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#TIFF17 Wish List

Ryan Gosling in Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049
The Toronto International Film Festival drops its first wave of programming announcements on Tuesday, July 25. The bulk of the Canadian programming gets unveiled fairly late this year (August 9th), but it’s not too early to start listing all the titles one hopes to see at the festival.

The pressure’s on TIFF this year, though. The festival announced earlier this year that it plans to reduce the line-up by 20%. Given that TIFF generally has around 300 titles, that’s about 60 films less than usual.

What films might make a splash in Toronto? Here are some of the titles that Cinemablographer really hopes to see at #TIFF17:

Blade Runner 2049

Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner update just might be the biggest film ever made by a Canadian director. The film matches the $200 million budget of James Cameron’s Titanic, but it arguably brings even higher expectations given the popularity of the original. Fellow Canuck Ryan Gosling headlines the film with Harrison Ford and, after dominating last year’s festival and award season (well, most of it) with La La Land, Gosling couldn’t be hotter right now. It’s a major coup for Villeneuve more than anything, though, since the impressive trailer shows the Incendies and Arrival director working on his biggest scale yet.

Odds: Possibly? All of Villeneuve’s films have played Toronto since Maelstrom save for Polytechnique, but Warner Bros has a lot to risk with unleashing this one early, unless they tap the Venice/Telluride/TIFF trifecta for the full effect.

Long Time Running

Jennifer Baichwal and Nick de Pencier return with this doc about The Tragically Hip’s farewell tour following news that frontman Gordon Downie has terminal brain cancer. This behind the scenes doc highlights the build up to a defining moment in Canadian pop culture, since Downey’s farewell performance was a rare moment in which the nation collectively glued itself to screens for something other than hockey. The Hip is Canada’s best musical act and the bittersweet song swan of their finale deserves a great portrait.

Odds: Safe bet. Long Time Running has a fall release and broadcast date set, so TIFF is the ideal kickoff. There are few major Canadian titles on the radar, and this film by Canada’s top documentary duo more than makes up for a potential lack in CanCon at the fest. Plus, Baichwal is on the board at TIFF and a figure in its new effort to promote women behind the camera, so the omission of this title would be a bit odd politically and a missed opportunity to let Downie walk the red carpet.

Darkest Hour

Joe Wright returns with the Winston Churchill drama darkest hour. I’m a big fan of Wright (cough, cough Atonement and Anna Karenina), but Pan was a spectacular bomb and Winston Churchill isn’t too hot right now with the critically maligned Churchill in theatres. But perhaps Wright and Churchill will both rebound with Darkest Hour, which looks to be a major contender in the Best Actor race for the long overdue Gary Oldman. Oldman is unrecognisable in the early footage of his turn as the British Prime Minister and the physical transformation is just the least of it. It’s also John Hurt’s final film and bound to be a sentimental favourite of the season.

Odds: Good. Distributor Focus Features consistently launches award season hopefuls at TIFF with great success. See: The Theory of Everything, The Danish Girl, Loving, Dallas Buyers Club.

I, Tonya

Break a leg, Margot Robbie! The Suicide Squad star is on the rise to becoming the hottest talent in town and her performance as notorious figure skater-turned assailant-turned pro wrestler Tonya Harding could be a turning point in her career. There’s a great element of novelty to this story about Harding’s foul play act of plotting to oust rival skater Nancy Kerrigan with a tire iron, so it’s the kind of part Robbie could chomp at with relish while showing the dramatic chops she displayed in Z for Zachariah, which didn’t quite find an audience. Early footage of her work looks promising, and I, Tonya could easily be her Monster if all goes well.

Odds: Why not. Seems like the right kind of indie film with broader appeal that TIFF likes. Plus: stars!

Margot Robbie in I, Tonya

La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes

Simon Lavoie, part of the directing duo of last year’s TIFF Canadian winner Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves, is back on solo duty with La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes. (The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches.) This drama about two teens who must fend for themselves after they find their father hanging in his bedroom sounds like a bleak and difficult picture, but I’m interested in seeing whatever Lavoie does next after the exhilarating and ambitious Graves. The source novel by Gaétan Soucy was a sensation in Quebec and won several prizes with critics and fans praising its haunting blend of horror and magical realism.

Odds: Good. Telefilm Canada’s been showcasing it at festival markets and there’s bound to be an interest in keeping Lavoie a TIFF staple after Graves rocked the Platform programme with the most formally audacious love-it-or-hate-it film of the festival.

Robert Redford and Jane Fonda in Our Souls at Night
Courtesy Netflix

Our Souls at Night

Jane Fonda and Robert Redford star in this adaptation of the final novel by late author Kent Haruf. The book is a sweet golden-age romance between two neighbours who connect following the deaths of their partners. It’s a sparse and seasoned read and the two veteran actors couldn’t be a better fit to play Addie and Louis, who struggle to find the right balance between the intimacy they desire and the family obligations they have. Ritesha Batra, director of the TIFF hit The Lunchbox, takes the helm.

Odds: IMDb lists a Venice premiere date, which isn’t entirely reliable since other films have listed festival dates in previous years and failed to play, but the star power makes it a good fit for TIFF, as does the festival’s relationship with Batra. Our Souls at Night also happens to be a Netflix original and TIFF’s Cameron Bailey came out in support of giving a platform to films regardless of where they choose to play after their festival runs after Cannes’ Thierry Fremaux said that films in future competitions will require a theatrical release in France. Our Souls at Night might help position TIFF as a viable launchpad for films exploring non-traditional distribution.

Porcupine Lake

It’s nearly impossible to see one of Ingrid Veninger’s films unless one can catch it at a festival or one-off screening. I won’t make the mistake of being tempted by stars like I was when i am a good person/i am a bad person hit the festival in 2011 or the gaffe of being out of town when her live-score experiment He Hate Pigeons had its solo Toronto screening. The new film from the dreadlocked queen of Toronto indie film tells the stories of young girls and women in cottage country. The film is funded and executive produced by Oscar winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter), who was roused by Veninger’s DIY spirit at the Whistler Film Festival and put her support for female filmmakers into practices with Porcupine Lake.

Odds: What reason would there be for this film not playing the festival? (Sundance?)

Movie No. 1

One of the best discoveries at Hot Docs this year was Flames by Josephine Decker and Zefrey Throwell. This challenging and intimate self-reflexive docudrama/hybrid/undefinable film chronicled the breakdown of a couple’s relationship as they documented their lives and saw the camera influence their behaviour. Decker has had a relative degree of success on the indie film scene, yet her previous directorial efforts Butter on the Latch and Thou Wast Mild and Lovely never made it north of the border for whatever reason. Her latest film, Movie No. 1, might have more luck with Canuck Molly Parker starring alongside Me and You and Everyone We Know’s Miranda July in a story of a theatre director confronting the all-consuming power of determined rising star.

Odds: Sundance might be a better fit, but this film seems like something TIFF’s American indie team would notice, particularly if the festival aims to make good on its commitment to women in film.

Sarah Gadon in Octavio is Dead

Octavio is Dead

Sook-Yin Lee’s Year of the Carnivore was the first film I ever saw at TIFF, so I’m really excited to see where she’s gone since her debut feature. Her sophomore feature Octavio is Dead is another unconventional story of sexual awakening. Sarah Gadon stars as Tyler, a young woman who escapes her mother (Rosanna Arquette) and dabbles in the occult by getting to know the spirit of her deceased father, Octavio (Raoul Trujillo), a little more intimately. Lee does a really fun Q&A and Gadon is Canada’s rising star, so this film could be a choice for the festival.

Odds: See above. It’s almost inevitable that Gadon’s Alias Grace will be a major ticket at the fest, so why not double dip?

The cinematic universe of Taylor Sheridan gets an Avengers-like twist. The screenwriter’s thematic trilogy of violence in the American west comes full circle this summer with the release of his directorial debut Wind River (check back soon for a review!), but somewhere in between Sicario and Hell or High Water comes Soldado, a direct sequel to Sheridan’s 2015 breakthrough film Sicario. While Denis Villeneuve, unfortunately, doesn’t direct this film—he’s been a bit busy, as noted above—Soldado brings Sicaro stars Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro back into the mix for a return to the unforgiving violence of the war on drugs. Emily Blunt, however, isn’t coming back since Sheridan told reporters that he felt her character’s arc was complete—at least in the context of this specific storyline. While this film feels a bit more low key than the others with Italian director Stefano Sollima at the helm, Sicario left TIFF audiences, including this reviewer, so stunned that walking away from the theatre was no easy task on the knees.

Odds: A smart choice if it’s ready and worthy of its predecessor.

Other hopefuls: A Bigger Splash's Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Dario Argento’s Suspiria; Mina Shum’s new Sandra Oh vehicle Meditation Park; Hotell director Lisa Langseth reteams with Alicia Vikander for Euphoria; Rachels Weisz and McAdams team up for Disobedience; Phoenix director Christian Petzold returns with Transit—if it’s ready; TIFF favourite Amma Assante (A United Kingdom) works on a bigger canvas in Where Hands Touch; and Alanis Obomsawin completes her five-film saga on the rights of Indigenous children with Norway House.


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Grafton Street Shopping

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Psychology of Chronic Pain

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Chronic pain affects approximately 100 million American adults, costing $500 to $600 billion annually in medical treatment and lost productivity.
Chronic pain affects approximately 100 million American adults, costing $500 to $600 billion annually in medical treatment and lost productivity.
The following article features coverage from PAINWeek 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Click here to read more of Clinical Pain Advisor's conference coverage.

LAS VEGAS — Psychological and behavioral interventions are an essential part of an interdisciplinary chronic pain treatment plan and should not be overlooked, according to a presentation Ravi Prasad, PhD, clinical associate professor of anesthesiology, perioperative, and pain medicine, at Stanford University in California, gave at PAINWeek 2017, held September 5-9.1

“Because psychological factors can influence the onset, maintenance, and exacerbation of chronic pain conditions, inclusion of psychological and behavioral interventions as a part of an interdisciplinary treatment plan can help minimize suffering by enabling patients to improve their quality of life and functioning,” Dr Prasad told Clinical Pain Advisor.

Chronic pain affects approximately 100 million American adults, costing $500 to $600 billion annually in medical treatment and lost productivity, indicating a dire need for better pain management approaches.2 In 2015, a National Institutes of Health panel called for “evidence-based, multidisciplinary approaches to pain treatment that incorporate patients' perspectives and desired outcomes while also avoiding potential harms.”3 According to the panel, to successfully implement such approaches, the emotional aspects of pain need to be addressed, including patients' perceptions of suffering.3

Because chronic pain can have numerous etiological pathways, including biomedical, physical, and psychological components, the first step in tailoring treatment is determining the underlying factors causing or contributing to pain in each individual patient. Two such major psychological factors include depression and a history of adverse childhood experiences (eg, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; household substance abuse; only one or no parents).1

As demonstrated during the presentation, numerous studies have shown strong connections between psychological factors and chronic pain. In one study, depressed individuals were 3 times more likely than their nondepressed counterparts to develop chronic back pain, showing depression to be a potentially modifiable risk factor in the development of chronic back pain.4 Another study found a significant association between sexual abuse and a lifetime diagnosis of nonspecific chronic pain, chronic pelvic pain, and other painful conditions, indicating the importance of obtaining a thorough patient history.5

While not all chronic pain cases will have psychogenic origins, virtually all pain conditions can be influenced by psychological factors, Dr Prasad noted, making a patient's emotional state a critical factor in establishing more effective pain control, regardless of the etiology of the pain. As with other chronic health conditions lacking a cure, the emphasis should be placed on measures that improve quality of life and functioning, he noted.

“Breathing/relaxation exercises, cognitive restructuring, and pacing of activities are 3 important tools for patients to learn, and helping them master these can have a significant positive effect on overall outcomes,” he said. Dr Prasad sees these strategies as working synergistically to address various factors that contribute to pain levels and perception.

Breathing and relaxation exercises activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which can help the body return to a calmer state — decreasing heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension — while stopping the release of stress hormones. At the same time, negative cognitive processes such as catastrophization need to be addressed to empower patients to put their situation in perspective and find solutions to the challenges they face. Cognitive restructuring enables patients to modify their thought processes to be more accurate and helpful. For example, instead of thinking “there is nothing I can do to control this,” patients can modify their internal dialogue to “I can practice self-management skills.”1 By refocusing their thought process, damaging emotions such as sadness, anxiety, and anger can be decreased. Finally, pacing of activities prevents pain exacerbations by navigating the fine line between overactivity and inactivity. With this approach, patients may find that they can perform certain activities with slight modifications rather than having to foreclose on them altogether, thereby improving their quality of life.

Even after patients are taught these strategies, reinforcement is necessary to optimize outcomes. “Knowing and doing are two different things. Just because patients comprehend the role of psychological and behavioral interventions in the management of their pain does not mean they are applying these skills and techniques with any consistency,” said Dr Prasad. “Clinicians are pain educators for patients but need to take the extra step to ensure that patients are maximizing their use of their newly acquired knowledge.”

Read more of Clinical Pain Advisor's coverage of PAINWeek 2017 by visiting the conference page.

Follow @ClinicalPainAdv

  1. Prasad R. Nonpharmacologic management of pain: essential tools for frontline clinicians. Presented at: PainWeek 2017. Las Vegas, Nevada; September 5-9, 2017.
  2. Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Advancing Pain Research, Care, and Education. Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research. Washington DC: National Academies Press (US); 2011. Accessed September 1, 2017.
  3. Indiana University. 100 million Americans live with chronic pain, but treatment research is insufficient. Published January 13, 2015. Accessed August 29, 2017.
  4. Currie SR, Wang J. More data on major depression as an antecedent risk factor for first onset of chronic back pain. Psychol Med. 2005;35(9):1275-1282.
  5. Paras ML, Murad MH, Chen LP, et al. Sexual abuse and lifetime diagnosis of somatic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2009;302(5):550-561.
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Prayer and Transgender Issues Hit the Fitness Industry

When you operate a fitness facility, you think that your days are going to be filled with issues such as dirty locker rooms, broken equipment, trainers who quit without notice or member complaints about dues increases. It's unlikely that you would put praying members or transgender members on your list. However, after two recent incidents at fitness facilities received media attention, it's clear that health club operators must think about how they will deal with issues beyond fitness.

The most recent attention-grabbing incident occurred at a Planet Fitness in Midland, MI, where a woman reported to the front desk and to the corporate office that a man was using the women's locker room. It turns out that the man self-identified as a woman, so it was Planet Fitness' policy to allow her to use the women's locker room. In a video interview with the woman who complained, she says that the transgender member looked like a man, so she had no idea that "he" identified as a woman when she complained.

If someone who appeared to be a man walked into the women's locker room at your gym, I think most of the women in your locker room would be alarmed, so I understand the surprise and reaction of the woman who complained. Women have safety concerns that should not be ignored, and women feel especially vulnerable in a place where they undress and shower. However, I also commend Planet Fitness for being sensitive to the transgender member. It's a complicated issue, and most club operators likely have never thought about how transgender people, who some estimates put at 700,000 or 0.3 percent of the population, might be uncomfortable in locker rooms or how they might affect the dynamics within the private space of a locker room. Even though the number of transgender people is small, this incident makes it clear that we need to start thinking about it so that we can find a solution that is fair and comfortable for everyone involved.

If the transgender member had physically transitioned to a woman, then this likely would not have been an issue because no one would have known. So, is the answer to ask transgender people who have not physically transitioned to use a family locker room? Does that needlessly draw attention to the transgender member? Is the answer for clubs to slowly transition locker rooms from big open spaces divided by gender to individual changing rooms with showers and locked doors? Is the expense of a change like that too great? What other ways can fitness facility operators accommodate transgender members while not making non-transgender members wonder why someone who appears to be of the opposite sex is in the "wrong" locker room?

If you have a transgender member at your facility, share in the comments below how you have accommodated this member, particularly if he or she has not physically transitioned to the gender they self-identify.

The other incident that received media attention recently involved an American Muslim man who was praying in the men's locker room at an LA Fitness in Cincinnati, OH. The member, Mohammed Fall, filed a lawsuit last month in which he asserted that he was banned from praying in the men's locker room after doing so many times since joining the gym in 2013. He typically said his prayers while standing in a corner of the locker room with his eyes closed, the lawsuit states. He did not use a prayer mat or kneel as is typical during Muslim prayers.

An article on states:

"The LA Fitness workers, the suit said, told Fall to never again pray at LA Fitness, saying that decision had been made by a corporate manager who was at the gym that day. Fall believed if he continued to pray, he would be kicked out of the gym and subjected to 'harassment,' so he left."

However, Jaymes Thomas, an American Muslim who works at that LA Fitness location and says he prays at the facility, stated in a written declaration submitted to the court that he and two other employees spoke to Fall after receiving complaints from members that Fall was praying by the coat rack, which made it difficult to access coats without disturbing him. Thomas says the three waited until Fall was finished praying before telling him about the complaints and suggesting other places for him to pray in the facility, including places that Thomas prayed.

Regardless of which version of events is true, the fact is that the Muslim population is growing in our country, and praying five times per day is important in this faith, so the likelihood that you could face this issue is increasing. How will you accommodate these members? If you are in an area with a large Muslim population, you might already have options in place. If so, I encourage you to share what you are doing by commenting below.

What other unexpected issues have come up at your fitness facility, and how have you dealt with those?

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Competively priced prepaid phone

Available at T-Mobile for $228 prepaid, the LG Optimus L90 packs plenty of features in an affordable handset, including a 4.7-inch screen, Android KitKat, and a quad-core processor.

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Some photo options for the 5-MP shooter

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The L90 is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and a sizeable 2,460mAh removable battery, which has a reported talk time of 6 hours.

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As the biggest member of the L-series family, the L90 features larger measurements while remaining pocketable and easy to hold. It is 5.18 inches tall, 2.60 inches wide, and 0.38 inch thick.

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Scratch-resistant back side

The handset's battery door here is coated with a special “self-healing” material that we saw previously on the G Flex. The slick coating is meant to protect the handset from minor scratches and scruffs.

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With the IR blaster situated on the top edge, the QuickRemote app can turn the handset into a remote for household devices like a TV or cable box.

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Decent 4.7-inch screen

The 4.7-inch qHD touchscreen has a 960x540-pixel resolution. Despite the display's low resolution, the screen is still bright and vivid, and is easily viewable in direct sunlight.

Published:Caption:Photo:James Martin/CNET
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A Gathering of the Farmers: Photos!

Posted on April 24, 2014

DSC01117.jpegOur first ever Gathering of the Farmers was a big success. We've been dying to show you the photos for weeks now, but it's been such a busy spring (we bet that's something you can identify with!), it's taken us a few weeks to get them online.

Here's a little taste of An Agricultural Revival, CNG-style!

(Photo by Diane Elsom)

Alice Varon, Executive Director of CNG, spoke to welcome everyone to the event. In cased you missed it, or just want to relive the memories, we posted her welcome address on the blog! (Photo by John Staley.)

The incomparable Brian Snyder, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, delivered the keynote address at the Gathering. (Photos by John Staley.)

BIG THANKS to Sarah Bay for kicking off the Short Takes with "Have a Nice Day from the Fulton Farm," a hilarious account of the talking scale. (Left: photo by John Staley. Right: photo provided by a Fulton Farm CSA member.)

Ben Wenk of Three Springs Fruit Farm delivered a Short Take called "Your Life in Agriculture, Thriving". (Photo by John Staley.)

Becca Croog of Painted Turtle Farm -- the student-run farm at Gettysburg College --  was at the Gathering. Her short take was called "Head in the Sky, Hands in the Dirt: Adventures of a Nomadic Farmer. (Left: photo provided by Becca Croog. Right: photo by John Staley.)

We were inspired by Hanna Grose's short take "Got Food?" in which she described her work with The Gleaning Project of South Central PA. (Left: photo by John Staley. Right: photo provided by Hanna Grose.)

In JJ Dab's short take he shared about his "Labor of Love" at Cherry Grove Farm.  (Left: photo provided by JJ Dabs. Right: photo by John Staley.)

Judi Radel of Yeehaw Farm spoke from experience in her short take --"Farming Through the Years: Some Things Change, Some Things Don’t." (Photo by John Staley.)

Molly McCullagh and Ben Currotto's short take "Growing Young Leaders and Healthy Eaters" was all about their work with Real Food Farm/Civic Works. They were phenomenal! (Left: photo by John Staley. Right: photo provided by Real Food Farm.)

Mike Nolan spoke about "The 'Revival' of the Small Farmer - How we do it at Earth Spring Farm(Left: photo by John Staley. Right: photo provided by Mike Nolan.)

In the afternoon, Darci Sanner of Summer Smiles Honey Farm offered a workshop called Sustaining and Restoring Honey Bees. (Photo provided by Darci Sanner.)

Folks also had a chance to learn about permaculture fundamentals in Scott Mann's workshop Permaculture 101.

And Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir were on hand to lift our spirits with some hand-clapping, foot-stomping music. (Photos by John Staley.)

And at the end of the day we had a great time around the campfire with chili, cider, and good music! (Photos by Dianne Elsom.)

Hope you can join us next time for CNG's Gathering of the Farmers!

Find more photos on our Facebook event page


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The Shortest International Flight in North America Takes 12 Minutes

Yes, 12 minutes.

When you think about all the time spent getting to an airport, parking, checking in, waiting in an interminable security line, having your possessions pawed, and then sitting in an uncomfortable chair at the gate while you drink overpriced airport coffee, you have to wonder: Is a 12-minute flight worth it?

In this case, it actually might be. Canadian airline NorthStar Air Tours, which operates out of Victoria, British Columbia, got the all-clear to start flying year-round between Victoria International Airport (YYJ) and points around the San Juan Islands and Bellingham in Washington state starting February 2. The shortest flight—between YYJ and tiny Friday Harbor—is the quickest international flight in North America. You're in the air for less time than it takes to negotiate a cable bill, or eat a burrito.

These quasi-dubious distinctions of "shortest flights" often come with high price tags. (Let us know if you've ever taken the 16-minute flight from San Francisco to Santa Rosa in Sonoma wine country—the shortest flight in the U.S.—and whether it made sense at $450.) These NorthStar Air trips, though, start at $49 plus airport fees/taxes (that actually take the price up to about $85 if you fly from Victoria), and help you navigate what's already a tricky crossing. To get to the San Juans from, say, Seattle, you often have to take a combination of ferries, seaplanes, and/or cars, and the trip can take anywhere from one hour to five. In the winter, the Washington State Ferries shut down between Friday Harbor and Sidney, B.C., from January through the end of March, so this new route is certainly valuable. As long as you have the stomach to board a twin-engine, nine-passenger Islander plane, that is. (If you do, bookings are now open.)

Once you're there, Victoria and Friday Harbor are both extra charming—the former is one of our Traveler readers' favorite cities in the world, with its colonial architecture and manicured gardens, and the latter is a great weekend getaway. (Grab a meal at Backdoor Kitchen or Cask and Schooner.) We also love Orcas Island for a family trip—"the empty beaches, gin-blue lakes, and dense forest trails add up to the castaway vacation you’ve been dying to take," says Traveler's Rebecca Misner. Sign us up.


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Dissolved on 2 Jul 2013

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Company Registration No.:
Incorporation Date:
8 Jan 2007
Dissolution Date:
2 Jul 2013
Dissolved after 6 Years
Financial Year End:
31 Mar
£100.00 on 19 Apr 2011
For period ending:
31 Jan 2010
Filed on:
29 Nov 2010
Purchase latest accounts for £4.99

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As at:
14 Jan 2011
Filed on:
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Information correct as of: 14 Dec 2013 - Check for updates

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8 Aug 2014

COTSWOLD DS REALISATIONS LIMITED (Company Number 06044092 ) Registered office: Priory Lodge, London Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL52 6HH Principal trading address: 6 Park Lane, Cirencester Glos GL7 2BS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Section 106 of the Insolvency Act 1986, that a final meeting of the members of Cotswold DS Realisations Limited will be held at Janes, Priory Lodge, London Road, Cheltenham, GLOS GL52 6HH on 30 September 2014 at 9.45 am to be followed at 10.00 am by a final meeting of creditors for the purpose of showing how the winding up has been conducted and the property of the company disposed of, and of hearing an explanation that may be given by the Liquidator, and also of determining the manner in which the books, accounts and documents of the company and of the Liquidators shall be disposed of. Proxies to be used at the meetings must be lodged with the Liquidator at Janes, Priory Lodge, London Road, Cheltenham, GLOS GL52 6HH email:, Tel: 01242 256085, no later than 12 noon on the preceding day. David N Hughes (IP number 8817) of Janes, Priory Lodge, London Road, Cheltenham, Glos GL52 6HH. Further information about this case is available from the offices of Janes on 01242 256 085. David N Hughes Liquidator 4 August 2014

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Gillian Skoulding
8 Jan 2007 ⇒ Company Dissolved / Closed Company Secretary
8 Jan 2007 ⇒ Company Dissolved / Closed Director
Christopher Turner
8 Jan 2007 ⇒ Company Dissolved / Closed Director

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Changed 19 Apr 2011

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31 Jan 2010 29 Nov 2010 10
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Cambridge Management / Uncurterous again

1 South gate parkwayCambridge, OH, United States Review updated:
Contact information:
Phone: 740-432-5627

I don't know what is wrong with your managers? This is my 3rd time to complain about them.
Walmart has replied each time and the issue (was resolved) I don't know if your 'Managers' are afraid of the head office 'God' or not, but it is my guess.
I have been a manager of business for over 30 years and if I ever presented myself as your 'God-Like' manager do, I would have expected to be fired.
More to the question, I would wonder why/or how I was ever hired as a manager to begin with. (I truly dislike complaining, but you should know a bit about why WalMart may be so despised.
This last time I called to inquire about tires for my car. All went pretty well with the lady I spoke with. She was very nice.
I thought it was Walmarts policy to meet or do better on a price.
She gave me the tire name and price for all tires. I also ask about brakes and was informed they do not do them? I had just seen them advertised in the paper. ??
Anyway I called around comparing prices. This one company I had been to before was $15.00 cheaper per tire and they did breaks. (they just could not take me that day) So to compare prices I called Walmart back and explained a price difference with the other company.
No longer was the young lady so nice!! She starts right in with they (the other company) does not give a guarantee.
OK, so I am an older woman, but not that old, rude and Am inquisitive.
I called the other company back and indeed they give a great guarantee with their tires too.
I called Walmart back and she told me they were just telling me that to get my business? She was not very polite about it by this time. (Maybe she was tired of messing with me)
If she thought for a second I was bad, I would love to see her deal with 2 mothers when handling a 400 person sit down wedding dinner. (Now that is stress, a lady like me is not stress)
My big complaint and I probably would have gone ahead and went to Walmart to get the tires, because I was free that day, I was disturbed she had the gull to run another company down in such a manner. It certainly is not good community business.
I do not want to get anyone in trouble but all my problems have been with the managers.
Do you train them to be so mean and uncourteous? Are they afraid of losing their positions if they are not forceful like 'you must train them to be'
I have always found the nicer the better. I also do not understand how a manager can degrade a employee in frount of costumers?
I did leave over a basket full of articles sitting because of these kinds of actions from a manager.
Walmart not only needs managers that can deal with the public but also employees in a discreet manner.

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  • Mo
      20th of Sep, 2012
    0 Votes

    the managers at store 3262 are all ###s and need to quit . they do there vey best to belittle every employee to the point of anger and stress and is hard to be nice to are customers.

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Visiting the Getty: Seeing the Mount Sinai Icons

Thanks to the generosity of Morgan and Lindsey of California, I was able to visit the Icon Exhibit currently on at the Getty. If you’re interested in seeing more about the exhibition you can go to:

Today I spent the whole day at the Getty. Going into the exhibition space I had a idea in my head of how the exhibition would look. It was pretty crowded in the late morning and after walking through for the first time I wasn’t really sure what I had seen. The icons were smaller than I expected and many were not built that well. So I left the exhibition and sat in the beautiful garden area for a while (this was especially a treat given that it was +20 degrees out versus the -20 degrees I had left the day before).

I went back twice more during the day and slowly I warmed up to the icons. I realized that the smaller size was an indication that these icons were for private devotion and were gifts from individuals who wanted to offer something to the monastery (unlike the grand, large icons given by kings); there is something very inviting about that genuineness. I also began to make sense of the dates attached to the icons: Recognizing that those icons that didn’t make use of fine materials were created during those centuries when I knew, from my history studies, that times were tough. I also liked this within this perspective.

When I called my wife this evening she knew exactly what had happened, “You needed time to warm up to the icons.” I have often had people coolly accept an icon I have painted for them because I believe the work didn’t match with what they had in their mind. But, usually, when I talk to them later I get a very warm report. The same was true of my visit to the Getty: I needed to have a little time to begin a relationship with the icons.

Half and hour before the gallery closed there were few people left. In fact, at certain moments I had entire rooms filled with these icons to myself. The quiet of the exhibition space allowed for my budding appreciation of these works to blossom. It was a moving experience to visit this exhibition.

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Periodontal Maintenance - Monroe, CT

Periodontal Disease Requires Customized Dental Healthcare Visits

The American Academy of Periodontology indicates that about half the people in the United States have treated or untreated periodontal (gum) disease. In Connecticut, this means that of the more than 3.5 million state residents, about 1.75 million should be getting personalized dental care to control their gum disease.

Schedule Consultation
Periodontist – Monroe, CT – Dr. Richard Amato

“I would have lost a lot of teeth if it was not for Dr. Amato.”

Watch a short testimonial about the family-like treatment she received at Advanced Periodontics and Dental Implant Center of Connecticut in her recent patient experience.

Schedule Consultation

Gum Surgery has Changed Forever: The Things You Need to Know About LANAP®.

Patients who have experienced traditional gum surgery are typically amazed at the results they receive with the LANAP® procedure.  Dr. Amato explains the main difference between LANAP® and traditional gum surgery.

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Scaling and Root Planing for Thorough Dental Care

Scaling and root planing is one of the treatments we regularly perform for patients with periodontal disease. During scaling and root planing, the roots of your teeth will be cleaned of all the built-up calculus and plaque. This leaves behind a very sanitized area where bacteria are less likely to breed.

Schedule Consultation
Periodontist – Monroe, CT – Dr. Richard Amato

Why Periodontal Disease Resists Typical At-Home Care

Periodontal disease is impossible to treat at home for several reasons:

You cannot reach the areas where the bacteria are hiding.

The inflammation-causing bacteria that contribute to gum disease hide deep in periodontal pockets. Without the proper skills and tools, you could not deep clean those areas.

Periodontal disease can spread very quickly.

Especially in the earliest stages of gum disease, gingivitis, periodontal disease can rapidly grow. A periodontist is able to treat gingivitis and stop it from progressing further, but at-home care cannot.

You do not have the advanced technology to see what is happening between your teeth and gums.

At our office, we regularly use devices that enable us to get a clearer view of the periodontal pockets, as well as any issues such as bone loss.

Stay in control of your oral health with regular periodontal maintenance at Advanced Periodontics and Implant Center of Connecticut in Monroe. Call (203) 268-2000 to talk to us now!

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Home >> Info On: Whole Foods Market

The Latest News about Whole Foods Market

Amazon gives new Whole Foods incentive to Prime members

Amazon.com buying Whole Foods Market

The integration of Whole Foods into the Amazon ecosystem continues Wednesday as the online retail giant extends discounts at Whole Foods to members of its subscription service. Prime members now save more at Whole Foods Market. Starting today, members get an additional 10 percent off sale items, typically hundreds of products throughout the store, plus weekly deep discounts on select ...

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Amazon buying Whole Foods for $13.7 billion

Amazon.com buying Whole Foods Market

Amazon.com said Friday that it will acquire Whole Foods Market in a deal valued at $13.7 billion. Current CEO John Mackey will stay at the grocery store chain and continue to operate it under the Whole Foods brand. “This partnership presents an opportunity to maximize value for Whole Foods Market’s shareholders, while at the same time extending our mission and ...

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Stomach Exercises for 6 pack abs

For many people, taking up excercise to become fit is all about losing some weight. Mainly, the weight that many people want to lose, is weight which is accumulated in their belly. Which is of no surprise; the stomach area is the area which accumulates the most fat when someone puts on weight. Which means that it is the area of the body which requires you to lose to most weight when you put on some extra pounds.

To lose that weight from your stomach, there are stomach exercises that you can do. There are many stomach exercises which you can do; we are going to should you some of the best stomach exercises that you can do. Here is a list of some of the best stomach exercises that you can do to lose stomach weight and help tone your body, including toning your stomach.

#1 The Chair Excercise

The chair exercise should see you sitting on the edge of a chair. Sit with your feet on the ground with your legs slightly apart. With your hands, you should place them at the sides of your legs; your fingers pointing forwards. Next up, comes the part where you are going to move and do the exercise.

You do the exercise by breathing in, feeling your stomach tighten, then, you are going to lift yourself off the chair a few inches, not too much though. You should also hold that position once you have lifted yourself from the chair for a few seconds. Keep your stomach tightened while you are in this position. Once you have done this, sit back down again.

You can repeat this for as long as you want, for how long it takes to become worked out by this exercise. If you are looking for an estimate of how long you should do this exercise for, then try and do it for around five to ten minutes. That should be enough for one day. Then, you can do it for ten minutes every day, or a few times a week, whatever you prefer.

#2 The Stomach Crunches

Stomach crunches are a straightforward exercise; they are not easy to start out doing, but you will get used to it and they will become easier for you. Stomach crunches are a straightforward and easy to follow exercise, so, it's a good exercise to start with when you are trying to tighten your abs.

To start doing this exercise, you will first need to get on the floor and lie down on the floor. You should get on the floor and lie down on your back. Then, when you are lying down on your back, put your legs up, so that your knees are pointing to the ceiling. Next, you should put your hands on your knees.

While you are putting your hands on your knees, you should bring your back up towards your knees, lifting your back up slightly off the ground. When you lift your back up slightly from the ground, you will hold this position for a few seconds. Then, after a few seconds, you should lower your back down and relax. Do this move a few times, until you feel like you've had enough. Probably for around 10 times at once.

Do this for a few minutes on the one sitting a day. Or, you can do it once every few days, several times a week. While you do this move, don't move your head in awkward positions. What you should do is lift your head slightly off the ground and keep it in a straight line, this will ensure that you don't hurt your neck.

When you are doing any kind of exercise, safety should be the most important thing. Your safety is paramount. This means that you shouldn't overdo it on the exercise. If your body starts to become painful, that is a message that your body is communicating with you. Your body is communicating with you that it has had enough, it's saying that you should stop exercising for the day and rest your body.

Resting your body and resting your muscles is just as important as exercising. This is because your body and muscles need a rest. You can't keep putting pressure on it. If you do, then it will become painful and could strain your body. When you rest your body, it gives the muscles time to grow.

So, how long should you take between exercises?

If you are exercising one day, then, the next time that you should ideally take up exercise, is the next day at the same time. That is the least amount of time that you should let go by, before you pick up and exercise again. It doesn't mean that you have to exercise at that time the next day, just that you should let a day go by between how long your exercises take.

Stomach exercises are a great way to get in shape and tone the body. These types of exercises don't just work on toning the stomach; although toning the stomach is one benefit of stomach exercises. Stomach exercises also work to tone the rest of the body, this includes the legs and the arms. It works on getting that perfect beach body, with the main focus on the stomach.

In conclusion, there are several stomach exercises that you can take to tone the body and get fit and healthy. These exercises are great for getting in shape and the examples that we have listed in this post, are a great way to start with stomach exercises, as they are simple exercises and are easy to follow. However, take your time and pace yourself.

Don't do too much all at once, pace yourself over time to make sure that you get that beach body and perfectly toned stomach. Either do these exercises once a day for a few minutes or do them several times a week, this is a good way to get fit.

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Finding a trouble-free used car has nothing to do with luck and everything to do with applying good research and investigative skills. Knowing how to spot potential problems and determining how reliable a used vehicle is can save you from expensive automotive headaches down the road. The following advice can help you determine whether a used vehicle is a good value or potential trouble.

13 Tricks to Try

1. Check the Reliability Record
A good way to reduce the risk of purchasing a trouble-prone vehicle is to select models with a good reliability record before you begin shopping. Consumer Reports' annual subscriber survey provides exclusive real-world reliability information that can help you narrow your selections. See best and worst used cars for a quick-reference list of the best and worst used cars from our most recent survey. Also read the reliability-history charts that accompany most of Consumer Reports' vehicle profiles to get a more detailed view at how specific models have held up in 17 trouble areas as well as overall.

2. Read the Window Sticker
The Federal Trade Commission requires dealers to post a Buyer's Guide in every used vehicle offered for sale. Usually attached to a window, it must contain certain information, including whether the vehicle is being sold "as is" or with a warranty, and what percentage of repair costs (if any) the dealer is obligated to pay. The Buyer's Guide information overrides any contrary provisions in your sales contract. In other words, if the Buyer's Guide says that the vehicle is covered by a warranty, the dealer must honor that warranty. If any changes in coverage are negotiated, the Buyer's Guide must be altered to reflect them before the sale.

If a sale is designated "as is," it means that the dealer makes no guarantees as to the condition of the vehicle, so any problems that arise after you have made the purchase will be your responsibility. Many states do not allow as-is sales on vehicles selling for more than a certain price.

3. Check the Exterior
Begin by doing a walk around of the car, looking for dents, chipped paint, mismatched body panels or parts, broken lamp housings, and chipped windows. Gaps between body panels should be of a consistent width and line up.

A closer inspection can reveal paint overspray on chrome or rubber trim or in the vehicle's wheel wells. This is a telltale sign of body-panel repair.

Test for the presence of body filler with a small magnet. If the magnet doesn't stick to the panel, the car may have filler under the paint (some vehicles with plastic or fiberglass panels, however, won't attract a magnet at all). A door, hood, or trunk that doesn't close and seal properly is evidence of previous damage and/or sloppy repair work. A CAPA (Certified Automotive Parts Association) sticker on a body panel means the part has been replaced. Inconsistent welds around the hood, doors, or trunk also indicate repair.

4. Check the Interior
A long look into the cabin can reveal many obvious problems, such as a sagging headliner, cracked dashboard, and missing knobs, handles, and buttons. Frayed seat belts or ones with melted fibers (because of friction) may be evidence of a previous frontal impact above 15 mph--damaged safety belts should always be replaced.

Prematurely worn pedals or a sagging driver's seat are signs that the vehicle has very high mileage. An air bag warning light that stays lit may indicate that a bag has deployed and been improperly replaced--or not replaced at all. A mildew smell, caused by a water leak, can be very hard to get rid of. Discolored carpeting, silt in the trunk, or intermittent electrical problems may be signs of flood damage.

5. Check Under the Hood
At first glance, the engine, radiator, and battery should be relatively grease-free and have very little or no corrosion. Belts and hoses should be pliable and unworn. Look for wet spots, which can indicate leaking oil or fluids. Melted wires, tubes, or lines, or a blackened firewall may be signs of overheating or even an engine fire.

With the engine cool, insure that all fluids are clean, filled to the proper level, and do not have leaks. Check the engine oil while the engine is cool. Remove the dipstick from its tube and clean it with a dry rag, reinsert it and remove it again. The oil level should be between the "full" and "add" marks. Normal engine oil is brown or black, depending on when it was last changed. Gritty or gelatinous oil may indicate long stretches between oil changes. Thin, frothy oil that's the color of chocolate milk may point to a blown head gasket or to a severely damaged block or cylinder head. Fine metal particles in the oil indicate internal damage or heavy wear.

The transmission fluid dipstick is usually located in the rear of the engine compartment. Check it right after the car has been driven for more than 10 minutes. With the engine at idle and both the brake and parking brake applied, shift through all the gears. Leave the engine running and put it in neutral or park (according to the owner's manual) and check the level in relation to the dipstick marks. Also inspect the fluid's condition. The transmission fluid should be bright red to light reddish brown, not dark brown, black, or mustard colored; those colors can indicate serious problems. If it has a strong burned smell, that can indicate severe wear.

6. Check the Tires
Wear should be even across the width of the tread and the same on the left and right sides of the car. Tires that are frequently used while over-inflated tend to have more wear in the middle; tires driven while under-inflated tend to wear more on the sides. Heavy wear on the outside shoulder near the sidewall of the tire indicates a car that has been driven hard. This can be a sign that other parts of the car may suffer from excessive wear due to aggressive driving. Cupped tires, those that have worn unevenly along the tread's circumference, can indicate various problems with the steering, suspension, or brakes.

7. Check the Steering
With the car idling, turn the steering wheel right and left. Check that there isn't any slack or "play," or clunking noise in the steering. Excess play may indicate a worn steering gear or damaged linkage.

While driving at normal speeds on smooth, flat pavement, the car shouldn't wander or need constant steering corrections. A shaking steering wheel often indicates a need for a wheel balancing or front-end alignment, which are easily remedied. However, this may also be a clue that there's a problem with the driveline, suspension, or frame, which could mean expensive repairs are in order.

8. Check the Suspension
Check the suspension by pushing down hard on each fender and letting go. The car should rebound softly, once or twice. More than two severe rebounds indicate worn shock absorbers or struts. Also, drive the car over a bumpy road at about 30 mph. A car that bounces and slams at moderate speeds over common pavement may have a worn or damaged suspension.

9. Check the Tailpipe
A puff of white smoke upon start-up is probably the result of condensation and not a cause for alarm. Black smoke after the car has warmed up indicates an overly rich air-fuel mixture--usually due to a dirty air filter, a faulty oxygen sensor, or mass-air meter (which measures the amount of intake air). Blue smoke indicates oil burning—a bad sign, requiring expensive repairs. Billowing white smoke indicates water in the combustion chamber, usually because of a blown head gasket, damaged cylinder head, or even a cracked block--all expensive repairs.

10. Step on the Gas
While driving, does the engine rev excessively before the car accelerates? This is a common sign of a misadjusted or worn-out clutch, or a damaged automatic transmission. A clutch adjustment is a relatively inexpensive service, but a damaged clutch or automatic-transmission repair can be extremely expensive.

Listen for knocks and pings while accelerating. These indicate bad ignition timing or an engine beginning to overheat.

11. Check for Recalls and TSBs
Check to see if any recalls were issued and if recall service was performed. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (; 800-424-9393) lists all official recalls. Ask the seller for documentation on recall service. If any recall work has not been performed on a car that you're considering, it should be done as soon as possible. Automakers are required to perform recall service free of charge, regardless of the vehicle's age or how long ago the recall was issued. There can be delays in performing the work due to parts availability, such as with the large Takata airbag recall, that could give pause before choosing a specific model to purchase.

Technical Service Bulletins, or "TSBs," are reports a manufacturer sends its dealers about common or recurring problems with a specific model, and how to rectify them. Because TSBs aren't typically safety related, manufacturers are not obligated to notify owners or pay for the repairs, though an automaker may pay for some or all of the work—if an owner asks them to. See NHTSA's lists of TSBs. Check for any TSBs that were issued for the model you're buying and if the seller had any necessary repairs performed.

12. Check the Vehicle's History
A vehicle-history report from CarFax or Experian Automotive can alert you to possible odometer fraud; reveal past fire, flood, and accident damage; or tell you if a rebuilt or salvage title has ever been issued for the vehicle. But they aren't perfect. In fact, we've found vehicles with clean reports that have had notable damage. To access this information, provide the vehicle identification number, or "VIN," which is on the top of the dashboard, near the driver's side roof pillar to the services. Some used-car stores and online marketplaces can provide history reports for free, otherwise there is a significant cost. Another resource is the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), available at

Ultimately, a vehicle history report is a useful aid, but the best protection is having the vehicle inspected by a professional mechanic and body shop.

13. Visit a Mechanic
Before you buy a used vehicle, have it inspected by a qualified mechanic that routinely does automotive diagnostic work. A thorough diagnosis should cost around $120. An organization called the Car Care Council certifies diagnostic shops. If you're an AAA member, you could use one of the organization's recommended facilities.

In addition to doing the basic diagnostic, ask the mechanic to put the vehicle on a lift and inspect the undercarriage. Kinked structural components and large dents in the floor pan or fuel tank can indicate a past accident. Welding on the frame suggests a damaged section might have been replaced or cut out during repairs. Likewise, fresh undercoating could be hiding recent structural repairs.

A dealer should have no problem lending you the car to have it inspected as long as you leave identification. A private seller may be more reluctant, however. You should offer to follow the seller to the shop where the inspection will take place.

Know Your Rights

The law can protect you if your carriage turns into a pumpkin. Part of buying smart is knowing what protection you have before you need it. State laws vary greatly in the degree of consumer protection they afford. New York law, for instance, requires that car dealers offer written warranties on all used vehicles with less than 100,000 miles selling for $1,500 or more.

In California, it's illegal for a dealer to sell a car with unsafe tires, damaged glass, nonfunctioning lights, or ineffective brakes. Other states offer varying amounts of protection. Check with your state attorney general's office or local consumer-protection agency to learn about the laws in your area.

If You've Bought a Lemon . . .
From a dealer.
The state attorney general's office can explain how your state laws protect you. If you suspect that you've bought a rebuilt wreck, contact the National Association of Consumer Advocates, which maintains a list of attorneys who specialize in such cases. If you have a problem with a car covered by a warranty or service contract, and the dealership refuses service, you have several options. For service agreements administered by an automaker, contact the company's local representative. These representatives are authorized to adjust and approve repairs independently of the dealership that sold the car. If you bought the vehicle from a franchised dealer, you may be eligible for mediation through the National Automotive Dealers Association's Automotive Consumer Action Program (AUTOCAP). For more information, call NADA at 800-252-6232 or visit If the dealer is willing, consider using a dispute-resolution organization to mediate your disagreement. Some service agreements require this as a first step before suing the dealer or manufacturer. Pay attention to the wording of the sales contract before buying to determine if you may sue, or if you must submit to arbitration.

From a private seller. Your options are much more limited. If the seller has made any written guarantees about the condition of the vehicle, you can use them as the basis for filing a lawsuit. You can resolve disputes involving smaller amounts of money (usually less than $2,000) without an attorney through small claims court. The clerk of your local small-claims court can tell you what the exact dollar limit is in your state and provide information on how to file suit.


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7206 Mcknight Road Pittsburgh, PA 15237 - (412) 358-0200

20232 Route 19 Cranberry, PA 16066 - (724) 779-2040

4960 Route 8 Allison Park, PA 15101 - (724) 939-3275

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SWM ISO surrogate or partner to raise a child or children

by char976 » 22 May 2012

I am a 41 year old white male, 6'5", lt. brown hair, cut short, blue eyes, good looking, single, never been married, and I want a child of my own if I never meet a woman to marry. I can give you a second child or more if you want some too; I would prefer to raise my own son, as most men want a son but would love to have a daughter as well; many men just want to teach their own son to be a man and do guy things with throughout life and carry on the line, etc.

I am not asking a potential mother to be out of the child's life, but if you don't want to be involved, you don't have to be. I have a large and supportive family who would help to love and raise the child.

I am well-educated with a degree in psychology and almost another degree in computer science. I was so focused on school and work in earlier years that I didn't date as much as I probably should have, or those that I dated weren't ones I would want to be with long-term. So I never took the marriage plunge and I was always careful not to get someone pregnant if I didn't want to be with them or couldn't afford a child at the time.

I want to have a child before I get too much older. I live in the south, in Alabama, but am planning to soon move to Orlando, FL, for work at a drug rehab or perhaps even Walt Disney World. I am not wealthy but can take care of myself well and am financially stable.

I wouldn't mind finding someone who is looking for a friendship/partner even if they don't want a marriage or LTR to have kids together and raise them together; we could live together or nearby each other and both be in the child/children's lives.

Let me know if this is something you are interested in. I am more into white, hispanic/latino native american, or pacific islander women; I am not generally interested in black or asian women; not that I'm racist, they just usually don't turn me on. I would rather a natural pregnancy but will definitely consider artificial insemination.

I am also willing to be a sperm donor to multiple recipients, however I would love to at least see pictures of my child periodically if I am donating for a couple, and the best-case scenario would be to be able to see my child from time to time, however you choose. I have donated before, many years ago while in college, and I was told I had multiple women choose my sperm through a clinic, though I only saw one of my sons once (I agreed when donating that I didn't have to ever see my kids or have anything to do with them, but was donating to help others, and I had no legal rights to see them or spend time with them), yet the moms refused to let me ever see him again if I didn't fork over a lot of money to them. I am not into being blackmailed because I want to lay eyes on or hold my child even if it's a rare occurance and the child thinks I'm a family friend and not his sperm donor/biological father. I also don't have to be in a child's life at all if I donate for a couple, but a photo of my biological child would be more than wonderful from time to time.

Return to Co-Parents in UK

Are you looking for a Sperm Donor or Co-Parenting?


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Unidirectional Flushing (UDF)

Unidirectional Flushing (UDF) is a method of cleaning the water mainlines through a network of flushing sequences with the water being discharged from a fire hydrant. A UDF program involves closing valves in a specific sequence to create water movement in one direction while opening specific fire hydrants at the end of that sequence.

High Velocity

The UDF technique allows higher water flow velocities by isolating certain sections of water mains. The higher water velocity allows for better scouring of the pipes and will use 40% less water in the flushing process than conventional flushing methods. Flushing pipes at higher velocities will dislodge and remove mineral deposits and sediment that accumulate in the water mains.


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WSB Radio’s Condace Pressley among list of Atlanta’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence

ATLANTA – Sept. 28, 2017 – Cox Media Group (CMG) Atlanta Radio’s Condace Pressley, a Georgia Radio Hall of Fame Inductee and WSB Radio’s Manager of Program Operations and Community Affairs, was recently selected to the Atlanta Business League’s 2017 list of “Atlanta’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence.” She was recognized during the “Women of Vision” Breakfast on Sept. 26 at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel.

Since 1994, the Atlanta Business League has published its list of Atlanta’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence. The list reflects the names of black women in the metro Atlanta community who have reached senior level positions within their profession, are leading entrepreneurs in their industry, or have attained the ability to influence large public bodies politically and in government. In addition to professional accomplishments, the “100 Black Women of Influence” have demonstrated their commitment to the citizenry of metro Atlanta by maintaining significant involvement and participation in community and civic activities.

Condace said of the recognition, “What a great surprise! I’m humbled to be in the company of 100 women doing such amazing work in our city.”

Pete Spriggs, WSB Radio’s Director of Branding and Programming, added, “Condace quietly and humbly moves through Atlanta’s communities and serves, mentors and leads every day. And, she’s done that throughout her entire career with WSB and KISS 104. I am so proud and pleased that she gets this kind of due fanfare.”

About Cox Media Group

Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company. The company’s operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, more than 60 radio stations, seven daily newspapers and 11 non-daily publications; and more than 100 digital sites and services, like,, Dawg Nation, SEC Country,, Mundo Hispanico, Southern Kitchen and All22. Additionally, CMG operates the National Advertising Platform businesses of CoxReps – the country’s biggest television rep firm – Gamut, and Videa. CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 31 million TV viewers, more than 3.5 million newspaper readers, and nearly 15 million radio listeners.  For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at


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Monday, March 9, 2015

All About the Face: Best Makeup List

I love makeup advice. I’ve found a few definite winners that way but I’m searching for some new products. So let’s share our favorites!

Here are my winners:

Best Eyebrow Product: Anastasia Eyebrow Powder Duo
            I’m amazed how easily it goes on and how it lasts.

Best Eye Shadow Primer:  Urban Decay Eyeshadow Potion Primer in nude
            I’ve tried many other drugstore products. All promise to keep the shadow from creasing. Urban Decay’s primer is the ONLY one that works in Florida heat, both on the lid and under the eye.

Best Eye Shadow: Rimmel trio.
            I stumbled on this inexpensive brand in Germany when I forgot to pack my blush, of all things. I bought the only product I could find near the hotel – the Rimmel bronzing powder. (See below.) That led me to their eye shadow. You can’t beat the price or the staying power, but that factor may be helped by the primer. (See above.) Anyway, I love the brown combination.

Best Mascara: Still looking for a thickening, non-globbing/flaking product. I’ve tried several drugstore brands and Lancome’s Hypnose, Gradiose, and Definicils. They work but they don’t add the thickness I want and some flaking has happened.

Best Foundation: Dior Forever Diorskin SPF 25
            I’ve been looking for a liquid ever since I got tired of my Bare Mineral powder foundation. I wanted something smooth but not thick and also non-toxic. This is somewhat pricey at first glance but it lasts a long time! Only a drop is needed. A special flat brush spreads it, and believe me, a little goes a long way. I tried Bare Mineral’s new liquid and found it thick and oily. It also seems to accentuate the crease on either side of my mouth. Ugh. Dior Forever!

Best Blush: Still looking.

Best Bronzer: Rimmel bronzing powder. Very inexpensive but floats on like a dream.

Best Lip Liner: Still looking for one with staying power.

Best Lipstick: Clinique Long Last Lipstick in Sugared Maple.
            This color seems to change with whatever I’m wearing. I love it.

Your turn! What is your very favorite product? Do you have suggestions for me for mascara, lip liner, and blush?

GIVEAWAY ALERT: My second giveaway starts today! Answer a question from A ROOT AWAKENING for a chance to win a $25 gift card. Enter on my website. Click on my name at the top of this page.
Post a Comment


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Winterbourne Press

General Info

The Winterbourne Press is a working press situated just a few minutes outside of Birmingham City centre.  It has a range of fully restored presses, including an Arab hand fed platen press, circa, a Gem proofing press,  an Imperial flat bed press and several Adana presses.  The type room stores many different wood and metal type.
Introduction to letterpress workshops are held regularly throughout the year.  Please see the website or call for details.

Contact Details

Winterbourne House & Garden
University of Birmingham, 58 Edgbaston Park Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2RT
0121 414 3003

Printing Presses


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49 Hauteville

St Peter Port, Local Market

Sole Agent £ 599,999 Ref: LR2633 Virtual Tour

49 Hauteville offers a fantastic opportunity to acquire a large town house situated a few minutes from the heart of St Peter Port. Deceptively spacious, the property benefits from many features associated with this era. The property has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, lounge, reading/study room, garden room and conservatory spread over three floors. Although some updating is required, the necessary input would be more than justified to provide a beautiful family home. Early viewing is highly recommended on this wonderful property. Call Cranfords on 243878 to book your viewing.

Key Facts
Terrace House
5 Bedrooms
3 Bathrooms
  • Front Of Property Is Listed
  • Large Bright & Spacious Rooms
  • Close To Town Centre
  • Rented Parking & Permit Parking Available
  • Lovely Rear Garden Area
  • Split Over Three Floors
TRP 285

Click here to reveal »

Summary of Accommodation

Entrance Porch:  Kitchen/Breakfast:  Dining Room:  Lounge:  Reading/Study Room:  Five Bedrooms:  En-suite:  Family Bathroom:  Shower Room:  Garden Room:  Conservatory:  Garden:

Accommodation Comprises

Entrance Porch

5'2 x 3'10".

17'4" max x 13'5" max.  Appliances include 8 ring gas hob, double electric oven, Hoover dishwasher and provision for washing machine, tumble dryer and fridge/freezer.

Dining Room

15' x 14'3".

21'10" x 16'9".  Working fireplace.

Reading/Study Room

16' x 8'.

First Floor

Bedroom One

16'6" x 15'5".

En-suite to Bedroom One

12'4" x 7'10".

Bedroom Two

18'6" x 13'7".

Bedroom Four

14'2" x 11'10".  Sea & Island views.

Family Bathroom

8'2" x 5'8".

Second Floor

Bedroom Three

14'3" x 13'1.

Bedroom Five

14'8" x 7'9".

Shower Room

6'6" x 5'7".

Garden Room

10'5" x 9'7".  Boiler & hot water cylinder.

10'5" x 9'7".

Further Information

Click here to reveal »

Mains electricity and water and mains drainage.  Oil central heating.

Floor coverings, curtains/blinds, appliances as listed and light fittings.

By arrangement.

Strictly by appointment.

If the recipient of these details should be party to negotiations or actions which seek to preclude, or are contrary to the interests of CRANFORDS ESTATE AGENCY LTD, as selling agents, they may be liable for any fees which would otherwise have been due to CRANFORDS ESTATE AGENCY LTD.

These particulars do not constitute any part of an offer or contract. No responsibility is accepted as to the accuracy of these particulars or statements made by our staff concerning the above property. Any intending purchaser must satisfy himself to the correctness of such statements and particulars. All negotiations to be conducted.


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CrazyOz London UK > Adult Personals > Couples seeking threesome

Warning! Read CrazyOz's Safety Tips.

Japanese girl or couple

18th June 2014 - 21:33 | London UK, South London | Age 32

Since we posted ad last time, we received huge amount of replies- all of them are spammers.
We don't understand why the idiot spammers and commercial people reply to us.
The ads were deleted immediately. Please reply only if you are a genuine.

Him, mid 30's, slim, fit, uncut, tall guy
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We both well educated, non smoker, D&D free.

We want oriental girl (Japanese or Chinese girl will be the top lists)

We can accommodate or travel
Girl to girl chat is a must for verification.

Please no commercial or time wasters.

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Ad No: 32809 | Views: 1,385 | Replies: 7 | Report Abuse


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Council News: Listen to your Crewe Ranger being interviewed on Radio Stoke

Posted by: WebMaster
Category: Homepage Feature, News
Date Posted: Thursday, December 21st, 2017 at 2:59 pm

The Crewe Ranger talked about his work to help keep Crewe clean and free from ‘grot spots’. Why not listen to the short interview via the link. The Ranger is jointly funded by Cheshire East and the Town Council with the support of ANSA. If you want to follow the Ranger on Twitter follow via

Remember is you see a problem, Report It!


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• Echinacea purpurea or Purple Coneflower
  • Passionflower Passiflora incarnata
  • Evening Primrose "Ozark Sundrops"
  • Chinese Leopard Flower or Blackberry Lilly
  • Yellow Dotted Mint Monarda punctuata
  • Dandelion with a pollinator friend

Mint, Orange

No image set

Orange mint has a strong citrus scent that is wonderful in mint tea blends.The rounded leaves and reddish stems are attractive as well. Nice choice for a container planting. Prefers Full to partial sun .Perennial Hardy to zone 5

Latin Name Mentha x 'Citrata'
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Pan Asian Platform Fundnel Partners with Anthill Ventures in India

Fundnel, an investment crowdfunding platform that has taken a regional approach to raising capital, has formed a partnership with Anthill Ventures – a venture group and “speed scaling firm” based in India.  Startups graduating from the Anthill program will be migrated to the Fundnel platform to raise capital. The synergistic agreement was labeled a “milestone” event by Fundnel.Kelvin Lee

“We are privileged and excited to sign this strategic collaboration initiative with Anthill as it is a pledge of confidence in our ability to execute deals across our established network in SEA.” said Kelvin Lee, Co-Founder of Fundnel. “In addition, Anthill will act as our proxy to India’s market and provide a steady pipeline of deal flow to our fundraising platform, and vice versa. This reiterates our mission of bridging funds from the crowd to local and regional SMEs. Ultimately, we hope to work together to build a holistic ecosystem that will sustain and grow the startup community in Asia.”

ant factory anthill venturesStartups in Anthill’s portfolio are placed in the “Ant Factory”, a six-month program that offers in- house mentorship, funding and training. Following the completion of Ant Factory, the startups will seek Series A financing for the continual success of their ventures and, under this official agreement, will get placed onto Fundnel’s platform for the completion of their fundraising campaign.

Prasad VangaPrasad Vanga, Founder & Chief Accelerator said they were impressed by Fundnel and their “execution process” along with their rapid traction in the region.

“With our stringent due diligence procedures in place, we are confident of placing credible enterprises with high growth potential onto Fundnel’s platform for subsequent developments. We look forward to combining our network and expertise in order to foster and fundraise promising SMEs within the growing startup ecosystem,” stated Vanga.

Simultaneously, Fundnel will also provide Anthill with a pipeline of new startups from Southeast Asia (SEA) for incubation in Ant Factory. Both Anthill and Fundnel will have the opportunity to gain access to each other’s network of investors, industry experts and partners within Asia. Expectations are for this network effect to dramatically improve the ability to raise funding and expand operations to a far wider base of investors and entrepreneurs.

computer-fundnelFundnel only publicly launched this month (January 2016). But the platform has been working in the background for quite some time and announced their service after having successfully financed six deals for about USD$ 5 million.  Anthill is targeting to increase their portfolio to over 100 startups in more diversified sectors for 2016.

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Palace for Life Foundation celebrates first term success!

24 January 2018

In October 2017, Palace for Life Foundation partnered with Croydon College to offer young people a dynamic new course called ‘Opportunities for Success’ and on Thursday the 18th January 2018 the foundation celebrated the successful completion of 18 participants from the 1st cohort at Selhurst Park Stadium.

Participants benefit from mentoring support, attaining accredited qualifications in personal and social development, 90 minutes of football or fitness each day and industry visits.

The programme aims to help young people to identify the steps required for their chosen educational, training or employment pathway - achieving outcomes like: Developing Skills, Creating Opportunities and More Resilience.

Palace for Life Foundation are now accepting applicants for the new course, which will commence on Wednesday 21st February 2018 @ 10.00am.  Please contact to book your place.

Well done to everyone who successfully completed their training!


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All the school's a stage for all the school kids

Every pupil every year should have an opportunity to act in at least one play. Classroom skits should abound; puppetry should be a regular part of classroom expression.

The school's stage should be in constant use.

The history teacher should be using it frequently as a forum for dramatic presentation of historic events.

Literature teachers should have to sign up early to get center stage for minor as well as major dramatic productions by students earning classroom credits.

Classroom teachers, unit teachers, open classroom teachers, and team teachers should be designing lessons which allow the most meek as well as the most bold to learn how to perform on stage.

When children are asked to read a story or a book, they should be encouraged to act out one or more scenes with schoolmates of their choice.

And those who are asked to present results of research in all subject areas should be encouraged to use the dramatic form of presentation as well as more conventional written and oral reports.

Pupils who do science experiments should be given an opportunity (if not encouraged) to present their reports in drama rather than in prose.

Civic groups in the community, interested in theater, puppetry, and drama, should include schoolchildren in their productions.

Older secondary school students who write plays for language credits should be encouraged to work with younger children to put on their plays for a school if not for a community audience.

Schools without play-writing teachers on their staffs as well as schools that do not have teachers who are puppeteers or actors should make this a condition for hiring the next member of staff, no matter what the subject area.

Music teachers should be expected to produce several operettas each year, including as many pupils as possible in each production.

Play reading should be encouraged and become a regular part of classroom activity.

Youngsters should be encouraged to write their own plays, to choose their casts, and to put these on for audiences of fellow scholars.

And all schools should be severely discouraged from staging only one or two productions a year involving a very small proportion of the student body. Instead, the goal should be for every pupil every year to be in a production worthy of an audience.

Next week: Drop out penalities

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Reagan, in radio talk, hails Armed Forces Day

President Reagan said Saturday the United States must maintain a strong military force because freedom cannot be ''taken for granted.'' In his seventh weekly radio talk to the nation, the President saluted the nation's servicemen and women in honor of Armed Forces Day, saying the uniformed services are ''our final protection against those who wish to do us harm.''

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Space shuttle Atlantis carries some curious cargo: two iPhones

Space, the final frontier. These are smart phones of the space shuttle Atlantis. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new apps and to boldly go where no iPhone has gone before.

Pierre Ducharme/Reuters
The space shuttle Atlantis STS-135 lifts off from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL. The 12-day mission to the International Space Station is the last mission in the Space Shuttle program.

When Atlantis blasted off Friday, it carried two new voyagers into space: a pair of Apple iPhone 4s.

The iPhone already connects people worldwide via e-mail, Words With Friends, and Twitter. But the new SpaceLab app for iOS extends the iPhone's reach into a brand new world, or rather out of this world.

The app, developed by Odyssey Space Research, is en route to the International Space Station aboard the Atlantis. These first space-bound iPhones are destined for the ISS as part of Mission STS-135, the last flight of NASA’s 30-year-long Space Shuttle program.

“The revolutionary iPhone 4 offers an extraordinary opportunity to demonstrate serious functions previously reserved for more expensive, purpose-built devices,” says Odyssey CEO Brian Rishikof in a press release. “The potential for using iPhone 4 to both conduct and support in-space research and operations is enormous.”

A team of two from Odyssey, a spacecraft engineering, analysis, and research company based in Houston, designed the app specifically for the iPhone 4’s cutting-edge capabilities including the three-axis gyro, accelerometer, Retina display, cameras, and A4 processor.

This technology will be used to conduct four experiments:

  1. Limb tracker experiment will measure the distance and exact location of the iPhone in relation to the Earth’s center.
  2. Sensor cal, which calibrates the three-axis gyro and accelerometer to make subsequent measurements more accurate.
  3. State acquisition, which calculates the longitude and latitude of the spacecraft multiple times to predict the spacecraft’s path of orbit.
  4. Lifecycle Flight Instrumentation will monitor and categorize how radiation affects the iPhone.

The goal of the SpaceLab app is to gather as much data as possible now to aid in developing more advanced mobile applications in the future.

“We view this very much as the beginning,” Rishikof says in a phone call with the Monitor. “We intend to explore more capable and more operational applications in the future.”

Rishikof says he and developer Matt Benson worked aggressively to create the app and ensure the phone’s durability since Apple released the iPhone 4s last June.

“Matt was committed like I’ve never seen anyone committed before,” Rishikof says on the phone. Normally, a project such as this would have a two-year timeline between “getting it defined and getting it flown.”

Why the iPhone and not the iPad? “There’s no reason in principle why we couldn’t have done the iPad,” Rishikof says. Yet, the compact size of the iPhone gives the device less mass and volume, and therefore a smaller footprint when calculating measurements. “In the future, the iPad is definitely on our list,” he says.

Curious about the new app? Earth-based users can download a home version for 99 cents from Apple’s App Store. IPhone owners can conduct the same experiments as the orbiting astronauts, with certain features simulated to account for Earth’s gravity.

Once the iPhones arrive at the space station, they will live in the NanoLab, a small research platform housed on the ISS, for several months.

“We did fly two phones,” Rishikof says. “You never know what’s going to happen, in case one malfunctions.” Another benefit of sending two phones, he says, is the chance to execute twice the number of experiments, which creates double the data.

The iPhones are expected back on Earth in the fall, after hopping aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. The collected data will then be analyzed and shared via the SpaceLab iOS app.

“I’m really into space education,” Rishikof says. “We need to engage people in the activities that are going on in the space program.”

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