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Keynote Speaker Kelly Tsai: Workshop, Lecture and Performance

The Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance, The Association for Research in Theater at IU, and Indiana University Student Association invite you to a workshop, a lecture and a performance by:

Kelly Tsai

Kelly Tsai is an award-winning writer, performer, and director based in Brooklyn. Her theatrical work has been developed and presented by Ars Nova, New York Live Arts, Downtown Urban Theater Festival, Museum of Chinese in America, Brooklyn Museum, El Museo del Barrio, Culture Project, University of California-Santa Cruz Rainbow Theater, and more. She was a founding ensemble member for Mango Tribe, an Asian American Pacific Islander women’s and genderqueer spoken word theater group, and an original cast member for We Got Issues!, a national hip hop theater project promoting young women’s leadership and electoral engagement. She has also collaborated with acclaimed dance companies and theater artists like Urban Bush Women and Ping Chong. Her work as a spoken word poet has been featured at hundreds of performances worldwide including audiences at the White House, Lincoln Center, Apollo Theater, Kennedy Center, and HBO’s “East of Main Street: Asians Aloud” and “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry.” Her current work spans screen, print, live performance, and new media. Throughout her career, Kelly has been committed to the arts as leverage for social change for issues as diverse as cultural identity, feminism, domestic violence and sexual assault prevention, immigrant rights, law enforcement reform, and voter enfranchisement.

Events with Kelly Tsai:

Friday, March 31:

Writing Workshop
2:00-3:30pm, Studio Theatre
This workshop focuses on how to write & develop solo performance material of all kinds.

Saturday, April 1st:

Performative Keynote Address
12:00-12:30 pm, Studio Theatre

Formosa, solo performance
7:30pm, Studio Theatre


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  • Commentary
  • Open Access

Opioids for non-operable osteoarthritis and soft-tissue rheumatism

Arthritis Research & Therapy20057:193

  • Published:

Reviews of oral opioid trials have shown that many side-effects need to be considered when treating patients with non-operable osteoarthritis and soft-tissue problems. European and American guidelines recommend their use with or without paracetamol. The controversy surrounding the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs/cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors is limiting physician and patient choices. There is a great need for alternative medication or ways of using current compounds.

  • Paracetamol
  • Opioid Drug
  • Topical NSAID
  • American Pain Society
  • Oral Opioid

Moore and McQuay [1], in this issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy, reviewed 34 trials using oral opioids against placebo or a comparator. The review included 5,500 patients; importantly, 4,000 patients contributed to the side-effect profile. It is this profile that is significant in today's world of public and patient safety. Doctors and patients do need help, and preferably evidence, to make choices when treating all types of musculoskeletal conditions. Moore's review highlights two problems: first, that the trials were of short duration, and second, that the side-effect profiles were a problem, causing patient withdrawals of at least 22%.

The European League Against Rheumatism recommends opioid analgesics with or without paracetamol as useful alternatives for patients in whom non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including cyclo-oxygenase-2 (Cox-2) selective inhibitors, are contra-indicated, ineffective and/or poorly tolerated [2, 3].

The American Pain Society and the American College of Rheumatology give similar advice for the use of opioids in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as well as osteoarthritis (OA) [4, 5].

Trials have shown that opioids are effective in OA and RA and improve sleep and quality of life [6]. If opioids are effective, are they safe? Schug and colleagues [7] showed that they have a good safety record and most have a high therapeutic index. In acute overdose, respiratory failure can occur but there does not seem to be any specific organ toxicity. The side-effects of nausea, vomiting, somnolence and sedation can present problems. It is accepted that patients usually rapidly develop tolerance to these side-effects. Unfortunately, tolerance does not develop for constipation, so this side-effect needs treatment. In Moore's review, dry mouth was experienced by 25% of patients, which is a significant problem for this age group of 55 years and over. These problems do limit the use of oral opioids–most patients who require medication for non-cancer pains are over 65 years old and very often constipation is already a problem, especially with the use of concomitant medication for co-morbidities. Constipation as a drug side-effect is rarely acceptable to patients, even in the older age groups, as most people wish to enjoy independence and the best possible quality of life. The withdrawal rate in trials is 22% [1], but this is likely to be an underestimation; in reality, most patients cannot tolerate nausea and somnolence for long even if they are assured that it will wear off given time. Car driving becomes difficult, even dangerous, and the quality of life generally deteriorates.

It is important, when using opioids, to select patients with care. All patients require a physical, psychological and social assessment. This will include addressing patients' beliefs, fears and expectations about their pain and the use of opioids. Care in opioid use must be exercised if there is or has been a history of drug or alcohol use or psychiatric problems such as depression, psychosis or any risk or history of suicidal tendencies. This assessment should also take into account similar factors relevant to any household member(s).

The emotive problems of dependence and addiction need addressing. When treating pain, addiction is defined as 'a persistent pattern of dysfunctional opioid use that may involve any or all of the following: adverse consequences associated with the use of opioids; loss of control over the use of opioids, preoccupation with obtaining opioids, despite the presence of adequate analgesia' [8, 9].

Physical dependence is a physiological phenomenon characterized by symptoms associated with abrupt termination of regular opioid use [8, 9]; it is not predictive nor diagnostic of addiction. The withdrawal effects of insomnia, muscle contraction and nausea are usually non-serious and generally last from 7 to 10 days [7]; these can be minimised by a gradual tapering of therapy.

I think it is the fear, by both patients and doctors, of addiction and dependence that has limited the use of oral opioids. This problem continues to create prejudice against the liberal use of opioid drugs in conditions other than their use for cancer pain. It is unlikely that Moore's review of oral opioids [1], the removal of some Cox-2 inhibitors or the growing evidence that NSAIDs are probably just as toxic as Cox-2 inhibitors to the cardiovascular system will overcome this reluctance to prescribe opioids to vast numbers of patients.

If a proper initial assessment of patients and their social circumstances is undertaken, then fears can be allayed and patients 'at risk' can be excluded from opioid treatment. Regular follow-up assessments should pre-empt most problems. Opioid drugs significantly reduce pain scores for patients with chronic non-malignant pain and, importantly, clinical trials also show that they improve a patient's quality of life. The recent controversy around Cox-2 inhibitors/NSAIDs has made the management of OA pain more difficult and led to patients suffering. Assessments of patients for opioids and wise use will begin to reverse this trend.

Many patients with soft-tissue problems and non-operable osteoarthritis will require pain relief. Education of patients and the use of paracetamol, glucosamine, topical NSAIDs and rubefacients will help many but not all patients: there will be some who require or demand more pain relief. Primary care appointments are much longer than previously, but appointments are still at a premium so the individualization of treatment of all patients is still an unattainable goal. The major drawback of the Cox-2 inhibitors/NSAID controversy is that we are unable to treat our patients' pain adequately; this will continue to be true while the risks of treatment continue to take preference over the benefits of treatment and informed choice.

Patients still require pain relief; all NSAIDs/Cox-2 inhibitors have cardiovascular and renal side-effects, and the older NSAIDs have severe gastrointestinal ones too. Most patients with OA requiring pain relief are over 65 years old with co-morbidities: NSAIDs/Cox-2 inhibitors are not the preferred choice of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) [10]. Oral opioids will be accepted by some patients but not the majority. The addition of opioid matrix patches are a welcome addition and hold out the possibility of a lower incidence of side-effects. Matrix patches seem to be acceptable to both patients and doctors and are less likely to be open to abuse.

European Medicines Agency

non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug

rheumatoid arthritis.

Authors’ Affiliations

James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, and Langbaurgh Primary Care Trust, Guisborough, Cleveland, UK

  1. Moore A, McQuay HJ: Prevalence of opioid adverse events in chronic non-malignant pain: systematic review of randomised trials of oral opioids. Arth Res Ther. 2005, 7: R1046-R1051. 10.1186/ar1782.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
  2. Jordan KM, Arden NK, Doherty M, Bannwarth B, Bijlsma J-WJ, Dieppe P, Gunther K, Hauselmann H, Herrero-Beaumont G, Kaklamanis P, et al: EULAR Recommendations 2003: an evidence based approach to the management of knee osteoarthritis: Report of a Task Force of the Standing Committee for the International Clinical Studies Including Therapeutic Trials (ESCISIT). Ann Rheum Dis. 2003, 62: 1145-1155. 10.1136/ard.2003.011742.PubMed CentralView ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
  3. Zhang W, Doherty M, Arden N, Bannwarth B, Bijlsma J, Gunther KP, Hauselmann HJ, Herrero-Beaumont G, Jordan K, Kaklamanis P, et al: EULAR evidence based recommendations for the management of hip osteoarthritis: report of a task force of the EULAR Standing Committee for International Clinical Studies Including Therapeutics (ESCISIT). Ann Rheum Dis. 2005, 64: 669-681. 10.1136/ard.2004.028886.PubMed CentralView ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
  4. American Pain Society: APS & ACR guidelines. Guideline for the Management of Pain in Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Juvenile Chronic Arthritis. 2002, Glenview, IL: American Pain SocietyGoogle Scholar
  5. Recommendations for the medical management of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee: 2000 update. American College of Rheumatology Subcommittee on Osteoarthritis Guidelines. Arthritis Rheum. 2000, 43: 1905-1915. 10.1002/1529-0131(200009)43:9<1905::AID-ANR1>3.0.CO;2-P.Google Scholar
  6. Roth SH, Fleischmann RM, Burch FX, Dietz F, Bockow B, Rapoport RJ, Rutstein J, Lacouture PG: Around-the-Clock, Controlled-Release Oxycodone Therapy for Osteoarthritis-Related Pain: Placebo-Controlled Trial and Long-term Evaluation. Arch Intern Med. 2000, 160: 853-860. 10.1001/archinte.160.6.853.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
  7. Schug SA, Zech D, Grond S: Adverse effects of systemic opioid analgesics. Drug Saf. 1992, 7: 200-213.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
  8. Definitions Related to the Use of Opioids for the Treatment ofPain: A Consensus Document from the American Academy of Pain Medicine, the American Pain Society, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. 2001, []
  9. The American Society of Addiction Medicine. Public policy statement on Definitions related to the use of opioids in pain treatment. 1997, []
  10. European Medicines Agency. []

© BioMed Central Ltd 2005

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What is the Least You Need to Know About Retirement Planning?
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Planning for retirement can be a little overwhelming. You have to look at so many numbers and make so many decisions. Before you start making a plan, here are some steps that you should take to ensure you’re ready to retire when you want to.

The first step in planning for retirement is figuring up how much you need to live on during retirement. This ideal number is different for everyone. Some people have a paid off mortgage before retirement and can live on very little money. Others want to buy a new home to retire in or want to travel during retirement.

Decide what you can live on during your golden years, making sure to take inflation into account when you figure up your dollar amount. There are great online calculators that can help you account for inflation.

The next step is to see what sum would give you that much money during your retirement years. The goal here is to have enough in savings that you can live off the interest for most of your retired life. You can then leave the lump sum principle to your children or grandchildren. A financial planner or good retirement planning calculator can help you figure out the dollar amount you need to get the type of investment returns you’re wanting.

Finally, decide how you’re going to save for retirement. There are lots of different savings avenues, and you should probably plan to put around 10% of your income back for when you retire. Max out at least one savings account each year, and watch compound interest take you closer and closer to a relaxing and stress-free retirement.

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Lost contact: RottonRobbie

I had paid for a commission back at the start of May and he said he'd get to it soon. Its been a little over 4 months now and I haven't heard anything back. He's always away on skype and never answers messages. Has anyone heard from him? I'm a bit worried he skipped out on my commission

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If you have been posted about, please read I've Been Posted on Artists_Beware, Now What?

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Sep. 12th, 2015 12:26 pm (UTC)
Do you mean RottenRobbie? There are a few worrying shouts on his FA page. On Inkbunny he posted yesterday to say that "things are going to get better".
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Recording Jazz Drum Lessons with Peter Erskine

jazz drums with peter erskine coming soon

New artist alert: this week we're recording jazz drums with the one and only Peter Erskine! We'll be broadcasting some of the action live from the studio on our Facebook page, so be sure to stay tuned. This will be just a sneak peek at the things to come, but we're too excited not to let you in on the fun! Speaking of which, be sure to get on the mailing list for all the latest info about when these jazz drum lessons will be available:

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References & Citations

Computer Science > Data Structures and Algorithms

Title:Smoothed Analysis of Discrete Tensor Decomposition and Assemblies of Neurons

Abstract: We analyze linear independence of rank one tensors produced by tensor powers of randomly perturbed vectors. This enables efficient decomposition of sums of high-order tensors. Our analysis builds upon [BCMV14] but allows for a wider range of perturbation models, including discrete ones. We give an application to recovering assemblies of neurons.
Assemblies are large sets of neurons representing specific memories or concepts. The size of the intersection of two assemblies has been shown in experiments to represent the extent to which these memories co-occur or these concepts are related; the phenomenon is called association of assemblies. This suggests that an animal's memory is a complex web of associations, and poses the problem of recovering this representation from cognitive data. Motivated by this problem, we study the following more general question: Can we reconstruct the Venn diagram of a family of sets, given the sizes of their $\ell$-wise intersections? We show that as long as the family of sets is randomly perturbed, it is enough for the number of measurements to be polynomially larger than the number of nonempty regions of the Venn diagram to fully reconstruct the diagram.
Comments: To appear in NIPS 2018
Subjects: Data Structures and Algorithms (cs.DS); Machine Learning (cs.LG); Neural and Evolutionary Computing (cs.NE); Machine Learning (stat.ML)
Cite as: arXiv:1810.11896 [cs.DS]
  (or arXiv:1810.11896v1 [cs.DS] for this version)

Submission history

From: Nima Anari [view email]
[v1] Sun, 28 Oct 2018 22:15:48 UTC (24 KB)


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0800 wet jet (938 538)

Commercial/ Industrial

Hydro jetting

When drains/pipes are blocked, Assassin Water Jetters will unblock them with our high pressure, high volume water jetting unit. Pipes/drains are cleaned simultaneously, removing all build up of fat deposits scale etc.

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CCTV Drain Inspections Mainline

Using the latest Mainline Camera technology ,Assassin Water Jetters can Inspect 150mm Drains all the way up to 1.5m .Efficiently with minimal fuss. We also Provide a USB Card with Easy to use viewer software, which contains, among other things, inspection videos, reports, as well as a 2D and/or 3D model of the pipe net-

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CCTV Drain Inspections Push Rod

Our closed circuit TV drain camera (CCTV) uses the latest digital technology to enable us to pin point the exact drain problem e.g. cracked or dislodged pipes, Build Ups etc. All images are in full colour and can be recorded if requested by client.

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Gusto Concierge Plan

HR is hard. Let’s tackle it together.

You don’t have to go it alone. When you sign up for the Concierge plan, you’ll get personal support from certified HR experts on top of easy-to-use payroll and essential HR tools.

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Get quick answers and resources from a dedicated team that knows you and your business.

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Setting up your HR the right way can help avoid fines and lawsuits down the line. We’ll give you the tools to help you stay compliant and get ahead of changing regulations that affect your business.

  • Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) violation? That’s up to a $7,000 fine
  • Get an ACA penalty? You’ll pay at least $2,000 per employee
  • Employee lawsuit? That could cost $160,000

These numbers come from the U.S. Dept. of Labor, the IRS, and the Hiscox Guide to Employee Lawsuits.

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Astro's parents are two robots made by Professor Ochanomizu to be Astro's parental units. They are designed to act and look like normal humans. They are usually unnamed, but Japanese reference books refer to Astro's mother as Rin, and Astro's father as Ethanol[1].

Astro's parents primarily appear in Osamu Tezuka's manga, and the 1963 anime series. They live in a modern house like humans, and look after Astro, Uran, and Cobalt and Chiitan if applicable. In some stories, it is evident that they are younger than Astro in construction, and sometimes find that they have to learn from him. Astro's parents usually call each other, "dear" instead of names.
Mama hug
In one timeline of the manga, Astro's robot mother is based on Tobio Tenma's human mother, Hoshie. One version of this timeline has Dr. Tenma designing a robot to replace Hoshie, and another has Ochanomizu basing a robot off Hoshie to help Astro feel more comfortable in his new life.

In the 1980 series, they are built by Ochanomizu as a gift for Astro, after he was freed from the robot circus. Their nonactivated robot bodies are stolen by Atlas to convince Astro to fight him. They are safely recovered afterwards, activated, and sent to live in a suburban house as a family. They have more modern designs, looking like a human couple in the late 1970s to early 1980s.

Tumblr n3wnk30In41reylkuo1 500

Astro's parents were adapted into the American Astro Boy comics in 1987. They were based on their 1980 appearance, but initially appeared as human scientists who were involved with a love triangle. After they were killed by Cybersharks, Dr. Elefun reconstructs them as robots and introduces them as Astro's new caregivers.

Their most recent appearance is in Little Astro Boy. They have new, updated designs, and were once again built by Ochanomizu to live in a house with Astro.

Astro's mother stops Dr. Tenma from kidnapping Astro

Astro's mother cares very much about her family, and is very protective when she needs to be. Astro's mother believes very much in Astro's good nature, and has believed his innocence when Astro is accused of lying or hurting others.

In the manga and 1963 anime, she is designed to look like a classic 1960s housewife. In some versions of the manga, she is played by an older version of the Tezuka Star System character Michi. In other versions, she is a robotic reconstruction of Dr. Tenma's late wife Hoshie. The difference between Michi and Hoshie is that Michie has her hair in a short bob, while Hoshie has her hair pulled up into a bun.

In the American comic series, her human name is Rebecca, and she was a computer developer who created the Emotion Simulator Chip. Rebecca briefly dates Lance Lumiere, and was primarily taught by Dr. I.Q. Plenty, whom she platonically admires and respects.

Astro's parents, as Elmer and Rebecca

Astro's father is stern but well-intentioned, and tries hard to keep up with his family. He can be very stern and lose his temper with Astro, but is always very proud of him; Astro's father always wants his son to do his best and can be hard on him only out of faith. In Little Astro Boy, he is goofier and very good-natured, and loves to play fighting video games with Astro. He enjoys doing yardwork and gardening, and has a soft spot for tea with sugar.

In the 1980 anime, Astro's father has a grey plug in the front of his hair that extends if he is shocked or angry. In the American comic series, his human name is Elmer Dobbs, and he is a genetic researcher. Elmer is credited with inventing a skinless potato, and admires Rebecca from afar until he is rebuilt as a robot.


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About the Conference

Organized by ATGENDER, The European Association for Gender Research, Education and Documentation, with support from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) and Vilnius University (VU), the 2017 edition of the ATGENDER Spring conference is dedicated to building dialogues between gender researchers, activists, students, educators and policy makers.

The main goal of this conference is to address gaps between academic research and gender studies and the practice of gender policy making and implementation in light of current political and social issues in Europe. The conference invites participants to consider how to make gender research more accessible outside the academic community and how to make gender policy better informed by recent scholarship. It also urges participants to think about how to overcome the dualism of theory and practice in the quest for future gender equality in Europe.

This conference will consist of round table discussions, workshops, and panels. The topics of these activities will include:

  • Gender, Politics, Policies
  • Gender Based Violence
  • Gender & Media
  • Gender Mainstreaming & Gender Budgeting
  • Occupational and Educational Segregation
  • Genderifying Economic Analysis
  • Intersectional Research in the Making
  • Gender Equality in Academia
  • Men & Masculinity
  • Prostitution, Sex Work & Trafficking
  • Anti-discrimination & Diversity
  • Contested Reproductive Rights
  • Gender & Migration
  • Anti-gender & Homophobia

Please note the deadline for the Call for Papers has also been extended for the Spring conference! The new deadline for submission is January 16, 2017. Take up this last chance to participate in the conference as presenter! The Call for Papers is available here. Follow the instructions included in it and send your abstract, short bio and 3-items bibliography before the deadline.


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4 Popular Degenerative Disc Disease Treatments

Degenerative disc disease is chronic and irreversible. If you suffer from this condition you may experience back pain for a few weeks or over months, depending on the severity and your level of activity. In most cases, if you follow a treatment regime, the prognosis is good. Here is a rundown on four popular treatments for this condition.

1. Exercise and Physical Therapy

If you are experiencing pain from lumbar degenerative disc disease, exercise and physical therapy are an essential part of treatment. Back strengthening programs will help you maintain a healthy posture as well as strengthening your core. Hamstring stretches will keep these muscles flexible and prevent tautness in the hamstrings from increasing back pain. Low-impact exercise such as swimming or walking will help enhance the flow of oxygen, blood and nutrients to the spine to promote healing.

2. Heat and Ice Therapy

Alternating between hot and cold ice packs when the muscles and joints get stiff can help to maintain flexibility. This can also increase range of motion and ease soreness.

3. Medication

If you experiencing pain due to your degenerative disc disease, your physician may recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, such as naproxen or ibuprofen in combination with pain medications, such as acetaminophen.  If your pain is severe and debilitating, your doctor may prescribe stronger medications, such as muscle relaxants, oral steroids or a narcotic pain medication on a short-term basis.

4. Spinal Surgery

Spinal cordIf you are unable to find relief through any of the above methods, your doctor may recommend spinal surgery. As well as alleviating pain and improving your general quality of life, spine surgery may also strengthen your spine. The two main types of spine surgery are lumbar fusion and  artificial disc replacement surgery.

Contact our medical experts at Atlanta Spine Specialists to find out more about our state of the art facilities and treatment options. Our medical team specializes in diagnosis and treatment of back pain, spinal curvatures, and degenerative disc disease. We also provide minimally invasive non-surgical treatments so you can continue your daily activities during recovery.

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Poland: big change in DSO

Barómetro de Prácticas de Pago

  • Poland
  • Automoción/Transporte,
  • Productos químicos/Farmacéutica,

18 sep 2018

The proportion of past due B2B invoices is the second highest in the region and almost 60% of Polish respondents said that this affected their businesses.

In 2018, respondents in Poland reported late payments less frequently than in 2017. However, the proportion of past due B2B invoices remains the second highest in the region and almost 60% of respondents said that this affected their businesses. Poland still has one of the highest average DSO recorded in the region even after a steep decrease in 2018. Despite extensive use of e-invoicing and the majority’s belief that this accelerates payments, there was only a minor decrease in payment duration for Poland this year. Bankruptcy and failed collection attempts remain the top reasons for write-offs and consumer durables is one of the sectors that generated the longest payment delays.

Trade credit - for loyal customers and new business prospects

Credit Sales Poland 2018

Historically, respondents in Poland have been some of the most averse to selling on credit terms. 2018 survey results point to the same conservative stance with only 29.1% of B2B sales made on credit. There are more sales on credit terms to domestic B2B customers than to B2B customers abroad (31.9% versus 26.3%).

Polish respondents said that they are selling on credit to their domestic B2B customers to nurture long-term business relationships and to reward their customers’ loyalty. At the same time, it is perceived as a method that enables businesses to grow domestically in a market where selling on credit is expected.

The main reasons why Polish respondents would not offer a domestic B2B customer credit are, high economic or political risk (25.0% of respondents) and either the financial weakness or the poor payment behaviour of the customer (18.8% of respondents).

Transport services are sold almost 100% by providing trade credit, these are the market requirements.

Survey respondent, Transport sector

Trading on credit with B2B customers abroad also seems to be aimed at maintaining business relationships and building relationships with new customers. Trust – associated with customer loyalty - seems to influence this decision. Respondents in Poland mainly refuse credit sales to their foreign B2B customers because of high currency risk (mentioned by 32.4% of respondents) and high economic and political risk in the customer’s country (mentioned by 27.0% of respondents).

We are selling on credit because we would like to increase sales and gain a foothold in markets where we don’t yet have a presence.

Survey respondent, Chemicals sector

A steep decrease in DSO

In 2017, 89.2% of respondents in Poland reported being paid late by their domestic and foreign B2B customers. This was one of the highest percentages in the region. This percentage was the same for domestic and foreign customers. This year, the percentage dropped to 86.0% reflecting a significant reduction in late payments by foreign B2B customers (81.6%). Late payments by domestic B2B customers rose slightly to 90.4%.

The proportion of overdue B2B invoices in Poland is stable at 39.0% (38.8% last year). Similarly to 2017, the average proportion of domestic past due B2B invoices was higher than that of foreign past due B2B invoices.

Past due B2B receivables Poland 2018

In 2018, the average Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) figure recorded in Poland is 75 days, 13 days less than in 2017. Despite the decrease, Poland’s average DSO remains much higher than the regional average of 59 days. Looking at the DSO trend over the next 12 months, most respondents in Poland (61.8%) do not expect any changes, 20.8% foresee a slight increase and 10.6% a slight decrease.

Overdue invoices resulting in revenue loss for 14.7% of respondents

Domestic B2B customers of respondents in Poland are given, on average, 31 days to settle their invoices. This is one day longer than in 2017. Foreign B2B customers are given, on average, 32 days – two days shorter than in 2017.

50.4% of the survey respondents said that they do not differentiate payment terms by domestic and foreign customers. Should they differentiate, 29.9% of respondents said that they would give their domestic B2B customers less time to pay. The main reasons for differentiating payment terms in Poland are internal policies, industry practices and the financial risk related to export transactions.

Payment duration in Poland 2018

Payment delays in Poland have remained largely stable in 2018, with an increase of one day reported in respect to domestic B2B customers (on average, 25 days) and a two day decrease for foreign B2B customers (on average, 23 days). Based on these changes and the ones mentioned above, the payment duration in Poland decreased by one day, 56 days on average. This is also in line with the regional average of 55 days.

Polish respondents said that domestic payment delays occur mainly because of insufficient availability of funds (reported by 62.2% of respondents) and buyers using outstanding invoices as a form of financing (32.3% of respondents). These show no changes compared to 2017, and are the same reasons as those expressed at the regional level.

Payment delays by foreign B2B customers occurred mainly because of the complexity of the payment procedure (38.5% of respondents mentioned this). Respondents also mentioned insufficient availability of funds, buyers using outstanding invoices as a form of financing and that the goods delivered did not correspond to what was agreed in the contract (each of these reasons stated by 24.4% of respondents). Poland also had the highest percentage of respondents in the region (24.4%), who reported delays because the goods or services provided did not meet the contract agreement. This compares to 13.5% of respondents who stated this reason at regional level.

41.4% of Polish respondents said that over the last 12 months past due invoices did not have a significant impact on their businesses. 15.7% of respondents said that overdue invoices delayed investment in property, plant and equipment and another 15.7% that they needed to take specific measures to correct cash flow. A slightly lower percentage (14.7%) said that payment delays led to revenue loss.

E-invoicing: extensively used but impact on payment duration unsure

Poland legislative changes 2018

Respondents in Poland make extensive use of e-invoicing. 72.6% of respondents said that they are already invoicing their domestic and foreign B2B customers online and 12.7% said that they intend to start doing so in 2018. In contrast, only 13.7% of respondents in the country said that they are not using e-invoicing and 0.9% that they have stopped using it. Of the respondents already e-invoicing, 53.3% said that after invoicing their B2B customers electronically, they received payments quicker. For 40.8% of respondents online invoices did not have a noteworthy effect on payment while 5.9% of respondents noticed a slowdown in payment.

US protectionism perceived as the biggest risk to global growth

Of four potential risks to global economic growth - US protectionism turning into a trade war, Fed policy becoming misguided, a ‘hard landing’ in China and geopolitical risk - Polish respondents said that US protectionism turning into a trade war is the most significant risk to global growth over the coming six months. 38.4% of respondents in the country mentioned this, a slightly higher percentage than that registered at regional level (37.7%). Additionally, 25.9% of respondents in the country agree that US protectionism is a significant risk, even if not the most significant one. Only 15.3% of respondents in the country perceive US protectionism to be the least significant risk to global economic development.

Bankruptcy and failed collection attempts remain top reasons for write-offs

Uncollectable B2B receivables in Poland 2018

The average proportion of uncollectable B2B receivables in Poland is stable at 1.0% (no changes compared to 2017). Similarly to what has been reported in the past, domestic B2B receivables here were written off as uncollectable more frequently than foreign B2B receivables.

Uncollectable receivables originated most often from B2B customers in consumer durables, construction, chemicals, services and business services. Similarly to what was stated at regional level, the main reason for writing off B2B receivables as uncollectable is the customer going bankrupt or out of business. In 2018, this was stated by 62.4% of respondents, a much higher percentage than in 2017 (50.0%). The second most frequently reported reason for write-offs is the failure of collection attempts, stated by 39.3% of respondents in the country.

Consumer durables – one of the slowest paying sectors

B2B customers of respondents in Poland are given, on average, 32 days to fulfil their payment obligations. By sector, domestic and foreign B2B customers in the metals sector are given the longest payment terms (on average, 38 days) and those in the textiles sector the shortest (on average, 17 days).

With an average delay of 27 days, B2B customers in the consumer durables sector are some of the slowest payers. The main reason for payment delays in this sector is buyers using outstanding invoices as a form of financing (reported by 49.0% of Polish respondents). B2B customers in the construction sector also generated long delays (on average, 22 days) mainly because of insufficient availability of funds (54.0% of respondents mentioned this).

Sector Poland 2018

60.0% of respondents in the consumer durables sector and 62.0% in the construction sector do not expect changes in the payment behaviour of their B2B customers over the coming 12 months. However, they remain optimistic, should a change occur, most respondents expect it to be for the better.

Disclaimer y Buró de Entidades Financieras

Este informe se presenta, con fines de información únicamente y no está pensada como una recomendación en cuanto a las transacciones particulares, inversiones o estrategias en modo alguno a cualquier lector. Los lectores deben tomar sus propias decisiones independientes, comerciales o de cualquier otro tipo, con respecto a la información proporcionada. Aunque hemos hecho todo lo posible para garantizar que la información contenida en este informe sea obtenida de fuentes confiables, Atradius no es responsable por los errores u omisiones, o por los resultados obtenidos del uso de esta información. En ningún caso Atradius, sus corporaciones o empresas relacionadas, afiliadas y subsidiarias, ni los socios, agentes o empleados, serán responsables por cualquier decisión o medida adoptada con base en la información en este informe, o por ningún daño directo, indirecto, especial, incidental o consecuente, resultante del uso de la información de las declaraciones hechas en este documento. BURÓ DE ENTIDADES FINANCIERAS ¿Qué es el Buró de Entidades Financieras? Es una herramienta de consulta y difusión con la que podrás conocer los productos que ofrecen las entidades financieras, sus comisiones y tasas, las reclamaciones de los usuarios, las prácticas no sanas en que incurren, las sanciones administrativas que les han impuesto, las cláusulas abusivas de sus contratos y otra información que resulte relevante para informarte sobre su desempeño. Con el Buró de Entidades Financieras, se logrará saber quién es quién en bancos, seguros, sociedades financieras de objeto múltiple, cajas de ahorro, afores, entre otras entidades. Con ello, podrás comparar y evaluar a las entidades financieras, sus productos y servicios y tendrás mayores elementos para elegir lo que más te convenga. Esta información te será útil para elegir un producto financiero y también para conocer y usar mejor los que ya tienes. Este Buró de Entidades Financieras, es una herramienta que puede contribuir al crecimiento económico del país, al promover la competencia entre las instituciones financieras; que impulsará la transparencia al revelar información a los usuarios sobre el desempeño de éstas y los productos que ofrecen y que va a facilitar un manejo responsable de los productos y servicios financieros al conocer a detalle sus características. Lo anterior, podrá derivar en un mayor bienestar social, porque al conjuntar en un solo espacio tan diversa información del sistema financiero, el usuario tendrá más elementos para optimizar su presupuesto, para mejorar sus finanzas personales, para utilizar correctamente los créditos que fortalecerán su economía y obtener los seguros que la protejan, entre otros aspectos. Puedes consultar la información relativa al Buró de Entidades Financieras, tanto de Atradius Seguros de Crédito. S.A., como de todo el sector asegurador en el siguiente enlace: http://www.buro.gob.mx


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I'm just had my tooth out on the NHS. A few years ago, I had a… - Sally's Journal
August 8th, 2006
12:38 pm

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Date:August 8th, 2006 12:37 pm (UTC)
I think that the whole state-of-the-gene-pool problem (should it actually be one) is one that's best dealt with by sticking our heads in the sand and hoping it will go away. As in: I don't think it's going to be urgent in the next few decades (or even centuries), currently we've got no better way of dealing with the problem than using rather crude and jackbooted solutions that look likely to do far more harm than good, and out knowledge of genetics has a long long way to go. Ultimately if there's a really big problem germline GM seems like a more humane solution, albeit one with problems of its own.

This all assumes, of course, than in a few centuries from now we haven't destroyed civilisation with WMD or a global environmental catastrophe, or all been replaced by superintellegent robots.
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Accommodations in Sibbo, Finland

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Sibbo overview

Whatever your interests are, Sibbo has something for you. Sibbo might not have many attractions within the city, but you won't need to venture far to find places to visit like Ainola and Halosenniemi Museum. While you're in town, don't miss out on other sights including Nevas Golf.

Where to stay in Sibbo

Whether you're planning a longer vacation or a weekend getaway, Sibbo has the right accommodation for you. You can shop as many as 288 deals for Sibbo accommodations on, some with discounts of up to 50%. We have room prices starting at 23 USD per night and below are the number of hotels by star rating in Sibbo as well as in the surrounding area:
  • • 8 5-star hotels from 94 USD per night
  • • 94 4-star hotels from 85 USD per night
  • • 42 3-star hotels from 59 USD per night
  • • 17 2-star hotels from 23 USD per night

How to get to Sibbo

Fly into Helsinki (HEL-Vantaa), 10.9 mi (17.6 km) from the heart of Sibbo.

What to see around Sibbo

Here are some recommended places to see in the surrounding area:
  • • Ainola (9.2 mi/14.8 km from the city center)
  • • Halosenniemi Museum (9.2 mi/14.9 km from the city center)

When to visit Sibbo

If you're just starting to think about trip planning, you may be curious about the best time to visit. Here are the seasonal norms to help you decide when to go:

Seasonal temperature averages
  • • January-March: 38°F day, 14°F night
  • • April-June: 70°F day, 26°F night
  • • July-September: 72°F day, 41°F night
  • • October-December: 53°F day, 20°F night
Seasonal rainfall averages
  • • January-March: 0.20 inches
  • • April-June: 0.20 inches
  • • July-September: 0.24 inches
  • • October-December: 0.24 inches


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Lock Change Auburn, WA – Locksmith Key Shop

Locksmith Key Shop Auburn, WA 253-248-6338It’s important that you inspect your locks regularly for signs of wear and tear. A lock that isn’t working properly or is broken is – aside from being a major headache – a big security risk and may leave your property open to theft or vandalism. Locksmith Key Shop is a professional locksmith in Auburn, WA with years of experience behind us. We offer an affordable, reliable lock change service that you can contact if you’re thinking of having your locks replaced.

Your Safety is our Priority!

Locksmith Key Shop offers free security consultations. If you’re not sure of what kind of locks you need for your building, you can contact us for help. Our experienced locksmiths will go over your property and advise you on what kind of locks you need to get and where they need to be installed. If you’ve had a theft or a break-in happen recently, Locksmith Key Shop can also repair the damage caused to your property.

Why choose us for Lock Change service?

Reputation:  Locksmith Key Shop has a reputation for providing an affordable service while maintaining a high quality of work. We also carry high-quality locks in our inventory sourced from some of the best manufacturers in the country.

All-round service: Locksmith Key Shop provides a range of locksmithing services for cars, homes and businesses. We can fix locks, rekey them or replace them. We can also make new car keys; make duplicate as well as high-security keys.

Talented team:  Our locksmiths are industry professionals with years of experience. They are well versed with a variety of locks and can recognize and fix advanced mechanical and electronic locks. We also send our team on locksmithing seminars to help them hone their skills further.

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Mobile locksmith: Locksmith Key Shop is a mobile locksmith that can reach all areas of Auburn, WA. If you’ve managed to lock yourself out of your car in a remote corner of the area, we can help. We offer door-to-door locksmithing services for home, car, and business owners.

Call Locksmith Key Shop today on 253-248-6338 for our lock change service.


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Download Ode to a Banker: A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery Audiobook

Ode to a Banker: A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery Audiobook, by Lindsey Davis Extended Sample Click for printable size audiobook cover
Author: Lindsey Davis Narrator: Simon Prebble Publisher: Blackstone Publishing Format: Unabridged Audiobook Delivery: Instant Download Audio Length: Series: The Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries Release Date: August 2016 ISBN: 9781504726986
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Lindsey Davis is the internationally bestselling author who “makes Rome live” (Washington Post Book World). Funny, astute, and hard-boiled, her series detective, Marcus Didius Falco, now ventures into a new arena, the publishing world of AD 74, to prove that ars longa, vita brevis—and murder is timeless.

Can a tough detective possess the soul of a poet? After a public reading brings him rousing applause, Falco receives an offer to have his work published. But his ego takes a beating when the banker Chrysippus demands payment for putting the verse on papyrus. Hell hath no fury like an author scorned, and when Chrysippus turns up murdered—in the library, no less—it’s poetic justice. Appointed the official investigator, Falco’s soon up to his stylus in outraged writers and shifty bankers. Now it’s time to employ his real talents: deducing the killer from an assembly of suspects.

This classic whodunit is Lindsey Davis’ most satisfying mystery yet.

Download and start listening now!

Quotes & Awards

  • “A witty satire of publishing and banking with striking contemporary resonance…hot, noisy, smelly, and full of unforgettable characters.”

    Guardian (London)

  • “Davis juggles the crises and the numerous characters beautifully…and has us riveted.”

    Winston-Salem Journal

  • “A good mystery and, as such, the reader doesn’t suspect the perpetrator until all is gradually revealed, and then everything makes perfect sense…In the end, we leave Marcus Didius Falco with a wine flagon and a good scroll to read. Given the society in which he lives, he probably won’t be idle for long, much to his fans’ delight.”

    Publishers Weekly

  • “Marcus Didius Falco, everyone’s favorite ancient Roman gumshoe, is back in another cheeky mystery…As usual, Davis flings out a host of memorably unappetizing characters, raucous family encounters, and a sharp little mystery, wrapped up with a nice, unexpected twist at the end…As much fun as the rest of the series.”

    Library Journal

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About the Author

Lindsey Davis is an English novelist of historical fiction and best known for her award-winning historical crime stories set in ancient Rome and its empire, the acclaimed Marcus Didius Falco series and the Flavia Albia series. Her novels have won numerous awards, including the Crime Writers’ Association Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award and in 2011 the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association for lifetime achievement. Born and raised in Birmingham, England, she read English at Oxford and worked for the civil service for thirteen years before becoming a writer.

About the Narrator

Simon Prebble, a British-born performer, is a stage and television actor and veteran narrator of some three hundred audiobooks. As one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices, he has received thirty-seven Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie in 2010. He lives in New York.


text: Audire opened up for me a whole new understanding of God—a new aspect of relationship with God. I find it an honor filled with wonder to watch how God works in the life of another person, how God “shows up” during a direction session. What I learned at Audire has also helped me develop short contemplative presentations and daylong retreats, filling a need in my local parish.


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Madagascar Bean – Tropical Lima Bean – Seeds

Madagascar Bean/Tropical Lima Bean- Phaseolus lunatus

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This is a great perennial bean vine that literally lasts for years.
Full, dense foliage, all year through, producing pods even in the middle of winter.
The beans themselves are excellent for eating when young and just before they start to ‘colour up’.
Collected and allowed to dry, the make great additions to soups and stews.
Packet of 6 seeds.

Due to the size of the seeds postage for International (Outside Australia) orders cannot be guaranteed to


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Queens Don’t Fail

Last week a friend of mine from medical school send me this snapshot from a book she’s reading: Constance Halls, “Like A Queen.”  She felt that this sentence embodied me.  Just the day before I told her that I was considering a specialty change.  I confessed that one of the feelings holding me back was that of failure.  In my mind, switching means failure.

The past few weeks have been a challenging time for me.  For years now, I have thrown around the idea of changing specialties in medicine.  Initially, the idea started because I struggled greatly with my work life balance: there is no room for family life in a surgical residency.  When A. was diagnosed with ASD, I took some time off and realized that I needed to give more to my family.  Despite that, I tried for a long time to convince myself that as long as I loved my job and enjoyed what I did while I was at work, the sacrifices at home would be worth it.  I honestly believe that, even now.  However, as more time goes by, I wonder if I really do enjoy my job as much as I tell myself I do.

Lately I find that I haven’t been as interested and engaged in my work.  I do my work and I take care of my patients, but I haven’t really been enjoying myself.  I wake up in the mornings dragging my feet and I spend a large proportion of the day waiting for it to come to an end so I can get home to my family.  Surgery is technically challenging and pleasurable, but I don’t feel passion when I am in the OR – Just a sense of obligation.  My call shifts are becoming more and more onerous, especially as they stack on top of each other: all I want to do is sleep.  When I think ahead to the heavy rotations, the year of being chief resident, and the studying that is going to have to happen, I cringe.  I know that not too far from now, I will have to neglect my family even more than I do now for an entire year if I want to pass my board exams.  And, I just don’t think I’m willing to make that sacrifice.

So, does that mean I need to change my goals?  Or am I just experiencing a bad case of burnout?  Maybe a little bit of both?  Is this really a good time to make a change in career paths?

I feel dissatisfied at work and I feel like I am falling short as a caring and engaged mother when I am at home.  I know, for certain, that these two feeling are not exclusive of one another.  Together these feelings play into a vicious negative-feedback cycle: I dislike my job because of how it affects my family life, and I feel guilty about what happens to my family because of how much I commit to my job.  Inadequacy in all aspects of life make for an unhappy life.  Despite all of this dissatisfaction, I feel frozen and unable to make a decision on how to move forward.  Staying in the same place, expecting things to get better feels like the wrong decision.  Yet, committing to change, admitting that I’m not happy, and taking a new path is frightening and feels like failure in disguise.

All these thoughts, ideas, and stressors have caused havoc in my mind.  Just a few weeks ago, after decideding to move ahead with the change, I felt empowered and giddy with excitement that I was taking control of my life.  That excitement has now completely dwindled away to leave only more anxiety and fear over the decision.  I fear that I am making this decision for the wrong reasons and that one day I will regret not “sticking it out.”  But I also fear the perception of failure.

I know I could finish this if I tried (and if I wanted to).  But is it what I really want?

Just Be With It

Yesterday was a bad day… It’s a really long story, the kind that requires knowledge of the background situation and a good handle of what my day-to-day job entails.

Originally, This blog entry included all the details of what happened. I decided to delete it all though, because it just made me feel so bad and I don’t want to give the situation that much power over me.

Ultimately, I received a poor evaluation for my last rotation before El was born. This shocked me for a number of reasons, but mostly because I felt that the rotation went very well and was no different than any other rotation I’ve done.  Also, at no point during the rotation did anyone tell me that they thought I was acting or performing so far below their expectations that I deserved to fail. In fact, I only ever got positive feedback from people.

I know this evaluation is inaccurate and untrue. I have my beliefs as to why this may have happened and I have started the process of appealing the evaluation. Regardless, it made me feel horrible about myself and it made me feel completely helpless in the face of the guy who seemed more than satisfied to give me a failing evaluation.

In light of my recent feelings of inadequacy at home, this certainly didn’t make me feel geat about myself at all.  I am trying to do a good job of everything in my life and I feel like I am falling short everywhere (even if I’m technically not). It just constantly feels like I’m doing something wrong.  This meeting completely ruined my day yesterday, and it ruined my night. I am trying hard not to let it ruin my whole week.  While this situation does need to be sorted out and rectified in some way, I’m going to try hard to just “let it be.”  There has to be something to learn from this situation.

(Thanks to a wonderful blogging friend who posted this image on that other big social networking site… I needed to see this today)

Reflections for a New Year

 Many of these types of inspirational pictures and messages have been floating around on my Facebook feed over the past few days. Given that I’ve been in a rather introspective mindset and contemplating changes in my life, they have really been hitting a chord for me. I know that I’ve been rather absent from the blogosphere lately and I think that has actually been a bad thing. This is a great place for me to come and let out my thoughts, fears, questions, and frustrations. While I’ve been very busy with work and home, I feel like the winter blues have been making me lazy and unmotivated to blog. The truth is,  though, I really miss it and I think my mental health is suffering because of it.  I really need o work harder on making blogging a priority – not because I want to promote my blog or anything, but because I know it contributes to my mental sanity.

On a similar note, I have been reflecting on some goals for the new year. Last year on the old blog, I set 11 goals for myself over the year. I met most of them by half way through the year, and a few of them fell to the wayside. In July, right before I closed down the old blog and started anew, I revised and reset some goals but with the blogging fiasco, I never kept up with them. I really want to start some new goals for 2016 here on this blog, much like I did last year. I have been reflecting on  some reasonable goals given that I’m struggling with decisions surrounding my career, I am 4.5 months pregnant, and I feel like I am starting from “zero” most days.  I’m hoping that by the end of this weekend I will have delineated some reasonable goals and will have posted them here for accountability.

In the meanime, in will make a shot-term “pseudo goal” to get back into the blogging world.

Ready For Christmas

December has been a whirlwind month. I feel bad for not blogging in almost a whole month. However, it’s been tough keeping my head up over the past few weeks. Today we are on our way out of town in preparation for Christmas. It is going to be another crazy 5 days, but at least I’m off work and spending time with my family. I’m hoping to get a few more blog posts in over the next few days. But here is a quick summary of the last few weeks:
I had a week of vacation where I managed to get a significant amount of baking and reading done. Hopefully in the next few days I will get a chance to post about my reading adventures. I managed to read 3 books in December, thanks to my week of vacation, which means I accomplished my goal of reading 12 books in 2015!
I went back to work and, again, struggled with the challenge of feeling like I’m not quite in the right place in life. Work is so busy, demanding, and tiring, and it makes me really question if I’m doing the right things with my life.
Pregnancy has continued to be exhausting. I am almost 20 weeks pregnant now, which means that I am getting bigger, gaining more weight, and feeling more uncomfortable. The first few days back after my vacation I was feeling a lot of cramping and that was stressful. Thankfully it was only that – no bleeding, no contractions, no broken water. I think that the worst part of my job these days is seeing all the bad and unfortunate pregnancy outcomes. This week alone I think I dealt with at least 4 or 5 peri-viable (22-23 week) broken waters or deliveries. It’s been hard to see that happening.
After all those difficult outcomes at work, the worst thing an anxious, pregnant mom of two boys could do is plan an anatomy ultrasound for the morning that her Christmas Vacation starts. After a tense hour of having a stranger smear gel over my swollen belly and take hundreds of pictures of my unborn baby without saying a single word, it turnes out that everything looks okay! Normal anatomy (including heart, spine, and palate), high anterior placenta, long, closed cervix… And, it’s a Girl!

Feeling Overwhelmed

I am sad to report that over the weekend I just felt too tired and overwhelmed to finish the Nano Poblano challenge.  It makes me a little sad to think that I was so close and didn’t do it. But even now, it’s taken a lot of time for me to feel anything like a normal person and get back to blogging. I think this feeling started about half way through November, but I had been pre-scheduling so many of my posts that it didn’t matter. Some of you may have noticed, though, that I haven’t been around reading and commenting like I normally do.

I just feeling very… Overwhelmed. Very tired. Very misunderstood. Very alone.

I do remember this being the lowest point of my year last year, so I hope this is just a phase and that it will get better. In the meantime, I feel like I am losing the ability to cope well. Thankfully, today is my last day of work for the next 12 days. I am off to an out-of-town conference tomorrow for the weekend, and then on vacation until Dec 15. Hopefully in that time I will be able to recover some of my mental and emotional reserve.

I need some words of wisdom and encouragement, please!

Relinquish Control

It hit me like a tonne of bricks this morning: Everything about my Freak out yesterday stems from my pathological desire to have control over everything.

I am imagining the conversation I will have with my psychologist later this afternoon: “I wanted to control something that I can’t control… it’s not my job to control this and really, it can’t be controlled.”

This control problem that I have is something that I’ve suffered with for a long time.  It has been an ongoing theme with my anxiety issues and something that my psychologist and I have been trying to work through for many many months.  Learning to recognize what I can and can’t control, and then accept those limitations is something that I am not very good at doing.  But then again, I suspect that many people have this problem as well; isn’t there a prayer for this exact problem?
Perhaps the reason I am feeling so bad about what happened yesterday is because subconsciously I know that I was trying to take control of a situation that I cannot control.  Not only can I not control this situation, I can’t change what happens.  What if that number had really been zero?  Or what if it was dropping – there would be absolutely nothing I could do to prevent the inevitable.  Yesterday, I clearly lacked the Wisdom to make such a differentiation.  I also lacked the serenity to accept the fact that this is something out of my realm of control.

It is a hard thing to accept – a lack of control.  In my life I struggle with the knowledge that I have control over very little.  I know this adds undue stress and anxiety.  I know I need to accept this truth and find peace with it.

God, grant me the Serenity…


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CEI Appraisers Learn Repair Techniques on New All-Aluminum Ford F-150

Fifteen members of the in-house Quality Control team from the CEI Group, Inc. (CEI) have completed I-CAR’s course in collision repairs on the new 2015 Ford F-150 pickup truck, which makes the most extensive use of aluminum of any light-duty vehicle on the road, CEI announced today.

“Auto manufacturers are starting to use more aluminum because of its strength, lighter weight and greater corrosion resistance, but it requires a range of completely different repair techniques than steel,” said Greg Neuman, CEI’s senior manager of quality control. For example, he said, different welding tools and procedures are required, and repairs must be made in a totally separate and contained area of a repair shop to keep the metal free from any contact with steel, which causes aluminum to corrode.

The Ford F-150 – one of the most popular fleet vehicles – is the first American-made vehicle to use aluminum for all of its body panels and most of its internal structural parts. “What’s happening with the F-150 is a harbinger of things to come in fleet, ” said Wayne Smolda, CEI’s CEO and president. “Every fleet and its business partners need to be prepared to deal correctly with the challenges of aluminum collision repairs, and I-CAR’s course is a great way to do it.”

The day-long course was conducted at CEI’s headquarters and concluded with an examination. “The course was very comprehensive and thorough, and the test was rigorous,” Mr. Neuman said. “We’ve encountered aluminum material in some body parts for years, but the Ford F-150 presents a whole new challenge for the collision repair industry at large.”

CEI provides fleet accident management services as well as fleet driver safety and risk management services. Mr. Neuman’s quality control department audits every repair estimate it receives from its network of auto body shops for accuracy, safety and cost savings.

I-CAR, the Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, is an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the information, knowledge and skills required to perform complete, safe and quality reports.

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Intro camp 2018

Kaart niet beschikbaar

Datum en tijd
Date(s) - vrijdag 14/9/2018 - zondag 16/9/2018
Hele dag

Fridaynight we are going to skate at Area51. After that we will travel by bike to Valkenswaard, where we will sleep in tents. On Saturday we are going to snowboard in Montana. After that we are going to have a barbecue and at night we are going to party in Valkenswaard. On Sunday we will go longboarding at metaforum and trampoline jumping at JumpXL. During the whole weekend you can also swim in the pool at the camping.
Click here to sign up for Introcamp!


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3M Car Wraps In Fort Walton Beach Featured Image

3M Car Wraps In Fort Walton Beach

A World Of Signs owner Kevin Marler is a 3M Preferred Installer. He is excited to introduce everyone in Fort Walton Beach to 3M technology in car wraps. Our preferred installers work to bring you graphics and a design that will last for a long time. The possibilities are endless when it comes to your […]

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A World Of Signs - Vinyl Wraps Sign (Wall Murals) - Destin Commons 01

Here’s Your Sign

A World of Signs is a locally owned sign company that provides the Emerald Coast with all types of signage, from monument signs, opening banners, for sale signs to custom wraps for vehicles, wall murals, and even your appliances.  We do it all. Our specialty is Graphics and Lettering. Our graphic designers and techs work […]

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If you notice a considerable increase in the online traffic to your site and in case after you check the visitor stats it turns out that it comes from locations all over the world or from other web servers, your site is more than likely being attacked by an automatic bot. Such pieces of software go through random sites seeking to log in to their administrator area through a brute-force attack or to leave spam comments below every article where this sort of an option is made available. However, that's something rather popular nowadays, but if you know the IP addresses from which the attacks come, you may block them, so the bots will be unable to access your site in any way. Certainly, you can block IPs even if you allow only people from specific countries to access your website.

IP Blocking in Shared Website Hosting

If you order a shared website hosting package from our company, you will be able to see comprehensive traffic stats for all your sites and if you notice that many of the visits to each of them are not legit, you can block the IP addresses that have produced the most traffic by using our IP Blocking tool. The interface is extremely simple - select the needed domain or subdomain from a drop-down list, then input the IP address that you would like to block and save the change. All of the addresses which you have blacklisted shall appear in the same exact section of the CP, allowing you to always remove any of them and permit it to access your site again. You could block whole IP ranges via the tool as well - you just need to leave one or two octets from the address blank. For example, entering 1.2.3. will block all 254 IPs from to

IP Blocking in Semi-dedicated Hosting

You will be able to block IP addresses with ease and stop the undesirable traffic to any Internet site hosted inside a semi-dedicated server account with us, because we offer you a really easy-to-use tool to do that, that's provided with our Hepsia hosting Control Panel. Even if you have not tackled this sort of matters in the past, you'll not have any difficulties, because our tool provides a very user-friendly interface. As you go to the IP blocking section of the CP, you will find a full list of all the domains and subdomains that you have added within the Hosted Domains section. What you need to do to block an IP address is select the desired domain or subdomain from a drop-down menu and enter the IP in the box below. The change shall take effect instantly, so you will not get any traffic from this address in the future. Taking away an IP from the blocked list is just as easy.


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Compliance assessment reports for Azure Stack are now available

Publisert på 25 januar, 2018

Program Manager

A few months ago, we announced we were performing a compliance assessment on Microsoft Azure Stack, today we are happy to share that the compliance assessment is done and available to you.

Knowing that preparing compliance paperwork is a tedious task, we precompiled the documentation for our customers. Since Azure Stack is delivered as an integrated system through hardware partners, we are in a unique position to perform a formal compliance assessment of Azure Stack that applies to all our customers. This resulted in a set of precompiled compliance documents that customers can now use to accelerate their compliance certification process.

We are glad to announce that Coalfire, a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) and independent auditing firm, has audited and evaluated Azure Stack Infrastructure against the technical controls of PCI-DSS and the CSA Cloud Control Matrix, and found that Azure Stack satisfies the applicable controls.

In the assessor’s words:

It is Coalfire’s opinion that Microsoft Azure Stack integrated system, reviewed between July 2017 and October 2017, can be effective in creating a PCI DSS compliant infrastructure and to assist in a comprehensive program of compliance with PCI DSS version 3.2.

It is Coalfire’s opinion that Microsoft Azure Stack as deployed in the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) integrated system test, which was reviewed between July 2017 and October 2017, can be effective in creating a CSA CCM 3.0.1 compliant infrastructure and can assist in a comprehensive program of compliance with CSA CCM version 3.0.1.

This compliance documentation describes how Azure Stack meets the technical controls applicable to Azure Stack infrastructure. The technical controls related to the workloads running on top of Azure Stack, as well as the controls related to people and processes, however, remain the customers responsibility, since these are specific to a customer. With this documentation, customers now have all the necessary information related to the Azure Stack infrastructure to be certified for either PCI-DSS, or many compliance standards covered by the CSA-CCM framework.

The PCI-DSS and the CSA-CCM documents for Azure Stack can be downloaded from the Microsoft Service Trust Portal.

We understand that compliance encompasses not only the Azure Stack infrastructure, but also the workloads that are deployed on it. To reduce the complexity of compliance related to workloads, Azure Stack and the Azure Blueprint Program are coming together to deliver turn-key compliance solutions to support our customers’ compliance needs and help them rapidly deliver value to their companies and customers. We will share more details on the Azure Blueprint Program for Azure Stack in the coming months; stay tuned!

Azure Stack will continue to expand the portfolio of validated standards based on customer demand. To express your preference about which compliance standard you would like us to prioritize, please fill out this survey.


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Baby Ready Services

I will provide emotional and physical support throughout your labour and into new parenthood. You can lean on me. I will back up your choices and help you have the birth you desire.

It’s my job to stay up to date on the latest research about best practices in pregnancy and labour. I’ve read all the books and can recommend the ones you’ll find the most enjoyable. I regularly attend workshops and conferences to learn all I can to help you have the best birth experience possible.

Birth 3

With over twenty years’ experience caring for newborn families and sixteen years as a birth doula, I have seen if not it all quite a lot. I have been where you are now and made it through, and I know you can too. I remember what it’s like to be scared, excited and nervous of birth and what comes next and can empathize with you as you move through your labour into new motherhood.

No bulls**t

I will help you sift through all the conflicting information out there about birth and beyond and lay out the risks and benefits for you with no agenda of my own. I don’t practice aromatherapy, I won’t try to balance your chakras and I don’t expect you to eat your placenta. But if you want to do those things, I know who to call.

Sign up for a free consultation here!

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Little Fashion Week, a new fair in Brussels

Last Saturday, Emilie and I spent a day in Brussels to visit the new children’s fair Little Fashion Week. What a fun opportunity to hang out together, and to visit the pretty town of Brussels!

The fair took place in the industrial buildings of Tour et Taxis — a stunning location. The decoration of the fair was also very beautiful. The lounge was decorated with tons of little playhouses, piles on bright coloured pallades and surrounded with gorgeous stuffed animals and toys. So stylish! (We also liked the burger from the Mi Vida food truck!)

It was fun spending the day at Little Fashion Week, getting up to date with brands and collections, and some discovering new shops and brands. And catching up with our blogging friends Florence from Pirouette and Peggy from Paul&Paula.

Here’s a little impression of our day…

Les Toiles Blanches – modern toys and accessories, made from antique fabrics and traditional embroidery details that gives everything a darling vintage touch.

Fun to see Dimitra and her Little PopUp again, with a new selection of gorgeous, upcoming brands.

Lapin and Me – we love those beautiful retro dolls! And the Misha Lulu dresses, of course.

La p’tite Madeleine – wonderful vintage finds mixed with sweet new designs and details.

Boramiri – a stunning collection of soft toys. There is just so much emotion on those faces! We loved meeting the cute designer Bora too (and her sweet little baby).

Duez – always fun to see the Deuz girls! Their play tent is darling and we loved the idea of the match doll’s tent, which will be in store soon. (Did you see our review of the fun mix & match drawing books?)

Soki – a graphic design agency with examples of some of the finest birth and wedding announcements we’ve ever seen. Plus, a stunning line of jewellery.

Georges Georges – Little series of handmade creations. How cool are those teepees?

Severina Kids – darling collections of soft toys, and fun to see Alejandra and some of her new work. Those two knitted dogs are just amazing! And the dress-your-own-doll is so sweet too.

Cotton and Milk is back with a new collection! Gorgeous colours, and sweet designs.

Maravilla – Gorgeous designs and colours!

Maria Piovano – a new brand from Italy, with a darling collection made of… tea towel fabric! We especially loved the sweet skirts and dresses.

LeaL – light boxes by the lovely Florence from Pirouette blog. More about her new collection of lights coming soon!

Louis le Sec – innovative waterproof bed sheets. So practical and stylish!

Mes Minis Muses – so nice to meet the girls behind this cute French brand. The Peter Pan collars are just darling!

Meeting the wonderful creator of little Nina and Other Little Things in person and discovering her range of darling products was a highlight of the show. What a sweet and inspiring lady!

Teeny Tini showed her wonderful soft creatures – how sweet is that snake?

Copirates – a wonderful discovery. Amazing world maps, bleached on re-used jeans, patchwork jeans blankets, cool checks and other eclectic designs by the duo based in Nimes, the place that denim originates from. So cool!

Boucle d’Or – what a gorgeous collection of brands! If you’re in Brussels, you should definitely try to visit this beautiful brick & mortar boutique.

Stunning, the papier maché heads by Marie Talalaeff!

Bieq – darling merino wool knit collections, and we loved hearing about the adventures in Peru, and to see the first knit product in Alpaca wool!

Minabulle – lovely to meet Emilie and see her new AW collections. So beautiful! (And nice shoes!)

Beautiful organic clothing from Paade Mode, a fashion brand from Latvia – we  liked that cool headband / necklace accessory!

It was wonderful to meet the talented Tamar Mogendorff and see some of her beautiful work.

Gorgeous stand from the stylish Brussels boutique Pepin la Lune.

The stand of Editions Grain de Selles, with Georges Magazine was so super stylish, and how beautiful are those ceramic pieces?

Beautiful bedding from Krethaus.

Perludi – amazing to see this line of furniture in real. It is just so pretty and simple, but at the same time so ingenious! Plus, all made of organic and recyclable materials.

After the fair, Emilie and I drove past the most beautiful fabrics store of Belgium, and of course we couldn’t help ourselves and stepped in for a little browse. Le Chien Vert is an amazing store!

And then… it was time for a nice Belgian beer. Cheers!

xxx Esther

Comments (3)

March 9, 2014

It was nice to meet you too!! (and thanks for my shoes ^^)

March 9, 2014

Oh my all that goodness…. I think I kind of love what you do for work!!!

March 10, 2014

Thank you very much and we’re happy to meet you <3

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