We developed our hard-working curl care range in collaboration with world-renowned trichologists, curly hairstylists, beauty experts and bloggers. We explored everything from the science of curl growth to the art of curl maintenance, and poured all of this knowledge into Curlsmith.
But let's not forget the biggest experts – you! Before we set foot in the Curlsmith kitchen, we took to the streets to find out more about curly girl problems. Then we set about crafting a range of products to solve them.
We collaborated with curly girls and experts every step of the way – making decisions on everything from the ingredients to the packaging. And before launch our formulas were tried and tested by hundreds of our curl friends.
For offers, tips, tricks and advice.


The field of analytics has fallen into a few big holes lately that represent both its promise and its peril. These holes pertain to privacy, policy, and predictions.
Policy. 2.2/7. The biggest analytics project in recent history is the $6 billion federal investment in the health exchanges. The goals of the health exchanges are to enroll people in the health insurance plans of their choice, determine insurance subsidies for individuals, and inform insurance companies so that they could issue policies and bills.
The project touches on all the requisites of analytics including big data collection, multiple sources, integration, embedded algorithms, real time reporting, and state of the art software and hardware. As everyone knows, the implementation was a terrible failure.
The CBO's conservative estimate was that 7 million individuals would enroll in the exchanges. Only 2.2 million did so by the end of 2013. (This does not include Medicaid enrollment which had its own projections.) The big federal vendor, CGI, is being blamed for the mess.
Note that CGI was also the vendor for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts which had the worst performance of all states in meeting enrollment numbers despite its long head start as the Romney reform state and its groundbreaking exchange called the Connector. New analytics vendors, including Accenture and Optum, have been brought in for the rescue.
Was it really a result of bad software, hardware, and coding? Was it that the design to enroll and determine subsidies had "complexity built-in" because of the legislation that cobbled together existing cumbersome systems, e.g. private health insurance systems? Was it because of the incessant politics of repeal that distracted policy implementation? Yes, all of the above.
The big "hole", in my view, was the lack of communications between the policy makers (the business) and the technology people. The technologists complained that the business could not make decisions and provide clear guidance. The business expected the technology companies to know all about the complicated analytics and get the job done, on time.
This ensuing rift where each group did not know how to talk with the other is recognized as a critical failure point. In fact, those who are stepping into the rescue role have emphasized that there will be management status checks daily "at 9 AM and 5 PM" to bring people together, know the plan, manage the project, stay focused, and solve problems.
Walking around the hole will require a better understanding as to why the business and the technology folks do not communicate well and to recognize that soft people skills can avert hard technical catastrophes.
In an article posted earlier this year on this blog I argued that hospitals have traditionally done a sub-par job of leveraging what has now been dubbed "big data." Effectively mining and managing the ever rising oceans of data presents both a major challenge – and a significant opportunity – for hospitals.
By doing a better of job connecting the dots of their big data assets, hospital management teams can start to develop the crucial insights that enable them to make the right and timely decisions that are vital to success today. And, better, timelier decisions lead to improved results and a higher level of quality patient care.
That's the good news. The less than positive story is that hospitals are still way behind in using the mountains of data that are being generated within their institutions every day. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the advanced data management practice of predictive modeling.
At its most basic, predictive modeling is the process by which data models are created and used to try to predict the probability of an outcome. The exciting promise of predictive modeling is that it literally gives hospitals the ability to see into (and predict) the future. Given the massive changes and continuing uncertainty that are buffeting all sectors of the healthcare industry (and especially healthcare providers), having a clearer future view represents an important strategic advantage for any hospital leader.
Time For Biopharma To Jump On The "Big Data" Train?
In a piece just posted at TheAtlantic.com, I discuss what I see as the next great quest in applied science: the assembly of a unified health database, a "big data" project that would collect in one searchable repository all the parameters that measure or could conceivably reflect human well-being.
I don't expect the insights gained from these data will obsolete physicians, but rather empower them (as well as patients and other stakeholders) and make them better, informing their clinical judgment without supplanting their empathy.
I also discuss how many companies and academic researchers are focusing their efforts on defined subsets of the information challenge, generally at the intersection of data domains. I observe that one notable exception seems to be big pharma, as many large drug companies seem to have decided that hefty big data analytics is a service to be outsourced, rather than a core competency to be built. I then ask whether this is savvy judgment or a profound miscalculation, and suggest that if you were going to create the health solutions provider of the future, arguably your first move would be to recruit a cutting-edge analytics team.
The question of core competencies is more than just semantics – it is perhaps the most important strategic question facing biopharma companies as they peer into a frightening and uncertain future.


Preheat the oven to 450°. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the cornstarch, baking powder, garlic powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Add the chilled sparkling water and whisk until a smooth batter forms.
In a small saucepan, warm the hot sauce with the butter over moderate heat until the butter is melted. Keep warm.
Lightly brush 2 rimmed baking sheets with canola oil. Dip the cauliflower florets in the batter, letting the excess drip back into the bowl, then arrange them on the prepared sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the batter is just beginning to brown and the cauliflower is just tender. Drizzle the buttery hot sauce over the cauliflower, toss gently to coat and bake for 18 to 20 minutes longer, until the sauce is lightly caramelized. Season the buffalo cauliflower with salt and serve warm with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.
Review Body: At first I thought they looked like boneless chicken wings, but they're just cauliflower.


text:
All Words > Coriaceous
Coriaceous
[kor-ee-AY-shəs]
Origin: Latin, late 17th century
Resembling or having the texture of leather.
Examples of Coriaceous in a sentence
"Vegan leather can still feel coriaceous."
"The fruit had a smooth, coriaceous skin."
About Coriaceous
This term stems from the Late Latin "coraceus," originally from the Latin "corium," meaning "skin, hide, leather."
The word "coriaceous" is often used in the botanical field. For instance, the leaves of rhododendrons are considered coriaceous. There are also subclassifications of the term, such as "subcoreaceus," which means "somewhat leathery" and "tenui-coriaceus," meaning "thinly or finely coreaceous, thinned leathery."
[BEE-stee]
[KAH-feh-klach]
[EKS-trə-net]
Zwieback
[ZWEE-bak]
The Word "Magazine" — A Place to Store History
The Definition of a "Lady" — Status, Money, and Bread


text:
Languages, dialects and accents: why our voices matter
You see then, macam difficult you know. Skarly you fail then how?
Zou ye da lan ye. Aiyah, why you so clumsy?
Ni hao, wo shi Zhuang Xiao Wei.
You must be scratching your head at these sentences. Spoken, these words would probably confound you. Singaporeans will call the first sentence "Singlish", while the other two are a) a mixture of Cantonese and English, and b) Mandarin Chinese. I hear the second a lot when I was younger, when I tried helping my mom in the kitchen. I tended to break things, like a lot. My mom is Shanghainese, but grew up in a Cantonese-speaking household, because of my Popo (maternal grandmother). I grew up using Cantonese more reflexively than Hokkien, my dad's dialect. So, as a result, I found myself unable to communicate with my ah-ma, my dad's mother and my paternal grandmother. I could understand basic Hokkien words, but ask me to hold a full conversation and I would scramble for a translator.
Now, why am I writing this?
As any observer in the SFF community, you will notice the powerful discussion/conversation/dialogue that has arisen after the Strange Horizon's review on Long Hidden, an anthology edited by Daniel Jose Older and Rose Fox. The reviewer commented that the use of dialect in Troy L Wiggins's story was a "literary trick". Indeed we needed this discussion, painful as it is, as a whole plethora of essays arose from it. Sofia Samatar spoke eloquently about it. Troy L Wiggins also spoke about it. Likewise, the thought-provoking editorial by Tonya Liburd and the poignant "Name Calling" by Celeste Rita Baker triggered further conversation.
You see, by saying that using dialect is a "literary trick", you are telling a marginalized person not to use his or her dialect. Dialects are a lie. Dialects detract from the purity that is English. You shouldn't use dialect. Many marginalized people use dialect, because it is how we speak in daily life and we try to tone it down because – you know – English and its standards. Many of us end up code-switching, mainly because we have to and in our surroundings, a must, to survive. Many end up being told that using dialect is wrong. An example can be seen in Singapore's context. The Speak Mandarin campaigns have had effectively destroyed the use of 'dialects' and dialects themselves were frowned upon. A few generations of Singaporean Chinese grew up not understanding their dialects, myself included. Instead, we adopted Mandarin Chinese and spoke it. Fortunately now, there is a new generation reclaiming what is lost and speaking their dialects again, because they are rightfully theirs.
As SFF writers, we have language(s) at our finger tips. However, the language imposed on Anglo-centric writers is after all an artificial tool. English is used as a medium by many writers, because well, the Anglo-centric SFF community understands it. Yet, SFF is also written in other languages too: Mandarin Chinese, Finnish, French, Italian, Bahasa, Tagalog. To restrict SFF to English is narrow-minded and macam stupid you know. Sorry, there I go… slipping into colloquial.
Of course, not to ignore the faction that is going "It's my preference, so nyah nyah nyah!", reading is a choice. Reading in the dominant language is a choice. By choosing not to read something because it is thick with colloquialism or slang or dialect is your choice. But never restrict a writer when he or she wants to write in his or her own language. For people who readily consume and speak Klingon, Rihannsu and Dothraki, we are strangely quite fussy when it comes to our own dialects and regional languages.
So, don't anyhow blame people for using dialect hor? We speak like that because we speak like that lor.
Previous Starfang chapter 6 Next Oh yeah.
Trackback: Where are the songs of Trinidad? Being drowned out by ballads in Klingon… | Miss Fickle Reader
Trackback: Languages Matter: Some Thoughts on Language and Dialect | The Skiffy and Fanty Show


Made exclusively from the xanthone-rich rind of the fruit, this proprietary blend of Mangosteen extracts is an in-vitro antioxidant and supplies all of the nutrients and none of the sugar of juice products. This advanced formula provides you with high levels of the beneficial compounds Alpha-mangostin, flavonoids and tannins. Like all Savesta products, third-party tested for potency and purity.
This triple-standardized extract of Mangosteen rind contains over 50 xanthones and offers a higher level of nutrients and none of the sugar of juice products.
1 capsule two times per day, after meals or as directed by your health care practitioner.
Vegetarian capsule, microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate.


Karan Travel and Tourism is a travel company located in Amritsar (Punjab, India). The company is providing diverse tour and travel services to the tourists. The services include airline ticketing services, rail ticketing services, passport & visa services, travel insurance services, car rental services, hotel booking services, and event organizing services. Apart from this, our tour operators also design attractive and cost-effective tour packages inclusive of excellent itineraries. These packages include honeymoon holiday package, adventure tour package, wildlife tour package, pilgrimage tour package, and several others. Our main areas of operation are Amritsar, Dharamshala, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, and Manali.
Mr. Ravinder Pal Singh (CEO) is the pioneer of the organization. He laid its foundation stone in the year 2012. After extensively researching into the field of tourism and traveling to diverse destinations, Mr. Ravinder decided to help the travel lovers in exploring the beauty of India hassle-free. For this, he accumulated a team of like-minded professionals who were motivated towards designing tour packages and providing the aforementioned services. Owing to our dedicated team members and diligent owner, today we stand at the pedestal of success in the tourism sector. The vast client-base and the trust of the travelers upon us is testimonial of our success. So, dial our numbers now for availing amazing services in the realm of travel!


Posted by Kelly on 9/30/2012, 2:49 am, in reply to "petscan results"
That dreaded 'uncurable' but 'treatable' line. Lord how I grew tired of hearing that in the beginning. What keeps me going is the thought that there are at least 8 to 9 different chemo meds out there that the docs can use to treat metastic disease. Some of these treatments can work for 18+ months or more. That gives me approxiately (9 drugs x 18 months/12 months in a year) 13.5 more years to live during which time they will surely have a cure. Hang in there you got through this once before, you can certainly get through it again. Warms wishes and prayers for an 'easy' round of treatments.


Until 2015, Northern Ireland didn't really have any motorway services. However, for years there was a petrol station signposted from the M1 which is often overlooked.
This section lists all the signposted service stations on motorways in Northern Ireland. There is a whole minisite for services south of the border.
Pages in category "Northern Ireland's motorway services"


Using the Video Strategy Bot is as easy as it gets! Here's how you can create your Video Strategy Plan in just 5 steps and under 1 minute. Yup, one minute! The Bot considers your input to deliver a personalized and tailored video plan for your buiness! Then you can get on your way to meeting your business goals with video! Woo!
1. Once you head to the Bot homepage, start by choosing your company department. From Finance to Office Management, you'll find eight options to choose from. After that, the calculator will identify a video solution or solutions for the department goal you have.
2. After clicking into your department, you'll see a range of business goals appear. Choose the most important business goal you have at the moment.
3. Now it's time to consider your audience! Are you Business to Business (B2B) or Business to Consumer (B2C)? Choose one and see what's next.
4. How many people are you aiming to reach with your digital efforts? Choose from four options ranging from just a few people, to an entire market.
5. Now it's time to enter your email address. You'll then be directed to the moment you've been waiting for: your tailored video strategy inspiration!
You've got your results, so now what's next?
Once you have the Bot results, you can start digging into your video strategy. Depending on whether you have in-house expertise or not you can start assessing your video next steps and dive into production!
Need the creative or strategic know-how to make your video come to life?
We'd love to talk about your calculator results!


Synology, the maker of all things NAS, has just announced at CES 2016, a new NAS solution for home or small office use; the DiskStation DS416j, which is a 4-bay network attached storage (NAS), targeted at more comeptitive price points.
Under the hood of the DS416j is the performance of a dual-core 1.3GHz CPU with 512MB of DDR4 memory (even with hardware encryption!) that can help stream your digital media collection over your local network to various DLNA-compliant devices. It can also wirelessly (dongle not included) stream content to your TV without much effort. Included with all Synology NAS solution is their award winning DiskStation Manager (DSM) software.
DiskStation Manager (DSM) offers a variety of software solutions from video streaming, photo sharing, even your own personal cloud, to more small business applications such as IP Security Camera surveillance recording, web server and more. If you are not familiar with DSM or Synology you can check out our review on the Synology DiskStation Beyond Cloud Mirror for Mac.
Some other changes over its predecessor are features such as an increase of 37% to the write speeds, a built-in floating point unit (FPU) for loading things quicker (such as photo thumbnails) and comes equipped with not only a Gigabit Ethernet port, but also a USB 3.0 port for transferring files between the DS416j and another (USB 3.0 capable) device faster than before.
For those who are curious about power usage for a device that is always on, the DS416j consumes only 21.6 watts under full operation with as as little as 12.75 watts when the drives are in hibernation mode.
If you're looking for a personal NAS server that is easy to use and setup with some added features, then the DS416j may be right for you and they are shipping now. More photos and full press release below.
"People are amassing photos, videos, and digital files faster than ever before, which means we need secure storage to centralize everything in one place, and a convenient way to access and share them," said Jason Fan, product manager at Synology Inc. "The 4-bay DS416j comes with rich applications and large storage capacity, letting users enjoy cloud synchronization and multimedia streaming at a competitive price."
The DS416j runs on the DiskStation Manager (DSM), the most advanced and intuitive operating system for network attached storage devices. The DSM offers a wide range of applications for home and personal use: from backup solutions to multimedia software. Synology has earned several recognitions for its products, including the PC Mag Readers' Choice Award for four years in a row.


text:
Q: How to get a email notification once the Scheduling is failed in SAP CMC Could someone please help me with how will I get the email notification of the list of the reports once the report scheduling gets failed in SAP CMC (Central Management Console)?
Either it will be in single mail with the list of all the reports or different mails for each failure
Thanks in Advance.

A: While you can schedule reports from the BI Launchpad or the CMC, the only way I know to do this is when scheduling through the CMC.
In the Notification section check the "A job failed to run." checkbox and enter your details. The placeholders presented as options in the Destinations section (e.g. Title, ID, Owner, etc.) are available here too, but you have to type the placeholder variable name (e.g. %SI_NAME%, %SI_ID%, %SI_OWNER%, etc.). Note that the variables are not merely "%SI_" plus the placeholder name plus "%"; "DateTime" is "%SI_STARTTIME%".

I would recommend emailing a group or shared mailbox so you do not have a bunch schedules to update if there are staffing changes.


text:
Excerpt: The Story of Our Lives
We're pleased to share an excerpt from The Story of Our Lives by Helen Warner and we're especially excited that there are characters named Amy and Melissa in it!
They think nothing can tear their bond apart, until a long-buried secret threatens to destroy everything.
Every year they have met up for a vacation, but their time away is much more than just a bit of fun. Over time, it has become a lifesaver, as each of them struggles with life's triumphs and tragedies.
Sophie, Emily, Amy and Melissa have been best friends since they were girls. They have seen each other through everything—from Sophie's private fear that she doesn't actually want to be a mother despite having two kids, to Amy's perfect-on-the-outside marriage that starts to reveal troubling warning signs, to Melissa's spiraling alcoholism, to questions that are suddenly bubbling up around the paternity of Emily's son. But could a lie that spans just as long as their friendship be the thing that tears them apart?
Sophie could feel herself starting to sweat as she tried to heave the stone pot to one side. Could it really be this one that the key was under? Surely they'd have put it under one that wasn't so bloody heavy. Instead of lifting it, she decided to try rolling it instead. Sure enough, the pot began to move but the momentum gathered pace more quickly than she had expected and it rolled unstoppably towards her foot and straight over her toe. Breathless with pain and almost not daring to look for fear of the damage she might find, she examined her foot.
The toe of her Converse offered very little protection and sagged ominously where her big toe should have been. Gingerly, she pressed with her thumb and winced in pain. She slumped down onto the path, which was still wet from an earlier rain shower, and groaned as her jeans immediately absorbed the moisture. She knew without looking that the damp patch would have spread in a fascinatingly symmetrical fashion across her rear.
Maybe this weekend away wasn't such a good idea after all.
The omens weren't great, with the shockwaves over Princess Diana's sudden death still reverberating throughout the country, and although the others had left it to her to organize everything, she knew they would moan about who was sharing with whom and grumble about the house she had chosen from the listings in the Evening Standard.
Sophie looked up at the pretty whitewashed and thatched cottage, feeling a sudden stab of annoyance at its old-fashioned beauty. It was the sort of place retired couples would come for a weekend of birdwatching, rather than a group of twenty-something girls looking for a good time.
"What the hell are you doing down there?" The slightly gravelly Midlands accent reached her before its owner appeared at the gate and began to make her way up the path. Wearing tight bootleg jeans and a skinny white sleeveless top that contrasted with her smooth, dark brown skin, Melissa appeared not to have aged a day since they had first met. Her afro hair had been woven into cornrows that fell to her shoulders and apart from a slash of bright red lipstick, her pretty face was make-up free.
Sophie struggled to her feet and embraced her friend.
"Hi, sweetie. Bit of a mishap while hunting for the key." She attempted to discreetly run her hand over her bum. Sure enough, it was soaking.
"Did you find it?"
Typical of Melissa to be more concerned with getting into the house than whether Sophie was OK. "No. My suffering was in vain, sadly." As she spoke, Sophie's eyes scanned the area around the door for other pots.
"It'll be under this one!" Melissa cried, dumping her rucksack onto the path and darting towards a pretty Mediterranean-style pot that wasn't much bigger than a mug. Sure enough, as Melissa effortlessly lifted it, the key glistened in the sunlight. She bent down with a balletic lunge and scooped it up. "See?" she said, holding the key aloft triumphantly.
Sophie nodded. This tiny incident summed up their relationship perfectly. Sophie was the hard worker; the one who put in all the effort, only for Melissa to sail in at the end and collect the trophy. Not that she resented Melissa for it. She loved her like a sister. In fact, she loved her more than her own sister, Georgina, with whom she had very little in common, as there was almost a whole decade between them.
"Come on, what are you waiting for?" Melissa threw the comment over her shoulder as she used the key to open the front door, which needed a good shove to dislodge it, and disappeared into the cool, dark hallway. "Christ, it's a bit drab, isn't it?" she added.
And so it begins, thought Sophie, following her friend into the house, noting that she had to duck slightly as she stepped over the threshold, unlike tiny, perfect Melissa.
Helen Warner is head of daytime for Channel 4, where she is responsible for shows such as Come Dine With Me and Deal Or No Deal. Previously she worked for ITV where she launched the daytime talk show Loose Women and was editor of This Morning. She lives in East Anglia with her husband and their two children. Visit Helen at her website and on Facebook and Goodreads.
Visit the other stops on the blog tour from TLC Book Tours. They also have a tour-wide giveaway for a $25 gift card!
How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.
Labels: contests, excerpt
This book sounds really good
Reviews at Amazon-January/February 2018
Book Review: The French Girl
Guest Book Review: Brooklyn in Love
We enjoy seeing Camille Pagán...plus a book giveaway
Book Review: Adirondack Audacity
Cynthia Swanson, Super Sleuth....plus a book giveaway
Book Review: The Queen of Hearts
Book Review: The Wedding Date
Book Review: The Last Day
Go-to-Gay: My Funny Valentine
Tracy Krimmer is our "Galentine"....plus a special...
It's no surprise that we love Sophie Kinsella...pl...
Sweet Treats and Yummy Reads Blog Hop
Book Review and Giveaway: The Great Alone
Dina Silver's writing is pure gold...plus a book g...
Book Review and Giveaway: The Baby Planner
Book Review: Here's to Campfires and S'mores
Book Review: Best Friends Forever
Elizabeth LaBan is perfectly fine...plus a book gi...


For the last 13 years we have helped hundreds of people rediscover how to eat, move and be healthy! Using the most advanced techniques and training methods, it's our job and passion to see you get the results you want and stay fit, healthy and pain free for the rest of your life.
At Ainsworth Body Science our approach to health and fitness is very different to that of conventional gyms and leisure centres. We offer tailor-made health, exercise, wellbeing, and rehabilitation programmes to all our clients to help them reach not only their goals but their optimum levels of health and vitality.


The Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) is best described as a community made whole by its many moving parts–––students, faculty, alumni, healthcare researchers and a variety of providers, partners and professionals in the field. With over 400 students, 300 faculty and more than 100 senior healthcare executives in adjunct roles, IHPME is a wellspring of opportunity, learning and innovation.
We serve as an enabling force; offering a harmonizing forum to foster collaboration and leadership within and between healthcare communities.
We inform a rare cross-pollination of contemporary knowledge by drawing students and leaders from the full healthcare continuum into dynamic relationships.
Our faculty represent the full continuum of healthcare disciplines and invariably facilitate the cross-pollination of diverse perspectives. We live and learn surrounded by the country's most established healthcare institutions–––a position which we leverage by building lasting and collaborative relationships between academics and healthcare decision-makers.
Our cultural valuation of intellectual exchange teaches people to think responsively as they engage in the healthcare ecosystem.
IHPME is committed to making the human connection in healthcare through bridging gaps between clinical, organizational and policy levels. And in this way, we are cultivating the next generation of bright leaders.
We empower individuals to translate experience to evidence in building best practices and better outcomes throughout healthcare delivery.
Each year IHPME is responsible for more than $6M in research funding making it one of the more significant contributors in the fields of system design, performance management, comparative health systems, health policy and health economics, health services research, quality improvement, patient safety, observational and decision sciences research, and knowledge transfer.
The Masters and Doctoral programs deliver comprehensive, interdisciplinary curricula with focuses on health policy, organization and management, e-health innovation and health services research. Concentrations are available in Health Services Research (MSc/PhD), Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research (MSc/PhD), Quality Improvement & Patient Safety (MSc), and System Leadership and Innovation (MSc).
IHPME offers trans-disciplinary research training within the University of Toronto through its Collaborative Specializations, involving other institutes, faculties, centres and universities.
The MHSc is an interdisciplinary curriculum heavily weighted in evidence-informed health management and policy with an option for combined degree programs.
The MHI trains health informaticians to lead organizational and health system change through combining expertise in health systems with information and communication technologies.
The Clinical Epidemiology Institute provides a week-long introduction to critical appraisal skills and evidence-based practice and policy for clinicians, decision-makers and industry.
The Health Technology Institute brings together experts from a range of disciplines to provide attendees with pragmatic tools for HTA. This three-day intensive course will be useful for people using health technology assessments and making resource allocation decisions relating to drugs, devices, and programs.


text:
Volume: Conversation 11
Issue Number 1
Geometry of the DNA Substrates in Cre-loxP Site-Specific Recombination
Cre recombinase is a member of a large family of site-specific recombination enzymes that performs a cut-and-paste operation between two specific DNA sequences. Our goal has been to understand the mechanism of this complex reaction by trapping and characterizing the three-dimensional structures of each of the reaction intermediates. This work has led to high resolution crystallographic models of (i) the initial synaptic complex, (ii) the covalent Cre-DNA intermediate, and (iii) the Holliday junction intermediate. The Cre-loxP system appears to function by creating at the outset a protein-DNA architecture that resembles that of the Holliday junction intermediate that is eventually formed. The ?arms? of the loxP sites are initially bent by about 75° in the synaptic complex, forming a nearly planar arrangement that is held fixed, while cleavage and strand exchange occur in the central region between the arms. The simplest view of the recombination pathway is that it contains two symmetrical halves, each of which uses this Holliday junction-like architectural framework to mediate the cleavage and ligation steps. The two halves are linked by a subtle isomerization of the Holliday intermediate that switches the roles of the recombinase subunits and allows exchange of the second pair of DNA strands. In this paper, we summarize recent structural results from our laboratory, with an emphasis on the geometry of the DNA substrates.
Feng Guo
Deshmukh N. Gopaul
and Gregory D. Van Duyne
Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics and Johnson Research Foundation
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
809 B Stellar-Chance
422 Curie Boulavard
Subscription is more cost effective than purchasing PDFs on-the-fly. Click here for details.
<< Go Back to Conversation 11: No. 1


Raise awareness of the causes, prevalence and consequences of poverty and social exclusion.
Promoting and facilitating the engagement and participation of a broad range of stakeholders who have a role to play in developing and delivering solutions.
Ensuring a lasting legacy, including identification and sharing of good practice and knowledge, and development of effective structures that facilitate ongoing dialogue.
activities that support individuals and groups out of exclusion and poverty.
publication and dissemination of good practice relating to each of the themes.
meetings and events aligned EY2010 objectives such as mutual learning seminars and workshops or focus groups and forums.
information, educational, promotional and communications campaigns and products.
The maximum budget for proposed activities is £125,000. The deadline for submission of proposals is 5pm on 15 October 2009.
DWP are also inviting proposals to develop regional activities that are more focused around engaging stakeholders.
As this is European money it isn't without its rules and bureaucracy, but if you're interested visit the DWP's European Year 2010 pages for more information.


This month, President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush welcomed the 2018 Class of Presidential Leadership Scholars to the Bush Center in Dallas, Texas.
Scholars learned about the leadership style and strengths of President Bush, and how to apply the decision-making processes he used in his administration to their own lives.
Karl Rove, political strategist and former deputy chief of staff and senior advisor to President Bush; and more.
Check out photos from Module 4.
The 2018 Class of Presidential Leadership Scholars will continue their visits to each of the four partnering presidential centers to engage with former presidents, officials from their administrations, and the unique resources of the libraries to enhance their own leadership abilities in order to make a positive difference in the world. Look out for our next update from the LBJ Foundation in Austin, TX!


first of all into its +ve side .... it has got nice music quality ...nice camera ..good battery life ... light weight.. works as modem ..
The phone is good. But its screen is so small. Only mobile experts can only take gprs on that mobile. I have been using the phone for about 2 years. Anyway i hate the phone. But one thing, its camera is very good.
Total of 552 user reviews and opinions for LG KP220.


A nine-year-old boy was hanged in a aberration blow afterwards accouterment up bathrobe clothes cords to watch films in his applesauce bed.
Liam Gardner and his brother Delmi, 12, fabricated a "Heath Robinson-type" braiding accessory to adhere his book computer from the top applesauce to see movies.
But while abandoned in his bedroom, Liam was accidentally deadened by the bond afterwards it circuitous about his neck.
His mum Kiara Willis, 33, went admiral at their home to acquisition Liam benumbed with the bond circuitous about his neck.
An delving was told antic Liam would beat from the accessory while he was arena in the bedroom.
His mother said the bathrobe clothes bond accessory had "only been there a few days" afore Liam was hanged.
Mum-of-five Kiara was bench back brother Delmi shouted for advice from the bedchamber of their home in Ebbw Vale, South Wales.
Kiara said: "My 12-year-old screamed "Mum" and I knew article was wrong. I ran admiral - he was aloof dangling thereI approved to get him off and I couldn't.
"My 16-year-old got a knife and approved to cut him down. We approved to accord him aperture to aperture and we were on the buzz to the ambulance.
"It all happened so quickly."
Liam was arresting asleep at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff afterwards the tragedy in May.
Gwent coroner David Bowen said: "Sometimes we are bedeviled with bloom and assurance but to leave such a accessory up with unsupervised accouchement was agreeable trouble."
He recorded a adjudication of adventitious afterlife at the Newport inquest.
After the inquest, Kiara said: " I appetite parents to be acquainted of the dangers of applesauce beds.
"I never anticipation this would happen."


text:
Evanston aldermen to move forward with demolition of historic Harley Clarke Mansion
By Genevieve Bookwalter
Pioneer Press |
After often-passionate public appeals at the Evanston City Council meeting Monday night, Evanston aldermen voted to move forward with demolition of a historic lakefront mansion by partnering with a local group that has offered to pay for the deconstruction.
Aldermen voted 5-3 to enter into a memorandum of understanding with Evanston Lakehouse Dunes, a group of neighbors that has offered to pay for the removal of the 91-year-old Harley Clarke Mansion and restore the grounds.
The City Council was initially scheduled to vote on a plan that would have the group front $400,000 of the demolition costs.
But after more than an hour of discussing the issue, aldermen amended the plan and now call for the group to pay the full cost of the teardown and restoration project.
Ald. Robin Rue Simmons, 5th, made the motion to have the group finance demolition 100 percent and was among the five aldermen who went on to approve the memorandum of understanding.
Aldermen Melissa Wynne, 3rd; Tom Suffredin, 6th; and Eleanor Revelle, 7th, voted against the measure.
The aldermen had sat through dozens of comments from proponents and opponents of demolition, with people given one minute to express themselves during the public comment portion of the meeting that preceded the vote. There were heckles and cheers from the audience, and even a rebuke from Ald. Judy Fiske, 1st, to those who were shouting out.
Fiske served as mayor pro tem Monday, as Mayor Steve Hagerty was out on vacation.
The city's looming budget deficit, which is estimated to reach as much as $9 million next fiscal year, was at the forefront of some aldermen's minds.
"This building has always been about the budget for me," said 2nd Ward Ald. Peter Braithwaite. "When I have to look at the decision of saving a building versus critical services that, from what I feel, make Evanston a very special unique town," the decision is obvious, he said.
[Most read] Bears Q&A: Is Philip Rivers an attractive QB option? Can Mitch Trubisky match Ryan Tannehill's leap? How does Matt Nagy get Tarik Cohen going again? »
He voted in favor of the memorandum, which even with the amendment authorizes the city manager "to execute a memorandum of understanding with Evanston Lighthouse Dunes and to apply for an application for a certificate of appropriateness with the Preservation Commission to begin the process to demolish the Harley Clarke Mansion and Coach House and restore site to its natural state," according to text of the measure.
"Although it is an emotional vote, for me I'm going to be honest, it's a very easy vote," Braithwaite said.
But Wynne argued that unless Evanston officials are sure that the Dunes group's contribution will pay for all demolition and restoration costs, the city could be left holding the bag for the difference.
That, she said, defeats the point of taking down the building to save money.
"In a community that prizes being green and prizes historic preservation, the idea that we should send a bulldozer at this building is shameful. Just shameful," Wynne said.
There were calls by some residents and other stakeholders for the the city to put an advisory referendum on the November ballot that would look to gauge the "will of the people," as a supporter of that move said. There were also other options presented Monday that would repurpose the Harley Clarke Mansion instead of getting rid of it.
"In recent weeks we've heard from numerous professionals lending their support," Revelle said, including a hotel idea and offers of help from preservation groups. "I can't discuss a proposal to tear down the Harley Clarke Mansion while there are alternatives."
But nothing came of those alternate ideas at Monday's meeting.
Nicole Kustok, spokeswoman for the Evanston Lighthouse Dunes group, argued at the meeting that demolishing the mansion would keep the property accessible to the public for the future.
"It removes the risk of privatization and keeps it open and free for all," Kustok said during public comments.
But not everyone saw it that way.
The Harley Clarke Mansion "is truly a symbol of the soul of Evanston, and tearing it down is a diminishment of our collective and community character," said Evanston resident Frederick Weinstein. "It will be a wound that will not heal and it will be an absence that we all feel."
Because the building is a historic landmark, the certificate of appropriateness is needed from the Preservation Commission to begin the demolition process as required by city code.
Diane Thodos speaks at the Evanston City Council hearing on July 23, 2018, on whether to tear down the historic Harley Clarke Mansion. (Jim Young / Chicago Tribune)
In April, the City Council voted overwhelmingly to deny a 40-year lease proposal to Evanston Lakehouse and Gardens, a nonprofit organization that formed specifically to renovate the public mansion and turn it into an educational center, with aldermen expressing doubt that the group could reach multimillion-dollar fundraising goals.
Weeks after aldermen denied ELHG's plan, members of Evanston Lighthouse Dunes came forward with their proposal to pay for demolition. They argued that mansion restoration was too expensive if it were to remain in public hands. They proposed tearing the building down, rebuilding the gardens and dunes and opening the beach to public access.
[Most read] DuPage health officials say several county residents exposed to Chicago woman with coronavirus »
The 91-year old Harley Clarke Mansion is an English Tudor-style building and historic landmark. It was first built as a private residence before serving as the national headquarters of Sigma Chi Fraternity from 1951-65.
Evanston bought the mansion and leased it to the Evanston Arts Center until 2015, when needed maintenance and repairs became too expensive for the center and the city to afford.
Ald. Anne Rainey supports tearing the "bundle of bricks" down, as she referred to the building Monday.
She called for all sides of the issue to agree to disagree.
Latest Evanston
Northwestern University to host summit of international university leaders in advance of G7
Chicago a cappella salutes Mexican culture in concert
North suburban residents mark solemn Holocaust Remembrance Day on 75th anniversary of Auschwitz-Birkenau liberation
Willard Elementary music teacher nominated for Golden Apple award
"You think it should be saved, I think it should be" demolished, she said.
gbookwalter@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @GenevieveBook
Kamin: Evanston plan to demolish Harley Clarke mansion: Public vision or hidden agendas? »
Children join rally against razing Evanston's Harley Clarke building: 'Save the people's mansion' »


text:
Sport and wellbeing
City of Stirling
Walk with history
Stirling is full of character and steeped in history. As Scotland's heritage capital, Stirling city is where the Wars of Independence were fought and won.
Scotland's survival as a nation was guaranteed after the battle of Bannockburn in 1314, near to the city. There's also the Bannockburn Heritage Centre, close to the battle site where Robert the Bruce's defeat of the English army guaranteed Scotland's survival as a nation. The Centre brings the battle to life through the use of interactive technology and 3D landscapes.
The National Wallace Monument
The 220ft high National Wallace Monument offers views over the Forth Valley that you don't want to miss. This Gothic monument commemorates William (Braveheart) Wallace. It's a mere 246 steps to the top!
The historic Old Town has hosted the likes of John Knox and Robert Burns, and still bears scars from its role in military campaigns that changed the course of Britain. For a ghoulish take on the medieval old town, you can take a Stirling Ghost Walk.
For a compact city, Stirling has many historically important buildings. The 'Church of the Holy Rude' being one of them. Founded in 1129, it is the second oldest building in the city after the castle and has been a parish church for 600 years. Other than Westminster Abbey, it's the only British church still in daily use to have held a royal coronation – King James VI's coronation in 1567.
Explore Stirling mobile app
This free app gives you walking routes around Stirling curated by local experts who know the area best along with detailed maps. There's accompanying audio helping you to immerse yourself in local culture through music, song, narrative and stories.
Download the Explore Stirling app
Our sprawling castle is one of Scotland's grandest – befitting the childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots. From its hill-top viewpoint, you can take in the fantastic scenery of the surrounding area and the city. It's also where the world's oldest football was discovered behind some panelling. It's no wonder it's been named Scotland's Best Visitor Attraction (Scottish Outdoor and Leisure Awards 2016).
What makes Stirling unique?
Best preserved medieval city in Scotland
Former capital of Scotland
Two most important Scottish battlefields
One of the best Royal Parks in Europe
Held the first fireworks in Scotland
The oldest curling stone and football in the world were found in the city


text:
Der Rasnik Peak (englisch; ) ist ein spitzer, teilweise vereister und  hoher Berg an der Graham-Küste des Grahamlands im Norden der Antarktischen Halbinsel. Am südwestlichen Ende der Chiren Heights auf der Welingrad-Halbinsel ragt er 17 km östlich des Lens Peak, 6,75 km südöstlich des Coblentz Peak und 9,9 km nördlich des Ezerets Knoll auf. Seine steilen Nordwest- und Südosthänge sind teilweise unvereist. Der Hugi- und der Caulfeild-Gletscher liegen südlich, die Holtedahl Bay westlich von ihm.

Britische Wissenschaftler kartierten ihn 1976. Die bulgarische Kommission für Antarktische Geographische Namen benannte ihn 2015 nach der Ortschaft Rasnik im Westen Bulgariens.

Weblinks
 Rasnik Peak im Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica (englisch)

Welingrad-Halbinsel


text:
The Sun Watches the Sun
The second collection of Dejan Stojanovic's verse, "The Sun is Watching Itself," is covered by a metaphysical and philosophical veil. Eleven segments are connected by these two abstract approaches and by such key images as a circle, suggesting infinity, and silence, reflecting space and eternity. The circle serves as a powerful symbol and a device of the perpetual in this poetry: "the end without endlessness is only a new beginning," claims the poet. Thus, one of the poems bears the title "God and Circle," symbolizing the perennial search for an exit and the eventual finding of one, which only leads into another circle and to continuous evolution. This prompts Stojanovic to pose the question "Is God himself a Circle?"--implying that God is endless and ever present.
Although concise, the poems convey in a powerful and specific manner messages from the triad circle-God-eternity, connected by man's destiny and the poet's concept of human life and origins, and of the universe itself. In other words, microcosmic observations lead to macrocosmic revelations and didactic conclusions. The poems seem to teach us what is obvious in the context of common sense, often surprisingly remote to the modern man.
In terms of style and format, the author has a coextensional approach; he uses relatively simple expressions and words in an interplay of brilliant meanings that bring about highly complex but easily readable structures. If elegance is represented by simplicity, then these are some of the most elegant verses imaginable; unadorned verses that are a source of beauty and wisdom.
Stojanovic's perceptions of light and darkness, of fantasy and reality, of truth and falsehood present us with a circular format of infinity and resurrection.
The format has its logical beginning and end. "The Sun is Watching Itself" begins with poems dedicated to God and the universe, then descends from the metaphysical to the philosophical, focusing on more ordinary such us the symbolic meaning of a stone, a game, a place, silence, hopelessness, and the question "Is it possible to write a poem?" Stojanovic's collection might well serve as an affirmative answer to this question. The poet has taken us on a long journey from God and universe to our everyday world. We all seem to be a part of a circle, says the author, searching for the eternal in the universe, only to realize the finality of life on earth. The poet's message is doubly effective for its extraordinary, soul-searching content and its reflective, powerful language.
-Branko Mikasinovich, Washington, D.C.
WLT World Literature Today, A Literary Quarterly of the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
Volume 74, Number 2, Page 442, Spring 2000
Dejan Stojanović was born in Pec, Kosovo (the former Yugoslavia). Although a lawyer by education, he has never practiced law and instead became a journalist. He is a poet, essayist, philosopher, and businessman and published six critically acclaimed books of poetry in Serbia: Circling, The Sun Watches Itself, The Sign and Its Children, The Shape, The Creator, and Dance of Time.
In addition to poetry and prose, he has worked as a correspondent for the Serbian weekly magazine Pogledi (Views) . His book of interviews from 1990 to1992 in Europe and America, entitled Conversations, included interviews with several major American writers, including Nobel Laureate Saul Bellow, Charles Simic, and Steve Tesic.
He has been living in Chicago since 1990.
Eastern European Poets
Poetry Around The World
Poetry In Translation
Photo used under Creative Commons from joanne clifford


Inspirational shoots are my favorite!! I always recommend that brides consider documenting getting ready for their big day and these images will explain why! Huge shout out to all the vendors involved! See complete list below.
Models- Bride: Baylee Relfie, Bridesmaids: McKall Emery, Kadee Hamp, Brynlee Morgan, and Safari Bruin.


text:
Le Référendum SuperSport est une récompense attribuée chaque année par le journal SuperSport, au meilleur joueur de football ivoirien. Plusieurs organes de la presse ivoirienne votent pour choisir le lauréat.

Lauréats
 2006 : Didier Drogba
 2007 : Didier Drogba
 2008 : Bakari Koné
 2009 : Yaya Touré

Notes et références

Football en Côte d'Ivoire
Palmarès de football


text:
#include "ExN02EventAction.hh"

#include "G4Event.hh"
#include "G4EventManager.hh"
#include "G4TrajectoryContainer.hh"
#include "G4Trajectory.hh"
#include "G4ios.hh"

//....oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo......

ExN02EventAction::ExN02EventAction()
{}

//....oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo......

ExN02EventAction::~ExN02EventAction()
{}

//....oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo......

void ExN02EventAction::BeginOfEventAction(const G4Event*)
{}

//....oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo......

void ExN02EventAction::EndOfEventAction(const G4Event* /*evt*/)
{
  /*
  G4int event_id = evt->GetEventID();

  // get number of stored trajectories
  //
  G4TrajectoryContainer* trajectoryContainer = evt->GetTrajectoryContainer();
  G4int n_trajectories = 0;
  if (trajectoryContainer) n_trajectories = trajectoryContainer->entries();

  // periodic printing
  //
  if (event_id < 100 || event_id%100 == 0) {
    G4cout << ">>> Event " << evt->GetEventID() << G4endl;
    G4cout << "    " << n_trajectories
	   << " trajectories stored in this event." << G4endl;
  }
  */
}

//....oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo........oooOO0OOooo......


Download My Robin PDF Book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Soft Copy of Book My Robin author Frances Hodgson Burnett completely free.
Inside this Book – I really liked this work, which is not a story, but a memoir. FHB quite beautifully relates the story of her relationship with a robin that was born in her enclosed rose garden, and it is very easy to see how the woman who saw the world in this way and surrounded herself with gardens and nature, wrote the stories she did. Having marathoned significant chunks of her oeuvre in the last year, I could probably make a list of "author appeal" elements that appear in her stories (as well as a fairly accurate account of which stories they appear in). But this essay is quite beautiful and evocative, like FHB's best romances, and definitely worth reading by anyone who particularly enjoys her work.
Inside this book –My Robin PDF Book by Frances Hodgson Burnett – The robin in The Secret Garden was practically my favourite thing in the book so reading this non-fiction memoir about Frances' very own robin which inspired the one that Mary Lennox befriends was perfect. What a sweet little story! Any fan of "The Secret Garden" will remember the robin that was in it. The author shares her own experience of a relationship she had with a robin in a rose garden. It is a beautiful and touching account.


Visiting Death Valley in a day – diabolical and divine.
Most people wouldn't think to visit Death Valley National Park but it is the biggest national park in the lower 48. Death Valley has recorded to be the hottest place on earth (134 degrees Farenheight at Furnace Creek) and dryest place in North America.
I decided to take a trip to Death Valley in a day due to a work trip taking place in Las Vegas. If you know me at all, you know that I have been to Vegas and it holds little entertainment value for me in this day and age. I've been to Hoover Dam and while Grand Canyon is a sight to behold, I wanted to go somewhere else, somewhere different.
If you're low on time, I recommend visiting Death Valley in a day on a tour since they will pick you up and drop you off and you don't have to worry about the usual things. I suggest renting a car with GPS if you have time. Be sure to bring more than enough supplies (batteries, food, water) – just in case you get lost.
I went with Casino Travel because of the small group size and most of the stops were ones on my list. Wear comfortable walking shoes, sunglasses, a hat, and a jacket. It is freezing in the morning in Vegas (it's the desert after all) and then it'll warm up throughout the day at different elevations but temperatures drop down again in the afternoon.
Breakfast was included, which was a nice touch. It consisted of peanut butter crackers, a muffin, and an apple along with a small orange juice. Unlimited bottled water is also included during the entirety of the trip.
Ralph – our tour guide was excellent. Ralph is patient, very knowledgeable, and is not offended if we passed out during his monologues since it is 6 am. He also makes more than enough stops for bathroom breaks and to get any snacks. There is even a McDonald's stop in the morning for coffee or a hot breakfast.
The stops are the most important part of the tour. I was looking forward to Dante's View/Peak but it was closed during this time for unfavorable conditions.
Zabriskie Point: Photos here are epic. It gets windy so hang onto your things (hat, camera, etc.) and there's also some points off the trail that you can get to.
Badwater Basin: The lowest point at Death Valley. There's even a nifty little sign that every tourist wants to have a photo with. You can also walk along the trail of the salt flats. While it was fun, the salt flats did not impress me as much as I wished.
Artist Drive and Palette: Another quick stop to catch all the different colors that the minerals and sediments make. You can also hike inwards to here but then you're taking photos in the opposite direction that you need to.
Devil's Golf Course: A fun stop with a name that says it all about the area. No person would ever want to play golf here. Be careful walking around since the rocks are very sharp and can easily cut you.
Mesquite Sand Dunes: One of my favorite stops of the day since the dunes are huge! It's shocking there are sand dunes in North America. Sandboarding is allowed here. However, motorized vehicles are not.
Rhyolite: A quick stop to get a glimpse of the leftover remnants of a ghost town. It's also freezing during this time of day and because we're higher up.
If you liked this post, maybe you'll enjoy my other hiking trips such as to Peru.


Provision of expert psychological evidence including written reports, e.g.,pre-trial assessments, parenting competency assessments, family reports, assessment of psychological status or damages, and /or oral evidence in courts and other tribunals.
Consultation in areas of the legal and justice system such as correctional services, workplace safety, child protection, victims' needs, and mediation (includingchild focused).
Delivery of research and clinical service such as counselling children affected by divorce, treatment of substance use disorders, anger management, psychotherapy for victims of crime, and parenting training.
Dr Henry is a Member of The Australian Psychological Society College of Forensic Psychologists. Her doctoral research in forensic psycholgy developed a Personal Injury Scale to assist Psychosocial Assessment in the Medico-Legal Setting. She has worked in the area of personal injury as a Pain Psychologist in The Princess Alexander Multidisciplinary (Surgical) Pain Clinic, and in the HCA (Rehabilitation) Pain Clinic, focusing on design and delvery of chronic pain and early intervention rehabilitation programmes. She has presented appled research papers on management of injured workers at national conferences of The Australian Pain Society and The Australian College of Rehabilitation Medicine. In private practice at Silver Place, Wickham Terrace, Brisbane, she consulted with management staff of WorkCover Queensland in design of rehabilitation for populations with chronic illnesses.
Dr Henry is registered with The Attorney General Department as a mediator, child focused. Dr Henry works with a comediator in family dispute resolution.
Dr Henry is trained to deliver services as a Communications Specialist, and as a Child Specialist, in an Interdisciplinary Collaborative Family Law Team, aimed at facilitating dispute resolution out of court.


When you are grieving the loss of a loved one, the responsibility of planning their funeral can be overwhelming. We at Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma Funerals are here to help you, every step of the way. Together, we can create a beautiful and lasting tribute to your loved one.
We encourage you to involve your family so that each of you may share your thoughts and ideas for the funeral. Inviting everyone, including children, to help plan or take part in the service, shows them that their feelings matter too.
This time, is one to be understanding of each other's needs. You are all experiencing grief and loss in your own way – be gentle and accept each other's feelings.
You may have the challenge of balancing your loved one's wishes with your own needs as mourners – it is okay to put the needs of your family first. Look to fulfil the essence of their wishes, not the specific details.
Allow yourself time – you may feel you have to put the funeral behind you as quickly as possible. This is not so and we encourage you to rethink this approach. Sometimes the funeral is seen as a painful experience and there is a need to simply want it over. Understand that the loss of your loved one has caused the pain. The funeral can and should be the instigator of your healing. In deciding on a day and time for the funeral, ensure you have allowed enough time to consider and carry out all your preferred options.
Please assemble this information prior to meeting with our Funeral Arranger.
If you or the person who has died attended a church or other place of worship, this may be the natural choice for the funeral service. This is particularly appropriate when a family wishes to arrange a service of traditional religious significance, such as a funeral mass.
If you choose a venue other than a church, a member of the clergy, or, if you prefer, a celebrant, can be arranged to officiate at the ceremony.
How many people will be accommodated?
Is the facility large enough or perhaps too large?
Are special facilities required, for example, video projection, room for musicians, on-site catering?
Provide a memory book for guests to sign at the gathering. This allows mourners to share their memories and feelings and will become a cherished memento of your loved one.
Select flowers that were meaningful to your loved one.
Light a candle. The flame of a candle represents the spirit.
Project photo images of the person's life during the service.
Create a memory display. Encourage family and friends to contribute their favourite photos.
Have children place a flower on the coffin during the service.
Fill the room with your loved one's favourite music. You may choose to use pre-recorded music or bring in musicians. Include poetry or scripture that may have special significance to your loved one.
Don't be afraid to use humour, where appropriate. Remember, the eulogy is a celebration of your loved one's life.
Give guests an order of service. Personalise it with special memories, photos or lines from a poem.
Choose a meaningful funeral cortege or procession. You may ask that the possession pass a significant place.
As part of the funeral arrangements you will have the option of whether to purchase a coffin or a casket for the deceased.
The difference is basically one of design.
Coffins are tapered at the head and foot and are wide at the shoulders. Caskets are rectangular in shape and are usually constructed of better quality timbers and feature higher standards of workmanship. Many people regard the coffin or casket as an important tribute to the deceased and they are therefore selected with care.
If you wish you may also personalise the coffin.
Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma Funerals' range of coffins extend from Eco friendly, personalised, solid timber to a more traditional coffin in a wide range of colours and finishes.
Our aim is to help you choose a coffin that echoes the life and ideals on your loved one so that a necessity begins to hold meaning and value.
The wishes of the deceased must be followed, if they are known. A cremation cannot take place if there are written instructions to the contrary.
The numbers of people choosing to be cremated are steadily increasing – cremations now outnumber burials. Cremation funerals are much higher in city areas where crematory facilities are available. In regional area burials tend to predominate.
People have a choice of either burial or cremation. In certain cultures cremation is not favoured (or may be prohibited within the relevant faith belief). In other cultures the opposite may occur with cremation being the custom.
Create a memorial for your loved one in a specially designed garden or wall of remembrance.
Create your own memorial at home or on a property.
This is a decision that doesn't need to be made straight away. Your funeral director or the crematorium will give you a range of options when you're ready to discuss this which may be some weeks after the funeral service.
If you are arranging a burial, you may already know the cemetery that is to be used. The cemetery plot may even have been pre-purchased.
Lawn areas where the plaque is recessed into the lawn.
Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma Funerals can assist you in making the choices for your loved one.
There is no one 'right' way to hold a funeral. A funeral should simply 'reflect' the person who died and the family and friends who survive that person. To help you in your planning, the list below is the most often asked-for formats for a funeral.
A service and committal in a church or chapel, with no cortege. The coffin or casket is removed from the church or chapel during the singing of the final hymn.
A service and committal in a crematorium chapel or funeral chapel.
The service may be either public or private.
If you or a loved one has an association with a church, your clergy will be the obvious choice. You may not have attended a church for many years but would still appreciate a clergy person to officiate at the service. Our Funeral Arranger can easily arrange this. Or you may prefer a celebrant to lead the service which can also be arranged for you.
You or the person who has died may already know the clergy or celebrant. However, this is often not the case and it will be important for the clergy or celebrant and your family to meet and discuss the life of your loved one, the ceremony and your wants and needs.
The term "viewing" describes the time mourners spend with the deceased person after death and before the funeral.
The body is present in an open coffin or casket, allowing you and others who loved the person the chance to say goodbye and to come to terms with the reality and finality of the death. It allows you to see that the one who has died is now at peace, especially if they were struggling or suffering with life.
The decision to view is an individual one. Mourners should not be prevented from viewing, nor should they be forced to do so.
If possible, try not to leave the viewing till the day of the funeral. Allow enough days between the death and the day of the service to benefit from the viewing.
What your loved one will wear can be an important part of saying goodbye. The choice of clothing is yours and should reflect the wishes and personality of your loved one.
We will arrange for hair and make up to be done – supplying their own makeup and a recent photo can be of assistance. You will also need to decide on whether jewellery is to be worn and also other items such as Rosary Beads.
Select flowers that were meaningful to your loved one. This is an important aspect of a funeral as the coffin or casket adorned with a thoughtfully selected floral tribute provides a key focal point of the funeral service.
You will need to decide whether you want people to send flowers or not. Today, it is increasing popular for families to request "no flowers", instead opting to encourage mourners to send donations to a charity in lieu of flowers.
It is also important to think about what will be done with the collection of flowers after the service – sometimes the flowers are given to the nursing facility where the deceased was cared for.


text:
4.42 Set It Free
When Veronica was leaving for work one evening, she found Kirby Hawkins standing by the gate, grinning at her. "Care to comment on woohoo with a dead thing?"
Veronica stared him down coldly. "Ada told me you were harassing my sons at the park. Do it again, and I will call the cops."
She watched him smirking at her as she drove away. He knew as well as she did that the thread had no teeth. The police hadn't been helpful when they were living with one.
Veronica had to come up with some other way to retaliate. She couldn't keep them out. She couldn't reason with them. And the police couldn't do much when her family wasn't under physical threat.
"All right," she said to herself. "I'll give them something to write about."
Not long after, Veronica received a summons to Sunset Valley City Hall. Long ago, Charmaine had put her in for an award for her ghost work, and apparently the city agreed with her.
She was received by city officials with intimidating pomp and circumstance. The kids were in school, but Charles was able to attend the ceremony with her.
She was presented with the Key to the City and a medal of honor. The ceremony was performed by Vice Mayor Tamara Donner because Toya was on maternity leave.
"I want to thank you again for your amazing work in protecting the city from paranormal threats," Tamara Donner concluded. Her handshake was firm and professional.
"I see," Veronica said. "Vice Mayor, I would like to show you something." She pulled a canister out of her carrying bag and glanced over her shoulder.
Charles was waiting patiently. He had no idea what she had in mind.
"You see," Veronica said, "we bring all variety of spirits back to our labs at the science center. We examine them and ask them some questions. Then most of them, we let go."
She demonstrated.
The spirit uncoiled from the canister with a happy sigh. It seemed to wave at Veronica as it dissipated.
Tamara Donner shrieked. "What were you thinking! You let that thing out at City Hall!"
"And what do you think it's going to do?" Veronica demanded. "What makes you think it's a threat at all? Because you think it looks creepy?"
"I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times I've collected a ghost that was causing anyone any trouble. Most of these spirits aren't looking to bother anyone. Some of them want to protect a home or person they remember. Some don't want to exist at all.
"They're nothing like my husband Charles here. Most of them are memories of something that was once alive. But we can learn something from all of them. That's what I'm trying to do."
"These are memories of real people. They were someone's parents and lovers and children. They didn't ask to be caught between worlds, and you all are treating them like vermin. It's the same way you treat the real, living ghost people who live in your cities and pay your taxes.
"I don't need your medal for protecting the city from spirits. I should have one for protecting spirits from the city. Think about that."
Charles's eyes almost popped out of his head, but he couldn't think of anything to say, so he didn't say anything.
Veronica called over her shoulder. "Hey, paparazzi, did you get all that? I can help you spell if you need it. I'm looking forward to reading the paper!"
Charles and Veronica rode home in silence. Finally, as they were getting out of the Vaguester, Charles asked, "What was all that about?"
Veronica sighed. "If we can't beat the media, I thought we could use it as a pulpit to do some good."
"You could have warned me," Charles pointed out.
Veronica nodded. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was going to do until I did it. But if it helps, everything I said was true."
"So you're releasing the ghosts you capture?"
Veronica nodded. "Well, some of them are angry and potentially dangerous. But the rest we are just relocating to places where they can hopefully be happier." She took his hand. "Come with me. I'll show you."
She took him to the balcony outside their bedroom and pulled out her canister again. "I thought maybe you'd like to release a few together."
After she released the first one, a surprising face peered through the wall.
"I felt a spirit nexus somewhere around here," the ghost of Cyclone Sword said in an echoing voice. "Did you see it?"
Charles laid eyes on his father's face for the first time.
"You're the ghost of my father," Charles said haltingly. "My father was a ghost like me, not like you, but you're still him." It sounded even more confusing when he said it.
Cyclone gave him a blank smile. "So you're my son? I think someone told me I had one. Pleased to meet you."
It wasn't exactly a tearful reunion, but they floated together with Veronica for hours, greeting spirits and wishing them well.
At last, Cyclone's ghost said, "This has been lovely, but I'm starting to think that three's a crowd." And he drifted off the way he had come.
Maybe three WAS a crowd.
"You're amazing," Charles whispered. "I was only looking to marry a partner. I didn't expect to find an advocate at well."
"I know I'm amazing," Veronica said with a laugh. "But I like to hear it just the same."
"I have a better idea," Charles said.
It annoys me that you don't even get a moodlet for releasing captured ghosts.
Sorry that both of the main characters were oozing green stink for the whole scene at City Hall. Ha! I can't remember why they had so badly neglected their hygiene.
This entry was posted on November 19, 2012, in gen 4 and tagged charles, cycl0n3, veronica. Bookmark the permalink.	9 Comments
← 4.41 Wedding Aftermath
4.43 While Sunset Valley Sleeps →
9 thoughts on "4.42 Set It Free"
Wow, this chapter was very touching!What Veronica said about the ghosts and their families almost brought up the tears to my eyes. She really is a great sim!
Awww, Veronica rocks! I'm so glad Charles picked her. 🙂
Go Veronica! I love her telling off of the city!
Aww … This was really sweet. Great storytelling! I really fed bad for the poor persecuted ghosts in the sim world. Sky has the perfect parents really 🙂
Thank you! It's so awesome to know when someone appreciates my dramatic stories!
Veronica and Charles make a good team, if I do say so myself.
Veronica has the Dramatic trait. The interactions are all melodramatic, like faking passing out. She doesn't seem like that kind of person, so I've tried to find other ways for her to be dramatic :).
That was an awesome soapbox moment by Veronica! Reminded me of Julia Sugarbaker! Haha. And releasing the spirits is so sweet!!
I can't believe I'm so far behind in your blog, but I'll catch up.
Hopefully this will stop the paparazzi for good 🙂 It was nice to see Charles meet the ghost of his father. Such a sweet moment.