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Summer’s over – and LabourStart gets busy again

It’s not been much of summer here in London, but then again, it never is.

Here’s how we’ve spent the last 3 weeks:

We launched one in support of port workers in Gdansk, together with Solidarnosc and the ITF. As today, it has 7,045 supporters and appears in 14 languages, including Polish.

We also launched a new campaign in support of striking workers at the National Gallery in London, together with PSI and the PCS union in Britain. After just a week, the campaign has 6,140 supporters and appears in 9 languages.

We closed down the China campaign, launched in June. It had 10,373 supporters. The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions told us that the campaign helped “to spread out the message and to draw attention to the imprisoned labour activists” and “although we did not hear any feedback from the Chinese government, there is one [piece of] legislation which was mentioned in this statement restricting the operation and international connection of NGOs in mainland was postponed.”

After closing the recent Hungary campaign, we receive this from the union: “Tamás Járási, president of MCDSz, thanks all those who supported this campaign. The company was upset by it, and told workers it was not a ‘true’ campaign but ‘only a spam driven from London’, and apparently complained to the Dutch ambassador about it. The union judged the campaign to be a success, and said it strengthened morale among the workers. Meanwhile, the struggle continues.”

We have been asked for help by a union in Congo and have passed this on to UNI, who are looking into it.

We’ve agreed to help BWI with a campaign in the Gulf region later this month.

An Iran solidarity group is keen to have us help with a particular prisoner; we’ve raised this with friends at Amnesty International.  It is not clear which GUF could be called upon to support this particular prisoner.

We had a request for a campaign from the Colombia Solidarity Campaign, but have not heard anything back from them after we asked some questions.

We also had a request for a campaign from Zimbabwe that stalled, and we await answers.

Mailing lists

We’ve improved the layout of mailings to our English list to give readers the chance to sign up to campaigns they missed, to donate to LabourStart, and more.

There was an attempt to add over 100 fake addresses to one of our lists, but we spotted it and spent some time dealing with the problem. We’ll need to tighten up security on our campaigns form to prevent this happening in future.

We’ve resumed our partnership with unionized bookshop with a low-key publicity campaign for a ‘book of the month’. This has led to a bit of an overhaul of our state news pages, with the country news pages coming next. (See the US states to see what I mean, for example Kentucky.)

Our Global Labour Movements book is currently being translated into Burmese (by the ILO office in Burma), into Portuguese (by Euan, our correspondent in Brazil) and Canadian (well, a Canadian edition) by Derek. The book is already available in English and French.

Our events module wasn’t working on some pages (e.g., Canada, Portuguese) but is now, having been fixed.

Talks & other publicity

I have been invited to speak about LabourStart campaigns to UNISON Waltham Forest, in North London.

I will also be interviewed by an Italian-language magazine based in Luxemburg, about LabourStart, thanks to Silvana.

Andy has done the translation so that our next Android app will appear in French – in addition to the versions we have in English, Norwegian and Esperanto.

Global Solidarity Conference 2016

We’re still planning on this happening next spring in Toronto, and are waiting to confirm a final date.

A lot of work was done by myself and others to prepare for next week’s Strategic Retreat in Brussels. More here when the Retreat is over.

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We live in one of the most unique places on the planet. Get outside!

Tundra swan migration on Blue Lake | Looking southeast toward Town Of Shelby

If you’re not exploring the outdoors in La Crosse County, you’re missing out. Our area is called the Driftless Area because it was missed by the great glaciers that covered this land millions of years ago, so it is an ancient landscape. Nowhere else on earth can you find deep carved river valleys, lush green islands, forested hillsides, miles of trout streams, prairies, wetlands, ice age plants, and amazing limestone bluffs and caves just like this. Every city, town and village in La Crosse County has its own unique landscapes and waterways. Go see them.

City of La Crosse

City of Onalaska

Town of Onalaska

Village of Holmen

Town of Holland

Village of West Salem

Town of Campbell

Town of Shelby


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Jordan Harvey High Fives Academy Players At PC 180717 IMG

The challenge of overseeing a sports team in the time of COVID-19 is a daunting task. You're accountable for 25-30 players of varying ages, in numerous locations, and with different needs. None of which you can have face-to-face contact with, let alone train in person.

Now make that 100 players. All different ages and in different locations as well. Also, they’re kids.

That’s the task of the LAFC Academy in this moment.

But taking a cue from the first team, LAFC Academy Director Todd Saldaña and his staff have found ways to keep everyone together even when they’re apart.

Using the video conferencing technology at their disposal, Saldaña and the coaches have stayed in close contact with players that range in age groups from under-12 to under-17. They’ve put together group workout programs and kept the players engaged.

Last week, they reached out to LAFC defender Jordan Harvey. The SoCal native agreed to a digital, interactive Q&A with the entire Academy, sharing insights from his 15-year career in MLS.

"He’s had a very successful, long career. And I want to make sure the boys understand that is no easy feat,” Saldaña said at the start of the video call. "To be able to get there is one thing. But to be able stay there is another. Jordan has worked very hard. He’s got talent but he also combined that with his work. I think to have this long of a career, he has the type of qualities that all of you guys would want to have.”

Over the course of an hour, Harvey took various questions directly from LAFC Academy players. He gave insight into his personal journey to MLS and advice to the young players. The full Q&A is below:

Who is the hardest player to defend in practice and why?

Jordan: I like this question and the most obvious answer is Carlos [Vela] for obvious reasons. For me as an outside back, I always had difficulty dealing with left-footed players coming inside. And I think fullbacks, you understand that, a player with the opposite foot coming inside and creating space that way. Carlos is probably the best player at that in the league. And I think worldwide, he’d be in the ranks as well. Going against him every day in practice is awesome and it helps me prepare for games. Definitely, I’ve gotten better at that aspect of my game defensive.

But a not so obvious answer is Adrien Perez. He hasn’t gotten a lot of minutes, so you might not know him that well. But he’s gotten into games and he’s really does as good as anybody in this preseason and leading into the season. He’s had some injuries. But he’s somebody that each and every practice, he’s giving 100 percent. And that’s something I want to get across to you guys. We had some [LAFC] Academy guys in training with us in preseason and that is something that is very evident. And I hope that trickles down to the rest of the Academy. It’s no surprise that they got their opportunity with the first team because each and every play, they were giving absolutely everything. And you might think that guys on our team only train and they don’t play that much but if you come and see our training session, each player is pushing the other. Adrien is one of the best at that as a No. 9, as a forward, at tracking down defenders. As a defender, it’s the worst when you always have a forward that is running at you endlessly after each and every play. It definitely wears on you. I guarantee you, each and every practice if we’re playing 11-a-side or anything where he’s up top, he’s going to nick one and score a goal. Adrien is probably my MVP in training every day.

What was the hardest game you ever played in your career? And why?

Jordan: There’s been some difficult games physically, where you’re playing in Dallas or Houston in the summer or New York. I played in Philly a couple of years and summer is gruesome. So, physically, it has to be a game in Dallas. It’s 100 degrees and a 1pm game. Physically, it would be something like that.

But all in all, mentally with preparation and everything, it would have to be, and I hope you guys watched this one, it would have to be the Galaxy game, the playoff game. All the Galaxy games have their own level of intensity and pressure. But this last one - thankfully we won - this playoff game, just the buildup and the pressure that was mounting. It was a playoff game. It was the biggest game that we’ve played against the Galaxy. And to just get that monkey off our back, that was one of the biggest games in my career given the magnitude of it – going against our rival at home, needing that monkey off our back. With the pressure and the buildup, that would be our hardest game. And thankfully, we succeeded in that.

What kind of work have you done on your own to become a professional?

Jordan: This kind of goes back to what I was talking to about each and every day giving everything you have. Whether that be focus, physically or mentally. On the field, working each and every day has to be a given. And like I said, the Academy guys that came in showed that. I hope everybody sees that. If you watch our training sessions, each and every day the coaches are pushing us to our limits. I’m not the fastest, the strongest, the tallest, but the thing that I pride myself on is being consistent and reliable. And that comes from holding myself accountable each and every day. I do my part to either maintain my levels or make them better, whether that be in the weight room or watching video. After each game, I watch the tape, I watch the game and I watch my touches, and I dissect those. After training, if I see something that I did or I’ll note it during training if it’s something I want to go back on and see if I did the right or the wrong thing. Trying to study and be a student. Listen to your coaches. Treat your craft and your job like it’s your profession.

You guys are in the Academy, you can do the same thing. You can watch video, I’m sure your coaches can get you videos of games. I always had my mom videotape my games growing up. Which is funny enough, but I’d watch those. Holding yourself accountable is definitely the key to that. That also trickles over to off the field. I think a major thing that doesn’t get highlighted enough is bonding with your teammates, creating a professional atmosphere. And it’s not always patting your teammates on the back. It’s getting the most out of them but doing it in the right way. And engaging them. Different teammates respond to different things. As a leader, you have to engage your teammates. That makes your whole atmosphere a little bit more professional. And you said professional player, becoming a professional player doesn’t just mean your team and playing on the field, it means engaging with fans in the right way. And trying to join in with the community and doing things off the field that if you become a professional are things you should like to do and really give you that connection with the fans. I think that is something with this LAFC culture, that was created before Day 1, before this team was brought in. That culture has brought the players in and really made it a family and brought the passion to the stadium each and every day.

How do you keep your focus with thousands of people watching your every move on the field?

Jordan: First off, you got to get that out of your head right away. As a defender, a lot of people worry about getting embarrassed, getting beat. Getting nutmegged and stuff like that. That’s going to happen. It’s going to happen so don’t put that in your head. I’ve had it happen to me numerous occasions. If you’re defending, if you are active and playing, you’re going to feel like something is going to go wrong each and every game. It’s how you respond to that. It’s connecting the next pass. For me each and every game, I try to connect that first pass. Whether it be simple or difficult, I try to connect that first pass and it gets my head in the game and doesn’t get me focused in anything other than the game.

I know with the younger generation, or even like basketball, I always watch these things where somebody crosses someone up and they fall over. And that’s all you see. But you don’t see the defensive play that guy has put in each and every day, you just see the highlight. And that’s something that is tough. Listen it’s going to happen, laugh it off and just worry about the next play.

What has been the toughest challenge you’ve overcome in your professional career?

Jordan: Thankfully, knock on wood, I haven’t had any difficult injuries that have kept me out for an extended period of time. But growing up, it was not making teams. Getting cut. Whether it be through the Olympic Development Program or being a part of a group and your friends make the team and you don’t. Having to deal with that mentally and trying to stay positive. As you get older and you move forward, you have a difficult time staying positive, in college or the pros, if you’re not playing. You have a difficult time staying positive, staying uplifting to your teammates who are playing. Dealing with that has probably been the most difficult thing.

Even today, you have to reinforce it for me. If I don’t get the nod from the manager, you have to get back in your head and stay positive. Focus on the right things. For me, it’s just controlling what you can and not worrying about the things you can’t control. Whether that be the manager picking someone over you, you can’t control that, but you can work on your game and try to be ready for the next opportunity. For me, it’s always been availability. I’ve always been ready regardless of the situation. So, if I’m not playing, I’ve always prided myself on being available. The best ability is availability. If I’m not in, that’s been the hardest thing in my career is dealing with not playing. But I’m ready and if I do get that opportunity to play then I’ll take it.

When things aren’t going right for you and the team on the pitch, what do you do?

Jordan: This goes back to different things that you overcome. If things aren’t going well for me. I focus on the next play, whether that be getting stuck in on a tackle or connecting a pass. Just doing something positive. And as far as the team goes, each game is different. If you feel the team is not up for and they need some sort of spark, try to be that spark. Whether it’s making a hard run for or just doing something that impacts the game. And with your teammates, it’s also about encouraging.

After we give up goals, it’s always difficult. Everyone has this blame game and it’s always easy to be like this guy messed up or it’s his fault that the ball went in. That blame game needs to stop, it needs to be more about encouraging or figuring out the problem. I’ve always said that if somebody is yelling things, we need to figure this out instead of just screaming. That’s not helpful. So, when things aren’t going well, it’s just about coming together.

I think we do a really good job of that. I think it starts with our captain’s demeanor. Carlos is never going to flail his arms, get frustrated, or give someone attitude. He’s always level-headed. Having somebody like that, everybody looks to that. That’s the standard. With each of your Academy teams, there are leaders. That leader has to lead the right way. Be leading by encouragement and constructive criticism. Talk to players the right way. You’re going to have tough times and I would focus on that.

What was your mindset when you were going to make your professional debut?

Jordan: I remember it like it was yesterday. And I’m sure you guys will if you’re fortunate enough to make your professional debut. It’s one of the most special days of my career. I was playing for Colorado against D.C. United. We won 2-0. The thing I remember initially is just the amount of nerves that I had. It was the most nerve-wracking thing I’ve ever been a part of. Walking out for national anthems, just butterflies and everything. But also, a level of excitement. My parents flew out. I felt like I was ready, which is a huge thing. I felt like I was ready for the debut and I deserved the opportunity.

My first year I wasn’t ready. My second year I wasn’t ready. It wasn’t until mid to late in my second year that I thought I was ready to get the opportunity to play. That was the best feeling I’ve had up until that point in my career. Thankfully, I was playing against an old teammate, Santino Quaranta. I was playing left back, he was playing right midfield. I knew him really, which was great. I played with him all growing up with youth national teams. I was confident in that and I drew for that confidence. Had a decent game and we kept a clean sheet and won. So, that was a great debut.

How were you able to balance soccer and school at the highest level?

Jordan: Growing up, it was easy. My parents didn’t push me to do it, but I took it upon myself to do my schoolwork. And I knew, if I didn’t do my schoolwork then I wasn’t playing. That was the motivation right there. Looking back on my career now, I wish I took school more seriously. I. regret that part. And I hope you’re taking that from this.

I know all of you guys want to be professional athletes and you want to play for LAFC, but at the end of the day, you have to have your education. Going into college, I can’t say I was a great student. But I graduated with a sociology degree. I left school a little bit early to play professionally but I did finish. It took me about six years to finish after I left college. But I did get that degree. It’s difficult to do it at the highest level because the game is so demanding but it’s a necessity. You have to make time and you need to make it a priority. Because like I said, I’m going into the next chapter of my career and it’s not playing soccer.

You need that education to go further. You want to play professionally but your professional career isn’t going to last. I’m 15 years now and I’m towards the end of it. That’s a long career. But you have to be ready for the backend of it. I know you want to focus on the now and be ready to play professionally but also think about after soccer. And there’s going be an after soccer. That needs to be a reality and you need your education.

What is the most important life lesson that you learned while playing soccer professionally?

Jordan: That’s a good question. I’ve learned a lot. And I’m still learning. I think that’s one of the things that you can take from this. You’re never too old to learn, to continue learning new things. I think I said it early, it’s worrying about things in my control and not worry about things that I can’t control. So often, you want everything to be perfect and it’s not going to be. You have this career mapped out and there’s going to be bumps in the road. You just have to be ready for those and willing to adapt. If you hold yourself to a higher standard on and off the field, you’ll be ready for that.

To be completely honest, throughout my life, I’ve had moments where I’ve had bad attitudes. I’ve had to get out of that mindset. There are probably some players in the Academy that if you’re not playing and it’s not going your way, you have a bad attitude. But I’m telling you right now, it’s not the right way to go about things. You need to focus on trying to stay positive. I was there. Early on in my college career, I wasn’t playing. And I was coming off playing with the U20 youth national team but I wasn’t playing on my college team. Which is crazy for me to think about. I had to swallow some pride there. I had to really focus on being positive and worrying about the things that I have in my control and just keep working.

That’s something that I continue to practice each and every day. Honestly, there’s so much you learn throughout your professional career. Whether it’s on the soccer field, experiencing things, different plays, and nuances of the game. But I think your attitude and how you approach each day needs to be positive and you’ll have success, whether it be on the field or in relationships with your teammates.

If you were to give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?

Jordan: Be appreciative. Todd [Saldaña] said it at the beginning of this. Be appreciative of the people that are helping you. Trainers, coaches, everybody on the staff, your parents, say thank you and be nice to them. They’re the ones that are helping you and giving you these opportunities. I would just say, be appreciative of them each and every day and that will help you in the future. It will give you more opportunities.

In the long run, your reputation goes a long way. Being a good person really goes a long way. And that’s what I would preach to my younger self. Whether it’s the equipment manager or it’s the manager, treat each person the same. That really goes a long way within the group. Say thank you every once in a while.

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News for Page Lake Powell Arizona

Lake Powell Life News

 Breaking News

National Guard Completes Over 1,000 Covid-19 Missions

National Guard Completes Over 1,000 Covid-19 Missions
May 22
13:58 2020

For Immediate Release May 19, 2020
Press Release
Arizona National Guard Crosses 1,000 Mission Complete in COVID-19 Response

PHOENIX – Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen of the Arizona National Guard continue to support our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic by surging logistical capacity to gap an assortment of needs since activation on March 19.

As the state phases in opening measures for businesses and services, our Guard continues to haul goods across the state, fill boxes with food and provide a variety of aide measures to Navajo Nation.

“It is imperative that we serve Arizona by partnering with local stakeholders in our cities and towns already in engaged in the fight and finding creative solutions to enhance their capabilities,” said Maj. Gen. Michael T. McGuire, Arizona’s Adjutant General. “Together we are making this a whole-of-community response to defeat COVID-19.”

Since our activation more than eight weeks ago:

1. More than 1,000 Guard members have served on the mission since March

2. At the time of this release, we have conducted more than 1,015 logistic missions.

These missions include:
– Supporting State foodbanks by receiving goods, building packages, loading cars, delivering food, and recently transporting goods from neighboring states.
– Assisting grocery stores by augmenting the transportation of foods directly from their warehouses and distribution centers and restocking shelves.
– Delivering critically needed Personal Protective Equipment across the state to gap shortages for those on the front line of the pandemic
– Transporting more than 60,000 yards of medical-grade fabric to our community partners to produce critically needed surgical gowns to Arizona healthcare professionals.
– More than 167,000 miles driven across the Great State of Arizona.
– More than 79,000 hours worked on-site at locations statewide.

3. Assisted State and Federal agencies with the creation of alternate care sites in Phoenix and the Navajo Nation.

National Guard Completes Over 1,000 Covid-19 Missions - overview

Summary: National Guard Completes Over 1,000 Covid-19 Missions

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Posted on

What I Didn’t Know Then

Last week, I got an email from a fellow in Germany. He complimented me on my work, and asked, “Imagine you had a time machine and could meet the younger version of yourself. What would the number one advice be, in regards to art?”

My wife and I were making dinner at the time and I read the email to her off my phone. While Shonna is not an artist, she’s been on this ride with me since the beginning, and she knows what I know when it comes to this business.

We took turns rattling things off and within minutes came up with twenty or thirty different nuggets of truth and I wrote them all down on a scrap of paper.

Experience will always be the best teacher. If you’re an amateur artist looking for wisdom, you’ve got to earn it. But here is a small sampling from that list, some of the things I’ve learned so far.

1) Don’t work for exposure. When is the last time you saw an image, a logo, a website, design or anything creative and then thought, “I’m going to find that person and hire them.”

That’s what this type of client is promising. They want something for nothing and anybody they refer you to will want the same. I have worked for exposure more than once. I never will again.

2) Don’t work for spec. Spec work is often disguised as a contest, a call for entries or an audition piece. It often means a company asks many people to submit designs and the winner gets prizes or prize money. The company then owns whatever the winner created and gets it at a fraction of a cost they would have had to pay a professional. The company usually owns everything else submitted to the contest as well.

Spec work is for suckers. Work disguised as a contest is for suckers. I have been that sucker, more than once, and it feels dirty.

3) Don’t try to be everything to everybody. Don’t follow trends. Don’t copy someone else’s success. It just won’t work. Unless you have the exact same background as that person, started from the same place, with the same opportunities, jumped the same hurdles, had the same skills, influences, inspirations, environment, training, experiences, talent or luck, you will not duplicate another person’s success. You can still BE a success, but it’ll be YOUR success, not a poor copy. By trying to mimic another artist or ride his coattails, you are depriving yourself of discovering your own niche or voice.

Learn from everybody. Copy nobody.

4) Figure out the difference between trolls, constructive criticism and just plain bad advice. There will always be those who tell you that you’re doing it wrong. Some of them will be competitors who are threatened by you or other artists that are just plain jealous. The view has always been clearest from the cheap seats. People that never try will criticize those who do. Social media often seems to be based entirely on that premise.

Some people are genuinely supportive, want to help you, want to see you succeed and have nothing but the best of intentions. If they aren’t in your business, however, don’t know what’s involved, haven’t got more experience than you, or just don’t know what your goals are, you need to find a way to smile and say, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Good people with good intentions can still give bad advice.

5) Do what you love for a living and you’ll never work a day in your life.

That is one large steaming pile of manure.

Turning your art into a business may ruin everything you love about art. You can live a satisfying creative life without ever making it your livelihood.

I’ve been self-employed full-time for over a decade now. I haven’t been a struggling artist for many years and I’m making a good living at it. The mortgage gets paid; we’re not living in debt, and have never borrowed money from our parents. And while I take nothing for granted, I haven’t had to worry about getting a real job for years.

But every day I draw something I don’t want to. Sometimes I spend my whole week drawing things I don’t want to. This is not a complaint. This was a choice. I still make my own schedule. I get to go for my hikes in the afternoon, grab some time to take photos at the zoo and myriad other activities and diversions I wouldn’t get to enjoy if I had to report to a desk during specific hours assigned by somebody else. And I’m still drawing every day, which means I’m getting better at it every day.

I work longer hours for myself than I ever did for anybody else, very early mornings, evenings, weekends, statutory holidays and have done so for twenty years. I don’t know how to live any other way now. Art for a living is hard work.

You must invoice, keep your books and accounting in order, pay your taxes first and yourself last. You need a website, social media, keep up on industry news and advances. You need to contact clients, sell whatever you produce, figure out what works, what doesn’t, read articles, read books, make phone calls. When an invoice isn’t paid, you have to track it down. When equipment breaks down, you have to pay to fix it, when your internet crashes; you have to call your provider. There is no I.T. department, no human resources, and often no immediate help in a crisis. You must make time for training and improving your skills. I could write a thousand more words without once mentioning creating anything.

All of this is time away from doing the actual work you need to do in order to get paid. I’m writing this post, I’m not getting paid. That’s OK. This sort of thing has become a small part of my brand and I enjoy writing. It is good practice, too, and a little payment forward.

Honestly, I didn’t think much about whether or not I should turn my love of drawing and painting into a business, I just ended up doing it. But we never had kids and my wife told me in no uncertain terms that she could not support us both. Not in Canmore, Alberta where the paradise tax is high. The minute I couldn’t pay my half of the bills, I had to get a job, an ultimatum to which I agreed.

This business was part-time for ten years before it was full-time. Had I tried to do it too early, I might not be doing it today. Most of the things I thought I wanted, I’m glad I didn’t get, like a full-time job with a daily newspaper, which would have meant being laid off by now. Timing matters and that leap of faith is frightening, because you have to burn a lot of security when you jump. While it was pretty tight those first couple of years, I have no regrets and can’t imagine doing anything else.

As for the best advice I would give my younger self if I had the opportunity?

He did just fine without it.


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Tag: roof shingles

Facts That You Should Know Before Hiring The Roofing Contractors

You can increase the equity in your home, and make it more valuable to buyers and more extravagant, by installing a new roof. roofing company offers various services such as roof installation, roof repair, roof evaluation, the replacement of the roof, the removal of ice dams, repair vinyl siding, windows, gutters, infrared moisture detection and preventive maintenance plan.

If you switch to a good company the roof, you will keep your roof is in great condition for years to come. Because your roof is a major investment for you, you just have to hire a reliable roofing company for the job. You can find roofers in ajax via

So how do you know if you need to replace your roof? Leakage is a clue that your roof is in trouble. Age and circumstances of shingles you will let you know whether replacement or repair in accordance with the roof.

When the shingles become obsolete, they warp and curl, and they may have been damaged or missing shingles tab. You should talk to the roof if you are not sure whether you need a new roof or not.

How long the roof lasts depends on many factors such as how much rain, sun, wind, snow, ice, and humidity was viewed. This condition is the age of the roof from time to time. Overflowing gutters can lead to mold, wood rot, and peeling paint.

Inadequate roof insulation and roof ventilation also can age you prematurely. Remember that the new roof will usually have a warranty from the manufacturer.

If you need to repair or replace your roof, you should make an appointment to meet with a roofing specialist. After their inspection, they will provide a written estimate of the cost and probability.

Safety Concerns For a Roofer

One of the biggest concerns for the roofer is safety. Safety is the difference between life and death for the roofer. One of the biggest problems for the roofer is to keep him safe while doing the roof repairs and installations. Roof contractors should teach the basic safety measures to their employees as well as the homeowners where they are going to work.

The importance of safety should be the priority of every roofing company. Roofers should not only obey the proper safety but they should also be concerned with the welfare of the workplace.

Image Source: Google

The roofers should keep the workplace clean and organized. This will result in less danger of tripping. It will also help in identifying all the danger spots and help in repairing them. The most productive work sites are monitored and constantly being cleaned by the crew so that the work just flows better.

All roofers use some kind of ladder. They should be used correctly otherwise they will prove to be the worst enemy of roofers. Do not use a ladder that is damaged. Never trust a homemade ladder.

Electric cables have claimed many deaths of roofers because the metal ladder was set up near electrical wires. Never trust electricity, electricity can travel from one wire to another wire, even on a ladder that is set up a few feet away. Keep always non-conductive ladders in the workplace.

Accidents can happen and professionals know how to handle them. Provide first aid, call on a helpline number, record accident and details of the accident on the accident form.


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Millards Chartered Professional Accountants

“Lansdowne Children’s Centre is a very important part of our community; the Partners and staff from Millards have proudly supported Lansdowne Children’s Centre since 1991. As we celebrate 100 years in our community, we continue to support their mission of supporting children and youth with physical, developmental or communication needs, and their families.” – Simon Salole, Partner, Millards, Brantford Millards has been one of Brantford’s most successful businesses, recently celebrating over 100 years in our community. Lansdowne has been sincerely grateful for its support of Lansdowne Children’s Centre for many years. Millards has been a consistent supporter of all of the Foundation events, often sponsoring, volunteering and participating. Simon Salole and Diane Paxton, both CPAs at Millards, have been instrumental on the Lansdowne Children’s Centre Board of Directors. Laura Madison is joining the Lansdowne Children’s Centre Foundation Board replacing Rob Storoschuk who had served on the board for many years. They have shared their professional expertise and guidance, and have shown personal support for the organization.


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Blowout disappears, but MSU doesn't in win at Notre Dame

Chris Solari
Detroit Free Press
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Michigan State University  senior receiver R.J. Shelton (12) signals for a first down after diving for a catch in the first half of the Spartans game against Notre Dame Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016 in South Bend, Ind.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – By the time Gerald Holmes ran for daylight, Michigan State’s offensive line appeared to have said goodnight to Notre Dame.

Then the 18th-ranked Irish fought back.

After nearly letting a 29-point lead evaporate, it took all of the No. 8 Spartans’ defensive fortitude and offensive execution in critical moments to hang on for a 36-28 victory Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium.

“I thought our guys played very confidently – even, if at the end, I’m not sure if their coach was confident totally,” said MSU coach Mark Dantonio, who won for the first in South Bend since his debut season in 2007. “That big wave was rolling. But we found a way, and our guys kept playing. … I thought we made plays at the end which allowed us to win the game.”

After scoring on three consecutive drives to incite the home crowd and stun the Spartans (2-0), Irish coach Brian Kelly opted to punt with 3:37 to play. It nearly proved to be the right decision, until Tyler O’Connor found a wide-open Donnie Corley for a 28-yard gain on third-and-7 with about 2 minutes to play.

With less than a minute to play, MSU again faced a third-and-3. That’s when R.J. Shelton took a flip pass from O’Connor, appeared stopped for a loss, then broke through contact for 23 yards and a first down so the Spartans could take a knee and exhale.

Couch: MSU sets record straight in bullying Notre Dame

“On that last drive, it really came down to a mindset, I think,” offensive guard Benny McGowan said. “We knew the clock was running down – we wanted to finish the game with the ball. … We all were talking in the huddle, like, ‘We’re getting this first down. We’re finishing this game now.’”

Kelly said the punt – which was preceded by a sack of Kizer by MSU’s Raequan Williams that cost Notre Dame 5 yards – was the smart decision in that situation.

“We still had two timeouts. We had gotten a couple of stops defensively and felt like they certainly were going to run the football,” he said. “We got them into a good third-down situation, and we don't do a very good job on two verticals and give them an easy completion.”

In snapping a three-game losing streak to Notre Dame (1-2), the Spartans dominated the Irish in the trenches for much of the night, especially on the offensive side of the ball. MSU finished with 501 yards of offense and 260 of them on the ground, 100 from Gerald Holmes and 98 from LJ Scott.

O’Connor overcame an early interception while going 19 of 26 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Corley had four catches for 88 yards, while Shelton had eight grabs for 80 yards and a score.

“It was almost so surreal to come in here and play, start in a game, then take a knee in Notre Dame Stadium and just throw up your hands and realize you won,” said senior O’Connor, who now is 3-0 as a starting quarterback with road wins at Ohio State and Notre Dame. “It’s a tremendous feeling.”

Couch: Why 1966 MSU-Notre Dame game stands test of time

The Spartans took a 15-7 lead into halftime. Corley snatched an O’Connor pass out of Notre Dame cornerback Cole Luke’s hands for his first college touchdown, a 39-yard score – one play after a Notre Dame special teams turnover. MSU quickly caught Notre Dame off guard, as holder Matt Macksood threw a 2-point conversion pass to Price.

The Spartans closed the opening half with more of a traditional drive, marching 92 yards in 11 plays and 4 minutes, 43 seconds. Shelton capped it with 23 seconds to go in the quarter by taking a short pass from O’Connor 10 yards, behind blocks from right tackle Kodi Kieler, tight end Price and receiver Felton Davis III.

MSU imposed its will in the third quarter, outscoring the Irish 21-0 to take a seemingly insurmountable lead. Holmes scored on runs of 3 and 73 yards, and LJ Scott added a 9-yard scoring run.

The Spartans’ defense stymied the Irish offense for three quarters, then held on late while Notre Dame QB DeShone Kizer rallied the Irish from a 36-7 third-quarter deficit with three straight scoring drives between the end of that period and the fourth.

First was a 15-yard, toe-tapping touchdown catch by Equanimeous St. Brown to close a quick four-play drive. Then Kizer bulled his way in from 3 yards out. On the next drive, Kizer pump-faked and found tight end Durham Smythe for a 12-yard TD pass that sliced MSU’s lead to 36-28.

Kizer was 20 of 37 for 344 yards, two TDs and an interception for Notre Dame. “He can throw it up there, and he can put it right in there. And that’s what he did,” senior linebacker Riley Bullough said. “The receivers made plays.”

MSU enters Big Ten play next Saturday when it hosts Wisconsin (noon/Big Ten Network). Dantonio said the Spartans know they nearly let the Irish steal one from them by easing off the throttle in the fourth quarter..

But he admitted his players gave him what he wanted the most from them. The win.

“We just finished,” Shelton said. “You go through a lot of things like adversity, but it’s how you respond at the end. It lies on people, it lies on guys to make things happen.”

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Disasters & Accidents

Lava flow devours property on Spanish Canary Island La Palma

Santa Cruz de La Palma, Spain, Sep 20 (EFE).- A volcanic eruption on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma has led to “devastating” scenes as a six-meter high lava flow devoured houses, infrastructure and farmland in its path to the ocean forcing the evacuation of some 5,000 people.

There have been no human casualties, a regional official said Monday.

The eruption occurred at 3.12pm local time on Sunday in the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge area in the south of the island.

Specialists had prepared for the event having monitored thousands of tremors in the region in recent weeks.

Mariano Hernández Zapata, head of the local council, thanked the scientific organizations for having predicted the eruption, which allowed authorities to evacuate some 5,000 people from at-risk areas.

“One hundred percent of the people are safe,” he said, adding that authorities could turn their attention to infrastructure damage and the loss of homes to the lava flow, which is expected to reach the east coast of the island.

La Palma is the most north-westerly of Spain’s Canary Island archipelago.

The eruption spewed a lava and a dark column of pyroclastic ash into the air and magma rose to the surface through eight fissures in the mountainside. The subsequent lava flows are moving at an average of 700 meters per hour, slowly devouring trees, houses and land as it moves down the sparsely populated slopes.

The volcano has emitted between 6,000 to 9,000 tons of sulfur dioxide (SO2) into the atmosphere in the last 24 hours, according to the Canary Island Volcanology Institute (Involcan).

Between 17 to 20 million cubic meters of lava is expected to flow from the eruption point but a secondary eruption is not likely, the regional president of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, told reporters.

The National Geographical Institute and the Involcan since Sept. 11 have been registering thousands of small earthquakes around the Cumbre Vieja, with their foci starting more than 20 kilometers (13 miles) underground, but which were moving steadily toward the surface as magma worked its way upward under huge pressure from below.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez postponed his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to travel to the island and oversee operations.

Since records have been kept – starting with the conquest of the Canaries in the 15th century – La Palma has been the site of seven of the 16 volcanic eruptions the archipelago has experienced.

The Cumbre Vieja is one of the most active volcanic complexes in the Canary Islands, and is the site of two of the last three eruptions registered in the area, the San Juan Volcano in 1949 and the Teneguia Volcano in 1971.

La Palma, like the rest of the Canary Islands, is of volcanic origin, and its estimated age of two million years makes it one of the youngest islands in the archipelago.EFE

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POTD: Fragile Capstone

Fragile Capstone
Death Valley National Park, California

There looked to be some capstone covering parts of the sand dunes in Death Valley. But it consisted of very porous and fragile sandstone and seemed to be quickly disintegrating, becoming  just more loose sand to be blown around by the wind.


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Mother’s Day Spotlight: Dolce For Mom

Dolce - Dolce & Gabbana perfume

Perfect for Mom! Dolce from Dolce & Gabbana embodies the delicate balance between timeless craftsmanship and innovation in the art of perfumed composition.

A lighter version of Dolce, neroli leaves replacing papaya flower at the top. White Amaryllis, Daffodil, Water Lily, Cashmeran, Musky Notes and Sandalwood. Made in the UK.

Price: $83:00 for 1.6 oz

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Comic-Con: Marvel Animation Gives First-Look At Groot, Spider-Man and X-Men Series

Today at Comic-Con in San Diego, enthusiastic fans got a look at what’s coming up from Marvel Studios’ Animation.

Moderator Paul F. Tompkins introduced panelists Brad Winderbaum, Marvel Studios’ head of streaming television and animation; Ryan Meinerding, head of visual development; Bryan Andrews, director of “What If…?” and executive producer of “Marvel Zombies”; AC Bradley, writer and executive producer of “What If…?”; Beau DeMayo, writer and executive producer of “X-Men ’97”; Kirsten Lepore, writer, director and executive producer of “I Am Groot”; and Jeff Trammell, writer and executive producer of “Spider-Man: Freshman Year.”

Check out the upcoming projects:

“I Am Groot” writer/director/executive producer Kirsten Lepore answered questions about the upcoming series and treated the audience to the trailer and new key art. A surprise screening of one of the shorts, “Groot Takes a Bath,” delighted everyone, and applause greeted the announcement of a second collection of shorts.

There’s no guarding the galaxy from this mischievous toddler! So get ready as Baby Groot takes center stage in his very own collection of shorts, exploring his glory days growing up—and getting into trouble—among the stars. “I Am Groot,” five original shorts featuring several new and unusual characters, stars everyone’s favorite little tree, Baby Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel, who voices Groot in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise.

The executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum and James Gunn.

“I Am Groot” launches exclusively on Disney+ August 10, with all five shorts available for viewing.

Jeff Trammell teased the show with the cast of characters, and Ryan Meinerding showed off the new Spider-Man suit designed for the series. A fun reveal was that moderator Paul F. Tompkins will be playing a character in the series. A second season was also announced, aptly titled “Spider-Man: Sophomore Year.”

“Spider-Man: Freshman Year” is an animated series that follows Peter Parker on his way to becoming Spider-Man in the MCU, with a journey unlike we’ve ever seen and a style that celebrates the character’s early comic book roots. Executive producer Jeff Trammel serves as head writer.

“Spider-Man: Freshman Year” comes exclusively to Disney+ in 2024.

Bryan Andrews and AC Bradley talked about the Emmy-nominated series and showed the trailer for Season Two. The audience went wild when, at the end of the presentation, a surprise screening of one episode of the highly anticipated next season was shown, and a third season was announced.

“What If…?” Season 2 continues the journey with The Watcher as our guide through the vast multiverse, introducing brand new and familiar faces throughout the MCU. The animated series questions, revisits, and twists classic Marvel Cinematic moments with an incredible voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their iconic roles. Directed by executive producer Bryan Andrews with executive producer AC Bradley as head writer.

Season two of “What If…?” launches exclusively on Disney+ in early 2023.

 Bryan Andrews offered background on the series and its origins spawning from an episode of “What If…?” Season 1, as well as concept art.

The animated series “Marvel Zombies” from Marvel Studios reimagines the Marvel Universe as a new generation of heroes battle against an ever-spreading zombie scourge. Directed by executive producer Bryan Andrews and written by executive producer Zeb Wells.

“Marvel Zombies” will stream exclusively on Disney+.

“X-MEN ’97

Cheers erupted when Brad Winderbaum spoke fondly of the legacy of “X-Men: The Animated Series” and presented a sizzle reel featuring cast and creatives from the popular ’90s animated show. “X-Men ’97” writer and executive producer Beau DeMayo then spoke about the new series, shared artwork, and presented an animatic AV piece. DeMayo also mentioned that the show will use the original “X-Men” theme music. A second season was also announced.

“X-MEN ’97” is an animated series from Marvel Studios that explores new stories in the iconic ’90s timeline of the original series. Beau DeMayo is executive producer and head writer.

X-Men ’97″” will begin streaming exclusively on Disney+ Fall 2023.

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Jeb Bush increases attacks on Obamacare, pledges replacement

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announces his plan to repeal and replace President Obama's healthcare law, Tuesday at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announces his plan to repeal and replace President Obama’s healthcare law, Tuesday at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.

(Jim Cole / Associated Press)

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is laboring to make inroads with potential Republican voters flocking to Donald Trump and Ben Carson, is intensifying attacks on the Affordable Care Act and making renewed pledges to repeal and replace the 2010 law.

“There’s no way to fix it,” Bush said Tuesday in a speech at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., promising to “get rid of all of Obamacare.”

“You can’t fix something that is a failure from the start,” he said.

Bush’s 10-page replacement plan is now the most detailed alternative being offered by any of the top-tier GOP candidates.

It represents a stark contrast with Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has been campaigning on the health’s law historic expansion of health coverage while proposing new regulations to protect consumers from rising drug prices and runaway medical bills.

Bush’s strong repeal call also represents something of a change for the struggling presidential hopeful, who in the past has expressed skepticism about congressional Republicans’ repeated efforts to roll back the law.

Most Americans want to modify and improve the law, polls show. But repeal remains popular with the GOP base.

Bush’s blueprint, which he is calling “The Conservative Plan for 21st Century Health,” largely hews to mainstream conservative proposals for loosening federal oversight of healthcare.

The former governor promises to lower costs by deregulating the health-insurance industry and freeing health plans from mandates that they cover basic benefits, a key requirement of the health law that President Obama signed five years ago.

Bush’s plan would also create a new system for providing tax breaks to help Americans who don’t get coverage at work, replacing the current law’s subsidies for low- and middle-income Americans.

And he would redesign the 50-year-old Medicaid safety net that now covers some 70 million poor Americans by giving states block grants and letting them redesign their programs.

But the plan, like many alternatives offered by critics of the Affordable Care Act, does not include key details, including how it would be paid for.

Bush’s tax credits and other government assistance would likely cost hundreds of billions of dollars, yet Bush has proposed to scrap the taxes and other revenue that generate hundreds of billions of dollars in the current law.

The only revenue source in Bush’s plan -- a new cap on the tax break for employer-provided coverage -- is similar to a tax in the current law that is under attack by Democrats and Republicans.

Also unclear is the effect of the plan on tens of millions of Americans who depend on government assistance to get health coverage.

Capping Medicaid expenditures and tying assistance to a consumer’s age, as Bush would do, rather than to income, would almost certainly leave many low- and middle-income Americans with fewer protections.

Twitter: @noamlevey


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Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu Bundle to be Available at Launch for $12.99

The Walt Disney Company held their Q3 2019 earnings call today, during which CEO Bob Iger discussed the upcoming launch of Disney+ and shared some exciting news for those planning to subscribe.

(Please note this article contains affiliate links. Your purchase will support LaughingPlace by providing us a small commission, but will not affect your pricing or user experience. Thank you.)

  • Iger announced that users will be able to sign up for a bundle of Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu, upon the launch of the new streaming service, for just $12.99 a month.
  • Hulu, when subscribed to through this bundle, will include ads.
  • The monthly subscription cost of Disney+ on its own was already set at $6.99.
  • Monthly subscriptions to Hulu start at $5.99 while ESPN+ subscriptions start at $4.99.
  • All of this adds up to about a $5 discount per month when subscribing to the bundle as opposed to all three services individually.
  • Iger also shared some news regarding the content that will be found on Disney+.
  • The CEO announced that popular films Home Alone, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Night at the Museum, are expected to be “reimagined” for Disney+.
  • There were no further details shared on exactly what this means or when these “reimagined” films would be available.
  • Additionally, as announced last week, D23 Expo 2019 attendees and D23 members will get an exclusive subscription offer for Disney+ during the expo.
  • To catch up on everything from today’s Q3 2019 earnings call, check out our live blog.

More on Disney+:

  • Disney+ launches on November 12.
  • The service will offer two subscription options:
    • Monthly at $6.99 per month
    • Annually at $69.99
  • Disney+ will be ad free at launch and at this time, Disney does not have plans to introduce ads in the future.
  • Disney+ will feature content from The Walt Disney Company’s massive library including:
    • Disney
    • Pixar
    • Marvel
    • Star Wars
    • National Geographic
    • Disney Channel (Disney Junior)
  • Disney+ will also feature new, original content developed by Disney for Disney+, including:
  • Marvel
  • Star Wars
  • Pixar
  • National Geographic
  • Disney+ will also offer much, much more. To see a full rundown of everything we know so far, check out our recap.


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Pocket Flower Forget Me Not

£5.30 inc VAT

Pretty little forget me not keepsake to remind you of someone you love, or to spur you on through life with an affirmation quote

Made from glass and attached to card with a sticky tab, these keepsakes measure approx 2.5cm x 3cm , the card measures 9cm x 6cm.

The card reads
Always with you

Spreading the pocket heart love with the little glass boutique x


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Broward County Service Areas

Broward County Lawn Mowing Service
When choosing a Broward County Lawn Service professional to come out and service your lawn and landscaping, make sure to hire someone who has extensive knowledge of the types of grass, plants, trees and the pests that attack them. Preventative lawn maintenance, landscaping maintenance and tree trimming will ensure the health and quality of your lawn, plants and tress will last through the seasons. The right amount of fertilizer and water along with frequent lawn cutting and monitoring of pests and fungi is best left to a professional dedicated to doing the job right.

We are an established Broward County Lawn and Landscaping Service with years of experience installing and maintaining lawn and landscapes for many homeowners and commercial properties.

We proudly serve Broward County including:

Davie, FL
Weston, FL
Southwest Ranches, FL
Cooper City, FL
Pembroke Pines, FL
Plantation, FL
Sunrise, FL

Call us today at (954) 368-0687 or fill out the form below for a free lawn care or landscaping service estimate

“I wanted to write to you to tell you how happy I am with your services. I have had other lawn services before but have not been truly satisfied. I find you to be professional and courteous. And best of all I never have to call to say that my lawn needs to be cut, you are always there, right on time. Thank you for doing a great job. My lawn has never looked so good.”


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§ 38-26-10 Short title
§ 38-26-20 Definitions
§ 38-26-30 Insurers to which chapter applies
§ 38-26-40 Conditions warranting supervision; notification
§ 38-26-50 Proceedings, hearings, notices, correspondence, reports and records
§ 38-26-60 Supervision by director or designee; acts prohibited or regulated as to supervised insurer
§ 38-26-70 Contest of supervisor’s action; right of review
§ 38-26-80 Other proceedings not precluded
§ 38-26-90 Meeting of director with supervisor
§ 38-26-100 No liability of Department or director
§ 38-26-110 Power to promulgate regulations

Terms Used In South Carolina Code > Title 38 > Chapter 26 - Administrative Supervision of Insurers Act

  • Appointment: means an individual designated by an official or authorized representative of an authorized insurer to act on its behalf as a producer. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Consent: means agreement to administrative supervision by the insurer. See South Carolina Code 38-26-20
  • Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Department: means the Department of Insurance of South Carolina. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • Director: means the person who is appointed by the Governor upon the advice and consent of the Senate and who is responsible for the operation and management of the department. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
  • Domestic insurer: means an insurer incorporated or organized under the laws of this State. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
  • Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
  • insurance: includes annuities. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
  • Insurer: means a person who has done, purports to do, is going to do, or is licensed to do an insurance business and is or has been subject to the authority of, or to liquidation, rehabilitation, reorganization, supervision, or conservation by the department, or similar entity, of a state. See South Carolina Code 38-26-20
  • Intangible property: Property that has no intrinsic value, but is merely the evidence of value such as stock certificates, bonds, and promissory notes.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • License: means a document issued by the state's director or his designee authorizing a person to act as an insurance producer for the lines of authority specified in the document. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Person: means a corporation, agency, partnership, association, voluntary organization, individual, or another entity, organization, or aggregation of individuals. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
  • Policy: means a contract of insurance. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
  • Premium: means payment given in consideration of a contract of insurance. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Terminate: means the cancellation of the relationship between an insurance producer and the insurer or the termination of a producer's authority to transact insurance. See South Carolina Code 38-1-20
  • Uniform Commercial Code: A set of statutes enacted by the various states to provide consistency among the states' commercial laws. It includes negotiable instruments, sales, stock transfers, trust and warehouse receipts, and bills of lading. Source: OCC


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Class of 2016

On a recent late January visit to the Lewis-Clark State College Activity Center, Jacob Wiley had a chance to take a step back and examine all that has happened to him in a three-year span. During that period, he went from a somewhat unknown basketball player starting his LC career to playing in the NBA.

Jacob Wiley shooting free throw for the Brooklyn Nets

Wiley, who hails from Newport, Wash., near Spokane, was a two-year standout basketball player at LCSC and is the first Warrior athlete to play in the NBA. He saw action in five games with the Brooklyn Nets In November and December last year, but then was sidelined by an injury.

During his recovery, Wiley returned to his Spokane-area home, and he made time to visit LCSC and the Activity Center, where he was honored during halftime of a women’s basketball game.

“You know whenever I come back to this gym it puts things in perspective for me,” Wiley said during a radio interview with KOZE. “Playing two years here in the NAIA and then just about two years later playing in an NBA game, it’s been amazing.

“This gym is special to me. Some of the greatest college memories are in this gym. We won championships in this gym. We only lost one game in my two years here in this gym so it’s really nothing but positive memories. Some of my best friends played in this gym. It is just a very special place to me. It’s very near and dear to my heart.”

Wiley, a 6-foot-8 forward, is nursing plantar fasciitis in one foot and an ankle sprain with the other foot. He’s hoping to be back to 100 percent by the end of February and resume his basketball career.

“My agent is handling a lot of this, but the goal right now is to get healthy and back into the NBA and pick up where I left off,” Wiley said.

Wiley was signed by the Nets last summer and played mostly with the team’s farm club on Long Island. In his time with the Nets, he saw a season-high 21 minutes in a 112-104 loss at Denver. He scored four points and grabbed eight rebounds in the contest.

After his injury, however, the Nets released him.

“There’s NBA interest right now, but coming off an injury, it makes things complicated,” Wiley said. “Nobody wants to bring in someone that is hurt. So they have to make sure I’m healthy and back to 100 percent. And then we can have serious talks.

“But right now my focus is to keep resting and get my foot healthy so when the opportunity comes, I’m ready to go. If they do tests on me, I will be able to pass them with flying colors. If not, if the NBA does not work out, then we can pretty much go anywhere overseas.”

Being patient, however, is the tough part for Wiley. He’s a very driven individual who earned his bachelor’s degree in communications after his junior year at LCSC. In part because he had a newborn daughter and family support in Spokane, and a desire to attend graduate school, he transferred to Eastern Washington for his final year of college eligibility. He had an outstanding year for the Eagles and was named the Big Sky Conference MVP.

“It wasn’t easy when he graduated from here,” LCSC coach Brandon Rinta said. “It dawned on us that his best option for his family really was to go two hours north, but there’s no hard feelings. He did it the right way. He graduated from here. It was an option because he was such a good student. And he’s reaping the benefits of an incredible work ethic right now.”

Wiley led LCSC in scoring both season he played here. He averaged 15 points a game and scored 20-or-more point in 16 games. His 930 career points ranks 12th on the program’s all-time scoring list and his 101 blocked shots ranks second. He also averaged 7.5 rebounds. He was a two-time all-Frontier Conference selection, including MVP his junior year when he was also a first team NAIA All American after being an honorable mention selection during his first season.

Rinta said the January event was great because it gave the basketball program an opportunity to honor Wiley, especially since he never had a Senior Night at LCSC.

“This was an important part of Jake’s life, his two years here,” Rinta said. “This is where he figured out that he has the potential. When he came in the doors here everybody had used the word potential but a couple of months into his first year here, it donned on him just how good he can be and I think that motived him. He is the hardest worker I’ve ever coached.”

Rinta said Wiley was at the weight room when it opened at 5:45 a.m. each day and following a rigorous workout, he would go to the gym and shoot for more than an hour.

“And the workout he would do in the weight room was not the workout you or I would do with the leg extension and the lat pulldown,” Rinta said. “He’s over there, for lack of a better term, killing himself on the racks. By the time I got to school, he would be dripping with sweat from his second workout (shooting).”

Wiley said he keeps in touch with his former LCSC teammates through a group text. He also had some show up at his NBA games in Denver, Portland and Phoenix.

“It’s just surreal,” Wiley said about his basketball career. “It all happened so fast. I never had a chance to step back and look at what’s going on. It was just always pedal to the medal; let’s push it to see how far we can go. And it paid off. You don’t get to look back and see what a jump that was from the NAIA to the NBA. You just go and go and go. Finally, one day you are in an NBA game and you start to ask ‘what’s going on?’

“Obviously the NBA is a different animal from anything else in the world. You are playing against the best in the world. It’s easy to doubt yourself sometimes but in my experience, yeah, just having confidence in yourself and believing that you belong there is half the battle.”

The current downtime has allowed Wiley to spend more time with his wife and 2-year-old daughter. A second child is due this spring.

“Being a father just changed the trajectory of my life,” Wiley said. “It changed the way that I approached basketball. It’s what made me push harder to play professionally because I wanted to provide for my family. Once my daughter was born, it was then ‘OK I need to focus on this basketball thing. Let’s see how far we can go.’ So my daughter for me is just a huge inspiration. In every part of my life she inspires me.”

Rinta said he will always be thankful that he had the opportunity to coach and get to know Wiley.

“He is such a passionate person,” Rinta said. “I’m excited to see not just where his basketball career takes him, but where his professional life takes him when his basketball career is done.”

Update: Since this story, Jacob played with the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Summer League in 2018.


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la vie en gris ? image by Esta from Fotolia.com

Marie Claire magazine states that as you get older, your hair may not only go gray, but it can often become drier and more brittle as well. This may be the result of natural causes, and it can also be exacerbated by heat, chemical or coloring damage. To replenish parched locks and improve the overall appearance of your graying strands, look for products formulated to condition hair, add shine and softness, and keep your color at its best.

Carol’s Daughter Tui Hair Smoothie

If your gray hair looks wiry or frizzy, More magazine suggests smoothing strands and minimizing flyaways with a moisturizing product like Carol’s Daughter Tui Hair Smoothie. This deep conditioner claims it will help to make your hair more manageable and easier to keep under control by nourishing and strengthening strands. It contains fatty acids, and shea and cocoa butters to soften your locks, as well as olive fruit and sunflower seeds to increase your hair’s shine. The product claims to work well with hair that is dry or damaged, and ingredients like guava, mango and passion fruit promise to give your locks a pleasant scent, too. The company notes that this product contains no parabens, petroleum, mineral oil or artificial colors.

Pantene Pro-V Restoratives Time Renewal Shampoo

In an article in Marie Claire magazine, Pantene’s principal scientist, Cheri McMaster, noted that women with healthy hair look both healthier and younger. To restore vitality to dried-out locks, the magazine recommends washing your hair with Pantene Pro-V Restoratives Time Renewal Shampoo. This product contains vitamins and other gentle ingredients to clean and untangle your hair without drying it out. It claims that it will erase up to two years’ worth of damage and leave your hair looking shinier and smoother. The product works to add protection to your strands in addition to softening them, and promises to reduce the friction that can cause future damage and frizz.

Davines Silver Alchemic Conditioner

More magazine says that gray hair can sometimes look brassy, but you can remove those unwanted tones with a deep conditioning treatment like Davines Silver Alchemic Conditioner. This product promises to add luster to graying strands while also moisturizing them. The company notes that brassy tones can occur naturally from exposure to the environment or sunlight, and the conditioner contains added color pigments to restore your color to its best state. It also contains hydrolyzed milk proteins for intense nourishment and protection against split ends and breakage. It works especially well with colored hair, and adds softness and sheen to every strand.


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We have been so far persistent and have been innovative keeping ourselves abreast with the ever evolving digital practices and have contributed in the novel trend in terms of the several advertising needs and demands of the entrepreneurs searching for Led screen rentals in Dubai. The led display rentals in Dubai have been such a new drift as well as the most captivating tool for the ever increasing expectation of the entrepreneurs.

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Let your products earn the center of the stage with our dramatizing lightings and audio and visual services. We are here to combine a blend of breathtaking visuals and everlasting light display to get your consumers attention towards your products and take their viewing experience to the next level
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Legislation Quick Search
08/08/2022 03:38 AM
Pennsylvania General Assembly
Home / Bill and Amendments / Bill Information

Bill Information

Regular Session 2017-2018
Senate Bill 945

Short Title:
An Act amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in registration of vehicles, further providing for contributions to Veterans' Trust Fund.
Prime Sponsor:
Last Action:
Act No. 149
Printer's No.:
Printer's No. Text (H) Amendments (S) Amendments (H) Fiscal Note (S) Fiscal Note Actuarial Note
* denotes current Printer's Number
Statute References :

This bill amends Title 75 (Vehicles). Other bills that also amend the same statute are listed below.


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Seller Guidelines/ Agreement

Seller Drop off DAYS AND TIMES will be emailed to

registered sellers.

All sellers will be required to agree to the following terms in order to sell.  A link will be sent for you to complete this process online.

1. I have read clearly and agree to everything in the seller guidelines.

2. I understand that I am required to comply with the CPSC’s regulations. As a

reseller, I am solely responsible for ensuring products I am selling comply with CPSC

standards. I also attest that I have not included recalled items in the products I am selling.

3. I understand that unless I am donating all of my items at the end of the sale, I must

pick up my items on Sunday – the day after the sale - between 1:00- 2:00pm. At 2:00

SHARP, any items not picked up will immediately be donated to charity (they will be on a

donation truck at 2:01 and cannot be retrieved). NO EXCEPTIONS! I also must bring my

own bins to pick my items up in.

 4. I understand that I am not guaranteed the same number from sale to sale if my

number is not reserved by the date emailed to me by LEHSO (or found on their website),

AND if all seller fees are not paid by the final registration date/time.

5. I understand that the LEHSO Clothing Sale is not responsible for any lost or stolen

 6. I understand that the LEHSO will only communicate their correspondence with me

only via email and or text (and/or on their website). It is my responsibility to make sure they have my

updated email address.

7. I understand that in order to receive my 70/30 split for my sold items I must

volunteer a 2-hour shift in the times communicated to me by the LEHSO Resale Committee.

Failure to volunteer will result in my cut of my profits dropping to a 50/50 split. You only

get one emergency 50/50 split option to not volunteer. Sellers must volunteer.


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Blood donors in Leicester could see their appointments cancelled as the city’s donor centre pitches in with a national treatment trial.

NHS Blood and Transplant is beginning to collect convalescent plasma from people who have recovered from coronavirus to support a national clinical trial.

To free up appointments in donor centres, some blood and platelet donation appointments in Leicester are being cancelled and rescheduled.

Since the outbreak, due to a reduction in routine surgery and non Covid-related care in hospitals, demand for blood donations has dropped off and NHSBT said as a result blood and platelet stocks are above average.

Lower demand means there is enough capacity within the service to change blood and platelet donation appointments into plasma donation appointments.

An NHS Blood and Transplant spokesperson said: “We are still collecting blood and platelet in Leicester so please keep making appointments to donate. Donation saves lives.

“This new trial is part of the national research effort against the coronavirus and we hope people understand if we make any changes to your appointment. If your appointment is cancelled until another day it means we have good blood and platelet stocks, and the appointment time can be used for someone to donate plasma to a seriously ill Covid-19 patient.”

The plasma trial will investigate whether transfusions of antibody rich plasma from people who have recovered could help people who are still unwell.

Plasma will be mainly collected in cities with blood donor centres, like Leicester.

People who have their appointments cancelled will be asked to reschedule at a later date


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A man whose partner was in hospital with their sick baby struck up a relationship with the woman's 14-year-old daughter, before getting her pregnant as well.

The local man, who LeicestershireLive has chosen not to name to protect his victim, was 22 and his partner was 35 when they had a baby. The child had health problems in its infancy.

While the 35-year-old mother was with the baby in hospital, her 14-year-old daughter, from a previous relationship, was at home with the defendant.

One night, he sat with her on the sofa and began a sexual relationship with the girl. The girl, who had not had sex before, fell pregnant.

The teenager decided to keep the baby and kept the whole relationship and the baby’s father’s identity a secret from her mother.

Instead, she claimed it was a boy at school who got her pregnant.

The clandestine relationship continued through the year while the girl was 15 and she got pregnant a second time.

On this occasion, the defendant persuaded her to get an abortion.

Leicester Crown Court heard the illegal sexual relationship began in 2011 and the girl only confessed to her mother what had happened in 2018.

They went to the police and the man was arrested but made no comment throughout two interviews.

He later admitted having sex with the girl on one occasion, but denied the relationship. He eventually pleading guilty to four counts of sexual activity with a child.

The man, who is now 28, appeared by videolink at a sentencing hearing on Monday and wept as prosecutor, Phil Gibbs, summarised what happened.

“The defendant was in a relationship with the complainant’s mother and had a child with the complainant’s mother," Mr Gibbs said. "She was 13 years older than him.

“They had the child in 2011. That relationship was strained, the defendant being younger, he wanted to go out with his friends.

“His partner spent time in the hospital when this child was ill and the defendant became close with her daughter.

“The complainant said one night, as they sat on the sofa together and cuddled, one thing led to another, leading to sex."

Mr Gibbs said that a number of sexual liaisons followed.

“A child resulted from these sexual liaisons and obviously that’s a gross breach of trust, having been in a relationship with the mother of the complainant," he added.

“The complainant found herself in the position where she couldn’t tell her mother and couldn’t reveal who the father was.

“The defendant was not supportive of the pregnancy and she was left to deal with the consequences.”

The prosecutor said that, four weeks after the baby was born, the pair resumed having sex  and she became pregnant again.

Mr Gibbs said: “She became pregnant again when she was 15 and had an abortion – that course of action was encouraged by the defendant.”

Eventually the man’s partner confronted him about her daughter’s child and he pretended he only had sex with the girl once.

Mr Gibbs said: “He said it was a one-off occasion when he was off his face on drugs.”

Robert Underwood, representing the man, said: “He knows he should not have done what he did.

“He recognises there’s no alternative other than an immediate custodial sentence.

“There was no coercion here – it was one thing leading to another and spiralling out of control.”

Judge Ebraham Mooncey jailed the man for six-and-a-half years.

“For your own gratification you entered into a sexual relationship with the daughter of your partner, a girl who was only 14 at the time and you were 22," he said.

“You should have known better yet you continued and even after the birth of the child you still continued and this is clearly unacceptable behaviour.

“You have robbed her of her childhood and now saddled her with a child."

The judge described the situation as being "a complicated tangle of a web in terms of who is who, with you being the father of her sibling and also father of her own child”.


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Is Excellence Enough?

One of the problems that the “social” scientists have historically had is the lack of empirical evidence and data necessary either to support, reject, or modify their theories of human behavior. The July 24th issue of New Scientist contains a story reporting a source of such data – the internet and the world electronic communications net, both of which track large numbers of people and their behavior.

In one on-line tracking experiment involving 14,000 people, dealing with the popularity of music downloads, the researchers investigated the influence of excellence and of “popularity.”  Their results showed, unsurprisingly to me, at least, that recordings that listeners rated as good in terms of quality rarely did poorly and those rated as poor seldom did well.  But… when listeners were able to see how others rated a recording, termed “social influence,” the popularity of some “good” recordings soared, often wildly, and the popularity of “poor” recordings declined even more.  In addition, the researchers concluded that, when social influence is a factor, accidents as much as true quality determined which songs were at the top of the chart… and that herd instinct played a significant factor in amplifying the effect of those accidents.

While no research to date has apparently been published focusing on book sales, this early research on social influence tends to support my own observations – that the bottom-line requirement for success as a writer is to be able to write well.  Beyond that, how popular a writer is depends largely on crowd dynamics and social influence.

Certain writers have been able to create some of that influence through blogs and Twitter, but those who have are [sorry to say, for all their efforts] the beneficiaries of luck and timing as much as anything else, because for every writer who has been able to generate such “social influence” there are scores who’ve gone through the same steps, some offering better “quality” and some offering less, who’ve not been anywhere near as successful.  In short, “wild” success still remains a crap-shoot, but pretty much any sort of success remains dependent on at least competency in writing and story-telling.

What the research doesn’t address to date, and probably never will be able to address, even with the wealth of information on the internet, is how closely reader or listener perceptions of how good something is tracks actual excellence, given the subjectivity involved in assessing such excellence.  I’ve noticed, for example, that there’s a definite difference in reader perceptions of my books, as manifested in reader reviews, between the reviews on the Amazon Canada, the Amazon UK, and the sites.

The other question, given the growing role of “social influence” created by on-line social communities, Twitter, and by reader reviews on sites such as and, is how long excellence, as opposed to being “not terrible,” will even matter.  Certainly, in popular vocal music the overall technical quality of singers is on average far lower than it was sixty years ago, and back then the singers didn’t have the electronic “correction” technologies now available in every recording studio.  Admittedly, the performance spectacle element of pop music concerts and music videos can be awesome, and that’s not surprising, not with the ever-greater emphasis on the visual, but does this mean that manga and anime will continue to elbow out “real” books in bookstores and other book outlets?

Given the factors of excellence, visual appeal, and social influence, I’m getting the feeling that quality [not even excellence] is coming in last in determining what books are published and how well they sell.  But then, excellence has always tended to be last.  It just wasn’t that far back a century ago.

3 thoughts on “Is Excellence Enough?”

  1. Shae says:

    I relate in many ways to the themes, concerns, and the almost-cynacism of this piece. I have seen the trends pointed out with the same sense of concern.
    But I want to underpin these concerns with a subset.
    I honestly beleive, and strongly maintain: in all honesty the internet is the provence of 11-18 year old children (-or that part of all humanity that is roughly that age deep-down-inside. But that is the matter of a slightly seperate an no less important conversation.)

    Humanities youth turn to the internet for one reason; let us state that assumption: Instant Gratification.

    I am astounded constantly at the young age of children joining wrting communities based on the internet. Flabbergasted at the young age of the “board-owners” of these communities -given they are only children themselves, and yet in a position where they may in fact be influencing the learning patterns, proceedures, and ambitions of the next generation of writers.

    The root of this problem is that the new generations of humanities children require instant gratification for any endeavour they undertake -or will go where they can get it. This is why the arts and disciplained crafts suffer, and why freak-popularity becomes more pronounced.

    The internet is a province where forethought, the perseverance to research and genuinely learn, work toward, or further understand anything is at a serious risk. Who is moderating the quality of information? Take wikipedia! It is rife with the gently asserted agendas of those writing. With no real authority, or ability of enforcement to moderate the information our youth are actually learning from. I have the unhappy duty to report that humanities children are using wikipedia in place of the library, or (no less alarming) refering to wikipedia first of all.

    So, in terms of entertainement, it is frightening to see the freak-popularity effect coupled with the pull of the flock. It is alarming to see that quality has very litle standing in the “popular” market.

    But in summary: underpining that same concern is the fact humanities children have the same addiciton and requirement of instant gratification when they turn to the internet to learn, and to display what they in turn have produced. Is it any wonder, when wikipedia has replaced real learning or the craft of understanding, that quality -as opposed to ticking the boxes now- hold the day?

  2. Candacey D. says:

    As a person studying to be a social psychologist, i am sorry to say that yes, excellence and quality take a back seat to popularity. They always have, but today, when not simply your immediate group of peers but a large international group of perceived peers can influence your decisions from their desk, there is even more pressure to belong, fit in, and do what it expected and popular. This does affect books in that the next great book series is not likely to be one that is rich in plot or character development, but one that is appealing to the mass market.
    But there is more than one audience. While the larger group of teenagers, bored housewives, an stressed salary men are not interested in anything more than a quick diversion, there are still many who want a captivating plot and engaging characters. This is your audience an those that want quality and excellence. Avoiding all Twilight(sparkling vampires?) examples, many books and series that have blown up have not been the type to appeal to your audience.

    This holds true for other forms of entertainment. Music on the radio is so generic that you can flip through 10 stations and hear only 3 songs. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing else or that good music will stop being made. It just means, that like everything else worth having, we will have to search for it and support it when we find it. And the truly good music is worth it. No Lady Gaga or Miley Cyrus, or Justin Bieber type will ever really replace the Esperanza Spalding’s, Cecilia Bartoli’s, or Norah Jones’ of the world. Or whatever you consider to be good music. Just remember to keep your eye out for excellence an keep it going.

  3. physician assistant says:

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