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Akiko Namiki

Date of Award

Degree Name

Master of Arts

First Advisor

Dr. Douglas Davidson

Second Advisor

Dr. Tyler

Third Advisor

Dr. James C. Petersen

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

This thesis explores the experiences of Japanese children and adolescents who reside in the United States as a consequence of their parents' jobs and examines how they adapted to a local society and how their cultural identities were affected by living in the United States before establishing stable identities. This study was completed by relating existing literature to interviews with a sample of Japanese children and adolescents, their mothers, and their teachers who reside in a Midwestern urban areas.

Experiences of the Japanese children and adolescents were examined in terms of their English language skills, Japanese language skills, family lives, school lives both at local schools and Japanese supplementary schools, cultural identities and adaptation problems.

The conclusion was that half of the Japanese children and adolescents among respondents adapted well to the local society, and half of them did not adapt well to the local society. The problematic point is that they have to return to Japan and re-adapt to the Japanese system with American identities. In addition, certain problems with Japanese cultural values related to diversity and Japanese education were revealed from this research.


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When are the school holidays in Europe?
This site offers an overview of most European countries.

If you want to know when the school holiday dates are in any European country, you can find it on this site. You can even adjust your holiday planning on this information! On this website you can find all relevant dates. We strive to give a complete overview soon.

Check out popular countries like: United Kingdom (UK), Scotland, France, GermanyItaly and many more!

These are the most popular pages at the moment:

Different holiday systems

The European countries have different systems for the school holidays. However, a lot of school holidays are in the same period, only vary in length and/or exact start- and end dates. Every European country has a Christmas holiday and summer holiday, but also spring holiday, autumn hol and Easter holidays are very common. On this site you will find the exact dates and differences between countries.

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I Love My Husband, But Jens Voigt May Be The Coolest Man Alive

I adore him.  He’s great.  I love him so much that I married him and hope to remain married to him all our lives.  Nevertheless, cyclist Jens Voight may be cooler.  In fact, he may be the coolest man alive.  Fans of cycling love him.  Look at the enthusiasm on the guy in the red shirt’s face.  Heck, look at the enthusiasm on Jens’ face.

We watched the stage from Macon to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, France and were lucky enough to see Jens Voigt (who at 40 years old is the oldest rider in the race) attack.  He is known for his epic attacks, ability to endure pain and delightful personality.  We got to see him climbing the last climb after he escaped from a 25-man group.  He attacked, lost ground and regained it, just missing the stage win, coming in third.  Seeing it live.  Priceless.

Just check out the determination on his face in every photo.  Here are 10 examples of Jens Voigt epic coolness:

10.  In the 2010 Tour de France, Jens Voigt’s front tire blew out, causing him to crash.  He’d been speeding down mountain in the Pyrenees (Col de Peyresourde) at 70 kilometers (40 miles) an hour. Needless to say, he hit the pavement hard, shattering his bike, breaking ribs and creating a huge gash in his elbow.   Stop?  Never!  Bleeding, Jens borrowed a kid’s bike and rode it for 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) until he he could get a new bike from his team car!

9.  While riding up Alpe d’Huez (an epic mountain) the Tour de France, Jens gave a kid his empty water bottle.  Happy and loving life, he was angered when we saw a middle-aged guy tackle the kid and take the bottle.  Fired up and pissed off that the jerk had rained on his parade, he stopped, turned around and coasted down the mountain.  Perplexed observers likely wondered whether he was injured or abandoning the tour.  Jens found the guy in the crowd, pointed to his bag and told him that the bottle he grabbed was for this kid.  The jerk gave it back and the crowd went nuts.

8.   In the 2011 Tour of California Jens rode two stages with a broken hand.  Even though it caused him constant pain, that wasn’t the reason he dropped out of the race.   According to the doctors who treated him, leaving it untreated would permanently damage his hand and ability to grip things.  He flew back to Germany to get surgery.  Before leaving, he apologized saying “I would like to apologize to the fans not only for withdrawing but for the two stages I did manage to do after I broke my hand. I was just operational on those days, and that does not satisfy me. I am never there just to fill up the numbers. So, please dear fans: Don’t be mad at me! Do not start thinking I am getting all soft in my old days. I will make up for everything in Tour of Colorado, or even maybe next year in Tour of California.”

7.  In the Amgen Tour of California the following year, a bee landed on Jens’ lip.  He tried to just leave it alone, but it stung him anyway.  Don’t piss off Jens, he’ll eat you, literally. “…[T]hen i (sic) decided to live up to my image and swallowed her and did chew every bit of honey out of that bee!!!”   His lip swelled in the middle of the race and joked about looking like he’d had a cosmetic procedure.  Always positive, Jens said, “Take that little bug as punishment for messing with me!!”

6.  If you want to have some fun, check out all of the Jens Voightisms on the internet.  One of my favorites, “Jens Voigt will never have a heart attack.  Jens Voigt’s heart isn’t stupid enough to attack him.”  I like them better than the  Chuck Norris-type tributes because with Jens, they are probably true.

5.  Jens went down hard in the 2009 Tour de France while descending the the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard when his front wheel inexplicably lost traction.  He bit it hard, face first.  He lost consciousness for three to four minutes.  He had a concussion, a litany of bruises and broken bones in his face.  He hit so hard that  he was lucky to be alive.  In typical Jens fashion, he called his wife that night and told her that he knew who she was and their kids were, that he just needed some time to heal.

4.   He says one-liners like, “Shut up, legs” and “Make My Day” in a funny German accent.  Essentially, he laughs at pain.  His acceptance of it and ability to endure it sets him apart.  In the self-flagellating sport of cycling, this makes him a saint.  What really makes him remarkable is his ability to endure it with a smile and a sense of humor.  He summarized his attitude, by saying, “I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world – I’ve been able to make my hobby my job. Because it’s such a hard sport, it’s important to be able to work in an environment that’s fun. Imagine, you think: ‘Hey, now I have to go back to the races, back to all those idiots.’ That just doesn’t work.”

3.  He looks to differentiate himself from his competitors and has settled on determination.  Jens said, “It’s about determination.  These days, everybody trains hard and smart. Everybody has a decent technique or tactic… a good bike… You’ve got to look somewhere else to make a difference. Tour de France winners used to win by 15 minutes. Today, 15 minutes out, you’re in 35th. So the one with the highest pain threshold takes it. If you can suffer a little bit more, go out hard one more time, it intimidates the other riders, even if you’re only slightly better than them. That one more push could crack your opponents and you’re out front while everyone else in the back arguing who’s going to chase you. Let them play the poker game. Up front, it’s all or nothing. I try to tell the guys that. And I have enough experience to prove it.”  In other words, I am willing to suffer more than you, you don’t want to force me to prove it to you.

2.  In the 2011 Tour de France, true to his motto “always attack,” Jens escaped in a breakaway with several riders in Pyrenees.  On a steep descent, Jens tumbled off the side of the mountain into a ravine. He climbed out, dragging his bike with him. He got back on his bike, began riding and promptly crashed again, hard.  Jens rejoined the peleton so that he was there for at a critical moment in the race, to sacrifice himself for his star teammates, the brothers Andy and Frank Schleck. No wonder they love him.  After two nasty falls, his bloody legs broke the breakaway.  Vintage Jens.

1. Jens takes advantage of his job to see things.  Some people just sail through without looking.  He comments on seeing castles or the shortest town name ever.  How can you not appreciate someone like that?


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We take your feedback seriously

Complaint Resolution Process

1. Introduction

Sciaccas Lawyers (“Sciaccas”)recognises an individual’s right to make a complaint about the conduct of our operations, services, staff or processes, where that individual’s interests appear to have been adversely and unjustifiably impacted by such conduct.

Sciaccas Lawyers encourages an organisational culture that responds to such complaints in an open and constructive manner and in accordance with principles of procedural fairness.

This document sets out a Complaint Resolution Process for the following entities of the Sciaccas Legal Group:

  • Sciaccas Lawyers Pty Ltd ABN 74 126 179 084;
  • Sciaccas Family Lawyers Pty Ltd ABN 81 159 740 235;

2. Definitions

In the context of this document:

Complainant” means the person making the complaint;

Complaint” means the informal or formal expression of a concern in regard to some aspect of the conduct of Sciaccas Lawyers operations, services, staff, or processes, where the Complainant appears to have been adversely impacted by such conduct, and the Complainant wishes to seek redress;

Complaints Officer” means any staff member who is appointed to advise on and assist with the resolution of informal or formal complaints;

Formal Complaint” means a concern which has not been resolved informally, which is then set out in writing and forwarded to Sciaccas;

Informal Complaint” means a concern, dissatisfaction, or frustration that can be solved without formal action;

Respondent” means the person who is a subject of the Complaint.

3. Procedure

3.1 Informal Complaint

Many problems can be resolved informally, either by a direct approach to the person or group whose actions have given rise to the Complaint, or indirectly by other means.

A direct approach may be made face to face or by phone, but can also be by email or in writing. Direct, open, and cooperative dialogue can often lead to a better understanding of the problem, and a quick and satisfactory resolution. The complainant should keep notes of the actions that he/she takes, and be aware that the principles of confidentiality apply to him/her, as well as the other participant.

Should an Informal Complaint directly to the subject of the Complaint be unsatisfactorily handled, an Informal Complaint should be made to the Partner of Sciaccas responsible for the matter. The Partner in charge of a particular matter is noted at the top of all of our correspondence, and a list of Partners along with contact details can be found on our website.

If a complainant is not comfortable making a direct approach, an informal complaint may be made indirectly through the Complaints Officer.

3.2 Formal Complaint

Should a Complaint not be resolved at the informal stage, or is otherwise of a more serious nature, than a Formal Complaint should be made to the Complaints Officer.

A formal complaint must be submitted by the complainant, in writing, setting out the details of the complaint, including the background, the grounds of the complaint, the facts relied upon (the evidence), and the redress sought, together with all supporting documentation. All the information in support of the complaint should be provided at the beginning of the process.

On receipt of a formal complaint, the Complaints Officer will:

  1. Register and acknowledge receipt of the Complaint to the Complainant within 5 working days;
  2. Clarify the Complainants issues, consulting with the Complainant and other parties where necessary;
  3. Consider whether the Complain requires or warrants referral to an outside agency due to its nature and subject, such as where a Complaint contains potentially criminal acts;
  4. Assess the most suitable method for dealing with the Complaint, for example if the Complaint is best resolved by negotiation, mediation, or further investigation;
  5. Ensure that steps are taken within 15 working days to begin resolution of the Complaint, and inform the Respondent about the process for resolution;
  6. If it is not possible to resolve the Complaint within 15 working days, to update the Complainant and Respondent on the progress of the Complaint every 15 working days;
  7. Inform the Respondent and the Complainant of the outcome of the Complaint and any action taken to resolve the Complaint;
  8. Oversee any recommended changes to company policy or processes recommended as a result of the outcome of the Complaint.

3.3 Referral to Outside Agencies

Any person may at any time make a complaint to an external agency, such as the Legal Services Commission or the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. The Regulator will generally only act once all internal stages of the complaint process have been exhausted.

Sciaccas may cease to deal with a Complaint once referred to an outside agency.

4. General

4.1 This process applies to all members and staff of Sciaccas Lawyers and provides a single system to deal with disputes.

4.2 Complaints will generally not be accepted if the event which is the cause of the Complaint occurred longer than 12 months ago.

4.3 A Complainant may withdraw their Complaint at any time.

4.4 If a Formal Complaint has not been resolved within a reasonable timeframe, or the processes used to resolve the Complaint have been defective, a request for a review of the procedures can be lodged by the Complainant.

4.5 At any time a Complainant who is dissatisfied with the outcome and a Complaint or the processes used to resolve the Complaint is entitled to raise their concerns with the Legal Services Commission.

Need to speak with a lawyer? Contact us direct using our online form.


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Memorial Sloan Kettering Awards and Appointments

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) announces its most recent awards and appointments for the institution’s physicians, scientists, nurses, and staff.

New Study Examines Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Nevada Unemployment

UNLV political science professor John Tuman is available to speak about the findings of his new study examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on labor market conditions in Nevada. The research, published last week in the Early View section…

How Hospitality Industry Should Address Discrimination

After the worldwide protests that erupted over the killing of George Floyd, it is hard for me to imagine any person, company, or institution, continuing to discount the role that racism plays in our society. People all over are demanding an end to racial discrimination that is embedded in our social systems.  In hospitality, emerging research has shined light on the perception of discrimination among industry workers, but personally, it comes as no surprise to me.

DePaul University experts available to discuss recovery, life after the COVID-19 pandemic

Recovery. Reentry. Reopen. Return. A new normal. Faculty experts at DePaul University are available for news media interviews about what comes next — after the COVID-19 pandemic. Does the world return to normal or will there be fundamental changes to how we live our lives, work, and travel; and how we are governed?


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How the NIH facilitates biomedical research: A conversation with George Komatsoulis

George Komatsoulis

At the recent Internet2 Global Summit, iSGTW sat down with George Komatsoulis, senior bioinformatics specialist at the USNational Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), part of the US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.

Komatsoulis discusses the state of distributed research and the NIH Commons, a scalable virtual environment to provide high-performance computing and data storage for bio-medical research. Early pilot activities are expected in 2015.

How would you characterize the state of big data usage in the bio-medical fields today?

The creation of the office of the associate director of data science at the NIH was a broad recognition that data science problems are a critical part of doing biomedical research. There have been many initiatives to come to grips with this reality. At the National Cancer Institute there are the Cancer Genomics Cloud Pilots. There's the genomic data commons at the Office of Cancer Genomics, and at the NIH level there is the Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) program.

There's talk of a looming big data tsunami. How would you characterize the challenges of big data analysis?

It is certainly true that there are challenges, but it's important to keep perspective. This isn't the first time data growth has outstripped computing capacity. In 1965, when Margaret Dayhoff published the atlas of protein sequence and structure, a researcher could generate 100 amino acids worth of protein sequence in a year — when they were working with punch card technology.

In 1977, Fred Sanger and Maxam and Gilbert developed new sequencing technology allowing a person to generate about 2,000 finished sequences a year. In 1986, dye-terminator technology came along, and when automated sequencers became common in the early 90s you could generate a few thousand bases daily. When microarrays emerged in the mid 90s, this jumped to a few hundred thousand observations per chip per day.

You keep seeing these kinds of inflection points, and what we did then is what we need to do now: judiciously apply the technology we have and look to the next generation of technology for support. As Ernest Rutherford once said: 'Gentlemen, we have run out of money. It's time to start thinking.'

At the end of the day we're going to get an enormous amount of data with the potential to fundamentally change our understanding of biology, human health, and disease. Thinking of big data as a tsunami has such negative connotations; it's not really the way to think about it.

How does the Commons fit into this picture?

The Commons is a scalable three-part environment that will provide computing and storage for sharing digital bio-medical research products. At the bottom you have some kind of computing platform required for storage and computation. In the middle you have search: A means to find things in the Commons. Lastly, you have the digital objects themselves with a way of identifying and citing them.

Individual investigators, existing databases, and programs such as BD2K will be the sources of the digital objects. The Commons will make it easier to use (and reuse) the data and software contained within these well-curated resources; it won't replace them.

How will the Commons be implemented?

We're not looking to build the Commons as a unitary system. We're trying to have it evolve through development by the information technology community.

To instigate this evolution, we're going to distribute dollar-denominated credits to researchers with interesting digital objects or with a desire to use the Commons for interesting biomedical research. Researchers can use these credits at the approved provider of their choice.

The Commons will also be a consortium of qualified providers — public or private clouds, or academic or national labs, high-performance computing centers — who are willing to meet requirements defined by the NIH.

Our goal is to incentivize investigators to put things into the Commons, both to make them available and to do additional research. We also want to incentivize them to choose the provider with the best value for the particular types of data and analyses that they want to do. And we want to incentivize providers to provide basic and potentially value-added services at the lowest possible price, so they can compete for the credits held by investigators.

Ultimately, we're looking to set up a marketplace that will drive down costs and enhance our ability to sustain these kinds of digital resources.

What do you hope to gain from this novel approach?

We think this has a lot of potential advantages. We expect it to be cost-effective – rather than distributing resources across hundreds of institutions where they may not be used at capacity, we'll pay only for the IT resources we use. And because we frequently have multiple copies of the same digital objects, we can reduce costly duplication.

We're hoping to democratize access to these datasets. Less wealthy institutions will be able to buy only the compute capacity they need, taking advantage of the advanced capabilities in the nation's high-performance computing centers.

What's more, investigators – the people who have the best notion of what constitutes these high value data sets — will have an unprecedented degree of control over what kind of data is made available.

How does the Commons work for investigators who need control over their data?

The notion of a Commons doesn't necessarily mean that everything in there is immediately public. The requirements we've got for vendors support multiple levels of access, and I think we can craft appropriate policies that balance an investigator's need to have control over their data — particularly in the early stages, say, during a publication embargo — with the public and the research community's needs to have broad access to the data.

--For more on the NIH Commons, look here.

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During their final duel on the Death Star, why could Obi-Wan not sense the good in Darth Vader, the way Luke later did?

In Episode 6, Luke says to Vader:

I can feel the good in you.

Luke's senses were not as deep as Obi-Wan's, who had years of training and knew Anakin inside and out. So he should have sensed less.

  • 10
    I suspect that Obi-wan is somewhat distracted by the fact that his surrogate son has just murdered everyone he ever cared about along with rooms filled with children. – Valorum Mar 5 '15 at 19:46
  • 6
    when obi won fights vader in episode 3, vader is at the pinnacle of his darkness, when he fights vader in 4 vader doesn't know his kids are alive still. by the time luke fights him in episode 6, hes starting to have feelings towards his children and has the emperor trying to "hurt" them specifically which is re-awaking his humanity. – Himarm Mar 5 '15 at 19:48
  • 1
    I seem to recall Obi-Wan not being particularly good with the Living Force. – phantom42 Mar 5 '15 at 19:57
  • 2
    @Himarm I suspect you can dig up some supporting dialog and turn that into an answer – KutuluMike Mar 5 '15 at 20:01
  • 2
    I'm not so sure especially with all the prophecies and even force/luck jarjar around.Also she said exactly the same words with the same pronouncation as luke a few decades later so I take it it was a hint/premonition at episode 6 and thus a bit more than just wishful thinking – Thomas Mar 5 '15 at 21:03
  1. Luke is more powerful than Obi-Wan. Both Vader ("The Force is strong with this one" from Ep. IV) and Emperor ("The Force is strong with him. The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi" from Ep. V; and "you must bring him before me. He has grown strong. Only together can we turn him to the Dark Side of the Force" from Ep. VI) acknowledge it.

    In Legends canon, Luke explicitly is noted to have the same super-high Midichlorian count as Anakin, meaning he's stronger in the Force than Obi-Wan

  2. Obi-Wan especially isn't good at "minding the Living Force", as Qui-Gon noted in Episode 1.

  3. Luke has familial relationship with Vader, which probably helps attune their feelings and force connections to each other. Not 100% certain from canon, but can be inferred from, for example, Leia also sensing Luke's distress when saving him in Cloud City at the end of Episode V.

    Similarly, Vader can sense Luke's presence even when the Emperor cannot in Episode VI:

    Darth Vader: My son is with them.
    The Emperor: Are you sure?
    Darth Vader: I have felt him, my master.
    The Emperor: Strange that I have not. I wonder if your feelings on this matter are clear, Lord Vader.

  4. Luke is inherently compassionate in general (and this especially intertwines with Vader being his father) - which is in contrast with Jedi (like Obi-Wan) who are trained NOT to emotionally entangle themselves since a very young age:

    Darth Vader: He will come to me?
    The Emperor: I have foreseen it. His compassion for you will be his undoing. He will come to you and then you will bring him before me.
    Darth Vader: As you wish.

  5. Obi-Wan is prejudiced against Anakin - this was the man who was his friend and "The Chosen One", who betrayed both their friendship and entire Jedi Order and entire Republic - and murdered a Temple full of Jedi younglings. Luke didn't have that coloring his feelings. (H/t for @Thomas noted in the comments)

  • 3
    I think #3 is the most convincing answer, and the benefit of the familial relationship between Vader and Luke is explicit when Vader senses Luke on the forest moon of Endor but the Emperor does not. – Null Mar 6 '15 at 16:33
  • 1
    I'm not sure if I buy your first two points. Both Vader and Palpatine say that Luke is strong with the Force, but they make no comparison to Obi-Wan, and don't Midichlorian counts indicate potential, not ability? Secondly, Obi-Wan in TPM is very different from Obi-Wan in ANH. – KSmarts Mar 6 '15 at 17:09
  • 1
    @DVK Well, that raises the question of whether Obi-Wan ever intended to win that fight, which is, AFAIK, a matter of interpretation. I hold that he did not, so that is not a valid comparison, but that may be getting into opinion-based discussion. – KSmarts Mar 6 '15 at 17:18
  • 2
    @KSmarts - "Escape is not his plan" - said the guy whose PREVIOUS tactical assessment of Obi-Wan was "Hey I'll rush a guy standing on the high ground over lava". – DVK-on-Ahch-To Mar 6 '15 at 17:19
  • 1
    In addition to the points one thing is also the case: Obiwan has prejudice against anakin after the betrayal while luke does not have it and padme she was still in love with anakin. As it was often noted by yoda,.... even in the films emotions especially strong or dark ones can cloud ones perception even through the force – Thomas Mar 6 '15 at 19:21

My first instinct would be to say that Darth Vader had compassion for Luke, because Luke was his son, and not for Obi Wan (who was his enemy), and so Luke was able to pick up on that. Also, Darth Vader may have been "softened" by Luke's attempts to reach out to him, and this may have made his feelings come more to the surface.

I also think #3 is a strong possibility. Luke had a connection with Laia because she was his sister (after Darth Vader cuts his hand off, he reaches out to her telepathically.)

  • This is my thought as well. Anakin has feelings for Luke and did not want to destroy him. Luke picks up on this and senses the "good in him". However Anakin hates Obi-Wan and has no good feelings at all for him when he encounters OBi-Wan on the Death Star. – Mykewlname Jan 23 '17 at 15:01

"I hate to be the only non-scientist to point this out but..." It was simply because Anakin is Luke's Father, and Luke is his son. "The Force is strong with this one."

  • 2
    Welcome to Science Fiction and Fantasy SE, are those quotes from the screenplay or film? Do you have any other evidence to suggest that it is "Simply because they're related"? – Edlothiad Jan 23 '17 at 14:45

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Sci-Fi Storm

Buffy to ABC or Fox? “No way” says SMG

by on Jan.24, 2001, under Television

Reuters has a report out that Sarah Michelle Geller is threatening to leave the show if it moves off of the WB. Seems the producers (under Fox Television) want more fees, and the WB may not be willing to pay, so ABC and Fox are named as possible destinations.

Problem is, Sarah is under contract beyond the current season already (although it doesn’t say exactly how long).

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The Best 2015 Ram 1500 Accessories

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These questions and more will make purchase decisions difficult for anyone. We feel you because we do the research when we’re about to make an order as well.

Before you decide to buy anything, make sure you research and read the reviews from trusted sources. Luckily, we use incredibly smart and sophisticated AI to help find great products. We use our own custom algorithms to generate lists of the best brands and give them our own approval rating to rank from 1st to 10th.

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July 16th: Night of the Living

Zombies as portrayed in the movie Night of the Living Dead (1968)

George Romero died July 16, 2017. He made Night of the Living Dead. I guess those zombies are supposed to look scary, but to me, they just look like a horde of stepdads heading for the fridge in the middle of the night. And what’s with the one on the left? Did he just get back from a toga party?

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in the film Roberta (1935)

Born on July 16th: Saint Clare of Assisi, 1194. Her feast day is August 11th and her patronage includes eye disease, goldsmiths, laundry, television, embroiders, gilders, good weather, and needleworkers.

Also poet Susan Wheeler, 1955; actress and dancer Ginger Rogers, 1911; and farmer and popcorn extraordinaire Orville Redenbacher, 1905. Also artist Charles Sheeler, 1883; journalist and civil rights activist Ida Wells, 1862; and elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver, 1925. When she was twenty years old, she worked at the Empire State Building. On July 28, 1945, what was to be her last day of work with her fiance was returning home from the war, she survived an elevator crash that dropped her 1,000 feet. She was working on the 80th floor when a B-25 bomber accidentally crashed into the building on the 79th floor.  The blow caused the elevator car cables to snap and sent her into a 1,000-foot free fall. This plunge is still listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Although she never returned to regular work at the Empire State Building, five months later, she returned to the building and rode the elevator to the top.

The engine and part of the wing of a B-25 bomber are seen protruding from the Empire State Building after it crashed into the 79th floor of the structure in New York, July 28, 1945. (ERNIE SISTO/AP Photo)

For today: Interestingly, the 16th card in the tarot deck is The Tower, which the above AP photo kind of reminds me of. The card shows a tower being hit by lightning, and on fire, sometimes with people falling from it. The card is supposed to symbolize sudden destruction and violent change but like all tarot cards, and sudden change come to think of it, does not have to be an altogether sinister card.

As far as what the 16th tarot card means for you, I predict you could and should soon have in your possession piles of exploding kernels that will truly teach us to not resist the idea that violent change could lead to something so much better, provided you also have butter. Hopefully, this will occur with one or more zombie movies in queue.


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At Big Data in Biomedicine, reexamining clinical trials in the era of precision health

Clinical trials, in their current incarnation, are ill-suited for the nimble, personalized precision health era, a a panel of speakers at the Big Data in Biomedicine conference said Thursday.

"Clinical trials are expensive and take a very long time, and it's not that easy to recruit people," said Stanford professor and panel moderator Mark Cullen, MD.

In addition, some questions aren't easy to investigate using a trial, such as whether mastectomies or routine check-ups are better at keeping potential breast cancer patients alive. Researchers obviously can't ask a group of women to remove their breasts just to see how they fare, pointed out speaker Allison Kurian, MD, a breast cancer researcher at Stanford.

For that reason, observational trials -- or studies where researchers tap data from routine care without introducing treatments -- may be increasingly valuable, Cullen said.

Speaker Adrian Hernandez, MD, a cardiologist at Duke University, said he thinks that part of the answer is to make trials bigger. But to make them bigger in the traditional way, by enrolling more patients at a specific trial site, would be challenging and cost-prohibitive.

"What if you thought about a different approach that takes advantage of the millions of people that walk through [clinic doors]?" Hernandez asked. "What if you actually studied their experiences in rigorous ways, inserting randomization, and then translate that immediately to get the right answer [for the patient]? We think that's possible."

Allowing patients to contribute data from their regular care to help others could also boost enrollment in trials, Hernandez told attendees. Other steps could be taken to make it easier for individuals to take part, such as enhancing online enrollment and making services such as blood draws available at a person's home, Hernandez said.

Kurian said her group is working to use available data from electronic medical records and databases such as the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER) to gain more insight into which strategies work best for breast cancer patients. Recently, their efforts added genetic information to the mix, providing a robust database that can be used to help guide clinical decisions.

The current framework for clinical trials can also collapse when faced with the challenges posed by digital medtech tools such as apps, said speaker Mintu Turakhia, MD, a senior director at Stanford's Center for Digital Health. It's much easier for companies or individuals to produce an app than it is to come up with a new drug or device, but it's quite difficult to conduct a study that leaves patients "blind" or unaware that they're using the app  in question. Other problems abound, he said, including the best way to measure engagement with the app.

The numerous problems also highlight opportunities for researchers and technology companies to step in and help, Turakhia said.

However the field evolves, in the future, big data will play an increasingly important role, the speakers agreed.

Previously: "Predict, prevent and cure precisely," Stanford Medicine's Lloyd Minor urges, Big Data in Biomedicine Conference kicks off on WednesdayThe future of clinical trials considered during Dean's Lecture Series address and Cancer clinical trials: Why I chose to participate, but so many others don't
Photo of Mintu Turakhia by Rod Searcey

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‘One Fine Day’ (1996) Review

Melanie Parker (Michelle Pfeiffer) is a single mother who is trying to get her son Sammy to school on time to go on his much-anticipated field trip. Jack Taylor (George Clooney) is a divorced dad whose forgetfulness causes Melanie, Sammy, and his own daughter Maggie to get to school late, where they miss the bus taking the kids to the pier where they’re to leave on Circle Line boat cruise. They miss the boat by mere minutes and in the confusion and bickering between Melanie and Jack, cell phones are accidentally switched before the two parents part ways. An architect, Melanie has a huge presentation that day with potential clients. Jack is a reporter who is looking to expose the Mayor’s mob connections and needs a second source to back up his claims when his original source chickens out. Neither are able to find adequate child care so they eventually find a way to help each other out despite their hectic schedules.

This was my first time watching One Fine Day, although I do remember the movie when it came out. Mostly I remember this seemed to be the movie that really solidified Clooney as a romantic lead. I can’t help but wonder if I would have liked this better had I watched it in 1996, or even a few years after. Clooney and Pfeiffer are both incredible actors, and they had some fun chemistry on-screen when they were sharing it. The problem I had with One Fine Day was that it felt a bit disjointed. I found myself a bit bored with Jack and Melanie’s individual issues – her presentation to land important clients, his searching for a source to take down the corrupt Mayor. These plots were obviously necessary to bring a sense of urgency and chaos to Melanie and Jack’s desperate need for childcare, but they were not the least bit interesting to me, so when the movie focused solely on these moments, I found my mind wandering. The pacing of the entire movie felt a bit off although it does try to keep you on track with constant timestamps.

One Fine Day could have benefited from having Clooney and Pfeiffer on screen together more. They spend so much of it arguing with each other, face to face or over the phone that it was difficult for me to accept the sudden change of heart near the end of the film when a few moments of understanding suddenly evolved into bonafide feelings for each other. Once again, this was a case of an uptight, responsible woman needing to loosen up on the rules, and the effortlessly cool but flaky dad with a heart of gold that needs to learn some semblance of responsible parenting and sacrificing for others. I’ve seen it before, and One Fine Day doesn’t bring anything new to those existing tropes.

The truth is, I had a hard time getting invested in the characters. The kids were cute enough, but I wasn’t sure why Melanie and Jack didn’t just take them back to school after missing the boat. Surely there were kids not going on the field trip, surely there was a class for said kids to be in. Then again, if they did that, there would have been no movie, correct? Logic and rational thinking are not always a requirement for a romantic comedy.

I didn’t hate this movie, but I didn’t love it either. It was a decent time waster and a fluffy enough movie to put on in the background while you’re busy doing other stuff. If you watch it for nothing else, watch it for George Clooney’s natural charisma. Even with a lacking script, he makes it look effortless.

Author: Romona Comet

"I'm probably watching a rom-com right now."


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Tag Archives: motherhood

Captured #midnighthaiku

Beauty beyond age Serenity beyond grief A delicate touch Medieval mastery Capturing a mother’s heart * The wall painting here can be found at the little church of All Saints in Burton Dasset… a place I visited with friends some … Continue reading

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Shared #midnighthaiku

Universal love Generation of spirit Sharing a heartbeat *

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The long night

The seasons turn as we approach the turning point, the Solstice…  the longest night… just three short weeks away.  And yet, the sky is beautiful this morning, a clear, deep blue graced with the lights of heaven. The world is … Continue reading

Posted in Christmas, Dogs, England, Goddess, Landscape, Life, Love and Laughter, Photography, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

For some reason, the image moved me to tears. The ninety-four year old monarch standing, black-clad, alone and in silent respect, beside the tomb of a man buried six years before her birth on the centenary of his committal to … Continue reading

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Around the flames

The year turns towards winter, pulling first a blanket of leaves and mist over its face before veiling itself in frost and snow. It is a time when many traditions remember the dead, the past or the holy. On a … Continue reading

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The Spinner

She sits and spins, A tapestry of wonders taking shape and life Between her vision and her words. Her mind a world away From errant children setting out To carry the spark of life To a new dawning. And yet, … Continue reading

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The walking dead…

We had been engaged in one of those long existential debates, discussing life, death and the possibilities of what might come before and after. The debate had gone on for some time, discussion had gone deep and we had covered … Continue reading

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Terms of Endearment

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Flowers… Life Lines

  There were flowers. Orchids pinned upon a mother’s breast, All lace and diamonds. Long black gloves And painted lips, As she left, laughing. A child who watched As the door closed. * There were flowers… Yellow tulips, Cellophane and … Continue reading

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The only holiday catalog you’ll ever need. PLUS: the WINNER! #humor #Christmas ~ Barb Taub

Reblogged from Barb Taub, where her gorgeous dog, Peri announces the winner of a copy of my Ani’s Doggerel….and Barb launches her own unique take on the Christmas catalogue… My dog Peri wants to announce the winner of her friend … Continue reading

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When and where to use RPA, business rules engines, or APIs in payer automation priorities.

No matter your payer automation priority, there is a solution to meet the need. Knowing that one technology can’t fit all, we break down the value and appropriate choice of robotic process automation (RPA), application programming interfaces (API), and business rules engines depending on the use case.

What Forces are Pushing Automation for Health Plans?

Everything from the pandemic and job losses pushing more members into Medicaid and ACA plans to competition by commercial plans, coupled with increased regulation and consumer expectations, are driving the need for more automation and greater efficiency in health plan operations.

Efficiency gains and operational process accuracy will free both budget and resources to focus on building towards growth and business objectives.

Aligning the Right Automation Solution with Two Payer Priorities – Claims Processing & Provider Credentialing

Automation solutions should be aligned to the right business problems health plans face. Advancements in automation have everyone excited about possibilities, however if an organization tries to solve too many problems with one technology, the outcome isn’t always as expected. It’s key to understanding the technology options available and which are appropriate to address each type of challenge or need.

When is robotic process automation the best choice for automating payer operations?

  • RPA is best for high-volume, highly manual and repetitive processes. It is best to think of these solutions as a digital worker capable of working 24/7 without making any errors.
  • Payer processes like claim audits and provider credentialing are particularly good candidates for an RPA solution:
    • Claim audits: Typically involves five to six repetitive steps, including creating a sample, checking the incoming claims file for data consistency, logging into multiple systems to check for data, and compiling the results.
    • This process is tremendously manual and prone to errors in most health plans.
    • Regulatory checks make those errors costly.
    • Mandatory provider credentialing: Also entails a high-volume and highly repetitive process, requiring confirmation across several data sources.
  • SDLC Partners’ RPA solution for provider credentialing was able to reduce verification cost by more than 30% and significantly improved the accuracy of claims audit resulting in better quality. Read Case Study

When is a business rules engine the best choice for automating payer operations?

  • Business rules engines are a viable option for payers to upgrade complex business processes when they are manual or processed through legacy systems that are causing inefficiencies.
  • Strong candidates for building a configurable business rules engine are Medicaid and Medicare enrollment processes that involve complex state business rules when enrolling or disenrolling members.
  • Think of the business rules engine as a filter in front of the payer’s legacy systems that handles all complexities of business rules and error handling
  • SDLC Partners’ business rule engines have been able to modularize and effectively filter out more than 90% of errors in-state enrollments files before passing it on to the legacy systems. Read Case Study

“Identifying and Quantifying High-Value, Quick-Win RPA Projects”

Includes free offer to submit 5 use cases for Feasibility Scoring.

Download Guidebook

When is an API the best choice for automating payer operations?

  • CMS has been pushing interoperability and FHIR APIs for payer and provider interfaces for few years now. They specifically mandated patient access APIs and provider directory APIs in 2020.
  • While the CMS requirements and recommendations might not seem overarching, yet, health plans should proactively develop an API strategy that addresses all possible interfaces, including manual and partially-manual data exchanges.
  • As you formulate your API strategy, consider these steps as you build your roadmap:
    • Perform data and process assessments to identify all payer/provider interactions across all business processes
    • Create a detailed data dictionary and master data inventory of all payer-provider interactions
    • Complete a paper-based mapping exercise, illustrating your master data inventory and existing FHIR resources
    • Identify all manual and partially-manual data transfer points across systems where APIs could streamline

Automation Traps to Avoid

  • Automating a poor or ad hoc process will derail your automation success quickly. Work with process engineers to assess and streamline a more perfect process before automating.
  • Deploy RPA bots after any major system upgrade. Bots may need to be reconfigured if there are changes to login or user interfaces.
  • Be sure to participate in user acceptance testing and not just accept third-party results. Because the process was conducted manually, previously, those same employees should validate that the automation solution provides the right level of performance.
  • Address automation security to create the right controls for bot access and data exchanges.

How can we help you realize your health plan’s automation goals?

Our Intelligent Automation and Healthcare Services teams collaborate to ensure that the best healthcare automation solution is suggested to meet your unique technology, business, and operational needs.

Shrey Sekhar
Shrey Sekhar
Delivery Executive

Shrey Sekhar is a management consultant executive with over 15 years of experience, particularly deep healthcare in government markets, care management, pharmacy benefits, and member enrollment. He has a proven record of driving the delivery of multiple projects within timeline and budget. Shrey is a subject matter expert in healthcare strategy, project management, risk management, translating customer needs/market trends into technical requirements, and successfully releasing solutions across the entire engagement lifecycle in challenging environments.

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Tips to Reduce Risk of Arthritis

August 15, 2016

You may think arthritis is just a part of life that you must endure as you get older. And while there’s no magic bullet that will prevent painful arthritis, you can take steps to reduce your risk and/or delay its...

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Phytotherapeutic properties of the Caesalpinia genus present in the Caatinga biome

  • Kaline Soares da Silva Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido
  • Fernanda Granja da Silva Oliveira Universidade Federal do Vale de São Francisco
  • Paulo Henrique Oliveira de Miranda Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
  • Eduarda Santos de Santana Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
  • Zion Nascimento de Souza Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
  • Luciclaudio Cassimiro Amorim Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
  • Ricardo Sérgio da Silva Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

Medicinals plants, Phytoterapics, Caesalpinia Genus

The society enjoys a lot of medicinal plants due to their easy access and due to the effectiveness of their use. Currently, the popular use of these plants has been awakening the pharmaco-chemical study of their properties. Brazil with its great biodiversity worldwide, has an endemic biome, the Caatinga has a great diversity of plants with medicinal properties. The present work aimed to unite plants of the Caesalpinia genus with medicinal properties, through a literature review. The research was carried out on the electronic databases Google Scholar, Pubmed and Scielo using the following descriptors: “Plantas Medicinais”, “medicinal plants”, “gênero Caesalpinia”, “Caesalpinia genus”, “fitoterápicos”, “herbal medicines”, “Caatinga”. In total, 142 articles were found, of which 44 were included, with the characteristics of being plants with medicinal properties of the Caesalpinia genus in the Caatinga biome. After surveying the works found, it was possible to identify the following species, Caesalpinia pyramidalis Tul, Caesalpinia Ferrea Mart. Caesalpinia bracteosaTul, found in the Caatinga biome. Each studied species had characteristics, having in common some anti-inflammatory properties, are studied by some researchers and are effective in their popular use.

Como Citar

Silva, K. S. da ., Oliveira, F. G. da S. ., Miranda, P. H. O. de ., Santana, E. S. de ., Souza, Z. N. de ., Amorim, L. C. ., & Silva, R. S. da . (2021). Phytotherapeutic properties of the Caesalpinia genus present in the Caatinga biome. Scientific Electronic Archives, 14(6).


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Rise of the Wolf

ebook Mark of the Thief Series, Book 2 · Mark of the Thief

By Jennifer A. Nielsen

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Nic may have escaped enslavement in the mines outside of Rome, but his troubles are far from over. The Praetor War — the battle to destroy Rome from within — is in full force, and Nic is caught in the crossfire. The secretive Praetors are determined to unlock a powerful amulet — one sure to bring the empire to its knees. Worse, the Praetors believe Nic holds the key to finding this amulet, and they will stop at nothing to steal it, even if that means harming the people Nic holds most dear. When the Praetors capture Nic's mother, Nic knows he must do anything to save her. He challenges the Praetors to a chariot race. If he wins, they will release his mother. But if he loses, he must hand over a magic that will certainly bring about the end of Rome as well as his own life. Can Nic once again harness his magic and gather the strength to defeat his enemies? Or will he lose his mother and bear witness to Rome's destruction?

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Rise of the Wolf


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Potato Growing Bag

For an convenient and easy way to grow potatoes on your patio look no further than our Potato Growing Bags. These durable black/grey bags hold 8 litres of compost and the black and grey colouring prevents light reaching the developing potato tubers for healthy…  More Info

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Celebrating historic roots, State Street endorses cloud for business

The investment bank has a private cloud; now it's evaluating offerings in the public cloud for business aims: new technology to improve customer services.

For financial services executive Lou Maiuri, the cloud is an outlet in which to plug new technologies -- and gain...

new business. The reason: It offers a lot of power at a relatively low price.

"There's a cost play; there's a scale play," Maiuri said. "Innovation is another one."

His company is indeed innovating, experimenting with avant-garde tech like artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing. But it's no startup -- it's Boston investment bank State Street Corp. And it's been in business for 225 years.

Maiuri, executive vice president and global head of State Street's research and trading, and data analytics divisions, was one of a handful of execs at an anniversary event in Boston on Wednesday. His sights are cast firmly on the company's future. In an interview, he discussed how cloud computing is the right fit for technology initiatives such as machine learning, the algorithmic engine behind AI.

For such endeavors, "you truly want to grab a lot of data and do tons of high-computational analysis with it," Maiuri said. "To build a physical plant to do that doesn't make sense."

Looking way, way back

State Street CEO Joseph "Jay" Hooley sought to give some perspective on the bank's long history to the dozen or so members of the media. The U.S. Mint was founded the same year, 1792. So was the U.S. Stock Exchange.

"And my favorite of all 1792 trivia: Who was president in 1792?" Hooley asked.

"Washington," answered a man in the circle formed around Hooley. That is, of course, George Washington, the first president of the United States.

It was a disorienting bit of history considering State Street's recent exploration of avant-garde technology, including blockchain, the underpinning of digital currency bitcoin.

The gathering seemed designed to juxtapose the company's sepia-toned past with its state-of-the-art present. It was at Legal Harborside restaurant in the gleaming Seaport District, home to lots of tech companies, including newly relocated General Electric. And it overlooked Boston Harbor -- just behind a pier peeked the masts of tall ships, which sailed into port last week.

State Street's logo? A post-colonial-era clipper.

Boston Harbor tall ships
Masts of tall ships crowded Boston Harbor near Legal Harborside, in the Seaport District, where State Street held a 225th-anniversary gathering on Wednesday.

Eying public cloud for business

State Street's roots may be in the 18th century, but the economics and technology it's espousing are becoming hallmarks of the 21st. Companies today are undergoing digital transformation, a shift to digital technologies as well as a wholescale remodeling of business. And cloud computing is widely recognized as having the power and scale to help companies capitalize on those new tools.

State Street built its own private cloud infrastructure several years ago and is now evaluating public cloud providers such as Microsoft, Google, IBM and Oracle to fuel new tech initiatives, part of a huge digital push.

[For AI and other data-centric endeavors,] you truly want to grab a lot of data and do tons of high-computational analysis with it. To build a physical plant to do that doesn't make sense.
Lou Maiuriexecutive vice president for securities and investment services divisions, State Street Corp.

By plugging into the public cloud for business, State Street can have access to enormous computing, storage and networking power and can dial it up or down according to business demand, Maiuri said. And for projects drawing on vast pools of data from an array of sources, "you just need a lot of horsepower."

The bank is harnessing that horsepower to do new things. For example, it's piloting a new mobile app called Pharos, which uses a machine learning algorithm to ingest information -- news articles, earnings reports and such -- and then makes connections to an investor's portfolio, indicating how it might be affected by updates.

Developing the app was "cheap and fast," Maiuri said. It was first built on Amazon Web Services and then brought back in-house to State Street's private cloud, where the data is cordoned off. This is important, Maiuri explained, because the app will be sifting through highly sensitive information.

"We want to be careful. We're bringing client portfolio data -- these are hedge funds that are very secretive about their position," Maiuri said. "So there's a lot of reasons for it."

Custodian of data

Security is also why State Street's evaluations of cloud providers are so involved and time-consuming, Maiuri said. (He hopes to wrap up and choose one by the end of the summer).

The problem is, as custodian of clients' data, State Street takes on liability, so it needs to be beyond certain a provider cybersecurity defenses are ironclad -- but that's not simple.

"They'll tell you, 'Listen, you should use our infrastructure. It's more secure.' And you say, 'Well, why is it more secure?' Of course, they can't tell you because they'll give away their secret," he said.

Vendors will offer a line meant to comfort jittery nerves, Maiuri said. Google, for instance, will point to its sea of computers in its data centers, none of which are marked, so if someone breaks in with the aim of stealing data, there's no way to know what is what. They also talk about their breach detection capabilities and encryption, but tech talk doesn't always get through to business ears.

He has to explain to customers "why doing this is a way that's going to protect your data and be secure," Maiuri said. "We act as fiduciary. We have a certain duty to protect their interests. So how do you make those claims when you don't exactly know how the provider does it?"

Next Steps

Your cloud strategy needs better metrics

Case study: CIO ties cloud metrics to business outcomes

CTO defends public cloud to his mentors

Dig Deeper on Cloud computing for business


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Tribute to Sir Fred Albert Phillips

Tribute to Sir Fred Albert Phillips

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by R. T. Luke V. Browne
March 4, 2011

Sir Fredâs achievements could hardly be traced to his precise origin. Could he be the little black boy from rural Brighton in St. Vincent and the Grenadines? You mean a âlittle black boyâ went to the prestigious Grammar School to learn? A âcountry boyâ was at ease in colonial city? A âsmall-islanderâ was Cabinet Secretary in the Federal Government of the West Indies? Was he really the Governor of St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla during Associated Statehood? The man who wrote so many important books and helped set up UWIâs campus, complete with law faculty, at Cave Hill?

Sir Fred was black and unmasked but never trapped within his skin. He stood barely above five feet but nothing was out of his reach. Or out of our reach, he insisted. He even outlived the end of his age. It was good enough to witness Mandela walk to freedom. By 2008 it wasnât bad to be black, even in a white world.

What about federation? He conquered that too in the mind; and there it all begins. He gave us the laws and set the example, having âcontrived to live a regional rather than an insular existenceâ. We shall finish the work, Sir Fred. You kept the minutes and became our teacher. We shall build according to your designs which knew too well the destructive force of natural and political hurricanes.

Rest in peace, dear prophet. We now know that the soils of Antigua and Barbuda are no different from the soil of Brighton, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. You are our federalist. You have come from rich Caribbean soil and have returned to fertilize that soil after planting the seeds of thought. These are magic seeds. To secure integration is to touch the sky and capture our pot of gold.

The Citizen reflected on his lifeâs journey that required him to walk 16 miles daily for primary school education, and then bike to secondary school before, as a regional worker, he peddled the air by plane. Life evolved and he moved with the times: from message-in-a-bottle to e-mail. The Citizen asked: âWhat contribution have I made towards the welfare of my fellowman in general and my family in particular on my way through life?â He didnât carry the region and leave his family. Sir Fred also asked: have I done enough for those less fortunate than myself? Justice, not just the Judiciary, was ever on his mind. So death is not a penalty. It is Sir Fredâs reward. Today, we mark the elevation our beloved Methodist QC to the glorious Upper Bar.

He has achieved and seen. His work continues. He is at rest. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

– St. Vincent and the Grenadines: [email protected]


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(CBS) – Don Diamont is back on Young And The Restless this Thursday as Dollar Bill Spencer. CBS‘ Matt Weiss spoke to Diamont about his return to Genoa City and reuniting with all of his former castmates.

MW: Hey Don, nice to see you today! Young And The Restless back with a new episode this Thursday, how does it feel to return to the show but as this different character?

READ MORE: Eviction Moratorium Update: With CDC Extension Unlikely, What Will Happen To Renters?

DD: [laughs] I was certainly taken aback initially when I was told about it. Overall, just a really great joy for me to have an opportunity to work with some of my former castmates, Peter Bergman, Tracey Bregman. We spent so many years together, they’re such dear friends. It was really a thrill for me to have that opportunity.

MW: The fans know you very well of course but what can they expect to see from you in this new capacity?

DD: They will see Bill Spencer in all of his alpha male peacocking glory. He will really want to make his mark, knock everybody a bit off balance in Genoa City. I think the audience is going to get a big kick out of it.

MW: You mentioned reuniting with all your former castmates. How great was that to see all of them again?

DD: It was the best. We work across the hall from each other so periodically we see each other but that’s nothing like actually getting back on set and working with them again. It was thrilling. Certainly, nothing that I ever expected.

MW: Was it tough at any point? Did they slip up and call you the wrong name by accident.

DD: [laughs] No, no. Everybody was very professional and very focused on the task at hand. No slipups.

READ MORE: Fourth Stimulus Check: Is Another Relief Payment Coming?

Matt: Very nice. Bill is doing his best to win back Katie in this new episode. What lies ahead for that couple?

DD: He’s just begging and pleading. I don’t know actually really what the outcome is going to be yet. He is doing his best to win her back.

MW: This season was filmed a different way than the majority of seasons you’ve done in the past with the protocols and probably not knowing if you’re going to get to on set on a  certain day. Can you talk about that experience and what was that like for you who’s done this for so long and now it’s so different?

DD: We work under very high paced, very fast paced and a high-pressure circumstance normally. Add all the COVID protocol and it’s very intense. It’s very intense, even more challenging. Just when you thought it couldn’t be more challenging, it is. Most importantly we are back to work and we’re getting it done. Kudos to all involved.

MW: For all the fans excited to see you, can you just sum up in maybe three words what they can expect from seeing you back on Young And The Restless?

DD: Lots. Of. Fun.

MW: Perfect, I love it. Thank you, Don so much. Awesome talking to you and all the best!

DD: Nice talking to you, thank you!

MORE NEWS: Fourth Stimulus Check: Will There Be Another Relief Payment?

Check your local listings for more information on Young And Restless.


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Bogota Blouse

439,60 kr 1.099 kr
Second Female blouse made in an elegant, structured mix quality. The blouse has classic collar stand and front placket with button opening. It has a gathering detail at front to create the perfect loose fit and at shoulder for voluminous sleeves. It has elasticated cuff and curved hemline. We recommend that you choose the size that fits your bust measurements based on our size guide, even though this style has a slightly loose fit.

  • Structured quality
  • Loose, but not oversized fit
  • Voluminous sleeve
  • Curved hemline

Currently you can enjoy free shipping on your order.

Your order will be delivered Monday to Friday. Orders submitted on weekdays before 3 pm will usually be processed and dispatched on the same day. Orders submitted over a weekend or Danish public holiday will be processed on the next working day.

We cannot offer delivery on a special day or time as all orders are processed chronologically.

When you shop on you will not be charged any Custom fees. We will pay any potential custom expenses in relation to your order.

For further information regarding delivery prices and times, please see under Delivery in the footer menu

We hope you will be pleased with your purchase. If this is not the case, you are welcome to return the item/items to us, which you would like to have refunded.

As a customer, you have 14 days right of cancellation when you shop with us. Your right of cancellation applies from the day the order is received by either you or another person at the address. If you have ordered delivery to a ParcelShop, the right of cancellation period will begin from the day the order is delivered to the relevant ParcelShop.

  • Please note that all returns must be sent directly to our address:
    Just Female & Second Female
    c/o Prime Cargo Norge A/S
    Torvuttaket 26
    N-1540 Vestby

  • Please note that we do not accept parcels sent COD.

  • Please note that we do not pick up shipments sent to a Parcel Shop or Post Office. Returns must be sent directly to our address.

If you would like to exchange an item for another one, you must return the item and submit a new order on our website.

  • 65% Polyester
  • 35% Polyamide
  • Hand wash
  • Bleach - Do not bleach
  • Tumble Dry - Do not tumble dry
  • Ironing - Low
  • Dryclean - Any Solvent Except Trichloroethylene
  • Wash inside out with similar colours
  • Iron into shape when damp

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We can help you apply for Texas SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, & Medicaid benefits

Applying for SNAP and Medicaid is easy! Speak with one our certified Community Assistance Navigators and we’ll walk you through the entire application process. We’re available to answer any questions you may have regarding Texas state benefits. We can also provide information about using the Texas Lone Star Card.

Complete the form below if you would like to be contacted to begin your SNAP or Medicaid application. Please indicate your preferred language in the comments.

If you prefer to access the online SNAP or Medicaid application without assistance, you can do so here: www.yourtexasbenefits.com

Question - Not Required - Your Local Food Bank

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1/6 Exo Suit Exo Skeleton Armor Suit Test 01

by  SoldierStory
Product Description
This item is a posable action figure.   Click here for sizing chart.

This 1/6-scale soldier wears an exo-suit/exo-skeleton, taking it for a test run on the battlefield! Elaborate accessories and weapons make this ultra-realistic figure something you'll be proud to own and show off. Order yours today!

  • Life-like test pilot head sculpt
  • 1/6-scale action figure body (S 2.5)
  • Upper leg sleeve (x1 pair)
  • Bare feet (x1 pair)

  • Multicam black combat shirt
  • Multicam black combat pants
  • Multicam black blast pelvic protector (BPP)
  • Black T-shirt
  • White inner vest
  • Tactical boots (sewn) (x1 pair)

Exo-Skeleton Armor Suit:

  • Helmet with headset and boom mic, with x4 LED helmet head light-up feature
  • Magnetic detachable goggles (with LED light-up feature)
  • Communication backpack (with LED light-up/TEST-01 UF light illumination feature and battery box)
  • Exo-skeleton armor suit system (with TEST-01 UV light illumination feature)

Tactical Gear:

  • Exo-skeleton weapon hand (x1 pair)
  • Exo-skeleton fist hand (x1 pair)
  • Manta strobe light
  • Rotatable G17 holster
  • Rotatable double 5.56 magazine holder
  • Rotatable weapon catch
  • Carabiners (x2)
  • Light stick (red) (x2)
  • Folding handcuffs (x2)
  • Sidewinder hands-free light
  • Double 40mm grenade pouch
  • Tactical wrist pouch
  • 401 GPS

  • MK15 SCAR 5.56 assault rifle
  • PMAG 5.56 magazine (x3)
  • G23 3X magnifier
  • EXP2 holographic weapon sight (x2)
  • M3X tactical illuminator
  • DBAL laser pointer
  • Dual button remote switch
  • Weapon light with remote switch
  • Grip pod foregrip
  • MK13 EGLM grenade launcher
  • M433 40mm HEDP (x2)
  • Two-tone G17 9mm pistol (skull printed grip)
  • 17rd 9mm magazine (x3)

Figure Stand:

  • Exo-skeleton armor suit exclusive figure stand

Requires three AG13 button-cell batteries, not included.

Assembly Guide
Date Released:
Package Size/Weight:
Not Yet Known

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League of Legends Snowdown Skins for Jinx, Poppy, and Draven Look Mighty Cheerful

Snowdown is just around the corner for League of Legends, promising yet another seasonal event packed with festivities and beautiful gifts under the tree.

Riot Games has revealed three new skins for the special occasion and they are all themed around Christmas. In comparison, we have seen several snow and winter themed skins in the past. The offerings for this year, though, are equally impressive.

The first is Ambitious Elf Jinx who is armed with a bazooka that fires gifts and a toy train that functions as a gatling gun. There is also Snow Fawn Poppy, dressed in an adorable outfit and wielding a mighty bell hammer. Santa Draven is the third and final skin, chucking icy axes with a festive beard.

This will be the fifth skin for Jinx and seventh for both Poppy and Draven. All three will be priced at 1350 RP each and are currently available on the Public Beta Environment (PBE) for testing. They are scheduled to release with Patch 7.24 early next month.

Riot Games will likely reveal more Snowdown content in the coming weeks. The new login theme can be seen below, while we are still awaiting the eventual announcement for exclusive Hextech Chests for crafting during the event.

Last year, League of Legends received a new game mode called Legend of the Poro King. In addition, the Winter Summoner’s Rift returned for the community after a hiatus of five years. Santa Braum, Snow Day Graves, and Winter Wonder Karma were the new skins then. The Legacy Vault was opened up for past skins, and players could access mystery gifts.

has halted regime changes, curbed demonic invasions, and averted at least one cosmic omnicide; all from the confines of his gaming chair.


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The quality of the web hosting service that you will receive for your websites depends not only on the features which a particular plan comes with, but also on the hardware your web applications run on. Increased CPU speeds, for example, indicate that the processes running on the hosting server will be performed quicker, while more physical memory (RAM) means that more processes can run together. The grade of the hardware could also influence the general performance and dependability of the server. Since the hosting service today features not only file storage, but also databases, e-mails, logs, etc, more processing power is required to run all of the system processes and to make sure that they function properly and with no lag. If the hardware is not powerful enough, the result will be sluggish sites or even service timeouts as the machine will not be able to deal with all requests to the sites hosted on it.
24-core servers, hardware in Shared Web Hosting
In case you obtain a shared web hosting account from our company, you will be able to reap the benefits of a very powerful setup which will provide amazing performance of any web application which you decide to host on our end. We've employed a revolutionary cloud platform where each and every aspect of the hosting service is managed by an individual cluster of servers. Each machine which is part of any of the clusters contains 64 GB RAM which will enable you to run many different apps, while the speed of your sites shall be guaranteed by powerful 24-core processors and solid-state drives. Every cluster can be extended by attaching additional machines for even more substantial power, which means that there isn't any upper limit for the system resources which our clients could use at any given time. Unlike many competitors, we don't run everything on just a single machine and we do not save on the hardware at the expense of effectiveness.
24-core servers, hardware in Semi-dedicated Hosting
If you buy a semi-dedicated hosting account from our company, it will be generated on an advanced cloud Internet hosting platform which employs brand new and amazingly powerful hosting servers. 24-core processors plus 64 GB RAM will ensure that all your Internet sites will operate fast and with no service interruptions. The overall system resources that we have at our disposal are virtually endless since we use a cloud platform where every single part of the service is taken care of by an entire cluster of servers. If we need extra power, we just attach more machines where they are required and if we want additional disk space for files or databases, we put more solid-state drives. The SSDs which all of our servers use will enhance the speed and stability of your websites even more.
24-core servers, hardware in VPS Web Hosting
In case you acquire a virtual private server from our firm, it will be generated on a powerful machine, so all the system resources which are listed in the plan characteristics on our website shall be guaranteed all of the time. Every single physical server is equipped with multiple processors with a total of 24 cores and 64 gigabytes RAM. Due to the fact that our VPS plans are scalable, we make sure that in case all clients on the server opt to upgrade, there'll be ample system resources, so you can use what you've paid for at all times. What is more, all the physical servers include solid-state drives that are considerably quicker when compared with the classic HDDs, so your websites will perform at their top speed. The server configuration is among the basic reasons behind our service level guarantees as we never make any kind of compromise regarding the hardware and you will always get the very best possible web hosting service.
24-core servers, hardware in Dedicated Servers Hosting
The dedicated servers that we offer have several hardware setups so as to give you a choice to get the ideal one in terms of the system resources you need and the funds you have, but all of them are really powerful and will give you outstanding performance for any kind of Internet site. Depending on what you wish to run, you can use up to 12 CPU cores with over 24 GHz processing speed along with as much as 16 GB of physical memory entirely for your web apps. All parts that we use for the servers are tested carefully both before and after the server is assembled to make sure that there's no faulty hardware. In case any kind of issue occurs nonetheless, the support crew that is available 24/7 in our US datacenter can easily change any part and recover the adequate functioning of your server in no more than a few minutes.


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The WHOIS information of a domain is a collection of a number of details that are publicly accessed using special lookup sites or a command line. The protocol which makes this possible bears the same name and you could easily see the company where an Internet domain has been registered, the creation, expiration and last update dates together with the names, postal and e-mail address of the people listed as Registrant (owner), Administrative, Technical and Billing contacts for a specific domain. All this information should be valid and up-to-date constantly; otherwise the Internet domain registration could be challenged. The latter is a policy of ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), so you must always ensure that the WHOIS details of your domain addresses are valid. Updating the WHOIS for several country-code TLDs is limited, so whenever you register a completely new domain address, it is best to double-check the information that you're submitting.
Full WHOIS Management in Shared Web Hosting
By using a shared web hosting package from us, you'll be able to handle the WHOIS info of all Internet domain names registered here through the same Hepsia Control Panel where you will manage your hosting space. The Internet domain names will be conveniently listed in alphabetical order and you'll be able to see the WHOIS info for each of them with only a single click. You are able to change any part of the Registrant, Administrative, Technical and Billing contacts as much as the respective Registries allow it. We'll assist you with the country-code extensions which allow updates. The automatic updates can be made from the Control Panel. The generic extensions may be modified anytime and as frequently as you need. Hepsia will even enable you to change numerous Internet domain names all at once, which will save you a lot of time and efforts.
Full WHOIS Management in Semi-dedicated Hosting
When you register or transfer a domain name to our company and you have got a semi-dedicated server package, you will be able to view and update the domain address WHOIS info without any difficulty through the same Hepsia CP in which you will manage the hosting space. It takes literally just a click to see what information a domain address is currently registered with. With two more you'll be able to edit any part of the WHOIS details and if you want to do a mass update, you can actually select a number of Internet domains due to the fact that Hepsia permits you to handle domain names in bulk. You simply won't have to go through your domain addresses separately if you wish to change the email address for all of them, as an illustration. If you own a domain name which supports WHOIS updates, though not automatic ones, you could contact us and we can walk you through the task and aid you until the change takes effect. That is needed for a few country-code extensions only, as the generic ones don't have any restrictions regarding WHOIS updates and you may edit anything and at any moment through your Control Panel.


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When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review, courtesy of Books, Reviews, Etc:

Dancing on Dewdrops

Dancing on Dewdrops:  Rustic Poems, Prayers and Elegant Short Stories

That Provide Inspiration and Strength

by Mark John Terranova

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 978-1478747185

Experience the Exuberant Journey of Dancing on Dewdrops Dancing on Dewdrops is an entrancing collection of poems, prayers, and short stories that capture the utter joy of youth, wrestle with the inherent elements of change, and offer strength and solace-all while celebrating life across several generations. The rustic poetry, prayers, humor and short stories for children that teach values will appeal to all ages. Dancing on Dewdrops provides inspiration and comfort, delivering lasting imagery and leaving an indelible imprint on the heart and human spirit.

This is a lovely book of poetry, prayers and short stories. Some of the stories bring about the emotions of joy, sadness, hope and some are humorous. It’s not just for people that love poetry but anyone that needs a moment of peace. A moment to reflect. A moment to really think about the different poems and short stories. It is a heart warming book that you can read one poem at a time or read several in an evening. When you’re feeling a little down, take the book off the shelf and find a poem or short story to bring you some comfort and hope. This is also good for children. It has some life value lessons. Take the time to stop and think about each one as you read it. It’s a lot of food for thought. You may find yourself thinking of what you’ve read long after you’ve read it.

I would give this book 4 STARS.

reviewed by Gayle of Books, Reviews, Etc  ]

Here’s what another reviewer is saying:

There are two sections to this book, the first is a collection of short poems and the second a set of short stories. I found the poems nice and the short stories great, the poems cover many topics, but most refer to a boy growing up where there were open spaces to play in.

The short stories are in two categories, the first relate youthful experiences of the author when he and his brother went fishing with their father. His father worked six and seven days a week and spent nearly all his extra money indulging his hobby of saltwater fishing. The stories are not about bringing back a major catch, the topics are epic failures when what can go wrong did go wrong. Especially when inexperienced children are taken on fishing trips. The stories are amusing as often what goes wrong is far funnier than events that go right.

The second set of stories are two nature stories written for children. The first is about a community of panda bears in China and how they came together to select a new leader. In this selection process, the current leader Wise Bear is being challenged by Strong Bear. Their names indicate which characteristic is most dominant in each of the candidates. Each of them is issued a challenge and their solution strategies are a lesson in wisdom over strength.

The second story for children is about the community of butterflies in a time of drought. With very little water available one of the butterflies forms an alliance with a dragonfly in order to locate one of the few wells that has not dried up. Accessing the well is not easy, for it is in the middle of an open field surrounded by trees containing a large flock of birds that like to eat butterflies. Only through cooperative efforts between the swarms of butterflies and dragonflies can the problem be solved. This is a lesson in the value of cooperative behavior, not only between the members of a family but also between disparate groups that share a common purpose.

While the poems are good, the last two stories are excellent tales for children. Assigning human characteristics to animals always has a strong appeal to children and this book is worth purchasing just for that feature.

– Goodreads Reviewer Charles

saturday self-published book review

Thanks for reading!  Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space every Saturday!

Self Publishing Advisor

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Authored by Sooky McFadden, Gaithersburg CARES Hub Coordinator

After I became a Christian, figuring out God’s purpose for me became an obsession. I am a “do-er” by nature and wanted the list of things I needed to do to fulfill His plan for my life. I was incessantly praying for God to reveal what I was supposed to be doing with my life. It got to the point where I prayed, quite specifically, for Him to send me an email with my purpose in the subject line—just so there would not be any misunderstanding. No surprise that I never did get that email. I figured that my next strategy would be to pray more generally—asking that the Creator of the universe, who apparently doesn’t like to send emails, just use my skills and abilities to further His kingdom.

Over and over I prayed, trying to find clarity. Again and again, I felt frustrated by the lack of it.

The one thing I did manage to do, however, was exercise spiritually. At some point in my journey, I decided to treat my spiritual development much like I treated my exercise routine. I started doing aerobics YEARS ago—back in the 80’s as a young student—I had a step (remember those step aerobic classes?) that I brought to a class, dyna-bands with handles to use during the workout, and tons of video cassettes in case I missed a class. Eventually, exercise became a habit and part of my life. On days I didn’t feel like it, the habit usually won out and I always felt better after.

So when I didn’t want to read the Bible anymore, when I started making excuses to not go to bible study, and when I got out of the habit of praying on a regular basis, I knew it was not good for me. But how to force myself to do something I knew was good for me, but didn’t, in that moment, WANT to do? Well that is the definition of exercise for many of us, isn’t it?

I intentionally incorporated God’s word, prayer, etc. into my life routine so it became like my exercise habit.

Fast forward to my epic quest to find purpose. When I got frustrated with a lack of direction, I started the spiritual exercise of doing things I knew would help: I tried community service; I sought new volunteer opportunities outside my comfort zone; I got involved at Seneca Creek organizing events; I sat through training sessions at various organizations only to volunteer once and never go back; I started packing bags at Germantown HELP and scarily committed to doing it one Sunday a month (this was when my kids had crazy sports schedules and the thought of adding in one more thing sent me over the edge).

To be honest, while I do see God’s hand in where I am today as the Gburg CARES Hub coordinator, I still don’t have the crystal clear clarity on what my purpose is.

But tomorrow, I will wake up at 6am to do my morning walk and then head over to 13 Firstfield for another crazy day packing bags of food.

And hopefully I will stick to my habits and remember to say a prayer in the car and read a bible quote on social media.


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About Senior Scholars at Queens

What is Senior Scholars? When & how did Senior Scholars start?

Founded in 1973, Senior Scholars is an organization for seniors and retirees where members meet weekly to hear prominent speakers on a variety of interesting topics. Don’t let the Scholars title scare you. An academic degree is not required, only your interest in learning.

Senior Scholars welcomes retirees to a new learning experience! In Charlotte, senior citizens are known for their vitality, love of learning and desire to give back to their community. This is an organization that offers welcoming fellowship and wonderful opportunities to broaden your intellectual perspective and improve your understanding of international, national, and local issues and subjects of interest.

The views expressed by presenters at Senior Scholars meetings or functions are not necessarily those of Senior Scholars nor our Board of Directors.

Our History: Senior Scholars at Queens from 1972-2020

December 1972, a group of seniors and scholars began an educational venture to launch a program for seniors. With the cooperation of the Urban Studies and Community Service, AARP, the University of NC at Charlotte, and the Charlotte Senior Forum, a format began to form.

On July 5th 1973, a historic meeting was set up launching the tradition of Tuesday mornings spent in learning and fellowship. A permanent advisory committee had been formed with the first successful programs held in the Stultz Building at Queens College.

Support from the then 11 institutes of higher learning in the Charlotte area was enlisted to provide speakers.

The ever-popular Great Decisions series were first held in Myers Park Baptist Church and Dilworth United Methodist Church in 1976.

Now began the relocation of Senior Scholars from Queens to Myers Park Baptist Church. The first social event was held November 30,1976 in Shalom Hall at Myers Park with many more such events to follow.

Wildacres Retreat was planned and discussed for four years before finally taking place in 1980. Every year since, this has been a well-planned and well attended event.

2010 was a year of great change for the organization with attendance exceeding the space at Myers Park Cornwell Center. A committee was formed to explore other possible venues. Queens University graciously offered a meeting place at their new Queens Sport Complex and with a memorandum of understanding, senior scholars were able to continue its stellar programs on a weekly basis.

Growing even more, another move was necessary to accommodate the growing numbers.

Providence United Methodist Church contracted to host Senior Scholars every Friday morning. 2020 membership has surpassed 900 with weekly attendance ranging from 350 to 425.