MAPEI's Ultrabond ECO 885, which will be unveiled at Surfaces 2011, has been specifically designed to provide both permanent and releasable bonds for non-PVC, polyolefin and most “eco-type” backed carpet and carpet tile.

For the first time, CRI awarded the Joseph J.Smrekar Memorial Award to three recipients: John Bradshaw of Shaw Industries Group, Inc., Ashley Young of Mohawk Industries, Inc., and Shawn McGill of Engineered Floors.

The Carpet and Rug Institute's (CRI) annual meeting in Dalton, Georgia, highlighted an industry balancing success with new challenges, from global growth to mounting regulations.

I’m permanently estranged from my family.
Here’s what cats and dogs have taught me. by Lindsay Costello

From etymonline.com: estrange (v.) late 15c., from French estrangier “to alienate,” from Vulgar Latin *extraneare “to treat as a stranger,” from Latin extraneus “foreign, from without” (see strange). 

I am strange, I am alien, I am a stranger, I am without. Or maybe my family is. It’s difficult to say. Since 2019, I’ve been estranged from my entire family. I won’t bore (or titillate) you with the details of my decision to distance myself from them, but visualize a constellation of generational traumas—nearly every type represented—and you’ll have a general idea. Estrangement is, as the literature says, a last resort. It’s the truth. I never wanted this, but now I’m freer for it.

On most days, the peace of estrangement is one of the most powerful presences in my life. But during the chaotic final months of the year, it begins to feel like a gargantuan gaping wound that anyone—friends, coworkers, baristas—might spot if I’m not careful. People tend to flip out, or at least stare a little, when they see a gargantuan gaping wound. 

So I don’t discuss it. I listen intently as those around me describe their family’s political beliefs and their dad’s rude comments and their brother’s whatever-what-have-you and I share little in response. I frown. I say, “Ugh, that sucks.” And I do mean it.

My experience always feels different, though. For one thing, my calendar is suspiciously open during the holidays. This serves an interesting and unexpected purpose: As those around me saddle up for travel, family dinners, and gift exchanges, I’m available for pet sitting. The texts roll in.

Yes, I sometimes feel a knee-jerk sting when this happens, in the way that we all have those insidious automatic thoughts that have squished around in our brains for years or decades. You know the ones. Therapists and Instagram graphics attempt to unpack them with counter-thoughts: I am worthy. I am enough. And so on. But those few tenacious thoughts remain. The neurons fire and wire. Mine are:

I don’t have a family. Everyone else does, except me.

When I type that out, there is no resentment, just layers of sadness buried in a cavity that my partner Jeremy and my cat Spaghetti still can’t fill. Intellectually, I know these thoughts aren’t true. Many people are estranged from their families, and I do have a “chosen family”—I have Jeremy! Spaghetti! A small circle of friends! But without any biological family members in my life, there’s still a sharp loneliness, pointed and pronounced, that never goes away. The edges of it become crisper during the holidays. 

Back to the petsitting, though. Over time, I’ve noticed that the animals I form bonds with might also have something to teach me about navigating estrangement. (For the record, I’m not a mental health professional. But stay with me here.)

My first Christmas pet sitting charge was Fiddle, a large and docile orange man whose primordial pouch swayed like a porch swing as he strode aimlessly across the house. From Fiddle, I gleaned the first of many lessons on connection and self-preservation.

1. Don’t google your parents. (Or your sister, or your ex, or whoever it is you’ve made a concerted effort to get away from.) 

a. Animals can’t google, especially sweet, simple-minded angels like Fiddle. This one is a no-brainer. Googling your parents, who will, undoubtedly, still have no internet presence, is the quickest ticket to a night-long spiral. Plus, there are few things on this planet more depressing than searching online for your deadbeat dad’s handyman business. Don’t do it.

Then came Frank, a dapple dachshund with dark eyes and ears that flapped out like soft wings when he flopped over on his back in the living room. Frank is a snuggly dog who asks that one hand be petting him at all times. He also likes to wake with the sunrise.

2. Make your own rituals and stick to them with dogged (ugh) determination.

a. One year, curled up in a pit of sadness, I asked an estrangement-related subreddit for advice on what to do during the holidays. I feel for you, elderberry42289, some kind soul wrote. I recommend finding a routine and sticking to that for your sanity. Also, could you come up with something cool to do every holiday season? Something all your own?

b. This message was reaffirmed by Frank, who sticks to his rituals and appreciates all the sensory pleasures life has to offer. If Frank were a human, I think he would take himself to the movies and a fancy dinner every Christmas day.

Before I met Dorothy, I thought I’d experienced the full spectrum of anger, marinating in all the emotion had to offer. This was not true. Dorothy’s capacity for disdain topped anything I’d ever felt before. She is a one-eared cat who hisses at nothing—the television, my hand in a bag of chips, the sky. She is also dark and slinky, making her contemptuous behavior seem kind of cool.

3. Go outside. 

a. I knew better than to argue with Dorothy, who insisted upon patrolling the outside world despite hostile forces like coyotes and cars in the neighborhood. And so out she went, and came back, still intact (minus the missing ear). 

b. Unfortunately, the news is true. Going for a walk (or even, like, to the mailbox) helps when those insidious automatic thoughts start to conspire against you. Just do it, you’ll be fine.

Here’s a lesson I’ve taken from every pet I’ve cared for:

4. Eat whatever the fuck you want. 

a. You’re (probably) not a licensed nutritionist, you’re someone with family trauma who is attempting to navigate the holiday season. Eating whatever, whenever, is clearly what dogs dream of. You are not a dog. You are an adult with some funds and a ride to Safeway. Act accordingly.

And finally,

5. Make sure that you aren’t alone. Alternate strategy: believe that you’re not alone.

In a season that emphasizes togetherness and companionship, I am one person musing on the tiny universes of cats and dogs. Maybe these reflections seem a little trite, even pathetic. But I don’t think that they are. 

The entire objective of pet sitting is to care for small guys who cannot care for themselves. Central to that relationship is an applicable truth: When I am experiencing something emotionally traumatic, I can treat myself with special attention, too. 

Sometimes that means asking for help or camaraderie. But maybe I am not in the mood to be social. Maybe I’m having a Dorothy day. That’s fine—because even when I’m isolated and furious and sad, I’m not alone. Not really. Embedded in that core belief is every creature that’s trusted me.

University of Central Florida's A Team with A Dream wins the 2024 CyberForce Competition(r). The mission of the competition is to equip the next generation of cybersecurity professionals with hands-on experience defending critical infrastructure.

The title of one Thursday session at ASSE’s Safety 2013: “Why Every Safety Professional/Manager Must Understand the Ideas of Peter F. Drucker,” presented by Jay C. Brakensiek, CSP, MSIH, EMBA, Claremont University Consortium, Claremont, CA. Brakensiek was a former student of Professor Drucker, considered the “Father of Management.”

Heimtextil 2025 expands its Carpets & Rugs segment with new halls and over 300 exhibitors, featuring a Belgian Textiles area by Fedustria. Highlights include a Carpet Lounge by Cover Magazine, expert talks on trends, AI in design, and sustainability, plus guided tours. The event, showcasing global innovations and partnerships, runs from 14-17 January, 2025, in Frankfurt.

UX competitor analysis is a valuable user research method that focuses on understanding your products’ competitors, helping you better understand your market and goals. Idea Theorem™ has worked with many clients that required a UX competitor analysis to get actionable insights about their competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, and mistakes to avoid and know what they are doing right.

“

What is deceptive, especially in the West, is our assumption that repetitive and mindless jobs are dehumanizing. On the other hand, the jobs that require us to use the abilities that are uniquely human, we assume to be humanizing. This is not necessarily true. The determining factor is not so much the nature of our jobs, but for whom they serve.

‘Burnout’ is a result of consuming yourself for something other than yourself. You could be burnt out for an abstract concept, ideal, or even nothing (predicament). You end up burning yourself as fuel for something or someone else. This is what feels dehumanizing. In repetitive physical jobs, you could burn out your body for something other than yourself. In creative jobs, you could burn out your soul. Either way, it would be dehumanizing. Completely mindless jobs and incessantly mindful jobs could both be harmful to us.

Peter Walker leads the Web development and consultancy team at the Institute for Learning and Research Technology (ILRT) within the University of Bristol. He is project manager for, amongst others things, the University's Content Management System and the EELS e-learning project. Pete has lead the development of the Bristol Online Survey (BOS) service since its inception in 2001. Pete has a BA in History/Politics and an MSc in Information Technology. He is also a certified Prince2 practitioner. Despite being in IT since 1989 he would still describe himself as a techno-phobe and likes to keep things simple! Peter facilitated a workshop session on "Your Web site: a Better User Experience" with Stuart Church.

This year Innovation Competition has now been launched. [03 June 2008]

Peter Gilbert is a SharePoint evangelist and "developer" working at UWE. He works in SharePoint technologies using C#, InfoPath, Skelta and blog about their good and bad points. In his "spare" time he is an artist and photographer and helps organise the Southbank Bristol Arts Trail as well as running other arts events throughout the year. Peter will be giving a plenary talk entitled "The impact of SharePoint in Higher Education" with James Lappin, part of the Doing the Day Job session.

Peter Reader is Director of Marketing and Communications at the University of Bath; his current responsibilities include Web, media relations, marketing strategy and internal communications. Peter gave a plenary talk on "Marketing Man takes off his Tie: Customers, Communities and Communication".

ULAANBAATAR, 30 June 2016 – Election day was orderly and followed a competitive campaign. This, however, did not offset the impact of late fundamental changes to election laws on Mongolia’s democratic development, the international observers concluded in a preliminary statement released today. While the June 29 parliamentary elections were highly contested and freedoms of assembly and association were respected, restrictive campaign provisions, coupled with the media’s subservience to political interests, limited impartial and comprehensive information available to voters, the statement says.

“We were pleased to see that voting took place in a calm and peaceful manner. This was a genuinely competitive contest, with high turnout and no certainty as to which party would win. We applaud the fact Mongolia is a functioning democracy,” said Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Head of the European Parliament delegation. “There were, however, some elements which cause concern, including significant last-minute changes to the election laws, which, among other things, prevented 150,000 Mongolian citizens living outside the country, including diplomats, from voting.”

The observers said the consolidation of election legislation into a new law adopted on 25 December 2015, following an inclusive process, was a positive development toward establishing a cohesive electoral framework. However, changes in May 2016 – from a mixed electoral system to a solely majoritarian one, establishing 76 single-mandate constituencies and approving their boundaries – were introduced by parliament in a process that lacked transparency, public consultation and adherence to established criteria, the observers said. This resulted in profound population discrepancies among constituencies.

A total of 498 candidates, including 69 independents, was registered in a process that was largely inclusive and provided voters with a range of political choices. Contrary to OSCE commitments and other international obligations, however, there are disproportionate restrictions on candidacy rights the statement says. While there was general confidence in the accuracy and inclusiveness of the voting register, the May changes to the election laws also effectively disenfranchised 150,000 citizens living abroad for the parliamentary elections.

“For an election to be meaningful, voters first have to be offered a genuine choice, and voters were given that choice here. That choice also has to be between candidates competing on a level playing field and who have equal access to independent media to explain their platforms. In this, there is still work to do,” said Ambassador Audrey Glover, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR long-term election observation mission. “Elections are about voters, and the main problem for voters was understanding the significant last-minute changes to election laws, which affected the rules of the game profoundly and raised questions about political motivation.” 

Despite undue campaign restrictions, the freedoms of assembly and association were respected and candidates were generally able to convey their messages to the electorate. At times the lines were blurred between parties and the administration at both the national and local levels, the observers said. There were multiple instances of alleged vote-buying, which resulted in a number of formal complaints and the deregistration of two candidates.

The GEC received some 50 pre-election complaints. Courts reviewed 21 cases regarding candidate registration, and the police handled more than 1,000 campaign-related complaints. Although legislation clarifies the complaints and appeals process to some extent, a general lack of formalization and transparency in the process within the election administration and the protracted handling of disputes in courts undermined the right to effective remedy.

The media offered extensive election coverage, but abandoned their journalistic role, for the most part simply granting direct access to the politicians. Paid political advertisements and free airtime overshadowed editorial content, and campaign material prepared by political parties was also included in news programming, undercutting the credibility of the media. Consequently, voters were deprived of independent and analytical reporting, the observers said.

In preparation for election day, the General Election Commission met key operational deadlines and fulfilled its mandate. At the same time, the observers said, it lacked transparency and accountability to stakeholders, diminishing trust in the credibility of the process. The testing of vote-counting machines was conducted professionally by the Commission in the presence of stakeholders and, to address concerns over the machines’ accuracy and integrity, the law was amended stipulate that up to 50 per cent of polling stations would be subject to manual recounts. The procedures stipulating the manual re-count, however, were only finalized two days prior to the elections.

All parties and coalitions complied with the 20 per cent gender quota provided for by law, and 26 per cent of contestants were women. There were, however, no women candidates in more than one-third of the constituencies. While there is only one woman member of the General Election Commission, women were better represented in lower-level election commissions. Overall, women remain underrepresented in political life.

Election day proceeded in an orderly manner in most of the country and, while the right to vote was respected, the secrecy of the vote was not consistently ensured. The observers’ assessment of the counting and tabulation of votes was a notable exception to the overall positive assessment of voting, mostly as a result of significant procedural errors or omissions. A number of civil society organizations monitored the pre-election environment, including campaign finance and the media, and issued timely statements highlighting key shortcomings.

For further information, contact:
Thomas Rymer, OSCE/ODIHR, +976 95 14 1635 or +48 609 522 266, thomas.rymer@odihr.pl

Tim Boden, European Parliament, +976 99 976294 or +32 473 844431, timothy.boden@europarl.europa.eu

Related Stories

• OSCE/ODIHR opens election observation mission for parliamentary elections in Mongolia
• International election observers in Mongolia to hold press conference on Thursday
• OSCE/ODIHR observers to hold press conference in Ulaanbaatar on Friday

Original Coupon Deal

This is a decent price for one of my go to filaments for my BambuLab P1S.

SUNLU 3D Printer filament: Buy 6 Get 4 Free(Add 10) 10kg PETG From AU$120.4, 10KG PLA for about $135.4

I purchased the PLA 2.0 which cost about $150
but not sure how much better it is yet.

if you buy 10 rolls of PETG in black and white, each roll costs just $12.04 AUD.

The PLA comes to $13.54 AUD per roll and the PLA+ is priced at $14.19 AUD.

You need the CBT20 code as mentioned.

The shipping was very fast I got it within 3 days.

I’m very happy with my purchase, I compared to AliExpress and this seemed the best deal as far as flexibility in colours, a brand I like and fast shipping.

Electronics, apparel and other products are priced at under $20.

Move over, Lightroom! This portrait photo editor brings serious competition to Adobe's game.

Cuesta trabajo ponerse a escribir para cuestionar a Radu Lupu. Cuesta hacerlo por la devoción al monstruo rumano. Y porque esa misma devoción proviene del perfeccionismo con que Lupu ha construido su carrera, abjurando de los adjetivos interpretativos para centrarse en los sustantivos, buscando una relación esencial con la música, encontrando una respuesta pura, significándose en la expresión y en la emoción sin concesiones al artificio, al mercado, al virtuosismo vacuo.

El melómano ilustrado marca distancias esta mañana presumiendo de conocer la figura de Kirill Petrenko (1972). Es el nuevo director de la Filarmónica de Berlín, aunque la fama planetaria de la agrupación germana contradice la escasa popularidad de su nuevo condotiero ruso.

El fallo considera que la líder peronista desvió 1.000 millones de dólares Leer

The New York Times cada vez depende más de sus lectores y menos de sus anunciantes: sus abonados digitales suman ya más de 1,2 millones. Una estrategia irrepetible pero que bien se tomar como referencia.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Pete Hegseth is his pick to run the Department of Defense. As a result of this nomination, Hegseth will depart his Fox News role immediately. "Pete Hegseth has been an exceptional host on Fox & Friends and Fox Nation and a best-selling author for...

The 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has unveiled its main competition lineup, with 15 features vying for the Golden Peacock award carrying an INR4 million ($47,000) prize purse, notably featuring nine films directed by women. Among the world premieres are Manijeh Hekmat and Faeze Azizkhani’s Iranian drama “Fear & Trembling,” exploring an older […]

Trump taps Fox News personality Pete Hegseth for defence secretary in surprise move

The City of Shanghai entered the low-orbit broadband satellite market. Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST) launched 18 satellites in August and a second batch of 18 satellites in October. The satellites are being branded as Qianfan, or 'Thousand Sails.' SSST satellites are being launched by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) using the Long March 6A rocket.

In a blog post on Wednesday, the company said the new Amazon Haul storefront will mostly feature products that cost less than $10 and offer free delivery on orders over $25.

'About Sensations', 1948 Aviator film (slyt, 5:30) ((CW warning, sexism)) "In 1943, Lt. Robert Osborn, in collaboration with Commander Seth Warner, created the "sage of safety" character for a column in the BUAER News Letter produced by the Bureau of Aeronautics to address the increasing aircraft mishap rate. Osborn's illustrations commingled with Warner's narrative accounts of aircraft accidents." " Case in point: this 1945 Navy training film produced at Warner Bros. Cartoons featuring cartoonist Robert Osborn's character Grampa Pettibone. I'd never come across anything about this in all my years of research." 'The Grampa Pettibone collection'

the last link has PDFs.

There are plenty of famous examples of ad campaigns explicitly targeting competitors going back a few decades. What are some examples in the modern era, possibly using social media and/or other new forms of attack?

President-elect Donald Trump has announced he will nominate Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and Army veteran to be his secretary of defense. The 44-year-old Hegseth came as a surprise.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traveled to Bermuda today [Nov 13] to deliver a eulogy at the funeral of Peter Green. The official statement from the Canadian government’s website said, “The Prime Minister will deliver a personal eulogy at the funeral of close family friend Peter Green, in Bermuda. The Prime Minister will travel from […]

Nolte: The Associated Press published over 1,000 words about Pete Hegseth, and the lies of omission are legion.

The post Nolte: Far-left Associated Press Lies About Pete Hegseth appeared first on Breitbart.

Sorry Umma, located next door to H Mart in Westminster, serves up Korean-style hot pot with premium meats.

[Written by Stephen Wright] Patty Petty has reflected on her experience as a technical official for World Triathlon at the Paralympic Games in Paris. Patty, a founding member of the Bermuda Triathlon Association [BTA] in 1981, has attended three Olympic Games as an official for the sport’s international governing body [Beijing 2008, London 2012 and […]

Vanessa James will return to the ice to compete in the Battle Of The Blades, as Canadian broadcaster CBC announced that the new season will launch on October 22nd, with eight new pairs — including James and her partner Akim Aliu –ready to hit the ice in support of charities across Canada. The Battle Of […]

Figure skater Vanessa James — whose father is Bermudian — and her partner Eric Radford are now competing in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Ms James, who along with her former partner Yannick Bonheur were the first Black couple to compete in figure skating at the Olympic level, is making her fourth Olympic appearance, […]

After a barrier breaking career and multiple Olympic appearances, Vanessa James said she will “hang up my competitive figure skates.” The Skate Canada website said, “Pair world bronze medalists Vanessa James, 34, Scarborough, Ont., and Eric Radford, 37, Balmertown, Ont., have decided to retire from competitive skating. James and Radford announced their partnership in April 2021. “The […]

Team Bermuda competed in the 13th annual Baystar Clearwater Offshore Nationals, in Florida. Steve Bridges and David Selley took to the water in the Team Bermuda # S-25 boat and competing in the 10-boat Super Stock Class, Team Bermuda finished race one in 4th place. Clearwater Offshore Nationals Super Stock Class race One Results Jackhammer […]

David Selley and Steven Bridges took to the waters for the 41st Annual Race World Offshore Key West Championship in Florida. Driver Selley and throttle-man Bridges are racing aboard Team Bermuda, in the Super Stock Class. A total of 13 boats went to the start line, with Team Bermuda finishing 13th 6 laps down. Related […]

The P1 Offshore St. Pete Grand Prix got underway in Florida with Bermuda’s David Selley and Steven Bridges taking to the water. Selley and Bridges — representing Team Bermuda/GL Construction — competed in the Super Stock Class where they finished 5th. Related Stories Stoneham And Martin Finish In Top Ten Video: Bermuda Boats In Parade […]

The 2023 P1 Offshore Key West Racing season in Florida concluded with Bermuda’s David Selley and Steven Bridges participating in the event. Representing Team Bermuda/GL Construction in the super stock class, Selley and Bridges secured a 4th place finish in the first heat. In the second heat, the duo crossed the finish line in 8th […]

Team Bermuda, piloted by David Selley and Steven Bridges, secured a sixth-place finish in the Super Stock Class during the opening day of the American Power Boat Association Offshore National Championship Series. The team clocked a time of 46:19.31 on the Sarasota course in Florida. Related Stories Stoneham And Martin Finish In Top Ten Video: […]

Bermuda riders Jyire Mitchell, Zamair Darrell, and Aaron Canonier competed in the 2023 Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross in Daytona. Mitchell, competing in the 250 A Road to SX futures class, won the first moto before finishing fourth in the second moto, ending up at fourth overall. Darrell, competing in the 450 B class, finished 14th […]