By Hendrik Pohl

Have you been invited to an event that requires ‘black tie attire’, and are a little uncertain what how to dress for the occasion? Below are all the basics you need to know to be dressed appropriately for a black tie function. If you follow the simple tips below you will avoid embarrassing fashion faux pas.

So, for a man, this should be easy, right? You have a black necktie, so you’re good to go! Not necessarily. While the standards vary from country to country and even from event to event, the general consensus is that black-tie means a tuxedo. A black or dark suit is inappropriate for traditional black tie, but would be an acceptable option for an invitation calling for ‘black tie optional’ attire. So, for traditional black tie wear a black tuxedo, black bow tie, and a tuxedo dress shirt. There are two kinds of classic tuxedo shirts: The wing tip collar shirt, and the turn-over collar dress shirt. The wing-tip collar shirt is the most classic type of shirt. It has a heavy starched collar that stands up. Only the tips are folded over. The wing-tip dress shirt might be a slightly uncomfortable for longer events. In this case you might do better with the turn-over collar dress shirt. This type of shirt has a collar like an ordinary dress shirt. It is basically a formal version of the ordinary dress shirt that uses French cuffs, worn with cufflinks, and decorations in form of folds in the front. Such folds are also called pleat.

As for your date, this is an opportunity for her to flaunt her absolute best. Bring out the DeLaurentis! There are far less restrictions on black-tie attire for women, as long as it’s very formal. While basic black is always a good bet, colors, sparkle and glitz are perfectly fine. After all, she’s got the perfect accessory: You, dressed in a color that matches anything in her wardrobe. Although the classic full-length gown is probably most widely accepted, a skirt and top may work to semi-formal, or ‘black tie optional’ events. The skirt hem should fall below her knees; anything shorter is generally not considered formal. Low backs or plunging necklines may be suitable, but consider the guest list before trying anything daring.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eSSxxYVJPk[/youtube]

How about accessories? For the gentleman, cufflinks definitely belong, and those with a little bit of flash – diamonds or emeralds perhaps, will add a touch of class. If you don’t have a dress watch, don’t wear a watch. The ladies have more leeway here, as well. Diamond bangles, a small sequined handbag, cubic zirconia earrings and matching broche or bracelets – accessorize, but keep it tasteful.

Formal shoes are an absolute must for both of you and they should be immaculate. Guys, if you don’t know how to shine your shoes, have them done professionally. Gals, wear the shoes that best bring your ensemble together. Coordination is the key.

Finally, remember that you need to look as good as your outfit. A visit to the hair stylist is in order. A clean trim for him, including any facial hair, and a simple up do for her. Consider a manicure. Yes, both of you. Check your smile and if necessary, get to your dentist for a cleaning or use a commercial whitening treatment. Remember the deodorant and mouthwash. It may be a long, warm night and you’ll likely be in close proximity to people during your conversations.

Still confused? ‘Black-Tie Attire’ is a snap if you mimic the right icons. Guys, think James Bond (any of them). Girls, go with Audrey Hepburn.

About the Author: H Pohl is an expert author on men’s formal attire. He himself has a love for

formal silk neckties

, bow ties, and cufflinks. He is also the founder of Ties-Necktie.com – an online retailer specializing in formal accessories for men such as cufflinks,

neckties

, bow ties, and pocket squares.

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isnare.com

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Florida frog skull survey shows spikes, say scientists

Thursday, March 26, 2020

In a new study released by the Florida Museum of Natural History on Monday, scientists report spiky skulls evolved at least 25 separate times in different kinds of frogs. The survey was reportedly to be published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Lead author Daniel Paluh, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Florida, said, “Superficially, frogs may look similar, but when you look at their skulls, you see drastic differences […] Some of the weirdest skulls are found in frogs that eat birds and mammals, use their heads as a shield, or in a few rare cases, are venomous. Their skulls show how strange and diverse frogs can be.”

Some scientists had previously suggested smaller frogs would tend to develop spiky skulls, but that is not what this study reports. Here, researchers evaluated CT scans on 158 different species. They found frogs that had similar ecological niches — meaning they either acquired food in the same way or defended themselves from predators in the same way — tended to develop skulls with similar grooves, spikes, or specialized jaw joints regardless of whether they were ancestrally related to each other.

According to the study, skulls with spikes, grooves or ridges — called hyperossification — often accompanied frogs eating very large prey relative to their own body size. The strong, spacious skulls would allow the frogs to have very big mouths with which to catch birds, rodents, reptiles and other frogs. Spikes sometimes coincided with venomous frogs. The researchers speculated the spikes make it dangerous for predators to hit the frog’s head, as the spikes would break venom sacs under the frog’s skin.

Other bone formations included projections resembling fangs or lower teeth that different species of frogs use for catching prey and fighting. Very few frogs have true lower teeth.

One of the study’s authors, herpetologist David Blackburn, told Discover Magazine the frequency of spiky skulls evolving in otherwise unrelated frogs suggested some deep pattern frogs fell into as circumstances arose: “Somehow, these frogs are turning on some ancient developmental machinery in their DNA.”

Since 1973, when frogs skulls were last comprehensively surveyed, scientists have documented enough new species to double the number known to humans. Also, modern techniques exploit CT scans, of which Paluh and his team made liberal use. The research was part of the oVert project, funded by the National Science Foundation, meant to comprehensively CT-scan over 20,000 vertebrate specimens from United States museums.

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London serial murder accused Stephen Port makes first court appearance

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

A London man charged on Sunday with drugging and murdering four men made his first court appearance yesterday. Stephen Port, 40, was remanded to appear before a higher court tomorrow.

Port faces four counts of murder and four counts of “administering a poison with intent to endanger life or inflict grievous bodily harm”. He is alleged to have administered overdoses of recreational drug GHB. He allegedly murdered the men at his home before dumping the bodies, after finding victims online using gay dating services.

Three of the deaths were last year. Anthony Patrick Walgate, 23, was found dead on June 19, 2014 in Cooke Street. Port lives in Cooke Street. The other three alleged victims were found in the vicinity of St Margaret’s Church on North Street. Gabriel Kovari, 22, was discovered dead on August 28. Daniel Whitworth, 21, was found dead the following month on September 20. Fourth alleged victim Jack Taylor, 25, was found a year later on September 14.

Whitworth and Kovari were known to each other, according to testimony at inquest. The Metropolitan Police has referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission concerning what police called “potential vulnerabilities in [our response] to the four deaths.” Police did not initially link the deaths.

Special needs teacher Port, who was guarded by three officers in the dock, spoke in court to confirm his identity. He did not indicate if he will deny the offences. He was arrested following a police appeal to trace a man seen with Taylor shortly before his death.

Police at the time released security footage of Taylor’s movements, with an officer telling the press “the man captured on CCTV may well be the last person to talk to Jack.” The four deaths were finally linked and passed to the Metropolitan Police’s serious crime investigators on Wednesday last week.

The Magistrates’ Court ordered Taylor to appear at the Old Bailey, a famed London courthouse, tomorrow. He spent the hearing holding one arm, and repeatedly looking at the floor, whilst clad in a grey tracksuit given to him by the authorities holding him.

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Japan to use renewable energy

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

A new law which seeks to utilise reusable energy and minimise cost impact on consumers is under development in Japan. The new law, which would be effective from July 1 next year, would seek to reduce Japan’s dependency on nuclear power.

The new legislation would urge power utilities to cut costs by purchasing renewable energy from outside companies and private businesses. Japan’s decision has been referred to as opening the door on renewable energy, which currently only contributes to six percent of Japan’s energy sources.

Politicians have amended the bill, allowing the revised bill to pass through parliament later this month. Prime Minister Naoto Kan who is pushing for the bill to be passed in return for his resignation, has stated that the ‘feed-in-tariff on renewable energy will be set at a fixed price so that utilities are limited to purchasing electricity from renewable power generators. Kan hopes that this will encourage more business and private corporate partners to enter into the renewable energy market.

“As a medium-term revolutionary energy and environmental strategy, we have decided to start a thorough review of nuclear power policy and draw a roadmap for a reduction of the dependence on nuclear power” Mr Kan said.

Large companies are concerned about the new legislation as it will continue to affect profit margins which are low due to power shortages and high priced exports. The bill was changed to reduce the surcharge for large power companies after complaints from the Japanese steel industry. If the scheme is launched then consumers will face an increase on electricity bills as utilities can pass their costs onto end-users. Despite the governments promise to cap the surcharge for the next ten years, there is no reference to it in the revised bill.

Lawmakers hope that by adding a provision requiring utilities to streamline their operations, the impact on consumers will be minimized.

A third party group will be set up within the under the Agency for National Resources and Energy to ensure that the setting of fixed prices are fair and just.

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May

22

Donate Cars

DONATE CARS

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viaksh When you have an old rusty car sitting idle in your garage, you often think about the great times you have spent in the car. Maybe a date with your wife, or taking your son to the baseball game. But as the time passes by your old car becomes more of a headache than a nice memory. You are busy. You do not have the time to look for buyers and put it up on an auction. So, finally just to get rd of the car you will either give to the nearby garage, which pay you the least possible resale value or call up the junk car companies who give decent pay back for you old car. But what if I tell you that you can get rid of your rusty car, get tax deductions and work towards a noble cause. 3 in 1. The answer here is donating your car. One can always think of donating old cars. You get tax deductions for doing this. And it also serves a good cause. Hence, this is a tax deductible donation. Once you have made up mind to sell you car, you can pick the charitable organisation you want to donate your car. If you are not associated or do not have any idea about such institutions, search about them over the web. You can the list of such charitable organisations. Many of them have 24×7 helplines that clear your queries. After you pick the organisation, give them a call and tell them about your donation. They will pick the car in a day or two, absolutely free of cost. You will not pay even a penny for your car to be towed. They give you a receipt. This receipt gets you the tax relief. These donated cars are either sold by the charities or they use it for patients, kids etc. If these cars are used for the latter purpose, then you get tax deductions according to the estimate the car can be sold for. Else if it sold by the charity, then the amount it is sold for will be you tax deduction or 5000$ or which is more. If the car is sold for less than 5000$, then you do not need any other receipt from the original one. Else if it sold for more than 5000$, then the organisation will update you on the resale value and will give you the other receipt. Donating cars is always a great way of getting a tax deduction. You must also know there is no other way to get tax deductions by selling an old car. So isn’t it better, you get rid for your car, get tax relief and do a noble cause.

For ways of donating your car-

donate cars

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExYsh1W22Wo[/youtube]
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Volvo announces all new car models electric or hybrid from 2019

Friday, July 7, 2017

On Wednesday, automobile company Volvo announced all of its cars to be released in 2019 onwards are to use some form of battery-powered engine, leaving conventional petrol-only vehicles altogether. The decision comes after Volvo announced in May their intent to cease production of diesel vehicles.

The chief executive of Volvo Cars, Håkan Samuelsson, said, “People increasingly demand electrified cars”. Volvo aims to release five new electric vehicle models between 2019 and 2021. While little has yet been revealed about them, the company has stated two of them are to be high-performance electric vehicles, branded as Polestars.

Other car models from 2019 may be plug-in hybrid or 48-volt “mild hybrid” systems. Audi and Mercedes-Benz are also releasing mild hybrid cars for the European market.

“This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car. Volvo Cars has stated that it plans to have sold a total of 1m electrified cars by 2025. When we said it we meant it. This is how we are going to do it,” Samuelsson said. Volvo is owned by Chinese automotive giant Geely, and China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has said by 2025 they want new vehicle sales to be 20 percent “new energy vehicles”.

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New Zealand announces new Matariki public holiday

Sunday, February 7, 2021

The New Zealand Government on Thursday announced the creation of a new public holiday, Matariki. Matariki marks the beginning of the M?ori New Year, which coincides with the rising of the star cluster Pleiades, known as Matariki in the M?ori language.

At Waitangi, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said “This will be a day to acknowledge our nation’s unique, shared identity, and the importance of tikanga M?ori. It’s going to be something very special, and something uniquely New Zealand.” Ardern also said the new holiday would break up the over-4 month gap between public holidays in June and October.

The date of the Matariki holiday is not consistent from year to year, as it follows Maramataka, the M?ori lunar calendar, but would likely always fall on a Monday or Friday according to Ardern. A Matariki advisory group has been established, with M?ori Crown Relations — Te Arawhiti — Minister Kelvin Davis explaining that the purpose of the group is “to provide advice on future dates of the public holiday, how it should be celebrated and to support the development of resources to educate the public on Matariki and the celebrations”. The first Matariki holiday is scheduled for Friday, June 24 of next year.

Ardern’s Labour Party made the Matariki holiday an election promise, and won last year’s general election with a majority. This result was the best for any party since New Zealand’s 1996 adoption of a mixed-member proportional system.

This is not the first attempt to make Matariki a public holiday. In 2009, M?ori Party Member of Parliament Rahui Katene introduced legislation to create a Matariki public holiday. While it was supported by the then-opposition Labour Party, the governing National Party did not support it, and it was defeated with 59 votes in favour and 63 votes against.

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May

21

Australian government provides $15.8 million for North Adelaide Technical College

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Australian government provides $15.8 million for North Adelaide Technical College
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Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Australian Minister for Vocational Education and Training, Gary Hardgrave has announced the government will provide AU$15.8 million to establish an Australian Technical College in North Adelaide. The minister said the government was entering into a partnership with the Archdiocese of Adelaide and consortium of industrial and manufacturing companies.

The North Adelaide college will be located in Elizabeth and be operated as an independent non-government school. The college is one of 25 to be established across the country.

Enrolments at the college will begin in 2007 and will offer courses in areas where identified skills shortages exist in the North Adelaide region, specifically – engineering, construction, electronics and cooking.

Mr Hardgrave said that the proposed college had been popular among the North Adelaide business community. “This important initiative has been well received by North Adelaide business and industry, and will help to address skills needs and provide opportunities for those in greatest need, including a lot of Indigenous students in the region,” Mr Hardgrave said.

“The fact that this College is being led by local employers, local government and other key stakeholders, means it will be truly industry and community driven,” he said.

Australian Technical Colleges were established to cater for year 11 and 12 students who wish to do an apprenticeship as part of their school education.

The Australian Education Union has expressed a number of concerns about the model put forward by the government. In a report, they claim that trade facilities at TAFE colleges (operated by state governments) will deteriorate as funding is diverted to the ATCs. The union is also concerned that ATCs are supposed to be selective VET schools. According to the union they will have selective entry and preferential funding. It is feared that teachers will be lured away from schools and TAFE colleges to higher paid positions in ATCs.

The Education Union suggested that the government invest in schools that already offer vocational education programs.

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May

21

Some Easy Garden Shed Solutions For Your Garden

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Some Easy Garden Shed Solutions for Your Garden

by

Rebecca Beamont

So, you want to organize all your garden supplies and the tools, which you use on daily basis in your garden. Here, in this article we provide key secrets which will enable you to organize everything to your satisfaction. Some little tricks which include the designs of the woodworking and the garden sheds plans will help you to end the usual clutter and help you to organize your stuff.

Today, there are many people who are interested in gardening at their home. They like to grow flowers and other ornamental plants in their garden. Some of the people also believe in organic food in their daily eating. So, they prefer to grow vegetables and fruits in organic manner and eat them on daily basis. So, these require garden shed solution for the storage of garden supplies and other items in safe manner.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL14MFCAK0M[/youtube]

There are many types of garden shed solutions for your home. Most of the people prefer to purchase a shed which the perfect jack of all trades storage choice that is the perfect classic garden shed. The main advantage of this particular option is the fact that it can be customized to get you the option which will suit you. If you are looking for the larger storage box, then the storage shed which has just 4 plain walls is very easy to find. But, if you are going to spend some time there, you can also find a model which has chairs, windows and everything else. You can purchase any type of the shed solution as per your requirement.

You may also create the most solid, baddest and the biggest structure for the storage as per your requirements. You can engage the builder to construct the new brick and solid garage which can also be used as the garden shed storage option. If you want the best solution, you can also invest in a garage which is constructed from the galvanized steel or high quality timber. Although, these are less durable than the brick construction, the construction provides you all the facilities of the garage without being the stress of poor investment if you choose to move from the place.

The types of garden shed which are available in the market provides lot of options when in addition to provide a space where you can store the garden equipments and the other things in safe storage, they may also provide a good and extra accommodation for the guests who visit your home. If you want this facility, you can also look for purchasing a log cabin which is manufactured for the guests. A log cabin provides homely atmosphere and is comfortable with electricity and multiple rooms. With your good planning, you can also set it up as the permanent addition to your house.

There are lot of garden storage solution options in the market, from one room to several rooms and lot of extra space for storing the garden supplies and equipments. You can also store other items for which your house does not have much space. With the good choice, you can also keep your cars safe in the garden shed.

These are some of the shed solution which you can use at your home. As there are lots of choices in garden shed in the market, you can easily implement your solution for the garden equipment as per your taste and the budget at the home.

Rebecca Beamont is a writer from GardenShed.com.au that provides high quality and easy to setup garden sheds online with the lowest price on the Australian market.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

Filled Under: Office Furniture

May

21

MetLife to acquire Travelers Life and Annuity from Citigroup

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MetLife to acquire Travelers Life and Annuity from Citigroup
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Monday, January 31, 2005

Metlife announced on 01/31/05 that they were going to acquire Travelers Life and Annuity from Citigroup. Travelers Life and Annuity is an insurance underwriter. MetLife is a large life insurance and annuities underwriter. MetLife will have to borrow a lot of money to pay for the company, so rating agencies like S&P warn that the AA credit rating of MetLife might be lowered. This would cause the interest rates at which all of MetLife’s debt must be repaid to increase.

Citigroup committed to continue distributing Travelers life insurance and annuities through its Smith Barney stock brokers, Primerica agents, and Citibank branches.

Citigroup was previously known as Travelers Insurance before it bought Citicorp. First the Property and Casualty business of Travelers was spun off, and now the life insurance division has been sold off. This is primarily because insurance underwriters get a lower price to earnings multiple from the stock market because of the cycles and uncertainty associated with the insurance business. Also, having an insurance underwriter and a bank together does not usually create “cross-sell” opportunities, because consumers and businesses almost always buy life insurance and annuities through brokers who have a duty to give them other options. Citigroup will continue to sell insurance through its brokers as before.


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