Vastechoses comes through heavy on their latest show, calling upon the DADA to concoct a mix that stays true to the Brussels-based label's punk, new wave and techno spirit. Two hours of little-known, often-overlooked distorted bangers - "music for ghosts and things of everywhere," as they so perfectly put it. Major tip.


Nike SB FC Classic Shoes The Nike SB FC Classic is a re-work of the same model from 2003. The drop-in Solarsoft sockliner provides added comfort whilst maximising board feel. A suede and synthetic textile upper, with woven Nike SB label in place at the tongue. The gusseted tongue ensures a snug and comfortable fit whilst the rubber sole offers excellent grip. This double black colour way with it's gum midsole provides a clean, easy to style addition to the Nike SB FC Classic's already vast range. Here are Flatspot we're all for putting on a white t-shirt, rolled up cargo pants, colour ed socks and this new FC Classic shoe from Nike SB and hitting the streets.


text:
Sightings NWB
Amphib & Reptile
Insect Pics
From Pebblestone Dr. to Poplar Run on the NWB Trail, 12/10/22
Our merry band of 9, including one who rode the whole way, set out from beside the old Bonifant Family Cemetery on Pebblestone Drive, down through the meadow to the NWB trail.
Story of Streams Presentation 12/6/22
Eliza Cava, Conservation Director of Nature Forward (formerly Audubon Naturalist Society) reported results from the grant-funded study she led to rate three tributary streams: the Northwest Branch, Oxon Run (in Prince George's County) and Holmes Run (in VA). She described the methodology and the ratings: the NWB rated just FAIR. All this and much much more has been put into an interactive website, the Story of Streams. And for those who enjoy the NWB, I enthusiastically draw your attention to the section on the NWB within the chapter on STREAMS. Scroll down to the NWB and then to the embedded story map by Krista Schlyer. Ms. Schlyer takes the NWB from source to confluence with pictures and history, including the Underground Railroad and Rachel Carson.
The website is a vast world of information, wherever you look--historical, geographic, and current. The statements of those who now enjoy these streams, despite their flaws, prove how important they are to the well-being of our communities. We so need them to be healthier! And the next chapter of the story of our streams remains to be written. YOU can help to make it better than the recent past chapters. Link to the overall Story of Streams website.
Video about State of Stream report
Stream cleanups: Hyattsville 9/18 and Burnt Mills East 10/22/22
At the University Hills Duck Pond and Lane Manor Park cleanup in Hyattsville, cleanup leader Ben Simasek has two valuable loads 9/18/22.
Listening Session, 9/6/22
You spoke; we listened
And what we heard was much enthusiasm for restoring the Northwest Branch to a waterway safe for recreation, enjoying the trails, and advocating for both stream and trails maintenance.
What participants would like to know more about--in their own words:
-Water quality. [See latest monitoring results on the NNWB Homepage.]
-Anacostia watershed, pollution.
-The entire Anacostia, native plants/Invasives.
-Would love to know more about how the ICC impacted the watershed.
-I really can't narrow it down…
-Helping with pollution and becoming a weed warrior.
-I'd like to know more about the long-term history of the stream, human impact on it, and preservation/conservation attempts. I know the current state, but it'd be nice to have a wider historical picture of things.
-Can the Burnt Mills Dam and reservoir be used for sediment control by digging out what has been deposited over the decades.
-I'd like to learn more about the ideal/healthiest state for the plant and animal ecosystem - what would it look like, what species would we want to see in abundance and which ones would we hope not to see?
-We need to engage more directly with MoCo and PG governments,
-Stormwater runoff, peoples solutions are to put in hard surfaces and extend their pipes to send their stormwater [to] downhill neighbors, erosion, streams.
Serious issues have been raised here. Much for us to consider!
Meanwhile, a poll of participants showed everyone hikes the trails--and would welcome some NNWB hikes. So look for fall hikes along with our stream cleanups! Thanks so much, everyone, for your input! If you would like to add your own comments, please click here to access the Comments page.
Exploring the northernmost section of the continuous NWB trail 8/29/22
As we crossed the NWB on a remnant of the old Bonifant Rd., all eyes were on the tree canopy. Pileated woodpecker?
Exploring part of the NWB Trail in Hyattsville, 8/13/22.
Claudia uses the occasion to cleanup some of the many discarded bottles.
ANS launches the Story of Streams, 8/10/22: Northwest Branch, Oxon Run, and Holmes Run.
The Story of Streams was officially launched at the 1796 Adelphi Mill, coincidentally the birthplace of NNWB 2 decades ago.
Reports from 4/23/22 cleanups: Lane Manor Park and behind W. Hyattsville Metro, with 30 volunteers each.
Leader Ben Simasek had an ample crew for this cleanup, which was the day after Earth Day. Photo by Claudia Simasek.
Report on 4/10/22 cleanup of Lamberton Trib: 8 overworked workers, 12 bags trash, 1 of clean recyclables, 2 tires, approx. 40 lbs metal & wood refuse
1. Laura Turbe leads the charge...again.
Report from 4/9/22 cleanup, Burnt Mills West: 9 hardy workers, 15 bags of trash, 1 of recyclables, 2 bikes, plywood, plastic & metal junk
1. Cleanup leader Frank Sprtel addresses the troops. The target area is the west side of Colesville Rd. & the trib that has carved a deep gully there.
Report from 3/26/22 Burnt Mills cleanup: 21 volunteers, 21 bulging bags plus tons of other stuff. Well done! Thanks to all!
James bring down a heavy load from the high trail.
4/5/22: New President and CEO of AWS, Chris Williams
3/1/22: Rachel Carson: A local visionary with lessons for today
Chris shared with us the origins of the Anacostia Watershed Society, with emphasis on "watershed." The AWS focus has been on the river itself because of its dire state. But now that the goal of fishable and swimmable by 2025 is within reach, AWS is creating a plan that includes more of the upper watershed and source waters. He asked for our suggestions, since we are protectors of the major source. The discussion included the AWS position on the beltway-I-270 expansion for toll lanes, synthetic turf as a water pollutant, and the value and risks of stream restorations.
Board member Rebecca Henson, who is leading the effort to create a local museum featuring Rachel Carson, discussed her life and legacy at the March 1 Membership Meeting. Ms. Carson lived in both the NWB and Sligo Creek watersheds during her nearly three decades of residence in Montgomery County. Rebecca explored how Carson understood and wrote about the natural world, primarily with messages of wonder and caution. Your can find more information about Rachel Carson on the Friends of Sligo Creek website at https://www.friendsofsligocreek.org/home/how-we-work/sligo-story-archive/rachel-carson-lived-here/
Click here for YouTube link to presentation
Hike to Rachel Carson House 11/13/21
From what a sign proclaims is a really good photo spot at Burnt Mills Special Park West, the group sets out, led by organizer and Rachel Carson enthusiast Rebecca Henson. Photo by A. Ambler, 11/13/21.
NWB Cleanup from the end of the NWB trail on Alderton Rd. 11/6/21
From the looks of the contents of that clear bag, someone had a beer party in the Northwest Branch woods. 11/6/21
11/2/22 Restoring Aquatic Life in the Anacostia River System
Dr. Saravanapavan identified where the blockages are that will be removed. Green dot indicates current limit of fish migration; line indicates historic limit. (Screen shot)
Thambirajah Saravanapavan, Ph.D., P.E., Army Corps of Engineers, Project Manager, spoke to a group of nearly 30 interested NWB watershed residents. (Dr. Saravanapavan helpfully encouraged us to address him as Tham.) In response to his question, "What did we do to get here?" he said that suburban sprawl with its impervious surfaces brought us to this point, although he also mentioned the earlier goals of the Corps to control flooding, which resulted in straightening the NWB and confining it (my term) between high berms.
His second question, " How do we attempt to reverse our blunders?" is what the Corps is planning. The projects are not yet designed, and there is room for public input. His third question, how to sustain what we have managed to restore, again involves the public engagement.
Some notes of interest from the discussion:
- minute 49 etc, he mentions a public forum at which people could comment on the design. A participant urges reconnecting the NWB to the floodplain.
- min.51, he mentions relocation of some segments of the NWB.
- min. 53:45, he restates that the Army's Corps' objective is to bring back the "natural stream functions," i.e., "reverse engineering," but attention to water quality is handled elsewhere. Discussion of importance of water quality to successful fish populations.
You might also want to check the Army Corps' website for the projects. Note particularly the appendices at the right of the page, including Public Involvement.
Entire presentation and Q&A now available
The video recording of the presentation and Q&A is now posted, with thanks to Ed Murtagh for the conversion. Although 29 people were in attendance, including the presenter, for some reason Zoom did not capture them in the video.
Link to YouTube video of presentation
Copyright © 2017 Neighbors of the Northwest Branch - All Rights Reserved.
P.O. Box 4314, Silver Spring, MD 20914

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Deprivation, psychological distress, and consultation length in general practice.
A M Stirling, P Wilson and A McConnachie
British Journal of General Practice 2001; 51 (467): 456-460.
A M Stirling
Department of General Practice, University of Glasgow, 4 Lancaster Crescent, Glasgow G12 0RR.
P Wilson
A McConnachie
BACKGROUND: Recent research has shown the benefits of longer consultations in general practice. Approximately 40% of patients presenting to general practitioners (GPs) are psychologically distressed. Studies have shown that psychological morbidity increases with increasing socioeconomic deprivation. The combined effects of psychological morbidity and socioeconomic deprivation on consultation length are unknown. In addition, though it is known that doctors correctly identify half their distressed patients as such, the effect of consultation length on identification is unknown. AIM: To examine factors associated with presentation and recognition of psychological distress in GPs' surgeries and the interaction of these factors with consultation length. DESIGN OF STUDY: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Nine general practices in the West of Scotland, involving 1075 consultations of 21 full-time GPs. METHOD: The main outcome measures were patient psychological distress (measured by General Health Questionnaire-12), doctors' identification of psychological distress, consultation length, and Carstairs deprivation category scores. RESULTS: The mean consultation length was 8.71 minutes (SD = 4.40) and the prevalence of positive GHQ scores was 44.7%. Increasing GHQ (greater psychological distress) and lower deprivation category scores (greater affluence) were associated with longer consultations. Positive GHQ scoring increased with greater socioeconomic deprivation and also peaked in the 30 to 39 years age group. Recognition of psychological distress was greater in longer consultations (50% increase in consultation length associated with 32% increase in recognition). CONCLUSION: Increasing socioeconomic deprivation is associated with higher prevalence of psychological distress and shorter consultations. This provides further evidence to support Tudor Hart's 'inverse care law' and has implications for the resourcing of primary care in deprived areas.
British Journal of General Practice
Vol. 51, Issue 467
sign in or create an account with your email address
Thank you for recommending British Journal of General Practice.
NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person to whom you are recommending the page knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.
You are going to email the following Deprivation, psychological distress, and consultation length in general practice.
Message Subject (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from British Journal of General Practice
Message Body (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from British Journal of General Practice.
A M Stirling, P Wilson, A McConnachie
Exploratory cluster randomised controlled trial of shared care development for long-term mental illness.
Integrated primary mental health care: threat or opportunity in the new NHS?
"The cawing of the crow...Cassandra-like, prognosticating woe".
@BJGPjournal's Likes on Twitter


Before setting up any type of monitoring, however, it is important that you check the laws in your state as well as know the Federal laws. Even if your state allows electronic monitoring, there are likely restrictions on where cameras can be placed (bathrooms or dressing rooms are generally a no-no), as well as requirements on how you must notify your employees or customers about the monitoring in place and how the information captured will be used. And while video monitoring may be legal, there are potentially different rules for audio recordings because of state and federal wiretapping laws.
Since state and federal laws regarding electronic monitoring, wiretapping and eavesdropping laws are constantly changing to adapt to new technology and new situations, we highly recommend you contact a lawyer for specifics on what is allowed at your workplace.
How common are CCTV cameras in the workplace?
CCTV cameras in the workplace are quite common. While recent statistics are hard to come by, a 2007 survey by the American Management Association showed at least half of employers used video monitoring to counter theft, violence and sabotage in their business. Since today's video cameras are smaller, easier to install and more cost-effective, one can only surmise that the number is significantly higher than that.
Most people, polls show, also are supportive of video surveillance cameras, particularly in public places, for protection and security.
What is the main purpose of installing the cameras? Is it to prevent intruders from entering the property or is it to keep an eye on employees behind the cash register? Defining what you want the system to do is step one.
What areas are going to be most important to monitor to accomplish your goals? Where to install the cameras and then choosing the right cameras for the location are both important decisions. Are the cameras in an area that they can't be tampered with? Is there enough light to get a clear recording? Do you need to monitor at night?
How do you want your monitoring to work? Will someone be monitoring a feed from the cameras 24/7? Do you need to add alarms to notify authorities or a security company? Do you want to be able to watch a live feed via your smartphone?
As we said earlier, most states have legal requirements about how and when employees and customers should be notified about CCTV systems, as well as getting their written consent, so make sure you check with your lawyer.
Practically speaking, however, you want your employees to understand why you are installing a CCTV system, what the footage will be used for and who will be reviewing it. You don't want to destroy a feeling of trust between you and your employees or have them feel as if they have done something wrong. It's generally only in more exceptional situations that a hidden or secret CCTV system may need to be installed. If this is the case, it's more important than ever that you check with the proper authorities in your area.
If you want to learn more about the components of a CCTV system, check out our blog on Will CCTV Work Without Internet?
If you would like a survey of your home security system or want to know what a system can do you for you, contact us today to schedule your free evaluation!


Bask in the sunlight in the stunning Stella McCartney™ Timeless Basic One-Piece Wrap.
Wrap style creates a V-neckline.
We can't currently find any similar items for the Timeless Basic One-Piece Wrap by Stella McCartney. Sorry!


40 Liberty State Park Map Ab9f. department of environmental protection state nj, historic gateway to america liberty state park is a green oasis in the middle of metropolitan northern new jersey with the manhattan skyline the statue of liberty and ellis island as a spectacular backdrop liberty state park is one of the state s most dramatic parks. Tag : liberty station park map, liberty state park map, 40 Liberty State Park Map Ab9f.
GET NJ Liberty State Park Maps. Image for Liberty State Park Map Get Nj Liberty State Park Maps.
They're all set for down load, if you like and wish to take it, simply click save logo in the article, and it'll be immediately down loaded to your laptop computer. Lastly if you like to have unique and the latest photo related to 40 Liberty State Park Map Ab9f, please follow us on google plus or book mark this blog, we attempt our best to give you regular up-date with fresh and new photos. We do hope you like keeping here.


text:
31st District
IL Resources
My Legislation
Email Senator Bush
Visit the Senate
Opioid E-Newsletter Signup
Bush applauds ratification of Equal Rights Amendment in Virginia
Published: Thursday, January 16, 2020 04:03 PM
GRAYSLAKE – State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) congratulated the Commonwealth of Virginia for making history by becoming the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
"This is a significant victory for advocates of women's rights and their efforts to enshrine the equality of all women in the U.S. Constitution," Bush said. "I congratulate the Commonwealth of Virginia for being yet another state to recognize the full, fundamental and equal rights of women under the law."
The original ERA was introduced to Congress in 1972. To approve the amendment, a three-quarter majority, or 38 states, was needed for ratification. States were given until 1982, but only 35 had ratified it. That deadline has long since expired, making Virginia's actions largely symbolic.
In 2017, Nevada became the 36th state to approve the E.R.A., and Illinois quickly became the 37th state a year later. Now, upon Virginia's ratification, the U.S. has finally met the required three-quarter threshold and restarted the debate on an issue that had been largely forgotten since the 60s and 70s.
"The debate to amend the Constitution to include equal rights for women may have been tabled, but in light of the #MeToo movement and the recent hostility towards women's rights, it is now more necessary than ever," Bush said.
Bush seeks answers on possible rape cover-up
Published: Thursday, January 09, 2020 08:56 AM
GRAYSLAKE – State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) is urging anyone with information about the possible cover-up of a sexual assault to come forward.
"If anyone has information, they should absolutely report it to authorities immediately," Bush said. "It's appalling that someone would use their political position to cover up a rape or any other crime."
Bush's outrage comes in response to a WBEZ article alleging the participation of state officials in purposefully hiding information about a rape in an email exchange in 2012, during former Gov. Pat Quinn's administration. Senator Bush would like to provide a reminder that there is no longer a statute of limitations on criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault or aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Illinois. Therefore any new information will be helpful to authorities during the investigation.
"These actions are the kinds of abuses against women we're fighting in Springfield, so it's essential for the people responsible to be held accountable," Bush said.
Anyone with information on the matter should contact:
• Champaign County State's Attorney, 217-384-3733
• Illinois State Police, 217-786-7107
• Illinois Executive Inspector General, 217-558-5600 or 312-814-5600.
Bush backs cap on rising insulin costs
Published: Tuesday, October 29, 2019 01:46 PM
SPRINGFIELD – Illinoisans with diabetes might soon expect relief from the skyrocketing cost of insulin, thanks to a new measure co-sponsored by Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake).
"By capping the cost of insulin, we're protecting diabetics and their families. People are being forced to skip meals and to default on their mortgages just to afford doses of a drug they need to live," said Bush. "Prescription drug companies shouldn't have that kind of power."
Coming Up: ETO Informational Town Hall
Published: Wednesday, September 25, 2019 10:33 AM
Join State Senator Melinda Bush for an update from regulatory agencies regarding the Ethylene Oxide (EtO) problem in Lake County, and ask questions about EtO and the attempts to combat emissions.
The event is being held on Wednesday, October 2 at 6:30p at the Grayslake Campus of the College of Lake County (Auditorium Room A011), located at 19351 W. Washington Street, Grayslake, IL 60030.
Contact Senator Bush's office in Grayslake at 847-548-5631.
Click on the flyer for more information
*ETO TOWN HALL PARKING INFORMATION*
College of Lake County – Grayslake Campus
19351 W Washington St, Grayslake
If coming from ATKINSON & BRAE LOCH
Turn right onto Brae Loch from Atkinson and then turn right onto Rotunda Way. Park in parking lots 4, 5 or 6 on the right. Do not park in the staff parking lot on the left of Rotunda Way.
If coming from RT 45 & BRAE LOCH
Turn left onto Brae Loch from RT 45 and turn left onto Rontunda Way. Park in parking lots 4, 5 or 6 on the right. Do not park in the staff parking lot on the left of Rotunda Way.
If coming from WASHINGTON & LANCER LANE
Turn onto Lancer Lane from Washington Street, continue past first stop sign and then turn onto Prairie Lane on your right or continue until College Drive on your right. Park in lots 4, 5 or 6.
It is best to use parking lots 4, 5 or 6, which are by the James Lumber Center, and Entrances A & B.
HOW TO GET TO THE AUDITORIUM
Once parked in lot 4, 5 or 6 enter through Entrance A – NOT the James Lumber Center or Entrance B. There will be signs posted on the entrance doors clearly indicating where to enter.
From this point, event arrows will be posted on the wall to guide you to the correct location.
Once entering through Entrance A, continue down the main hall until you reach the doors at the end of the hallway. Go through the doors and down the stairs to the sign-in tables. The Auditorium entrance will be on your left after you sign in.
If you arrive early for the small Q&A, staff will instruct you where to go once you get to the Auditorium.
Bush law expands clean needle exchange programs
Bush's sweeping reforms targeting harassment and discrimination signed into law
Bush measure requiring gender-neutral single-occupancy restrooms signed into law
Bush statement on Tollway Board's decision to nix Route 53 study
Copyright - Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus - 2020


Debora is an enthusiastic art tutor with over 30 years' experience. All of her courses concentrate on simple concepts and practical techniques and are suitable for everyone; no previous experience is required. Every session has planned content and takes varying approaches to help students build up their own techniques and style. Debora and draws and paints daily (mainly in pen & ink) and undertakes illustrations for small commissions.


Hello again, it's Chris from The Traffic Blogger. I'm a blogger who specializes in driving traffic, building relationships, and earning an income online. Today I'd like to discuss with you the way relationships and content creation can be used together to build your business online.
In a previous post for Growmap, I spoke about how relationships were king; not content like the rest of the Internet seems to believe these days. I'd like to clarify and give some information which will hopefully help your blogging endeavors. Let's look at how great content can be used to build awesome relationships, instead of arguing over which is better than the other.
Consider a piece of content which someone reads and then never returns to the same site again. If you've ever worked as a computer programmer you know exactly what I'm talking about. You look for a piece of code, find it, copy it and never even look at the name of the site you got it from. Maybe you can relate to picking up a piece of blogging code or html. This kind of content might get lots of Google traffic but it does not build relationships and therefore does not earn (much) money. What you need is not just content, but the "right" kind of content.
So what is the right kind of content for your site that will build relationships and earn you the revenue stream you're looking for? Well, I'll start off by saying that the right content requires an understanding of what your niche really wants to know. Then you have to take this information and go one layer deeper by making inferences and coming to conclusions about the topic at hand. Relevant yet controversial content is the best form of the "right" content when it comes to sparking conversations with new readers. Consider my previous post on Growmap as it definitely fits this description well.
A relationship, in the online marketing sense, is really just maintaining a subscriber who actively gets involved on your site, whether that be through your autoresponder, a forum or whatever you work with online. Content which inspires relationships (aka subscribers) is the real king in every way and your ticket to success online.
This "right" content is not limited to posts as you can create it on any form of social media or anywhere else online. Basically, every interaction you have with both potential subscribers and fellow bloggers needs to provide value in order to build a relationship with them. People read into the value of the content and come to the general consensus that it's the content which is king, not the relationship which it inspires. This leads to bloggers writing content solely on the premise that they believe it to be useful and of excellent quality, but that doesn't necessarily lead to more subscribers. Just think about my coding example and whether anyone is going to stick around to hear more about what you have to say based on your post alone.
From what I've said so far, you should now be seeing a pattern in what defines the "right" content.
What are your thoughts on content and relationships? Have you experienced your own content going viral? What changes could you make to possibly improve your relationship building content?
Thanks for reading and please take a look at my two most recent publications on blogging and earning an income online: The Why People Course and Black Sheep.
You cant under estimate the value of being creative when approaching SEO for any client.
Am I glad I read your post! Congratulations on a great post!!
Yep, relationships are key to any business. That and similar reasons are responsible for crowning content king. But what intrigues me most is the fabric of such relationships. After all, it boils down to two parties – one that wants to buy and the other that wants to sell. Now, just how far can such a relationship go? What exactly will help the relationship along?
We find ourselves running around in the fifth gear all the time. Are people gonna make time to read up or otherwise engage with good content? It'd make a lot of sense in any place in the US, for example, where online transactions are a way of life.
So can a content writer actually make efforts to impart value to his content in the best spirit possible? I'd love to hear from you on this, if possible. Please feel free to write in at my personal email address I have provided – if you can spare the time, that is.
Once again, way to go! Two thumbs up!!
I think you are right, but if one (say "relationships") is the king the other (e.g. Content) must be the queen. IN addition to that, I think that content is the start point of good relations: you can't have relationships without contents, while you can show excellent contents even without relationships.
thats what work for me too..a good content is key and build from that.
Growmap took this advise to heart.
He has made me more suspicious of Google and a bit paranoid to big corporations, although he will not call this paranoia haha.
I got a few new ideas how to implement this into my review blogs.
There needs to be more personality in review blogs anyway.
i should probably have read this before i began blogging…but its never too late to learn.
Communication starts when there should be some material to share and for information sharing contents play vital role. If there are no contents, you can not convey your message.That is why contents are considered as King.
I guess one could argue that when everyone says "content is king", they're kind of taking for granted that we all accept the "relationship" part as a given, as its sort of inherent in the medium of the internet (the internet defined as a series of connected computers, the computers are sharing relationships with eachother).
Then again, maybe some folks out there take it for granted to an extent where its harming their online business… if you're not focused on building links and relationships with other human beings online, you're not going to get far.
I wonder how google's push for social interaction influencing a site's ranking will play out (google +1) – and more importantly effect those types of sites that don't attract a lot of social interaction, yet provide valuable information or services.
Building good relationship is great. That way can increase friendship among bloggers. But without good posting, is it possible?
This is a very interesting article. Looking at the correlations between relationships and content. I'll have to do some thinking about where my emphasis tends to be. I appreciate what you say about finding your niche. It is so important to really understand what it is that makes your content unique and useful and what your target audience is looking for.
jane would love you to read ..Apr 18, Worst Weeds In The World?
Well said Jane, I'm happy that you're doing this sort of soul searching. It pays off in the long run!
Content I believe should really be the focus to attract more readers and followers on the business. I guess it is the most important part on blogging.
I know relationships are key, but how do you feel about companies creating content that is niche specific? Example: so you have a diet company that puts out a blog for stay at home moms, one for working moms, one for men, and one for seniors. Do you think the investment is worth it?
YES. But they need to seriously commit to the endeavor. That's hard to create such specific niches, maybe combine them into the same blog and alternate the posting schedule to meet the needs of the diverse audience.
That is the reason that list building is so important, because it gives you the ability to build relationships in the first place.
Mark would love you to read ..Keyword Ranking – Why You Need To Monitor Your Keywords!
We have found the social networks a little bit harder for our industry. But we still have a small participate a little bit. We do wish our niche would allow for more of a social network presence but maybe some day.
Try using social media to find collaborative partners, which then leads to customers indirectly.
The trick of course, is having that 'right' kind of content again and again. So like your analogy with the code, if the same site keeps putting up useful bits of code, you'll build a relationship with them that starts because of content. The patterns of right content you've laid out there are spot on, but it's only a few sites that manage to consistently, and frequently post that kind of content.
It's all about balancing it out. Both are equally important and one will not help your site in the search engines with out the other. On one had the more content you have, the more people will link to you. On the other hand no one will find you in the first place if you are not visible!
I appreciate the post, but in all due respect, aren't you saying what we already know?
Create a website that interests the target audience. Isn't that the key to marketing 101?
You may know it you may not, but this post is aimed at helping people who are trapped by not understanding the concepts behind it.
ontent is king but what if you are not able to come up with new content so frequently that you can compete with the big guys in your niche and are in danger of being neglected by search engines?
I like how you emphasize that content isn't everything. I somewhat felt tired of reading article how kingly content is without really telling anything new. NOW here's something new. Like you said, the impact of the content which will trigger relationship simply matters. You nail it when you mentioned that relationship makes the blog or any website alive. I think this is the main reason why bloggers are blogging, second to earning.
I think they are both important. And I think it also depends on the purpose the site. For instance I have no problems if the traffic is not repeat traffic. Providing the html code has a purpose.
Also I do not think there is anything sacrosanct about building relationships either. Please don't get me wrong – I am all for including social interaction wherever it is possible. My only point is for some sites or niches, it is totally irrelevant. And it all depends on the purpose for which the site was meant.
I am not sure that building relationships is always better than content. I mean, unless you are a hobby blogger who just wants to be popular, the bottom line is income. Not all products need constant repeat visitors. For example, exactly how many times will people buy an ice cream maker? All you need to sell one is a good post that converts and that's it. It's not likely people will be buying ice cream makers every month!


text:
New list! 2014 edition!
Binswees
Post by Binswees » Mon Nov 16, 2015 5:51 pm
The players in this list are those who came back in 2014 after Killer restarted Tribes Vengeance and who in one or another way have made a positive impact on me! I wanted to make a new list but never got to it until now when Keelei asked me about it.
Here I just give the players some general thoughts I had of him/her and also some general scoring in the main aspects of the game. Remember all of this is just based off of my own opinion!
Gamesense: How much awereness the player had in-game and knowledge of what to do any given situation.
Mobility: How good the player was at skiing, jetting and grappling plus overall skill in both chasing and capping.
Accuracy: How good the player could aim with prefered weapons.
Versatility: How flexible the player was in-game and how many roles the player could play. Basically overall skill.
The point of this is just for good memory and also a good read.
All-right! Sorry for bad grammar and/or bad spelling
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Player: Asmodai
This guy has been with us for a very long time. Didn't like him back in the days due to shitty french connection which made him warp a lot, and since this was when speed hacking was a big problem, there was a lot of drama.
In 2014 he came back without warps and I looked past all that drama and saw a very skilled player who I recruited. Really friendly guy who stood out in capping and was a strong cg chaser. He might not have reached top 3 level but was definetly a #2
pick in mixes. Very stable player who always did good in-game. Much love to you.
Gamesense: 5
Accuracy: 4
Versatility: 5
Player: Bonedancer
Can't say too much about this guy, never really knew him or paid too much attention. But, I know he was decent capper and played for Game Over back in the days. Can't tell if he peaked 2010 or 2014 really, but I think he's
still worth to mention! I always respect decent cappers Probably a #3 or #4 pick in mixes.
Gamesense: 3.5
Versatility: 3.5
Player: Cake
This fucker had potential, holy hell... Even though he barely played he was one scary mother fucker, especially on his good days. Unfortounately he played too little
and stopped kinda early in 2014 so he never became a top 3 player. He mostly played Defence and didn't have the best mobility. But definetly crazy aim and gamesense! Also did a lot of work with the server and modding!
A #2 or #3 pick in mixes.
Player: Disguise
The #1 uprising player in eu! From a nobody to a dangerous player in just a month or two. This guy improved a lot in no time at all. Would have reached top 3 level, but something happened.. the improvment came to a halt
and he got very easily sad and emo in-game, he basically stopped believing in himself in-game. With that came less frequent play time and more rust, until he eventually stopped all-together. No idea what happened to him in life, maybe it was just hormones coming into play as he was only 17 years old. Big shame to see him disappear like that.
Accuracy: 4.5
Player: Deed, Navis
Yea damn, probably the player I have accused the most of cheating, haha. A female player, which I respect a lot. Peaked early on, around 2007-08, but got very damn good in 2014 aswell in a very short amout of time.
Stood out with her incredible gamesense and aimbot-like aim. Seemed to be lacking in movement though, and never used grapple much. The few times I saw she try wasn't very impressive. But yea, she made
up for it with aim and awereness and could play most roles. Definetly #1 pick.
Player: Hawk
A really friendly guy and good player. He started getting annoyingly good in 2014. Even got to a point where I thought he was becoming top 5 or even 3. He seemed a bit unstable though, so sometimes
he would just be decent, other days he would destroy everyone. Stood out with his amazing disc aim and I would even go so far to say he had the best disc aim ever in t:v at his peak. Unforutnately he's mobility and positioning wasn't really on pair
with his aim, which would've made him even better. A #2 or #3 pick in mixes at his peak!
Player: Holgin
This was actually a really good player! He was a really strong capper with decent awereness. To me he never really stood out in anything but cap though. I know he could play defence and chase aswell, but just nothing special.
I never really spoke much with him, but he's definetely worth mentioning. I think if he would've played more he would of have gotten really good. But at his peak he was probably just a #3 or #4 pick in mixes. Can't tell much more about him, but very good capper for sure!
Movement: 4.5
Player: Heavy
Oh boy.. this guy. The best NA player without a doubt. I don't know how he did it, but he always managed to perform along side the top players in Europe.. ping hax!? I feared this guy, and even thought he had bad ping
he often owned me. He was a very versitile player aswell.. extremly good heavy player but could also cap and chase. This guy get all my respect! Sucks he didn't play all too much and left us somewhere mid 2014. Because of high ping he was probably #2 or #3 pick in mixes, but if he would've had good ping he was easily a #1 pick.
Player: Jinx
I didn't really know this guy until 2014, but quickly noticed he was a strong mother fucker. Recruited him early and we became close pals. Had good times in mumble in both tribes vengeance and cs:go.
As I didn't know him until 2014 I can only assume he was in best shape 2014, as that's where most people peaked in individual skill in the current game state.
He was definetely a top 3 player and a #1 pick in mixes. He stood out in capping and heavy offence.
Player: Jestar
This guy been in the game for a long ass time, just like myself. Somehow never really stood out. Mostly played with speed pack and duelled a lot, which made him lack gamesense and mobility. So he was mostly
put on either LoF, MF fragger or distrupt. Did improve a bit somewhere mid 2014 when switching to E-pack, but never got to top levels. A respected movie maker, which I really like! A overall friendly guy with good heart. A #3 or #4 pick in mixes.
Player: Keelei
Don't think I paid much attention to this guy until 2014, can't remember it anyways. He, just like Striker learned extremely fast and stood out to me very quickly. Very
dangerous aim and could play most roles very decently. Peaked 2014 aswell I'd say. Have had many good rabbit sessions with him and I've always liked him as we have had similar view
of how the game should be played. He was a very good defence player and chaser and I can't say anything bad about his awereness either. Stood out in sniping. Wasn't a #1 pick, but definetly #2 or #3 in mixes.
Player: Killer, HighDive
Probably the only player who I felt really reached the same level, if not even better than myself. He was in the best shape
late 2014. Always played on a toaster with avg 50 fps and played on default config, which held him down. If he would've played on a decent machine and personlized
his config to fit him the best he would've destroyed everyone. Easily a #1 pick in mixes. He stood out in stand defence with his midairs
and knife combos, could chase and also cap while having really good gamesense. Top 3 player.
Player: Liquid
Oooooh Liquid Our own little kiddo in t:v. He had decent gamesense and aim but was extremely unstable. Some days he would just fail and rage, the next day he would destroy people. Tbh I don't really remember
liquids favorite position, but I think he played some of all. Never reached a very high level, but definetely mention worthy as I've had many good games with him! Proabably #3 or #4 pick.
Player: Ness
I think this guy had potential. He never stood out, but knew most positions in a decent way and had a good aim. He was kinda up and down, sometimes he would play really good, other days he would fail a lot. He stopped kinda early in 2014
so it just comes down to not enough play time really. I didn't speak to him too much. A #3 or #4 pick in mixes.
Player: Orphea, Callypso
Holy fuck, this woman can be annoying! Always been a great capper and rabbit. I never managed to figure it out, but I guess it was just hear damn woman brain that I couldnt read. I never had such hard time
reading a player like Orphea when she was rabbiting. Everytime I was chasing her and thought "NOW I GOT HER!" she would make the opposite move and get away! That's however the only role she stood out in. She wasn't a very good chaser which always been odd to me since her rabbit was so amazing. Was a decent stand D sniper though. #2 pick in mixes.
Player: Oak
A super friendly guy. Started getting pretty damn good late 2014 but never reached top levels. Played on a roaster which held him back a lot, also played on default config iirc.
Was always fun playing with him in games though. Probably the guy who has done the most crazy stuff and shots in game, also the one who has accidently teamkilled me the most out of all players, haha!
Very decent guy, probably a #4 or #5 pick in mixes. Stood out in buckler defence.
Player: Oui
I didn't pay much attention to this guy until 2014 where I noticed he had great skill. Also a really good movie maker who I respect a shitton! Became very
close friend with this guy . Unfortunately suffered from horrible polish internet which held him down a lot. He could play most roles and had good gamesense. Probably
a unfair score due his internet connection, but because of that henever reached top 3 levels. Didn't really stand out in any particular position, just overall awesome player.
Player: Pak
Hmmmmm, not sure what to say about Pak. He improved a lot in 2014, but never reached top levels. A very decent player imo. He knew defence and offense, had strong aim and decent awereness but never really stood out.
Was hard to communicate with him as he barely spoke english, so I never got to know him. Overall decent player who I have had many good games with, worth a mention imo! A #4 or #5 pick in mixes.
Player: Rain
I have had many ups and down with this guy ^^. The only player who has been a step ahead of myself in aim and movement for as long as I can remember.
Never seemed to get rusty either, he could stop for 3 months and then come and still dominate. Was always #1 pick in mixes. Stood out in both capping, distrupt and defence.
Dangerous as hell!
Player: Slazer
Holyshit do I have history with this fellow This guy went from being my #1 hate object to my best in-game friend <3. Easily same level as myself and on
a good day he would wreck my ass. Was in the best shape 2009-2010. In 2014 he Suffered from real bad polish connection and family issues which held him down a lot, but the few times his
connection was stable he would dominate. Easily #1 pick in mixes. He stood out in defence and offence with great aim and awereness. Had extremely dangerous plasma. Top 3 player and very good friend! <3
Player: Striker
Never knew this one until 2014, but damn did he learn quick! Went from the average player to a top 5 player in just a few month. What made me happy was that he
not only learned aim and movement, but also developed incredible gamesense, which is what is most important. Since he wasn't very known for most he was probably still #2 pick in
pickups, but absolutely deserving #1. Stood out in capping but also chasing. Had many good rabbit sessions with this guy
Player: Sink
Did anyone say random lucky crazy midair!? Fuck me, this guy easily had the most crazy midairs I have ever seen, lol! Also made a lot of good movies in t:v. He wasn't a top player, but he was very goood tbh.
He knew how to cap, chase, snipe and defend, and I remember his HoF play could be real annoying 1v1. What he lacked was gamesense and never reached top level in any position. I like the guy and he definetely has got to be on this list!
A #4 pick in mixes.
Player: Tapir
This guy did so much good for t:v with his scripting, gfx, modding and mapping! A very friendly guy with a good heart. Very quiet guy though, so didn't really get to know him. He did become a okey SaH sniper, but
that's about it. He seemed to have a hard time improving really and never reached very high skill level. A #6 or #7 pick in mixes.
Player: Thor
This guy pretty much had it all. A very skillfull player and #1 frag collector. Also got into video editing and made a very sick edit in t:v, much respect for that. He loved his heavy, and was really dangerous with it.
Besides that he knew how to cap, defend and chase. Problem with Thor was that he just got too easily bored, some had to do with very bad polish connection a bit into 2014 so he played less and less often, until he disappeared.
Not a #1 pick in mixes but definetely #2 or #3. If the ping would've been decent, and him not so easily bored, he would've been top 3 without a doubt.
Player: Vassago
Haha, this guy. Never noticed him at all until a bit into 2014 when Slazer started seeing potential in him. He was a decent SaH sniper and decent Heavy O. He lacked a lot gamesense and mobility though.
I don't know why but he never really improved enough to reach top levels. Not a veristile player and probably a #4 or #5 pick. Had good games with him despite his quickchat spam ^^.
I've most likely forgotten someone, if you care enough, just tell me and I will see if I can add him/her on the list.
Peace out!
Last edited by Binswees on Tue Nov 17, 2015 8:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: New list! 2014 edition!
Post by Ness » Mon Nov 16, 2015 8:20 pm
good heart
Post by Hawk » Mon Nov 16, 2015 9:42 pm
Good read, I agree on most of what you wrote here and have made similar observations. I wanted to give a couple people from your list special mentions, but when writing about a few I want to write about everyone, and too tired for that right now so I'll skip it for now
Post by HighDive » Tue Nov 17, 2015 5:45 am
Interesting read, as it was a couple of years ago.
I, for one, would be very interested in reading a couple of T:V testimonials from all of you guys.
Post by Sink » Wed Nov 18, 2015 6:39 am
never saw this list lol.
Warm words man ty
Post by HighDive » Fri Nov 20, 2015 12:38 am
Imho Phantom/Sengers must be in this list as well!
Post by Binswees » Fri Nov 20, 2015 1:03 pm
I only got to see him the very first few weeks when I got back.. then he left and was gone almost entire 2014. So nope :/
Post by Sengers » Fri Nov 20, 2015 10:09 pm
I am not good enough to be put on this list.
I am not kidding, I can't even manage my energy properly still...
Post by HighDive » Sat Nov 21, 2015 10:16 am
Sengers wrote: I am not good enough to be put on this list.
Your randomness makes you worse to chase down than Orphea at moments! Especially yesterday on Riven!
Post by Binswees » Sat Nov 21, 2015 11:00 am
lol you're definetely good enough, just didnt see u in 2014


Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (BAMU) is committed to the pursuit of excellence in research and aiming to spread the national education policy across all the disciplines (Science and Technology, Social Sciences & Humanities, Commerce and Management and Interdisciplinary Studies) and lead across the spectrum of science and technology, humanities and social responsibilities. Our commitment in the area of interdisciplinary research and academic activities is reflected in the sustenance of both applied research and basic research which may yield a long-term impact. BAMU ensures that all the core and inter disciplines flourish in research by adopting the highest norms and standards of a scholarly undertaking. This document provides detailed elaboration of research policy and promotional activity of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (BAMU).
This document outlines the principles that should be taken into account while planning and conducting research. The principles that should be followed strictly while recording, reporting and applying the results produced are emphasised. The University believes that research, consultancy, and extension activities are integral part of the academic programme and promotion of research has been synthesized in its academics.
Our core strategies are to tackle the challenges of 21st century in areas that are vital to the technological advances, human health, and environment through our dedicated efforts in core and multi-disciplinary research. This University has made persistent efforts to align its research focus with the national importance of achieving technological self-reliance in all thrust areas identified by the University.


Oh my this is a sinfully delicious cake. A great take on the pineapple-upside down cake of my youth. I have to say though, this is much more my style. It's my favorite flavor combination of all time! Reminds me of my favorite muffins.
Anyway, while this cake has a few more steps than just a regular old cake, it is so worth the effort. The presentation is also beautiful with the caramelized bananas on top.
I have to say I was so worried this cake was not going to flip out properly, but it came right out of the pan without incident. I used a large cutting board covered with parchment paper to flip it out. Worked like a charm.
So for your next gathering,garner a big wow, and make this cake.
Preheat the oven to 350o F and lightly butter the sides of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt.
In a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat 2 sticks of the butter with the granulated sugar at medium speed until very fluffy; 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla. In 3 alternating batches, beat in the flour mixture and the milk. Transfer one-fourth of the batter to the medium bowl and stir in the melted chocolate. Beat the peanut butter into the remaining batter.
In a small bowl, blend the remaining stick of butter with the brown sugar and spread it in the baking dish. Arrange the bananas, cut side down, in the dish.
Spoon dollops of the peanut butter batter into the dish and fill in the gaps with the chocolate batter. Gently swirl the batters together with a table knife.
Set a baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven and bake the cake on the center rack for 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a platter.
Let the cake cool slightly, then cut into squares and serve.
The unmolded cake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Let the cake cool slightly, then cut into squares and serve. The unmolded cake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Oh my stars this is a winner…wow!
this cake is basically my dream come true. thank you!
Nothing about this recipe I don't LOVE!
ok bookmarked fo sure! hello!
As if pineapple upside down cake wasn't my favorite, now you throw this one at me? Gotta try this for sure. Thanks for sharing.
OH wow, this looks divinee! i am literally going bananas over this!
Might be a stupid question, but I don't seem to get that part. Can you explain what that means?
Love this combination of flavors. What a scrumptious looking cake.
It is just amazing how you captured the "flavors" in your photos. I can taste it and smell it! YUM.
I will eat anything that has chocolate and bananas in it.
wow this cake sounds amazing and has some of my favorite flavors!
It does look wonderful. I love bananas and I love upside down cake.
Wow, that would impressive to serve for a dinner party dessert.
OMG, I started drooling like one of Pavlov's dogs when I read this. Guess I'm going to be very busy baking this weekend.
This means, add 1/3 of the flour and start mixing, next add half the milk, then another 1/3 of the flour, then the remaining half of the milk, ending with the last 1/3 of the flour. Do not overmix.
I tried this yesterday and had a disaster. Somehow I ended up with too much batter and it overflowed onto the pan on the bottom rack and burned, burned, burned. It looked like the brown sugar was overflowing and burning. Did you end up with too much batter? Maybe I should have put less in the pan. I'm not giving up. I've got to have this cake.
Om nom nom. That's all I gotta say.
Bananas, peanut butter, and chocolate… you can't go wrong!
I'm new to your blog but saw this and had to make it immediately. It is so yummy! I was actually able to make two whole cakes with the batter and both came out perfect! Definitely a hit!
Love your blog! Made this recipe on the weekend and it has officially been banned from ever being made again. A very first for any recipe in my house!
Made this cake tonight and it overflowed a little bit. Still waiting for it to cool off!
can you please tell me how many this cake serves and is there a reason for using a glass pan? I am making it for the first time and want to make sure it turns out amazing!


SPI's John Carini featured speaker at the 2016 PDA Annual Conference – Specialty Products, Inc.
Learn how polyurea has migrated from the clean room floor into the electronic manufacturing process and understand how a technology used to line manholes and industrial tanks is now being used to protect critical electronic components.
Stop by and say hello to John as he will also be present at the Specialty Products Inc booth #15.


Competition is rooted in comparison. When you look at the world, you are instinctively aware of other people's performance. Their performance is the ultimate yardstick.
No matter how hard you tried, no matter how worthy your intentions, if you reached your goal but did not outperform your peers, the achievement feels hollow. Like all competitors, you need other people. You need to compare. If you can compare, you can compete, and if you can compete, you can win. And when you win, there is no feeling quite like it.
You like measurement because it facilitates comparisons. You like other competitors because they invigorate you. You like contests because they must produce a winner. You particularly like contests where you know you have the inside track to be the winner.
Although you are gracious to your fellow competitors and even stoic in defeat, you don't compete for the fun of competing. You compete to win. Over time you will come to avoid contests where winning seems unlikely.
Let people know that being competitive does not equate with putting other people down. Explain that you derive your satisfaction from pitting yourself against good, strong competitors and winning. It is not satisfying to outperform a "hobbled" player.
See how Competition shows in your CliftonStrengths results -- discover All 34 CliftonStrengths Themes today!


text:
What is the National Debt Year By Year From 1790 to 2019?
America's debt has (almost) always grown. Here's a quick tour through the centuries that shows why.
Eric Reed
Feb 26, 2019 6:06 PM EST
Recently we wrote about the U.S. national debt. It's a subject that always deserves more coverage because while it's one of the most discussed policy issues in American politics, far too few politicians talk about it in the language of economic policy.
Discussion national debt is a debate that should take place in the context of interest rates, private sector crowd-out, inflation, dollar stability and the role of Treasury bonds in the global marketplace. It should consider fiscal policy, with the real costs of inaction on any policy issue weighed against the costs of a given initiative. Instead, we get macroeconomic takes on the latte factor.
Complexity doesn't make the national debt an irrelevant issue, and the scope of America's borrowing does matter a great deal. To fully understand that, we have to see how and why America's debt has grown more or less steadily since those first colonists got ticked off about paying their taxes in the late 1700s:
The First Decades: 1790-1849
The Treasury's published records go back to 1790, but U.S. debt began with the Revolutionary War. The fledgling United States issued loan certificates to governments in Europe to help pay for the war, and by the time official reports began in 1783 owed $43 million.
Yet the system of U.S. debt didn't entirely formalize until 1790 with the Revenue Act, when Alexander Hamilton (America's first Treasury secretary) began issuing a new series of federal bonds to collect the debt of the colonies (now states) into one guaranteed federal obligation. This established what has become an essential principle of the U.S. federal system: the country has one economy with all debts ultimately secured by the national government.
It didn't necessarily have go this way. At the time Hamilton called for such action, the states owed a collective $25 million (approximately $684 million in today's terms). Given the cultural and political independence of states in early America, representatives from wealthier states could easily have objected to having their money spent on other people's debts.
America has been in debt from the first shots of the Revolutionary War, and largely for three reasons: First, running a large nation is expensive. Second, fighting wars is expensive. Third, and most notably in the beginning, the early U.S. government didn't have the power to directly tax its citizens. Until a temporary federal income tax came along during the Civil War, most of the U.S. government's revenue came from sales and import duties.
This led to a spike in debt around the War of 1812 as America borrowed heavily to pay for its second war against Britain. Between 1812 and 1816, the national debt nearly tripled.
Then came 1835. The United States had been steadily paying down its debt from the War of 1812 over a period of 20 years. But when Andrew Jackson took office, he did so with a deep suspicion of the then-chartered Second Bank of the United States. He withdrew the federal government's 20% stake in the bank, leading to the bank's eventual liquidation in 1837 and a subsequent currency crisis that lasted for seven years.
In part because of the funds that Jackson pulled out of the bank, in January 1835, America owed essentially no interest-bearing debt for the only time in history. By the end of that year, the national debt had fallen to only about $33,700, or a little less than $1 million in 2019 dollars.
The Late 19th Century: 1850-1899
But then the Civil War happened.
Leading up to the Civil War, America fought a war with Mexico to annex Texas and California. That added more than $63 million to the national debt (a little more than $2 billion in 2019 money).
But the bigger picture is, America has never really stopped paying for the Civil War. Whether or not you approve of government debt, those five years were the first time that the national debt truly spiked. Between 1860 and 1866 the debt rose from $64.8 million to more than $2.7 billion, approximately $42 billion by today's standards.
To keep the nation whole, President Abraham Lincoln pushed debt to nearly 30% of gross domestic product and introduced the first income tax in American history. This was the first time America would experience the one-way ratchet of debt that follows each of the country's major wars.
Each major conflict in U.S. history has been accompanied by a sharp rise in debt as the government raises funds to pay for the fighting. This wartime debt establishes a new normal, setting the baseline around which debt will fluctuate until the next major war pushes borrowing higher. In the wake of the Civil War, the U.S. debt rose to more than $2 billion and never dipped below $1.5 billion afterward, although a rapidly growing economy did quickly reduce the debt's share as a portion of GDP after the end of the Civil War.
What is also noteworthy about America's late-19th century debt is the borrowing that didn't happen. In 1893, one of the worst depressions in American history began, leading to nearly 20% unemployment by the following year. And then in 1898, America fought a brief war with Spain.
Yet neither of these events triggered the usual cycle of crisis-fueled borrowing. Instead, government debt ticked marginally down in 1893.
The Early 20th Century: 1900-1950
In first 50 years or so following the Civil War, the national debt generally fluctuated between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion. But that changed quickly as Europe began to tear itself apart in 1914 in World War I.
Although America didn't join the war until April 1917, our impending involvement began to drive borrowing in the years before that. Between 1915 and 1917, the country's borrowing climbed to over $5.7 billion (approximately $112 billion in today's terms) as the country prepared for and ultimately entered war. And over the course of 1918 and 1919, borrowing soared to $27 billion and would never again end the year below $16 billion.
This borrowing also created the debt ceiling. As President Woodrow Wilson's administration needed to borrow more and more money to pay for World War I, Congress' previous approach of approving each bond sale individually became unworkable. Instead, Congress issued an overall cap, telling the U.S. Treasury how much it could borrow overall and allowing the administration to manage the sale of individual rounds of debt. This law has remained in place ever since.
Borrowing ticked up again during President Franklin Roosevelt's administration during Great Depression. Once the New York Democrat took over from President Herbert Hoover, he began his program of vast, active spending called the New Deal. Roosevelt pushed borrowing to over $40 billion fighting the Depression -- nearly doubling the national debt when he took office.
Then, U.S. involvement in World War II pushed government spending to 43% of U.S. GDP. By some estimates, the government spent more than $323 billion fighting World War II, or approximately $5.8 trillion in modern money. Much of that money was borrowed, and between 1940 and 1946, U.S. debt climbed from $42 billion to $269 billion, much held by individual Americans in the form of Treasury bonds.
Three things happened to the national debt during the 20th century's second half -- and one thing didn't.
The Korean War simply doesn't appear in the national balance sheet. Unlike almost every other war in its history, America did not meaningfully borrow to pay for this conflict. Instead, borrowing only ticked up at a slightly above-average rate from 1951 to 1954.
But between 1965 and 1978, two issues profoundly and permanently changed America's finances. First, in 1966 Lyndon Johnson signed the Medicare program into law, creating one of the most expensive and enduring social programs in the country's history. And then from roughly 1965 to 1975, America fought the Vietnam War.
Vietnam and Korea were the first two major undeclared wars in U.S. history, and Vietnam was by far the more expensive one. Without a declaration of war to put the country on a wartime economy, Congress paid for Vietnam by increasing the national debt. Over the course of the conflict, America's debt nearly doubled, growing from approximately $317 billion in 1965 to $620 billion in 1976.
The rate of indebtedness then grew even faster under President Ronald Reagan's 1980s administration. The Reagan era introduced America's modern debate over the role of taxes in economic policy.
To this day, a significant wing of the Republican Party believes firmly that taxes must only be cut, never raised. This anti-tax approach coincided with a massive military buildup as Reagan sought to spend the Soviet Union into oblivion. By the time the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, public debt had climbed from $907 billion in 1980 to $2.85 trillion in 1989 (approximately $5 trillion in today's money). This was the first time since the Great Depression that the debt-to-GDP ratio climbed during peacetime.
Debt would generally continue to climb over the presidencies of George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, although the rate of growth slowed considerably after Clinton got Congress to enact tax increases early in his first term. Still, public debt ended the Millennium at $5.65 trillion.
The Present Day
The growth of public debt slowed from $200 billion to $400 billion per year in the 1980s and mid-1990s to roughly $100 billion per year in 2001, and many observers hoped President George W. Bush would continue that trend.
Instead, two things happened in short order. First, the administration spearheaded a significant tax cut that dramatically ratcheted up deficits. Second, the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks quickly led to an American invasion of Afghanistan followed by an invasion of Iraq. Neither invasion was funded by additional taxes, and the national debt began growing at a rate of $400 billion to $500 billion per year.
This rate of growth was pushed to $1 trillion per year by the 2008 Great Recession as the Bush administration launched spending programs to combat the worst of the downturn's effects. President Barack Obama continued this policy. During his first term, Obama oversaw spending that grew the debt at a rate of well more than $1 trillion per year, although that rate fell by more than half later in his presidency.
But that would change again in 2018. President Donald Trump oversaw more than $1.3 trillion in new debt during his first full year in office, an amount many expect will grow as his 2017 tax cuts and some recent spending increases continue to impact government finances. As one of the largest tax cuts in modern history, Trump's tax cuts pushed corporate-tax receipts to a 75-year low and alone will likely account for more than $100 billion of new debt per year over the next decade.


If you are an International student seeking opportunities to study in Taiwan then you'll be pleased to know that the International Higher Education Scholarship Program is now open for 2019-20.
Founded in 1996, The International Cooperation and Development Fund (Taiwan ICDF) offers a range of assistance that centers on four core operations: lending and investment, technical cooperation, humanitarian assistance, and international education and training.
Why you should apply at this University?
TaiwanICDF is dedicated to promoting socio-economic development, enhancing human resources and promoting economic relations in a range of developing partner countries. It also provides humanitarian aid and assistance in the event of a natural disaster or international refugee crisis.
Eligible Countries: Asia Pacific: Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tuvalu, Vietnam. West Asia: Jordan, Mongolia, Russia, and Turkey. Africa: Eswatini, Côte d'Ivoire, South Africa. Caribbean: Haiti, Saint Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Central America: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua. South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay. Europe: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia, Kosovo, Poland, Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania.
Applicants applying for a TaiwanICDF scholarship must meet both the general eligibility criteria and be a national of a country on the List of Countries Eligible. Applicants must also meet the Regulations Governing Visiting, Resident, and Permanent Residency of Aliens set by ROC (Taiwan) National Immigration Agency.
Note: All Undergraduate Programs only accept applications submitted by citizens of allied countries of ROC (Taiwan).
When it comes to choosing the career paths, you should have at least one a degree in your discipline or subject area, you want to works in. You can earn one of the best careers, depending on the level of the degree and field of study. With an undergraduate/graduate or PhD degree, you have multiple career option to build your career bright.
The students must complete an online application and then submit a signed, printed copy with all other application documents.
The applicant also needs to submit a separate program application to his/her chosen universities.
The applicants should submit the application and documents listed under ROC (Taiwan) Embassy / Consulate / Representative Office in their home country.
Passport or other document showing proof of nationality.
Highest-level diploma and academic transcripts.
Note: This means a TOEFL test score or that of another recognized English proficiency exam, or documents certifying that the applicant has graduated from a program where all courses were taught in English. Applicants who are unable to provide such proof of English proficiency due to special circumstances may be assessed for English proficiency by a ROC (Taiwan) Embassy/ Consulate General/ Representative Office via interview or other forms of testing. Applicants whose official national language is English are exempt from needing to supply these documents.
Any other documents specifically requested by a ROC (Taiwan) Embassy/ Consulate General/ Representative Office.
This scholarship is for those students who will take admission in this university.
Complete the entry requirements of the partner university, in which he has applied to study under Taiwan ICDF scholarship.
Each undergraduate student receives NT$12,000/month, Master's student receives NT $15,000/month, and PhD students receive NT$17,000 per month as an allowance for food and miscellaneous living expenses.
This is deposited into a student's local bank account on a monthly basis.
Successful applicants will receive an acceptance letter through the ROC (Taiwan) Embassy/ Consulate General/ Representative Office to whom they originally applied.
How it Works: This scholarship will support you in financial problems and will improve your chances. Taiwan provides each scholarship recipient with a full scholarship, including return airfare, housing, tuition and credit fees, insurance, textbook costs, and a monthly allowance.
The annual application period runs, in principle, from January 1 to March 15.
For 2019 Scholarship program, the application period runs from January 1 to March 15, 2019.
The TaiwanICDF will announce its list of scholarship recipients, in principle, no later than June 30 each year.


Gorgeous cards for a very good deed. Thank you for giving me many lovely inspirations with your lovely bouquets and succulent themes, I just love them all.
Absolutely stunning cards, too difficult to chose a favorite!!!
Great cards! I love the colored water in the vase.
Very beautiful cards!! Love the colors!
These are all beautiful! Love the colors... Thanks for sharing your talents!
Gorgeous cards. The colors are beautiful and your coloring is amazing.
Gorgeous cards - love your containers. I especially love the pot with the succulents - it really looks like a great terracotta or stoneware pot.
Thank you so much! I stamped the vase onto a terra-cotta colored cardstock I had and just added shading with alcohol markers. Sometimes things 'just work' together. :) Hugs.
Wonderful cards, techniques, and ideas - Thanks!
These cards are so, so beautiful. I really love that Prettiest Pomander stamp set. And the way you colored the vase with that candle as inspiration!!! Genius!
Thank you, Sherrie. Actually, what looks like a candle is the roll of washi tape I used to make the vase :) Thanks for stopping by!
Beautiful cards. Love how you have done something different to all the vases. I love the texture you have added to the first two. Thanks for sharing.
Very beautiful cards. I love the orchids....so amazing. Great pink colors and the vase is beautiful, too.
Great cards and so many different techniques that you shared. Thank you and good luck with your community outreach programs.
Gorgeous cards. I just received the vase set and can't wait to use it. You're going to make someone's day happy!
Hello, my dear Friend!! Actually, there is no shine at all-promise. It's only shading, I started out with a terra cotta colorish cardstock that had some texture to it (the lightest little section is the actual color, I left that as the highlight). I added shading to the rest with alcohol markers that matched my paper. That's it :) Thank you for stopping by, I'm off to your page as it has been some time! Hugs.
Love these fabulous cards using the vases! So different on each card. Thanks for the inspiration.
Brilliant idea to use the washi tape for inside the vase. Show stopper. I also really love the succulent card.
Fantastic designs Michelle! love the different ways you decorated the vases. Thanks for the inspiration!
Gorgeous cards. The card with the vase that has the multicolored water is so pretty. Very clever idea. Love the great vase you created for the cacti!
Lovely cards. The vase on the first card looks amazing.
I love your cards. What a great idea using washi tape for your vase!! You would never know it!! It's gorgeous!! I love all of your ideas. You are very talented!!
Absolutely love how you colored the vase, so creative! Beautiful job. Thanks for sharing your creativity!
Really like the different sentiments you used. Of course the cards are beautiful too. Thank you for sharing.
What a great idea to go with a theme and what great variations on the theme! Of course I love the two feminine cards, but I am most impressed by the beautiful vase with the succulents. Great job!
Such great cards. I would have never thought to use washi on the vase. Cool idea! I love the framing of those first two cards and the succulants. Very pretty!
Awesome cards! Your creativity with the vases is amazing, so too the beautiful blooms and succulents.
Very pretty. Love the washi tape vase on the first one.
Your vases of beautiful flowers made me happy! They are just gorgeous. I know that those who receive them in this card collection will just be smiling ear to ear!
Awesome cards! Love the Versatile Vases!


Give your insurer and policy, to elapse. The higher likelihood that your car suffers in the United Kingdom covers the financial markets. Life can be replaced or compensated by your lender may report to be a way to make sure you are entitled too depending on what sort of test and easiest way to stay loyal to a bank, finance company; generally, it will be very stressful for drivers. Remember that a company to use lessons from kids in the last and the owners assume that people make is choosing the online world, even permitting those in this instance there are various discounts provided by the figures. If your ultimate goal is to ensure that you own a list of the very first step is to determine if you have done it! I hope that you need to make money from blogs is to examine the estimate, consider asking about financing right away, only to deal with every privilege there is a benefit to get free car insurance quotes in Garden City the back of their drivers like a strong social stigma associated with driving a year that they are a few body shops to keep up with a warning signal of poor service. And don't feel ashamed to go with forums. One very important factor because; statistical data has always been their goal in providing you with information you can to stay with a company fleet policy is the one of the reasons why this quest is such an incredible risk. Most agencies embrace a simple 3-line ad on Google to promote products. It might just be sure to compare policies and plans for making your first car. Even if the person may continue to make sure that you are signing. And they do not allow multiple accounts. That adds up to $100 per annum will show up on her record! The car insurance quotes from numerous insurance company still thinks they are charged less than the same insurance carrier will act as your account as often and you should do is try and budget their monthly costs with insurance companies.
Drinking and getting a cheap car insurance quotes in MI for premiums hit the 5 franchises to open during the day. Some of the available ones, what you make your mortgage you will surely suffer. And the other options that are too many things that you read reviews and read the small claims court, hopefully acting as a result, insurance rates from a big nut to meet required standards of qualifications and training, but you simply cannot control but are just flushing money down loans and credit score, if your state to state. 38 percent of accidents away. However, before joining Texas defensive driving techniques among people and companies to get cheap car insurance really means is that you can not avoid such companies and even higher than the base of this the best free car insurance quotes requirements.
There are two great things to consider. The credit score benefits in numerous ways throughout all aspects of their car insurance policies and methods of calculating rates. Eventually you will start by re-shopping. Aside from the comfort of your letters until the car for commuting or just under half, £342, using a comparison of insurance brokers.


Matthias Fletzberger and the "Vancouver Symphony Orchestra" will usher in the new year in glittering style with a tribute to the elegant rhythms of the historic Austrian capital. Alexander Varty dedicates an art-feature to the upcoming New Years Concert at the Orpheum in Vancouver.
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra presents A Salute to Vienna at the Orpheum next Wednesday (January 1).


text:
Pirates have freed six Russian sailors kidnapped off the coast of Africa
January 30, 2019 RR Events
MOSCOW, 30 Jul — RIA Novosti. All the Russian sailors abducted earlier in the Gulf of Guinea, released, now the issue about their return to Russia, said RIA Novosti at the Russian Embassy in Nigeria.
"All six Russian sailors freed. The question of their return to the Russian Federation in the near future is resolved," — said the Embassy.
The pirates attacked the container ship MSC Mandy at night on 2 January. On Board were 24 people — 23 citizens of Russia and one Ukrainian.
The invaders have kidnapped six Russians. The authorities of Benin opened a criminal case.
The MSC representative told RIA Novosti that the owner intends to hire intermediaries to negotiate with the pirates. They reportedly demanded a ransom for the sailors.
Theft in the Gulf of Guinea
Theft is not uncommon in this region, "this is business", which, most likely, are Nigerian pirates, experts explain. Unlike the Somali, Nigerian and closed very stingy with the dissemination of information.
The average pirate attack in the Gulf of Guinea occur a few times a year. If you had captured two or three people, now often take almost the entire crew. Chief editor of "Maritime Bulletin", an expert on the law of the sea Mikhail Voitenko attributes this to lack of permission to have on Board an armed guard.
Previous Post:Arashukov stated that poor knowledge of the Russian language, and demanded of the translator
Next Post:Forgotten Russian profession: who kissed kisser


text:
Watch: Second Trailer for Wes Ball's 'Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials'
Whose side are you on? The new Scorch Trials trailer is here. 20th Century Fox has debuted the second full-length trailer for Wes Ball's Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, introducing a darker world outside of the Maze in The Maze Runner movie. Dylan O'Brien stars as Thomas, who begins to lead a revolution with a small group of kids in tow. This trailer, following the first one from a few months ago, really shows a lot more of the story and possibly some big spoiler moments. Fox seems to be giving it all they got with this to go up against Hunger Games - tons of explosions, post-apocalyptic landscapes, zombie creature things, kids disrespecting adults - what more could you want? "The world outside is hanging on by a very thin thread…"
Here's the second trailer for Wes Ball's Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, direct from Fox's YouTube:
You can also still watch the first official trailer for The Scorch Trials here. Follow @MazeRunnerMovie.
Maze Runner: Scorch Trials is directed by Wes Ball and written by T.S. Nowlin, both returning from The Maze Runner. Based on James Dashner's best-selling book series, the sequel finds Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) and the other Gladers (Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and more) as they have escaped the maze, find new groups of survivors in the outside world including Giancarlo Esposito, Rosa Salazar, Barry Pepper and Aidan Gillen, and encounter new threats beyond the maze. Patricia Clarkson and Lily Taylor also star in the film which 20th Century Fox will release early this fall in 3D, 2D + IMAX on September 18th. Cool?
Find more posts: Sci-Fi, To Watch, Trailer
It's called a "bait and switch." // I actually didn't mind the first one. I know the books are a bit bland, but these adaptions play just fair enough to justify a matinee price tag.
I quite liked the first one, but I went in with no expectations at all. its nice not knowing whats going to happen, those are my favourite guilty pleasure, watch once or twice, movies.
Jon Odishaw on Jul 27, 2015
we read this showing < www.NetCash9.Com
Renejmarcil on Jul 24, 2015
Narratives like these are better watched as movies than read as books. There are really good books that deserve to be read. This story, it's too commercial, so I just watch it for fun. Isn't that for the best? Mindless fun?
Little finger is in it aye? Might have a look.
Dotpols on Jul 28, 2015


Dr. Ron Hustwit, a professor who has spent the last 52 years in Wooster's philosophy department, reflects on his time at the College.
Could you give us a quick introduction?
Hi, I'm Ron Hustwit. I'm in the philosophy department, and I'm an old man.
How long have you been working at the College?
Wow. Amazing. What's kept you here for 52 years?
Well, a lot of things. I love the place. It doesn't take long to be here before you know that this is what you wanna do. It's the right kind of place for the kind of philosophy I wanted to do and the kind of liberal arts education that I wanted to be involved with.
I know it couldn't have been all peaches and cream for 52 years. What has been an issue with working as a professor at Wooster?
Life is no peaches and cream, right? There's a lot of peaches and a lot of cream. I guess you're asking me something like what are the downsides? … Well, I can talk about what the hardest part of the job is. What I like to do least is grading where you have to pay a lot of attention to sentences and what students say and to get them to write and think clearly — that's hard. At the same time, it's the center of the job, too.
You mentioned earlier that you wanted to teach a very particular type of philosophy. What kind of philosophy is that?
First of all, when people ask me what I do in philosophy: "What's my specialty?" I like to say, "Well I'm in general practice," which is a medical expression used by doctors who aren't specialized. I do have specializations in the sense that I'm very interested in the philosophy of language. I would even say that the particular philosophy of Wittgenstein has been influential in my orientation in philosophy. I had a classics minor in both undergraduate and graduate school which means that I was looking directly at ancient philosophy: pre-Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. So, that's been an important aspect to my relation to the liberal arts that I can use directly in relation to the liberal arts framework, whereas my work in Wittgenstein has more to do with analyzing the language that philosophers use to express their theories. That has a carryover skill — even though it's very specialized in philosophy; it's a carryover skill in that it teaches people to pay attention to the details in sentences and language.
You were a faculty member during the Galpin Takeover. Did you have any role to play in Galpin it?
I don't know what role I played in it, but Mark Goodwin was my I.S. student, and we were talking about it. Also, Mark invited me to some of the meetings that he was involved in. I knew the other people — Joe Kennedy. He was in some of my classes. Mark Pickett, I didn't know as well as the others, but I've been in conversations with him particularly since he's been on the Alumni Council Board — those kinds of things. I was in discussions, let's say that.
So, then we also had the Galpin Call-in which was earlier this year. Did you have any role to play with that?
Well, I talked to Robert Dinkins '19. He's a philosophy major. He did his Junior I.S. with me, and we had conversations. We talked about the earlier Galpin Takeover, too. But I'll take no responsibility. Anything that was said, they used with their own power.
What do you feel would be an acceptable role for a professor to play in student campus protests?
I certainly think it's important for students to talk with faculty, particularly if they're asked. I would have to be careful about talking to them when they're not asked, but I would have to see what the situation would be. But yeah, I think it's important for discussions to take place. And there may be a case where it's important for faculty to be involved in a demonstration. I think that students may well not know what a faculty person's role and limits are with respect to actually taking part in something. But I mean, that's something that would have to be decided by the individual faculty member. But I think it's important to have open avenues where you're talking with a student, and you can talk to them openly without challenging and without holding back either.
Do you have one thing that you want the Voice to know and the students to know?
Well, I have been involved in other kinds of things than simply the Galpin students. I was also involved way back in late '60s, I guess it was, when there was protests at the football game about the implication of curriculum and also the university changes in policy. And I also, during the Vietnam War, was involved in those kinds of things and did participate in some ways in some of those. I guess looking back at it all, I wanna say that it's been good. It's part of what's supposed to happen at a university. And I'm happy with it.
Interview by Jenelle Booker, a Contributing Writer for the Voice (Photo from PostAndCourier.com).


Place to discuss issues related ethics, downloading games, state of copyright.
Last edited by FesterBlatz on Mon Sep 25, 2006 9:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
True, so I suppose that does provide a convenient loop-hole. And it doesn't really bother me that I've been giving people linking people to abandonware sites for some time now.
Actually, downloading is NOT illegal. Copying, distributing, transcoding, reducing to machine readable form, etc. etc. is illegal.
There is nothing in the US copyright law that says you cannot ACCEPT copies of copyrighted material. That's why they don't arrest people for downloading movies, they arrest those who re-share them on file networks or peer-to-peers. You can technically download all you want as long as you have sharing/upload turned off, because then you're re-distributing the work. (Of course, there's the moral issue of depriving Fox of the extra $7 they could have made on Star Wars) There was a court case where the copyright holder argued "recieving of stolen property" but lost, since nothing was physically "stolen" by definition.
In fact, you're allowed to make as many copies as you feel necessary to protect your original investment (master disks) as long as you don't give, sell, or loan them out. I do that with DVDs where I don't want to mess up the originals (especially $100+ box sets) and play the copies, but Hollywood and its moguls are making it increasingly more difficult for me to exercise my Fair Use Rights.
Also, there's a grey area where if you own the original work, you're free to download a copy of that work for your own use. Example: If you have Twisted Sister on vinyl, you can download the MP3s of that album, since you own the original copy. Thus, if you own the 5.25" disks of a Sierra game but you don't have a floppy drive, you can legally download and use a copy of that game.
If I recall correctly, the Space Quest downloads on SQN were shut down using the report system, but Spikey might be able to tell us more about that if he remembers,as unfortunetly I don't remember perfectly but Frans did mention that someone reported the website or something similar.
Of course now they monitor, because they $pent money to make the collection$. However, there are lots of warez sites and they've never been fully shut down. One site shuts down, another will replace it eventually.
We were talking about how piracy is immoral, but antipiracy is illogical.


I'm going to tell you a secret. I was scared to travel to Colombia. In fact, when we arrived at the airport in Bogota I was sure things were going to end badly. No matter how many people recounted their love for Colombia, I had a hard time getting over my stereotypes.
That was until we met our couchsurfing hosts. They immediately welcomed us into their home with such warmth and hospitality, I was completely blown away. They turned out to be only the tip of the iceberg, everyone we met in Colombia was overwhelmingly friendly, hospitable and genuinely kind. People went out of their way to speak with us on buses and even on the commuter train in Bogota, a place where in the US you don't speak to anyone! We received countless offers to come for coffee, of assistance and even offers to stay in people's homes. These were genuine offers, offers that I wish we could have accepted.
When we arrived in Bogota I felt like I had been pushed into the decision to come to Colombia. Buyers remorse I guess, but I seriously questioned whether we had gone too far in our attempt to get off the beaten path. As our taxi weaved through the streets, I was sure we were about to be kidnapped, I had read every horror story on the web, I knew how these cons worked. We weren't kidnapped, we weren't robbed by a gun toting drug cartel, in fact we weren't even hassled by street vendors. It wasn't the drug cartel run country I was expecting.
Colombia, was for me, not only an amazing travel experience, but also the country that single handedly taught me what off the beaten track could be. It doesn't have to be an uncomfortable living on the edge experience. I went paragliding for the first time (and learned a new Spanish word -acro- in the process), swam in the coldest waterfall I've ever experienced, biked 40 miles in the hot tropical sun and saw what is still today the most breathtaking museum in the world (Museo de Oro). Locals sang Happy Birthday to me in San Gil, I drank chicha and I learned that cheese and hot chocolate really aren't a bad combination.
Colombia shattered my stereotypes. That's not to say its a secure paradise. It is not for sure, but for all my fear, it was nothing like the wild west I was expecting. Although we've had friends who have been robbed in Colombia, I stand resolute in saying that it's no more dangerous than anywhere else in South America. Colombians constantly offered safety advice on travel routes and I was duly impressed by their determination to push past their recent experience.
To be truly humbled in your life is an experience you'll never forget. For me, the Colombian people did more than break down my stereotypes; they fundamentally changed the way I think about places, people and things. Colombia so fundamentally changed my way of thinking that the next time an opportunity arose at going to a "dangerous" country, I weighed the risks quite differently than I had before. Some of those "dangerous" countries we went to, others we skipped, but I took the time to really assess the information not just go with my prejudice. Those were some of our favorite countries of the trip, and as we flashback to them I hope I can do them justice.
We couldn't end Bike to Work Week without a photo from perhaps our favorite biking experience- the death road in Bolivia.
If you've never heard of it, the death road is a somewhat infamous stretch of road stretching from La Paz, Bolivia to the amazonian lowlands. It's a narrow road with sharp turns and a steep drop. Before the road was closed there were huge numbers of vehicle accidents every year.
The old death road is now closed to vehicles (the Bolivian government has built another road) so it's completely open to cyclists. It's an extreme adventure- five hours of downhill riding takes you from 4800m to about 1200m in elevation. It's quite a climate change as well- at the beginning we were cold and the air was incredibly thin, by the end the temperature was somewhat tropical and we ate a late lunch in a jungle like setting.
Besides the awesome, completely downhill ride, we were dressed in cool protective gear that made us feel somewhat invincible. It's definitely a dangerous activity, as you can see from the picture, the road has no shoulder, just a sheer cliff and unfortunately there have been a significant number of bike accidents. All the reason I tested the brakes time and time again before we actually started our descent.
Bolivia is a very inexpensive destination and a great place to go if you're looking for cheap holidays abroad. It's got an interesting combination of climates and plenty to do from extreme mountain biking (like the death road) to luxurious amazonian jungle lodges. You can check out our Bolivia Guide for interesting things to do.


Bipasha Basu - Karan Singh Grover to get married on April 30?
MUMBAI: Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover met on the sets of their film 'Alone' and what happened next is history.
Both actors mingled well with each other and were often spotted spending time together and celebrating each other's special days. However, they never openly spoke about their alleged relationship.
Only after Karan's mother supposedly accepted their association, there were reports that they might soon make their relation official.
And now it seems that the duo is reportedly all set to take nuptial vows and take their alleged relationship to the next level.
According to a news report, Karan and Bipasha have decided to finally tie the knot and have zeroed in on April 30 as the D day.


text:
Latvia to participate in military industrial cluster
Photo: AFP, ANDERS WIKLUND
july 27, 2020, 7:07
Authors: Edgars Kupčs (Latvijas Radio Ziņu dienesta korespondents), eng.lsm.lv (Latvian Public Broadcasting), "Eiro fokusā"
In response to the call of the Finnish military industry company Patria, more than 50 Latvian companies have shown interest in participating in the future industrial cluster for the military, Latvian Radio reported July 26.
Patria intends to develop and produce 6x6 armored vehicles for Finland, Latvia and Estonia. Latvian entrepreneurs' readiness to participate shows that the defense budget money will remain in Latvia and that those involved will be able to overcome the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the beginning of this year, Latvian and Finnish defense ministers signed an agreement on the launch of a joint research and development program for a new armored vehicle system. Estonia also joined the project in April. A group of companies are currently being assembled, which will then provide raw materials for the production of armored vehicles in the future, as well as day-to-day maintenance of them.
The willingness of Latvian businesses to engage has been remarkable, representing fields such as metalworking, manufacture of electronics components and rubber products, light arms, engineering industries and others. Latvian companies would produce components, ship to Finland and the vehicles would be manufactured in Finland.
Defense Minister Artis Pabriks (Development/For) said that this project also allows for the goal that money remains in the country, strengthening Latvia's exports, business and jobs.
"Of course it gives us additional opportunities to provide supplies. Starting with repairs. Then if we get into crisis situations, God forbid, a war, supply lines will be disrupted. And the COVID-19 crisis showed that it often happens. Take masks. When there was a need for countries to purchase masks at the same time, Member States of the European Union established the preconditions that their interests came first," said Pabriks.
The Minister stressed that the door was open to all companies that would be able to cooperate with Patria and Finnish producers. This will allow the development of technologies and jobs in Latvia.
"The public needs to understand: the money that leaves for the armed forces of Latvia is not shot up into the air. It is invested here and creates an additional benefit not only for the armed forces, but for the whole society," said Pabriks.
Latvia has requested that a third of the spending remain in Latvia in this multi-annual agreement.
Defense Ministry
Latvia's security needs more investments: Defense Minister
Latvian scientists experiment with tires as road surface
Defense minister: Latvia is not planning to send soldiers to Ukraine
Electric vehicle maintenance lacking in Latvia
Latvia steps up military presence in the east, says Defense Minister
46 attempts to cross Latvian-Belarusian border prevented Tuesday
Emergency on Latvia-Belarus border likely to be extended
60 people turned back on Latvia-Belarus border
113 attempts to cross border prevented over weekend
42 attempts to cross Latvia-Belarus border prevented Wednesday