I was talking to myself in my living room, as many thinkers do I suppose, and suddenly had this thought. "How is it that the Religious, and Xtians in particular, seem to believe that they understand or 'know' the mind of God?" This got my metaphorical Mind-Hamster running.
After a good period of about ten minutes, I had it! Aha! I said to my self: This supposed God, in the minds of the Religious, created the entire universe, from the particles to the Red Giants. Everything in this universe that ever has or ever will be was created by this God. This of course, includes each and every law, including the ones not yet discovered. These Laws have been studied for generations upon generations by scientists who have spent the entirety of their lives thinking, learning, and paying massive student loans that would put a Loan Shark to shame. All in the earnest search of the truth.
Now, these Xtians suppose to know and understand the very mind of God, so one would assume that they also understand each and every Law in the entire universe right? If one understand the mind of the All Knowing One, than is it unreasonable to assume that this understanding would lead to them also knowing all there is to know about, say, Entropy? I know, I know, Thermodynamics, but hey, let's try it out.
Lets keep in mind that this God created the ENTIRE universe and all of her glory. Knowing this, I implore any Xtian to look at the formula for Entropy and say "Ah! I see, . Yeah, God told me all about that." I bet you'll likely get dumb looks and stares. Does anyone know of a single person who has ever been able to do this? Is there a single human being on this big, bluish-green orb that literally knows the mind of any God? Obviously no, due to there being none, but I'd like a second opinion.
Thanks for your time everyone. I hope to get some corrections in my argument. Advice and suggestions are definitely welcome. Sorry for the extremely short post. I'll do better next time. Oh! And if anyone wants to add more, feel free to comment on your additions. Thanks!


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Ragweed Allergy: Facts, Symptoms and Treatment
Clarissa Vanner
Published on September 28, 2021 Updated on July 12, 2022
Health Check Certified By: Patty Weasler, RN
Do you experience allergies in the late summer to early fall? There's a good chance you may be allergic to ragweed and you're not alone. About 10 to 20-percent of Americans suffer from an allergy to ragweed pollen and the symptoms are very unpleasant.
The plant is incredibly invasive too and is found in many places across North America. In fact, Medical News Today reports, "just one plant can release as many as 1 billion pollen grains, which create future ragweed plants and cause significant seasonal allergies." In an effort to better understand ragweed allergy, we uncover everything there is to know, including important facts, the common symptoms, and the treatment options available. Let's dive in!
Interesting Facts About Ragweed
There are several types of ragweed but the most prevalent species in North America is Ambrosia artemisiifolia. Medical News Today says this pesky plant thrives in warm temperatures and the humidity and wind help transfer the pollen across large areas.
Another interesting fact is that the "pollen has been found 400 miles out at sea and 2 miles up in the air," says the source. It also happens to be resistant to herbicides making it a difficult plant to destroy.
Most Common Fall Allergies and How to Soothe Them Quickly
Mold Allergy: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
Light Pollution Is Disrupting the Seasonal Rhythms of Plants and Trees, Lengthening Pollen Season in US Cities
Tree Pollen Allergy: Types, Symptoms, and Treatment
Common Symptoms of Ragweed Allergy
Common symptoms that indicate you may be allergic to ragweed include congestion, runny nose, coughing or wheezing, scratchy throat, or itchy and watery eyes. You may also experience sinus pressure, swollen skin under your eyes, decreased smell or taste, and have difficulty sleeping.
It's important to note these symptoms can vary from person to person. The time of year and where you live will also play a role in the severity of your symptoms.
What Causes Ragweed Allergies?
The immune system is an amazingly complex system that helps protect your body from outside invaders from bacteria and viruses to fungi and toxins. When it senses a harmful invader, it will try to fight it.
Healthline explains, "In people with ragweed allergies, however, the immune system mistakenly identifies the harmless pollen as a dangerous intruder and begins to fight against it."
The source continues to explain that a natural substance called histamine is then released when you come into contact with ragweed pollen. This is the substance that triggers the unpleasant symptoms of the allergy.
Where Does Ragweed Grow?
Unfortunately for ragweed sufferers, the plants grow in all 50 states of the U.S. although it's most common in the east and midwest. It commonly grows along riverbanks, roadsides, fields, but can also be found in many other places.
The U.S. isn't the only place you'll find ragweed either. It's also found in many areas of Canada and It's even found in Europe, such as northern Italy and southern France. Although, projections show that it will likely spread to eastern and northern Europe by 2050.
The invasive plant is making its way to other continents thanks to the warming climate. Accidental dispersal of seeds is also a contributing factor.
When Is Ragweed Pollen Season
To have a reaction to ragweed, you have to come into contact with its pollen. Unfortunately, you can come into contact with it just by breathing in the air. This is why it's so hard to avoid. So, when is ragweed pollen season?
WebMD says the season typically starts in early August and ends in mid-October. Although, the source says, "some researchers think climate change may be extending that season." The highest amount of pollen is usually in the air between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., however, certain factors like temperature and precipitation can affect these peak times.
Certain factors can increase your risk of developing an allergy to ragweed. For example, if you're allergic to dust mites, mold, pet dander, or other types of pollen, you may be at risk for ragweed allergies too.
Healthline says, allergies also often run in the family, meaning if a close family member such as your mother, father, or sibling has a ragweed allergy, then you're more likely to develop one too.
How to Diagnose a Ragweed Allergy
If you think you have an allergy to ragweed and want a diagnosis to confirm, book an appointment with your doctor. Your doctor may be able to diagnose the allergy or they may refer you to an allergist for confirmation.
An allergist can test for an allergy by marking a section on your arm with a marker. They'll then place drops of allergens on the skin to see if you have a reaction. Signs of redness, swelling, or itchiness within 20-minutes or less usually indicate you have an allergy.
Avoiding ragweed pollen is not easy, especially during peak season. Luckily there are a variety of treatment options available that can help relieve your symptoms.
The main treatment options range from medication to allergy shots and lifestyle changes. Let's take a closer look at these methods next!
Allergy Medication
The good news is, many seasonal allergies sufferers can find relief from over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Some of these include antihistamines like loratadine (Claritin) or diphenhydramine (Benadryl).
Healthline also states decongestants, such as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) or oxymetazoline (Afrin nasal spray) or nasal corticosteroids, such as fluticasone (Flonase) or mometasone (Nasonex) may also be effective in relieving your symptoms. If OTC medications fail to ease your symptoms, talk to your doctor to find out if prescription drugs are a more suitable option for you.
In severe cases, if allergy medications are not working, your doctor may recommend allergy shots. Healthline says, "allergy shots are a form of immunotherapy that involves a series of injections of the allergen."
The source explains the amount of allergen in the shot will gradually increase in an effort to modify your body's response to the allergen. The ultimate goal of allergy shots is to help reduce the severity of your allergic reactions. The source also says, "you may experience complete relief within one to three years."
Certain lifestyle changes may also help reduce your symptoms. For starters, vacuuming your house at least once a week with a HEPA filter may help reduce your exposure to ragweed pollen. When washing your clothes be sure to dry your clothing in the dryer instead of outside on a clothing line.
Healthline also says, "Some foods and herbs contain proteins similar to those in ragweed pollen, so they may trigger an allergic reaction." With this in mind, you may want to avoid bananas, chamomile, cantaloupe, cucumber, honeydew melon, watermelon, zucchini, and echinacea. If you notice any tingling to itching sensation after eating these foods be sure to contact an allergist.
How to Limit Contact
Avoiding ragweed pollen may seem like an impossible task especially since it's in the air you breathe. Luckily, there are ways you can at least limit your exposure to the pollen which should hopefully help decrease your risk of symptoms.
For starters, avoid spending time outdoors during ragweed hours. You can also check your local weather forecast to track pollen counts. WebMD also says keeping your windows closed (at home and in the car) while using central air conditioning with a HEPA filter can also help filter out pollen.
Finally, the pollen can stick to your skin and clothing so it's best to change your clothes and wash your hands after spending time outdoors.
Patty Weasler, RN
Patty is a freelance health writer and nurse (BSN, CCRN). She has worked as a critical care nurse for over 10 years and loves educating people about their health. When she's not working, Patty enjoys any outdoor activity that she can do with her husband and three kids.
Interesting Things That Happen to Your Body in the Spring
Air Purifiers That Alleviate Allergies
Winter Allergies: Signs, Symptoms, and Prevention Tips
Simple Ways to Prevent Sinus Headaches
Symptoms and Treatments for Baby Allergies
Common Spring Allergy Triggers
Spring Allergy-Fighting Superfoods
Don't Sneeze at These Uncommon Allergies
Infant Food Allergy Questions Answered
Foods That Help Fight Seasonal Allergies
Pollen Is Getting Worse, But You Can Make Things Better With These Tips From An Allergist

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A practical shared vision for our cities and their biodiversity is more important now than ever before.
Future trends mean that the benefits we get from biodiversity have never been more vital. The populations of our cities are growing, getting older and often lonelier, and we are living in a world where both technology and climate are changing rapidly. Many of these issues can be mitigated by the biodiversity in our cities, for example, through regulating surface water runoff, alleviating high inner city temperatures and contributing to health and wellbeing.
We have opportunities to collaborate to enhance biodiversity hand in hand with the provision of infrastructure and development, supporting economic growth and improving our health and wellbeing.
Drawing on successful case studies, from interviews with experts, from our experience and from published literature, the team at WSP have produced a vision to demonstrate how we can increase the quality of our cities whilst becoming resilient to change.
Imagine cities filled with skyline parks, rivers brimming with wildlife and neighbourhoods with 'green hearts.' As competition for space in cities grows, we need to take action to ensure that biodiversity does not fall down the list of public policy priorities. Why? Because the social and economic benefits can be significant. For example, the green infrastructure within London Victoria's Business Improvement District (BID) diverts approx. 112,400m³ of rainwater and has potential to reduce local temperatures by 5.1°C.
Leaving a patch of garden for wildlife.
This is already happening in our cities. For example, the Quaggy River's history includes intensive channelling and routing the river underground, which resulted in flooding problems due to losses in the river's natural floodplain. A restoration project in conjunction with the local community saw the river being brought back into the open. This increased the area's flood water storage capacity to 85,000m3, as well as reducing peak flow rates and flood risk, making it a safer place to live. Hand in hand with this, the project increased the area's biodiversity, brought the community together, improved water quality and facilitated maintenance.
Funding for the creation and maintenance of these areas is often the limiting factor, preventing their inclusion in our cities. However, there is now strong evidence demonstrating that green spaces in cities encourages inward investment, attract increased visitor spending, save environmental costs, provide health benefits and generate employment.
New funding streams are starting to open up as we better understand the importance of these places. Re-purposing existing land management budgets will help but not be enough on its own. To this we need to add new payments for the benefits we get from these green places. Payment for ecosystem services is starting to generate new markets for managing run off or dealing with the heat island effect. In addition, developments committing to carbon offsetting or Biodiversity Net Gain are providing long term funding for the creation and maintenance of areas rich in wildlife across the city.
The paper produced by WSP offers practical challenges to different sectors, encouraging us all to make greater efforts in re-imagining our urban spaces and the opportunities they can bring. By encouraging everyone to play a part in increasing the biodiversity of our cities, we can work collectively towards achieving our vision for a network of truly biodiverse cities across the UK.
A copy of the report "Biodiversity in the city: practical actions to make our UK cities global leaders" can be downloaded here.
Tom Butterworth is Associate Director, Biodiversity at WSP.


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Trump Administration Nears Release of New Overtime Proposal
Labor Department is expected to broaden reach of overtime but by less than Obama administration attempted
Eric Morath
BiographyEric Morath
@EricMorath
Eric.Morath@wsj.com
WASHINGTON—The Labor Department sent its proposed overtime rule to the White House for review, which could allow the regulation determining how many Americans are entitled to extra pay when working more than 40 hours to be finished by late this year.
The department has sent the rule to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, an arm of the White House's Office of Management and Budget, two administration officials said. That is typically a sign the regulation is close to a public unveiling.


US Media Studios plans programming to touch on small business planning for disasters.
Flexible, easily configurable and extensible storage platform delivers unified, multi-protocol data sharing for emerging workloads on Linux, Windows, Mac, Hadoop, and S3.
"I don't need a hard disc in my computer if I can get to the server faster - carrying around non-connected computers is byzantine by comparison," Steve Jobs.
Aberdeen LLC has published another technology success story with information on how one company developed a mission-critical data storage solution!


The legendary Swiss watchmakers tend to bend over backwards in their creativity but they always manage to pull it off, creating fantastically precise, durable and practical watches that are also beautiful and elegant. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore plays an outstanding role in the watch world with its classically gracious notions of design and functionality, transforming them into shining star that draw your attention.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore replica watches model features beautiful scratch resistant sapphire crystal, cool and complex dial in black, silver or white, with comfortable watch bracelets the result of the leather or rubber that give it a really elegant feel. It also offers a date window, features the time measuring and Chronograph, march with Tourbillon device. The great details and high craftsmanship of the original watch can surprisingly be found on this replica too, making this particular watch a lot like its high end counterpart.
It is worth mentioning that our Replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore also stands out through the quality of the materials used in the replica market. They guarantee a long life, excellent functionality and the cheap price that meeting buyers' thought.


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PC Gaming Show at E3: Baldur's Gate 3, Indies and More
By Andrew E. Freedman published 10 June 19
The Mayan Theater lit up for the PC Gaming Show (run by our sister site, PC Gamer) to see what's coming to PC gaming in the next year. The lineup included Annapurna Interactive, Chucklefish, Epic Games Store, Paradox Interactive, Raw Fury, Tripwire Interactive and more. Baldur's Gate 3 and Borderlands 3 also made appearances.
The show was hosted by streamer Sean "Day[9]" Plott and esports presenter Frankie Ward.
Larian Studios and Wizards of the Coast were on stage during the show to demonstrate the most anticipated game of the PC Gaming Show, Baldur's Gate 3. The franchise, based in Dungeons and Dragons, hasn't seen a game for years.
There was no new footage or anything different from the recent trailer, but Larian said it was porting as much of the game's handbook to the title, while also adding systems to make the game work well.
The developers also discussed bringing classes to the game in an authentic way, so that players of the paper and pencil game will feel that it's a great reproduction.
There will also be a paper and pencil prequel to this game that takes place between Baldur's Gate 2 and this title.
The team said it will be released "when it's ready."
The game is coming out September 13, 2019. Gearbox creative director Paul Sage talked up Moze, a gunner with a mech, flame thrower and a ton of other heavy weaponry.
He also discussed grenades, because there are more than the last game. There are also shields, including one that extends if you duck, and class mods that give you new skills and enhance what you have.
There are also artifacts that make changes to movement. One causes and explosion every time you slide.
There will be jump-in/out multiplayer and massive bosses in the single-player mode.
Shenmue III
Yu Suzuki took to the stage to talk Shenmue III.
"I want to say thank you for all the fans supporting me for the long 20 years," he said through a translator. "The wait is nearly over." Then he rolled a trailer.
In it, we saw Ryo Hazuki training in martial arts, as his master says others have become more powerful. There were environmental shots of the city, as well as Ryo fighting a drunk wielding a bottle. He captures a little girl during a chase. The game comes November 19.
Evil Genius 2: World Domination
From UK developer Rebellion comes Evil Genius 2. The trailer showed a number of playable classes, secret agents and nefarious traps. But a lack of gameplay footage made it hard to see what the game will actually look like.
Sam Barlow talked about Telling Lies, a spiritual successor to Her Story. The game has footage of a woman who has stolen an NSA project with secret conversations between four characters. You need to piece that footage together to piece together what happened when something goes horribly wrong.
The game looks much like Her Story, with a computer desktop and video clips to watch and re-order. You can tag clips and search by keywords to find new clues in parts of the footage you may or may not have seen yet.
Barlow said there are 10 hours of footage.
The game is "coming soon" to Steam.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
There was a violent trailer for Paradox's Bloodlines 2 with a slightly blurry, dark look. Players need to keep themselves hidden from other vampires. Those vampires, of course, feed on human beings. It's coming in Q1 of 2020.
In some pre-alpha gameplay footage, we saw environmental shots, as well as the player's first-person vampire powers, like hovering in flight. There's also some knife fighting and combat, as well as the releasing of bats from your hands.
Man Eater
We met a new character in Tripwire's upcoming game, a fisherman with big headphones and bigger guns. We also saw some sharks attacking as he cleaned his boat. He's Pete, the villain in the tale, the best shark fisherman in the Gulf.
Man Eater is told as a reality show that follows the villain and the player shark.
"It's like GTA [Grand Theft Auto] if you were shark," the developer said.
There are three facets to the game. Growth, which you get through eating, like experience points. Then there's growth, when you change sizes and get a big jump in size and power. And there are evolutions, like metallic teeth, more powerful tails or mutated lungs that let you get on the beach.
TripWire is aiming for a release date before the next E3, its reps said, vaguely.
Starmancer
Chucklefish and Omnilux's new game is about growing a space colony, expanding it and customizing it your way. The gameplay trailer we saw showed a number of customization options, as well as gardens to feed the colony. Of course, it's not space without enemies, and there's a battle system to fight them off.
Chivalry II
Torn Banner and Tripwire have teamed up for Chivalry II, a first-person sword fighter. The trailer we saw showed bloody fights with brutal decapitation and armies fighting each other. It's coming in 2020 to the Epic Games Stores.
The main game mode has teams raiding castles and sieging villages. "You're burning houses, killing peasants," one developer said.
The game will go up to 64 players and has horsebacks, which the first title didn't.
The developers also suggested players will be drunk while playing and can beat others with chickens while quoting Shakespeare.
Songs of Conquest
Coffee Stain and Lava Potion's trailer was largely atmospheric, showing off a lush forest environment with rivers, fires, towns and trees where the game takes place. A dark wizard sets the entire map black.
From there, the developers said, you create an animal and set them on an adventure. The adventure/strategy game is about upgrading your town and collecting resources.
There are turn-based battles with your troops. You deploy them (they have stats) and go turn-by-turn against enemies who come through.
The game isn't coming until late 2020.
Genesis Noir
OK, this one was weird. The black-and-white game has you playing as a detective, and the 2D art style is disorganized and gorgeous. We saw the detective dialing a phone, walking down hallways on seemingly meeting a femme fatale, but little other context was given. The game was described as a "cosmic adventure."
In this game, you play as a 6-year old trying to find your mother. The western is a top-down adventure title with stealth, puzzles and bright, vivid art direction.
Valfaris
Big Sugar's new game showed a massive side-scrolling run and gunner with a heavy metal sound track, massive creatures, fiery explosions and aliens galore.
Warframe Empyrean
We learned Warframe is getting some updates, but there won't be a full reveal until July 6. The developers showed a trailer devoid of much context, but it looked epic and had lots of combat.
The developers said you'll explore the solar system in the expansion.
Perfect World and Gunfire Games showed off its co-op shooter, Remnant: From the Ashes, with evils taking over the world, including a number of hideous monsters, like demons and massive wolves. We then saw some third-person, over-the-shoulder combat with the evils. The game is coming August 20 on PC, Xbox and PlayStation 4 (PS4). Pre-orders can play the game on August 16.
Zombie Army 4: Dead War
From the makers of Sniper Elite 4, we saw a cinematic trailer for Zombie Army 4: Dead War. It showed men with guns in a hellish warzone with lots of fire. A man on the ground was corned by zombies and took them out with his gun as a colleague came to save him. They escaped a massive demon with a flamethrower, and a guy with a sniper took him out, resulting in an explosion of gore.
Yet another of our heroes had a gatling gun, and in the trailer she made a distraction to help get the team together. Then there was more zombie combat before the team gathered up to face the entire horde. The game is coming in 2020.
Modus Games' "love letter to classic RPGs" showed off a distinctive art style that switches between that shows the past, present and future simultaneously. Learn from the past, make changes in the present and change the future. Those three times are split on screen to show you everything at once. It's coming in 2020.
AutoChess
AutoChess takes chess to a wild new level with odd pieces. The game, adapted from mobile, is being built on Unreal Engine 4 and will be on Epic Games Store.
Our next trailer was bleak, showing a man standing in the rain playing a mobile game. We saw a busy city and the man swimming in the ocean. The game is called Mosaic and is coming in 2019.
Midnight Ghost Hunt
Coffee Stain's new game showed Ghostbuster-like characters hunting for paranormal activity in a haunted house. They use a meter to find where ghosts are, blast out their proton packs and get to hunting. We saw a chair turn into a ghost behind a character, so clearly there will be some surprises. The first-person gameplay footage showed household items being weaponized and, of course, ghosts being busted.
You can play as ghosts or hunters in a 4v4 game mode. The ghosts are actually hiding and try to stay hidden until the clock strikes midnight, but they can fight back against the hunters.
An alpha event will take place later in the summer.
We saw the turn-based strategy game, which includes massive mechs, dinosaurs with lasers and more. You can create a paradise or a vast military choice, your choice. There's a massive stats trees for growth, including doctrines and technologies.
Battles could be as short as 2-3 minutes, but games at the end could be 20 minutes per side, the developers said.
The game will come out August 6 on PC and consoles.
Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer's Legacy
Big Sugar's sequel showed undersea exploration in the dark with a moody atmosphere, as well as brighter exploration in a forest-like area. There's some combat in a top-down view and a large game map with a forest, desert, winter mountain and more. It's one of the more distinctive art-styles of the show, with a simple aesthetic with lots of colors and environments.
Funcom Games
Mutant Year Zero: Seed of Evil, Conan Unconquered and Moons of Madness (Halloween 2019 release) all made very brief appearances in Funcom's sizzle reel.
We also saw Conan Chop Chop, which originated as an April Fools' joke but clearly isn't. There are rogue-like elements and a chibi-style art direction. Huge swords, lots of blood and massive beasts from Conan lore are all in there. It'll come September 3, 2019 to PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PS4.
The Last Oasis
"We must move forward, or die beneath the sun."
In this trailer, a group tries to survive in a punishing desert, using sand-based pirate ships. They foraged in the occasional trees and grass and battled with other clans. We also saw vehicular-based. It's coming September 3 to Steam.
Griftlands
This one's a very cartoony, turn-based fighter with beautiful 2D artwork. The alpha is available July 11 on the Epic Games Stores.
Ancestors director Patrice Desilet's game about human evolution will allow him to tell a wide-ranging story, he said. You play as our last common ancestor and explore, expand your territory and clan, evolve and eventually reach Lucy. The game comes out August 27.
No gameplay or trailers were shown.
Zoo Planet
The developers showed a gameplay video of Zoo Planet, with realistic looking animals like bears, zebras, elephants and wolves. The game lets you run a zoo, care for the animals, clean up after them and create habitats for the wildlife.
Developers said people who want to go the zoo will be educated, including about the welfare of animals and about conservation. It's out November 5 on Steam.
Per Aspera
Raw Fury's space game takes place in a world where we reached Mars. Now humanity is putting human minds in machines so they can build a home there. We didn't see any gameplay, but it's coming 2020 to Steam.
Andrew E. Freedman
Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex. among others. Follow him on Twitter: @FreedmanAE


This year the RYA may split the South Zone Squad across 2 separate locations for some sessions. This is to ensure that that they have manageable training group numbers to assist the sailors' development, create a better performance environment and give them a wider variety of venues to use. This would consist of some training in tandem at separate venues and some run as combined training at the same venue. Squad splits would be based on the sailors' selection ranking and individual needs.
This has been included in the Optimist Zone Squad Notice of Selection.
This is a new initiative for this year, and the details of how this will operate may need to be worked out once the Squad has been selected, and in conjunction with the sailors/parents/venues.
There will be an opportunity to ask questions and find out more at the Zone Championships.
This entry was posted in News on August 21, 2017 by gschonrock.
This year IOCA South will be running the same regional training program in 2 locations: Spinnaker SC (Saturdays) and Bosham SC (Sundays). The program will be the same (subject to adjustments needed to accommodate local conditions), providing sailors with the option to choose the most convenient location/dates for them.
We are pleased to announce that Andy Kerr will be Head Coach for both sets of training, ensuring that a consistent level of high quality training is provided in both locations.
Andy has been a Coach Assessor for 8 years and has Race Coach L3. He has also been a manager at a busy sailing centre in Surrey, where he was responsible for organising up to 20 instructors on any one day, and upwards of 100 children at a time.
This year, we have adopted the RYA policy of paying for a day's worth of preparation time by the Head Coach for every 5 days of coaching. This will enable Andy to ensure that each session is fully productive, the coaches have been well briefed beforehand, and the sailors get as much out of the sessions as possible.
We have been working with Robbie Claridge, a top optimist coach in the UK, and the RYA to put together exercise plans. These will also be made available via the Optimist Wiki for people to download and use in club training.
The IOCA regions have got together to put on a regional training regatta on 28th April at Burghfield SC. This will have a Regatta Fleet, and a Coached Regatta Fleet, and is designed to provide an opportunity for all sailors who have taken part in regional or club training over winter, to put their skills into practice. Entry for the Regatta is automatic for sailors taking part in IOCA South (Spinnaker) and Thames Valley training. Other sailors will be able to enter directly to the event once it becomes available for entry.
The cost of the Spinnaker training has risen this year, as it now includes entry for the Regional Regatta, and the additional preparation day for the Head Coach, as well as a small increase in venue costs.
This entry was posted in News on August 20, 2017 by gschonrock.


text:
Q: Can I create a GaussianBlur effect via an svg file? I wanna know can i use  effect in drawable resource to use it for somecases, such as dialogs' background etc.
Something like this:
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1" height="0">
  <filter id="myblurfilter" width="110%" height="100%">
    <feGaussianBlur stdDeviation="2" result="blur" />
  </filter>
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Elizabeth Flood has been a career clerk in the House of Commons since 1983. Clerks not only provide the secretariat for all the official, cross-party Commons committees but also staff the offices that give procedural advice and deal with the scrutiny of legislation; Elizabeth's career reflects this diversity. She has been Second Clerk of the Agriculture and Transport Committees, Clerk of the Public Accounts, Trade and Industry and Home Affairs Committees, and has also been Clerk of the legislative committees dealing with Deregulation Orders (a type of delegated legislation intended principally to decrease regulatory burdens for business) and with European Community legislation. She also spent a number of years in the Private Bill Office, which deals with local and personal legislation, and, amongst other things, gave procedural advice during the passage of the Bill to permit the construction of the Channel Tunnel. She was Commons Clerk to a Joint Committee of Lords and Commons that reported on parliamentary procedures for giving planning permission for certain types of works.
In 1990 she completed a fellowship programme with the Industry and Parliament Trust (a not-for-profit body dedicated to increasing mutual understanding between business and Parliament, both MPs/Lords and officials). She is a member of the Study of Parliament Group, which brings together academics, Parliamentary officials and specialist journalists to research and publish on various aspects of Parliament. She contributed to a book on the House of Lords published by the Group, and has given evidence to Parliamentary Committees on legislative procedure, to Lord Wakeham's Commission on House of Lords Reform, and to the Hansard Society Commission on Parliamentary Scrutiny.


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Durango's green energy numbers are not black and white
Action Line
Sunday, May 22, 2016 7:42 AM
Updated: Sunday, May 22, 2016 3:26 PM
There's a sign on the west side of U.S. Highway 550 at Animas View Drive that says we are a "Green Energy Community." If we are, can you find out what percentage of the energy we consume is "green" sourced? I presume that would exclude all energy from fossil fuels, including the fossil fuels used to manufacture and transport the green energy technology. – Tony Palmer
To quote that great amphibious philosopher Kermit the Frog, "it's not easy being green."
That was confirmed during Action Line's call to the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C.
Just for the record, at no time did Action Line demand that the EPA fork over some more dough for the Gold King Mine spill.
When it comes to heavy metals, Action Line won't be the heavy. Besides, green power has nothing to do with orange rivers.
Anyway, the "Green Energy Community" sign is from the EPA to laud Durango's participation in its Green Energy Partners program.
The partnership is a voluntary program that "encourages organizations to use green power to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional electricity generation," said James Critchfield, manager of the EPA program.
Green power, by the way, means solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact small hydroelectric.
Durango has been a Green Energy Community since 2009, and it's one of 61 municipalities nationwide so designated.
In fact, "we're the only Green Energy Community in Colorado," added our good friend Amber Blake, the city's director of transportation and sustainability.
Durango is pretty much the Emerald City of green.
That's because 100 percent of the electricity purchased by the city is green power from La Plata Electric Association's "Just One Block" program.
By the way, individuals can purchase green power through that program. You buy a 100-kilowatt-hour block of electricity and pay an extra 9 cents per block. Sign up and info at www.lpea.com, and click on "Environment."
That's the easy part about being green. What's not so easy is how to measure it, especially in percentages.
Our friend James at the EPA pointed out that Durango, as a community, chalks up 13.8 percent of its total electrical consumption as coming from green sources.
On the EPA's list of Green Energy Partners, the city of Durango is shown as having a statistically impossible "103 percent green power."
How can that be? Is it because the city is giving a statistically impossible 110 percent effort?
So the city buys 100 percent green-power electricity. In the meantime, the city makes 3 percent of its power through on-site generation of renewable energy, including the conversion of methane into electricity at the wastewater treatment plan.
Is that where the 103 percent comes from? Not exactly, said the EPA.
Many of its partners report having more than 100 percent green energy, and the agency is working to fix that calculation.
Sometimes, it's a discrepancy between prepurchased green power versus the amount actually used. Some groups buy extra to cover transmission and distribution losses.
Anyway, Durango's 13.8 percent green energy usage rate is good enough to rank No. 28 amongst the EPA's 61 Green Energy Communities.
That will shock and repulse the Durango Tourism Office – because the tourism office has this fetish for Top 10 lists. Durango is not allowed to be in the 45th percentile. Ever.
In the meantime, does anyone see the irony in having a Green Energy Community sign posted for the benefit of people driving fossil-fuel consuming vehicles into a town that's trying to reduce the use of fossil fuels?
Email questions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. You can request anonymity if your electricity comes from a biomass generator using organic, free-range, glutten-free, holistic, vegan hemp.
Recent Action Line
Getting close-in parking has its pros and cons
State's left-lane drivers are never in the right
Shrubbery-free paths are the city's holy grail


text:
2021 Lexus LS500 – The Largest Luxury Sedan Lives On
By A.Giron | October 4, 2021
The 2021 Lexus LS500 is the latest generation of what is the largest and often touted as the most comfortable executive sedan globally. Previous generations have always prided themselves on being comfortable to drive, with excellent build quality and power. The 2021 model comes with a couple of adjustments which we'll talk about in this review.
A New Infotainment System
The most important update has to be to the 12.3-inch infotainment system display, which has been brought closer to the driver, making it easier to use. While the trackpad lives on and functions the same as before, they've added a button that offers quick access to steering wheel controls and heated seats.
A More Comfortable Interior
The 2021 Lexus LS500 has one of the most comfortable and premium feeling interiors this year. The turned aluminum trim on the doors doesn't stand out as much but feels good. It appears that Lexus is sticking with its conservative approach by refraining from making strong statements. The latest addition is the metal strips that span the entire dash and lead into the freshly styled door panels. The clever patterns of the 28-way power seats are also something we've become fans of. Best of all, the interior feels much more than what it costs, with top-notch build quality.
Scoot on over to the back, and the seats feel comfy. The rear can accommodate three people comfortably, or you can fold down the center armrest that now hosts multiple switches to control everything from the position of the front passenger seat to the lights.
Speaking of space, the trunk is a generous 17 cubic feet; it's a beast compared to other sedans in this segment.
Performance On The Road
The 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 delivers more than enough power than what's needed. At 416 HP with 442 lb/ft of torque, mated with a 10-speed automatic transmission, the vehicle is nimble and thus easy to mauver. The engine is near silent during regular operation, that's in part due to the well-insulated cabin.
The 2021 Lexus LS500, is fast especially considering its size. While you might be tempted to throw the vehicles into tight corners, which we found that it can easily handle, we wouldn't push our lucks too far. That said, when it comes to driving pleasure, the 2021 Lexus LS500 is undoubtedly up there with the best. However, where it excels is at driving luxury. It is comfortable to drive, making long trips fun for everyone on board.
The 2021 Lexus LS500 is a decent bargain, especially for the level of comfort and driving pleasure it has to offer. However, starting at slightly over $80k, it is still far cheaper than the competing Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series. Even when fully loaded, it is under 100 grand, making it a much better choice, at least in terms of value for money compared to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
The excellent build quality, ride comfort, and a laundry list of safety features make the 2021 Lexus LS500 a worthy contender for anyone in the market for a large luxury sedan.
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text:
Rabita is one way of being with one's Murshid, who is a pious servant and a kamil friend of Allah Ta'ala Rabita is the most crucial means of a murīd's discipline. Rabita is not a form of ibadah (formal act of worship) with its format, timing and method established in our religion. It is a way of awakening the heart...
The most effective medication for the disease of ghaflah (heedlessness) is the dhikr performed in the form of wird. Wird means the dhikr lesson performed daily, on a regular basis. Wird is like medication taken every day under a doctor's supervision. The most effective medication for the disease of ghaflah (heedlessness) is...
The Kamil Murshid has undertaken the most honorable, valuable, vital and difficult task on the face of this earth. THE PURPOSE OF VISITING THE MURSHID The purpose of going to the Murshid is to attain Allah's pleasure, to escape evil, to seek medication for a sick heart and a true friend for an estranged heart; in brief, it...
This is how Rasulullah (s.a.w) praised the congregations of people who come together and form a circle for the purpose of dhikr: "If a group sits and remembers Allah, surely the angels surround them, divine mercy spreads over them, saqinah descends upon them, and Allah mentions them in His presence near His angels."[1] One...
Allah alone is the Almighty, the Creator, the Sovereign, and the Sustainer of everything in the whole universe. He manages all affairs. Sufis believe in one, unique, incomparable deity, Who has neither son nor partner, and that none has the right to be worshipped but Him alone. He is the true deity, and every other deity is...
There is nothing so beneficial as undertaking hizmat for the sake of Allah's pleasure. Our blessed Rasulullah (s.a.w.) praises a person of hizmat as follows: "On a journey, the most distinguished of a group is the one who serves them. Nobody can surpass a person who leads in terms of service, except for martyrs."...
The World Religion: Islam Proceeding straight on from the Red Fort in New Delhi one runs into no less than five religious buildings, belonging to five different religions: a temple devoted to Jainism, a shrine belonging to Sikhs, a Hindu temple, a mosque, and a Baptist church. Who, then, is to question that human beings are...
Hatma is a type of dhikr which is performed in jamaat (congregation), sitting in the shape of circle or ring. Making dhikr in a circle has been recommended and praised in the Qu'ran and Sunnah. The Holy Qu'ran encourages being in the company of people who perform dua'a, ibadah and dhikr morning and...
Beware of abandoning adab! For this is the place of Allah's Beloved. This is a place under Allah's constant nazar; it is the station of Muhammad Mustafa. Adab Ya Hu Yūsuf Nābī (rah.), a well-known ārif and poet who lived during the Ottoman period, set out with a group of companions to perform hajj (pilgrimage) in 1678....
Tasawwuf is a system of discipline which teaches ways of finding peace by introducing the heart to Allah and thereby attaining peace.. Dīn is a system of tarbiya that addresses both the inner and the outer states of people, comprising divine adab and laws, whereby a person may attain happiness in both worlds. This tarbiya...
"Ya Rabbi! I regret all my sins. If only I had never committed them. InshaAllah I will never repeat them." As the words of tawbah are recited, one should repent sincerely for each and every sin one has committed since reaching the age of adolescence, feeling deep regret. One should believe that sincere repentance is...
Divine religion is the name of "the system of laws imposed by Allah," and the sole religion in the world today that protects its quality as a "divine religion" is Islam. As Judaism and Christianity were unable to protect their original identities for various reasons, they became "corrupted religions." The word...
Beware of abandoning adab! For this is the place of Allah's Beloved. This is a place under Allah's constant nazar; it is the station of Muhammad Mustafa.
Hazrat Noah went on as follows : I but fulfill towards you the duties of my Lord's mission: sincere is my advice to you and I know from
There is nothing so beneficial as undertaking hizmat for the sake of Allah's pleasure. Our blessed Rasulullah (s.a.w.) praises a person of hizmat as follows:
He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
The good amongst Prophet Adam's progeny walked the path shown by their father, and the bad ones amongst them deviated to other paths.
a Turkmen bey (lord, noble) arrived to enter the presence of the great ārif, Hazrat Shayhulislām Ahmad-i Jāmī. He had his family with him. The woman was holding a child with an extremely beautiful face. The child was blind. The parents were in a great deal of sadness. They approached Hazrat Ahmad-i Jāmī in a state of sorrow, and begged:
Edeb tasawwuf prophet Sunnah rasul nūr Gavs heart tawbah path of Allah Muhammad discipline sufism forgiveness heaven Allah istiqamah perfection Almighty Quran Ummah zikr messenger Islam gathering sovereign Creator ziqr kamil Murshid remembrance dhikr Rasulullah Merciful sight religion Murshid Holy Quran Allah Ta'ala Belief khatme Nabi hadith-i sharif fitnah blessed Prophet Menzil


From left, Mayors Jeff Grove, La Salle; Scott Harl, Peru; Don Finley, Oglesby; and Walt Marini, Spring Valley, speak to the press in January about sharing their cities' police resources.
Peru Police Chief Doug Bernabei contends his department could share services with three others and keep the same level of services.
To make his argument, he compares next door neighbors La Salle and Peru, with a combined population of 19,000, to Ottawa, which is only slightly smaller. The well-respected Ottawa Police Department employs 34 officers, Bernabei said, while La Salle and Peru has a combined 47.
This comparison, Bernabei said, shows La Salle and Peru can get by with fewer officers without affecting services. As it is, the two departments duplicate many of the same services — for instance, having their own evidence officers, he said. That could end when the police departments in La Salle, Peru, Oglesby and Spring Valley start sharing functions.
In January, the four towns agreed to start looking into the idea of having a single police station for all four jurisdictions. Such sharing, officials say, could save the departments $250 million over the next 60 years. Several years ago, the towns merged their emergency dispatchers, for a projected savings of $750,000 per year.
If staff is reduced, officials have said, it would happen through attrition, not layoffs.
Every month, a committee made up of officials from each community meets to address the police-sharing issue. On Tuesday, it approved a top-shelf downtown Chicago law firm Klein, Thorpe and Jenkins, to handle the legal aspects, as well as Ottawa architectural firm Basalay, Cary & Alstadt to design the police station.
Members agreed to pay the law firm up to $30,000 in the first phase, paying senior attorneys $260 an hour, a rate that Bernabei called "extremely competitive."
During public comment, Peru attorney Julie Ajster questioned whether the four towns would see $250 million in savings, saying she has seen information they won't reduce their forces by much.
"The whole purpose of consolidation is savings," she said.
After the meeting, Ajster said she wondered why the towns were choosing an architect when they don't know many of the details about what types of services would be shared.
At the same time, it's not entirely certain Spring Valley will remain in the arrangement.
Justin Miller, Peru's finance officer, said he crunched the numbers for the four towns, finding that Spring Valley won't see the type of savings the others will. For starters, the town hires part-time officers, so savings on pensions and benefits will be less.
"There are so many variables," he said.
Spring Valley Alderman Ken Bogacz said he was opposed to Spring Valley joining, although he could see where merging services could help the other three towns.
The idea of sharing services came about after Peru officials started giving thought to building a new police station, with the idea that all four towns could share it.
The committee plans to meet at 11 a.m. on the last Tuesday of every month.


What happens when you take a perfectly good instrument–one that's been around for hundreds of years–and completely rethink it? The bowed piano technique involves flexible bows made from monofilament nylon fishing line, coated in rosin.
Soniccouture has launched The Canterbury Suitcase, a new virtual Rhodes instrument for Native Instruments Kontakt Player. Back in June of 2012 we were recording Grand Marimba at Canterbury Music in Toronto. Studio owner Jeremy Darby was showing us his collection of vintage instruments, and let us try his Rhodes Suitcase 88. It immediately struck us as one of the most beautifully maintained and best sounding Suitcases we'd ever played.
Your ultimate piano? It might be. Pianos are very personal. There is always another 'greatest': more samples, more articulations, more tricks. But this one is ours, the way we wanted it. We think it's smoother to play, cleaner-sounding and a bit more real than any other sampled piano out there. We hope you agree.
The eBow (energy bow), is a small, hand-held device that "bows" the strings of a guitar using an electromagnetic field. It produces a unique guitar sound, with a very slow attack and infinite sustain.
The idea that certain places take on the weight of past events is familiar to all of us. Renowned field recordist Chris Watson has spent years collecting audio recordings from such places in one of his most personal projects. Ancient Temples, Ice Lagoons, Cold War Bases, Abandoned Silver Mines, Power Stations, Cathedrals, Canyons, Underwater Tunnels, Deserted Art Galleries and Maori Burial Caves all feature in this unique collection of recordings.
Samulnori is a type of Korean percussion music that has been gaining popularity over the last few decades, both in Korea and abroad. The term "samulnori" ( 사물놀이) can be broken into two parts - "samul" meaning "four things", and "nori" meaning "to play".
Few instruments get fans of funk grooves drooling like the Hohner D6 clavinet. Originally intended for classical harpsichord-esque duties, but really sonically closer to an electric guitar than a piano, its twangy, spanking timbres add a melodic tension to a groove like nothing else.
Perhaps one of the most enigmatic musical instruments of all time, The Ondes Martenot ( literally 'Martenot Waves') was invented by Maurice Martenot in 1928. The original unreliable tube-based design was refined and later models remained in production until 1988.


The recent bushfires in Western Australia and South Australia are a reminder of the deadly potential of bushfires in this country.
Four people lost their lives in the WA fires, and two people are confirmed to have died in the SA fires.
It is now well documented that women and men are exposed to bushfire risk in different ways and degrees due to everyday divisions of labour and gendered norms.
A range of factors influence how people prepare for, respond to, and recover from bushfire. These include: the type of work they do; responsibilities for children, older and disabled people; and the distribution of decision-making power within the household.
Gender roles often mean that women take responsibility for the safety of vulnerable household members, while men protect the home and property. A number of studies have documented the tendency for women to want to leave and men to stay and defend.
Whittaker, J., Eriksen, C. & Haynes, K. (2015). More men die in bushfires: how gender affects how we plan and respond. The Conversation, 27 November 1-3.


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Gourdon Surf Boat
James (Jeems) Mowatt (1851-1920)
In 1890 at the request of the local fishermen, James Mowatt designed and built the double ended surf lifeboat, Maggie Law.
The new boat was ordered in mid March of that year, and delivered fully equipped with life saving equipment in May.
The vessel was named after the daughter of a local fish merchant, Tom Law.
Maggie Law was a shallow draughted boat of thirty feet, with a beam of six feet, clinker built, and capable of being launched quickly and working in and around the rocky harbour mouth.
The boat was rowed by six men, and in a period of service from 1890 to 1930,
saved 36 lives.
The cost of the boat was paid for by the fishermen of Gourdon, with every fisherman in the village donating his share.
The upkeep of the Maggie Law was also the fishermens' responsibility, with each man giving a penny out of every pound of his gross earnings.
From a newspaper cutting dated 1st April 1897 we read, "There was put on the rails here last week a splendid example of a 48 foot long pleasure yacht, built to the order of Robert Ferguson, Loch Lomond. Designing and building has been completely in the hands of Hercules Linton, designer of the Cutty Sark, Naval Architect of Inverbervie."
The obituary for James (Jeems) Mowatt dated Friday 3rd December 1920 states, "To the design of the late Mr Hercules Linton, Inverbervie, James Mowatt built two steam fishing boats, one for the Firth of Tay, and one that was afterwards used as a launch on Loch Lomond."
It is likely that of all the boats built by James Mowatt, Maggie Law is the only survivor
In 1997 the Maggie Law Museum was opened to the public, and this panel is dedicated to the commitment and enthusiasm of the members of the community of Gourdon, who had the foresight to preserve the surf boat Maggie Law, as part of the rich maritime heritage of Gourdon and Kincardineshire.
The refurbished Museum was re-opened to the public on 12th April 2013,
by Dame Anne Begg MP, and a plaque dedicated to the fishing community of Gourdon was unveiled by William Munro, Area Manager, Kincardine and Mearns, on behalf of Aberdeenshire Council, main sponsor of the refurbishment of the Museum.
For further information go to:
www.maggielaw.co.uk


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text:
Arts Lovers
Arenskjold Antiques Art And Modern Design
"Midcentury modern design was an expression of the optimism the world felt following the dark days of the Depression and World War II," said Anthony Barzilay Freund, editorial director and director of.
From Jacopo Bassano to Picasso to Richard Diebenkorn and Sean Scully, the Masterpiece London Art Fair at the Royal Hospital,
And for the latter, don't overlook original art (hello Mario Bros. and Pac-Man) by Cristina Robinson of I Design. For the.
Thom: "My clients can afford antiques and custom furniture. but working in media lets me bridge what I do in my design firm.
FAIRFIELD — In May 2018, the public was invited to tour the updated antique colonial farmhouse at 20 Cherry Lane. Mia.
These and other collections – folk art, antique furniture. Furniture: Antiques; hand-painted pieces; new sofas and ottoman.
The City of Beaverton gave a local antique mall two months to move out of its building. Curiosities created a petition to.
Contemporary pieces, meanwhile, are much curvier and focused on shape. When shopping for modern classics, your best bet to find original designs is to go to antique markets or estate. Lias believes.
Youtube Dance Hall Music 1994 Ap English Literature Multiple Choice Answers Facts About Andrew Lloyd Webber Oct 19, 2017 · Whether you know him by his full name or simply as 'The Lord', Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the biggest names in Theatre Land! With 13 smash hit musicals and a TV career under his belt, he's no stranger
Most of them are now housed in the British Museum and the National Museums Scotland; the piece coming to auction at Sotheby's.
The dominance of modern design has sent antiques prices plunging, and the Winter Antiques Show, one of the industry's bellwether events, has now been rechristened The Winter Show, promising "5,000.
Hei also revealed Fine Art Asia will be working with Masterpiece London, a leading cross-collecting fair, offering the finest.
After the success of its first Mid-Century Modern sale last December, Adam's on St Stephen's Green will hold its second sale of some classic works from the masters of modern design on April. and.
Allegory In English Literature Professor Feidelson (pronounced FIE-del-son) retired as the Bodman Professor of English Literature at Yale University. Fulbright Scholar His best-known book, "Symbolism and American Literature,". "More and more, readers in the English-speaking world are turning toward translated literature, and Japanese fiction remains. which lets English readers access the symbolism. In the 1960s, it. Northrop Frye, the
1994 Ap English Literature Multiple Choice Answers Facts About Andrew Lloyd Webber Oct 19, 2017 · Whether you know him by his full name or simply as 'The Lord', Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the biggest names in Theatre Land! With 13 smash hit musicals and a TV career under his belt, he's no stranger to global success. But how much do
A lively, inspiring place, at its heart this is a hard-working family home where living with a combination of antiques,
This small but impeccably chic hotel (with just four rooms and five suites) in the harbour town of St-Martin, the capital of.
Since it launched in 2010, the Masterpiece London art fair has become a perennial favorite for anyone looking for a.
Best Jane Austen Movie The movie was also nominated for best picture, best actress, best supporting actress and best costume design. Finally, there's "Becoming Jane," a biopic on Austen's early life and her romantic. Jul 20, 2017 · The best Jane Austen inspired movies and tv shows, in honor of the 200th anniversary of her death. The best Jane Austen
Andrew Gn is an avid collector of antiques. Art, Tech and Fashion Set Decks Out for SFMOMA Modern Ball The vintage black.
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text:
Todd and Karen Wanek Family Program for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Consortium
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is collaborating with the Todd and Karen Wanek Family Program for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome at Mayo Clinic. Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) is a severe form of coronary heart disease requiring a series of surgical palliations to create a functional single ventricle circulation. Although great strides have been made in the field of HLHS in the past few decades, evidence indicates that up to 40 percent of patients who have completed the final surgery (Stage III Fontan) require heart transplant or major surgical revisions. The HLHS consortium studies are designed to evaluate whether umbilical cord blood-derived stem cells from a patient's own body may be used as a therapy to strengthen the patient's right ventricle and improve outcomes. The central hypothesis of these studies is that receiving umbilical cord blood-derived mononucleated cells (UCB-MNCs) during a scheduled cardiac operation will improve cardiac function, reaching growth milestones, and quality of life in the short-term, while also reducing inpatient stay following scheduled cardiac surgeries.
hlhs@mayo.edu
Research Project Highlights
Researchers in the Todd and Karen Wanke Family Program for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome are engaged in the following efforts:
Umbilical Cord Blood Collection and Processing for Cardiac Regeneration in HLHS: The purpose of this research study is to collect umbilical cord blood at birth from infants diagnosed with HLHS. Autologous stem cells (from baby's own body) can be derived from the umbilical cord blood, which can be stored at Mayo Clinic so that they may be available to baby in a future clinical trial. Parents are contacted at approximately 60 days after delivery to hear about potential cardiac stem cell trials.
Phase I Safety Study of UCB-MNCs in HLHS: The purpose of this study is to assess whether it is safe and feasible to deliver autologous UCB-MNCs during scheduled Stage II surgery. The central hypothesis of this study is that receiving UCB-MNCs during Stage II Glenn surgical palliation is safe and may be used as a therapy to therapy to strengthen HLHS patients' right ventricles and improve outcomes for these patients.
Observational Study of HLHS Post Stage II: The purpose of this observational study is to track health outcomes and cardiac function of subjects with HLHS after undergoing elective Stage II Glenn surgical palliation. There is no experimental treatment/intervention involved in this study. Results of this study will be used to provide a better understanding of clinical course post-Stage II surgery, and act as a case control comparator for the Phase I Safety Study of UCB-MNCs in HLHS.
Phase II Efficacy Study of UCB-MNCs in HLHS: This study assesses whether autologous UCB-MNCs, delivered during scheduled Stage II surgery, are an effective therapy to strengthen right ventricles and improve outcomes for HLHS patients. A treatment group receives experimental cell therapy, and a control group receives no experimental treatment. The central hypothesis of this study is that receiving UCB-MNCs during Stage II Glenn surgical palliation will improve cardiac function, reaching growth milestones, and quality of life in the short-term, while also reducing inpatient stay following Stage II surgery, when compared with the control group not receiving the cells.
Joseph W. Rossano, MD
View all Collaboratives
rossanoj [at] chop.edu
Room 8NW90
HLHS


Fitness and workout routines have been something I have been into for a couple of years now and am still loving. I started off with a personal trainer and then moved onto proceed my fitness journey by myself and it is fair to say that like most things in life it has been a learning process. Over the years I have learnt that cardio on its own will not help you achieve the results you may be looking for. I have been doing a mixture of cardio, weight training and spinning classes to help me achieve the body I want , it was when I started introducing weight training that I saw my body changing in a positive way.
Of course with Fitness comes nutrition , it is vital that you are consistent not only in the exercise sector but are also incorporating proper nutrition in your everyday lifestyle. In order for your muscles to repair and grow protein is essential and advised to consume after a workout, now the question that is mostly common … What Protein Powder should I take? There are so many supplements brands out there it can be overwhelming to find one you feel works best for you. Today I have collaborated with Miss Fits Nutrition to introduce you to a lean pea protein that MissFitssNutrution call THE MULTITASKER, it provides your body with the protein but also the nutrition it needs to repair your muscles, this product is all natural , gluten free , dairy free , Vegan and has no sugar or hidden nasty products within it.
How to take it? Simply shake it up with water, milk or make a smoothie. I personally love to mix mine with either just water or almond milk if I am consuming it straight after my work out , however mix in bananas , natural cocopowder , peanut butter with the chocolate protein powder and you'll be left with a chocolate peanut butter milkshake! YUM!!
Fitness is something I have been into for a while now , I've done a few fitness post in the past which proved to be quiet popular so decided to do a few more over the last few weeks starting with my latest routine and my plan for the next few weeks. Although I have been training for a while now , I feel like my diet is something I have always gone of track with from times to times. Overall I do enjoy eating healthy but like all of us I do have my days where all I crave is pizza , and I have a terribly bad sweet tooth cheesecake , chocolate you name it I simply can't resist sometimes. Having said that I have been better at making wiser decisions and doing the 80% to 20% diet where I try and stick to only eating oh so called " bad foods" 20% of the time, in addition I have incorporated protein and fat burners along with super foods and healthier alternatives to my diet which have defiantly made a difference.
I have been using the Protein Works range at the moment which Im very happy with so far , the protein powder tastes good and I do feel like the fat burners make a difference in my overall workout performance due to the caffeine in them. Another powder I have been trying out is the Bulk Super Greens powder and I'll be honest it is not the best tasting but once mixed in with a fruit smoothie you can hardly taste it , its a great way to get your greens.
Exercise wise I train 4-5 times a week at the gym which I personally really enjoy , I do a mixture of cardio, spin , weight and zumba class training as I like to mix it up and keep it interesting. As of this week I will be doing a personal training session once a week as an addition to my current work out plan which I'm looking forward to. My personal fitness goals is to tone up rather than loose anymore weight , I defiantly think its a lifestyle you need to adjust to rather than a quick fix but it defiantly is worth it.
Keeping fit is something I try and include in my daily lifestyle routine, but we all know it is so easy to get off track sometimes . I am pretty sure we all would love to have that toned body we see all over instagram which motivates us for about ten minutes and we go and end up eating chocolate those ten minutes later haha trust me we have all been there! However recently I have been trying to be good not by restricting myself or completely cutting something out of my diet but just by making a few changes in my daily routine which have been helping me to tone up and although I am not there yet I can definitely see progress and want to keep it up.
One: I am a true believer that 'Abs are made in the kitchen' you can exercise for hours but if your diet is poor and high in fats and sugars you simply will not see any results. What works for me is still having everything I like to eat just limiting the junk to as little as possible.
Two: Exercise is very important I like to do a mixture of cardio and strength training , personally I see results much quicker when I do more strength training , cardio alone will not tone you up at least thats the case with me. I enjoy taking classes at the gym I go to I mostly do body pump body attack , zumba and aerobics , but I also train at the gym on top of doing those classes I like to switch it up.
Three: Green Tea and Water are really going to help you beat that bloated belly and keep everything flowing haha! I try to drink at least 2 litres of water and 2/3 cups of green tea a day , they are also great for your skin .
Four: Take it step by step, noting happens overnight and you have to be patient theres no need to starve or over exercise ladies this will only lead to failure as you will not be able to stick this kind of a lifestyle for long.
Five: Buy yourself some cute gym wear! This really helps at actually making you want to go to the gym! I recently invested in a few gym tops and leggins and I can assure you its like having new clothes you simply want to wear it and get out in it. It works!
Lastly I wanted to touch up on the supplements I have been taking, now I am not saying this is something you need or should invest in but I have been taking them and do believe they have been helping me to achieve my goals. The first one is protein powder , the one I am using at the moment is the Protein Works Diet Whey which tastes really good and is super affordable. In terms of multivitamins I take a multivitamin as well as Omega 3 fish oil every night. Recently I also incorporated this Fat Killer which you take in the morning and prior to your work out now I know this is not something that everyone approves of and I haven't been using it long enough to tell you if it's working or not but I will do an updated review once I have used it all up.


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Corzine signs health reform package
Posted Aug 8, 2008
By Angela S. Stewart
Hospitals experiencing financial trouble would come to the attention of authorities much sooner under a bill signed by Gov. Jon Corzine today, part of a larger health reform package aimed at bringing more accountability and transparency in the state's health care system.
The package of four bills signed by Corzine during a ceremony at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton addresses several key recommendations made by the Commission on Rationalizing Health Care Resources, a panel appointed by the governor to review the state's hospitals and other health care services.
One of the bills, S1796/A2608, creates an early warning system that gives the Department of Health and Senior Services the authority and information needed to monitor a hospital's finances. The aim is to identify distressed hospitals before a crisis hits.
So far in New Jersey this year, four acute care hospitals have closed: Barnert in Paterson, Saint James and Columbus in Newark and Liberty Health Greenville in Jersey City. Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield is preparing to close its doors next week.
Three New Jersey hospitals closed last year due to financial problem: PBI Regional Medical Center in Passaic, Union Hospital and Pascack Valley in Westwood, according to the New Jersey Hospital Association.
"New Jersey has faced an epidemic of hospital closures in recent years," said Sen. Robert Gordon (D-Bergen), the prime sponsor of the early warning bill. "Through this legislation, the Department of Health will have an early warning when a hospital becomes fiscally unstable and will be able to take the appropriate action to ensure that the health care needs of the community are met. Hopefully, we will be able to intervene before the fiscal instability gives way to fiscal insolvency, and yet another health care facility in the Garden State has to close its doors forever."
Leaders of the state hospital association, however, stressed that much work remains to be done to address larger issues plaguing their members, such as inadequate reimbursement and access to care.
"Clearly, we cannot rest on the package of bills signed into law today," said Betsy Ryan, association president and CEO, saying the problems confronting New Jersey's healthcare system are "rooted much, much, deeper."
Another bill, A2609/S1797, signed today will ensure that working poor families without health insurance are not overcharged for needed hospital care by requiring that hospitals charge no more than 15 percent above the Medicare rate.
Also signed was a bill, A2607/S1794, requiring each acute-care and state psychiatric hospital to annually conduct a public meeting for the community it serves.
Finally, the governor signed bill S1795/A2606 requiring comprehensive training for all hospital board members as a means of increasing accountability in hospital management. New Jersey becomes the first state to have such a requirement.


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authentication.JwtBearer;
using Microsoft.OpenApi.Models;
using Swashbuckle.AspNetCore.SwaggerGen;

namespace FakeServer.Authentication.Jwt
{
    public static class TokenExtensions
    {
        public static OpenApiSecurityScheme GetTokenSecurityDefinition(this SwaggerGenOptions s, string tokenPath)
        {
            return new OpenApiSecurityScheme
            {
                Type = SecuritySchemeType.OAuth2,
                Scheme = JwtBearerDefaults.AuthenticationScheme,
                Flows = new OpenApiOAuthFlows
                {
                    ClientCredentials = new OpenApiOAuthFlow
                    {
                        TokenUrl = new Uri(tokenPath, UriKind.Relative),
                        Scopes = new Dictionary<string, string>()
                    }
                }
            };
        }
        public static OpenApiSecurityRequirement GetTokenSecurityRequirement(this SwaggerGenOptions s)
        {
            var securityRequirement = new OpenApiSecurityRequirement();
            var scheme = new OpenApiSecurityScheme
            {
                Reference = new OpenApiReference
                {
                    Type = ReferenceType.SecurityScheme,
                    Id = JwtBearerDefaults.AuthenticationScheme
                }
            };

            securityRequirement.Add(scheme, new List<string>());

            return securityRequirement;
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Growth Factor Serum contains a higher concentrate of Epidermal Growth Factor and provides a silky sensation as it is massaged into the skin. The additional antioxidants and essential oils boost up the nutrient support. Growth Factor Serum expedites healthy tissue regrowth and balances moisture content for drier skin types, while protecting from free-radical damage. The intensified antioxidant profile provides ultimate protection from cellular degradation while nourishing the skin with vital phytochemicals that normalize the skin. Growth Factor Serum is a must after any peeling treatment.


text:
By Cassandra Lane
Delicate Seams founder Aida Yodites poses with her daughter Faith. PHOTO BY PURE JOY PHOTOGRAPHY
I can't wait to grow up! they think while they are still trapped in their young bodies, waiting impatiently for signs of adulthood. For boys, it's that first, almost-invisible hint of a mustache. For girls, the first bra might be the confirmation they need.
Aida Yodites remembers her first bra well: the giddiness she felt and, just as vividly, the discomfort. You know the training bras of old: that stiff polyester-spandex blend that was most likely white, unattractive and came with a thick elastic band that left imprints on the skin.
Three years ago, when Yodites's daughter, Faith, turned 10, she expressed to her mother how upset she was that her brightly colored undergarments showed through her clothes. The next day, they went shopping for neutral undergarments in girls' sizes, but came up empty-handed. Yodites decided right then and there to do something to change the undergarment landscape.
She researched fabrics and manufacturers here and abroad, sketched ideas and, eventually, worked with a team to come up with a prototype to her liking. She became so obsessed during her quest that she quit her business marketing job, lived off her savings and gave herself a two-year timeline to create the perfect underwear for young girls.
The result is Delicate Seams, a line of seven products – The Cami, The Bralette, The Sportlette, The First Bra, The Bikini, The Hipster and The Girlshort – made from soft fabrics in neutral nude, blush and chocolate colors. The intimate wear is targeted for girls ages 9 to 15.
Did you have a background in design at all?
I have a marketing degree and worked in the life sciences industry. I had no idea that I would be designing little girls' underwear. But, this was something purely personal for me. When I was 15 years old, I started designing my own dresses, and my parents found a patternmaker in L.A. I just always loved to draw and sketch. I think it just was this thing inside of me that I liked to do. In searching for the right prototype for [Delicate Seams], I kind of just followed my gut. I walked the streets of L.A. by myself, going from place to place to place, and people were very helpful in helping me connect the dots.
What makes your fabric so unique?
It's a 90/10 poly-spandex blend. I told the manufacturers that the fabric had to be perfect. I actually designed everything myself. Then, I had a prototype maker. I then went to a manufacturer who was able to mass produce in Asia, a family business that has worked in Asia and South America for 30 years. I wanted to partner with people who understood. When I showed them the prototype, they wanted to know, "Where did you get this fabric?"
Aida Yodites discusses design with her pattern maker Gery of TEG Int'l. PHOTO BY ANGIE DAY PHOTOGRAPHY
There's still a fabric mill in L.A., right off the 10 freeway: Ashers Fabric [Concepts]. They did the U.S. Olympic [swim] team's uniforms. Ralph Lauren designed them, but they sourced the material. Their material was so soft, and I knew it was the kind I wanted.
What was your daughter's response to your products?
Oh, she loved them! And now at 13, she still wears The Bralette every single day. She says it's super comfortable, and that's something that girls have never felt before at that age. I wanted to introduce them to something more mature but something that was also age-appropriate.
Our fabric is so forgiving that people are stunned at how much wear they get out of one size. I wanted them to be inclusive of all body types. Girls come in different and beautiful shapes and sizes. My girl is a thick soccer player, and she's been wearing the same medium for like a year.
What are some tips you'd give parents (fathers and mothers) for discussing puberty's impact on the body and talking about the first bra?
Searching for the first bra resonates with every woman, but if you think about it, sometimes girls are even awkward in front of their mothers, so it might be even more awkward with Dad. If you are a single father raising girls, it never hurts to reach out to someone in your circle, an aunt or friend.
I wanted to create a brand that all parents could trust. We had a [product] party recently, and men were there at the party. Dads, uncles, granddads. When it comes to talking about the changes in kids' bodies, I would encourage parents to talk about one thing at a time and leave it at that. Then come back in a month or so and follow up. You can relay information in small doses over long periods of time so kids don't feel overwhelmed.
We're introducing something to girls that they are going to have to wear the rest of their lives. If I can create something that they don't even really feel on their skin, I've done my job.
For more information, visit delicateseams.com.
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