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Archive for August 2014
An article appearing today on FoxNews.com indicates that massive fraud and abuse of the food stamp program SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, has been discovered and there may be a need for more oversight.
The article mentions that $76 billion dollars was paid out to 47 million recipients during the reporting period used. Doing the math on those numbers is frightening and should raise sudden and urgent alarms about SNAP. If you divide 76 billion, or the dollars paid out, by 47 million, or the number of recipients, which should give you the amount per recipient (the money is not distributed equally by the way as some receive more than others), you receive an average amount of $1,617 and change per recipient. Obviously some are probably receiving much more, some less.
You should know that SNAP is not the only such support program and sometimes recipients are receiving funds from several such programs at once to include other benefits such as rent assistance and many other government programs. Food assistance is apparently one of the easiest programs to abuse and sell the benefits to obtain alcohol, cigarettes, and in this report from FoxNews.com, recipients are using the SNAP benefits to pay for housing, art, and cash.
Here is a link to the article: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/22/food-stamp-fraud-rampant-gao-report/
Having Trouble Finding Work? Maybe It's Because Often Employers Are Really Just Harvesting Your Data. Care for Cookie?
Posted August 21, 2014on:
Someone I know and respect asked me to write something about the difficulty of finding a job these days on behalf of one of their loved ones and so here it is. This could very easily be about myself, though, or you.
Could it be that one of the reasons it is so difficult to get a job these days is because those who have the jobs make it so difficult to get the jobs in the first place? Or do they really have that many jobs to begin with? Are all of these numbers the government is always throwing around and employers are touting for real? Do they really have that many jobs or is there something else going on?
The reason I ask is that when I was younger, often getting a job meant asking someone, "Hey, I'm looking for work. Do you have anything right now?" If they had work and thought you could do it, they would put you right to work.
If you were still there at the end of the day, they would have you fill out an application which consisted of your name and address and where you'd worked previously and some contact information for those employers. You completed a tax statement regarding withholding from your check and that was it. Sometimes it was a little more complicated than that, sometimes less. But you were paid for that day's work and hired if they asked you to come back. Not these days.
Today when you apply, many corporations make you complete an online application that frequently takes several hours of your time and requires that a rather intrusive, personal questionnaire to be answered. Many companies make you enact the actual job you will be doing by using role-playing software online that requires you to role play in the job of the potential employee. By the time you are finished with the application, often you have spent three or four hours, sometimes more of your time and still don't have any response from the employer. You are working and not getting paid. I'm talking about the larger corporate employers of course, but many if not most have something similar involved nowadays. Is there a need for all of this pre-screening? To be sure, it has value, value in more ways than one of course as well shall see.
The reasoning behind it all is that employers believe they can acquire employees that are more suitable for the particular position and protect themselves from potential liability at the same time. And those are good reasons! But just as often employers are merely acquiring data on the person who wants to work there because the applicant also patronizes the place of business. People are known to apply to work at places they like to visit. In other words employers are telling applicants they have a job but instead what they are doing is testing the applicant in a marketing sense and acquiring extremely valuable data about your likes, interests, and financial position, in order to be more competitive.
To acquire that data by collecting it in another fashion, legitimately that is, they would have to pay an agency a lot of money. By having you answer some questions during the application process, they can essentially force you to provide the data to them for free. Employers are known to take a resume that you have sent to them in an email, populate it into a database, and then send you targeted advertisements based on the information, such as your hobbies and travel interests that you list in your resume, when you simply thought you were applying for a job. Employers are also known to accumulate information from all of the resumes they receive and create a picture of the potential customer by melding and merging information from all of the resumes. Not a bad idea in a business sense really, just a little bit unscrupulous, that's all.
What's really frightening is that the entire process dramatically increases your vulnerability to identity theft as your information is traded from one interested party to another. Your file is enlarged as more information is added along the way. Soon, someone, a corporation or a political party perhaps, is bound to have everything about you that they need to do whatever they want to you when all you were doing at the onset was looking for a job.
Let me add that I am a conservative and believe business needs to be able to function in the most unrestricted manner possible.
Yet I think the type of behavior I describe here should be regulated. At a time when many Americans are desperately looking for a "decent" job, many employers are taking advantage of the circumstances and doing just what I describe. I know others who have had to endure the same process over and over again never to hear from the potential employer once they jump through all the hoops. Kind of tells you something, doesn't it?
That is why I believe the application process should be limited to merely asking the necessary questions to determine if the person is eligible to work in the particular environment in question and then a process should take effect whereby the applicant is promised reciprocal progress from the potential employer in some regard. In other words, there should be steps involved that require the employer to first check for potential employability for that particular position and then the employer requests that the potential employee carry on with the application process with certain promises involved.
Instead, what is happening is that many, many employers are doing what in the statistics business is called "Harvesting Data," and they are abusing a population desperately in need of decent employment by testing them, poking and prodding them as they apply for work with no real ability or intent to employ each and every one who completes the surveys, questionnaires, the intrusive psychological batteries of questions that so many people looking for work must complete.
But it doesn't stop there. Oh no! Once you complete all of that, many employers will make you take a drug screen, too, a drug screen often merely to earn minimum wage, after all of that other rigmarole.
They want to know about your driving record, have you ever been arrested, can they check your credit score, do you Facebook, do you have any debts, single, married, military service, education level, and the list goes on and on today. They don't want to know if you can do the job and do it well, they want primarily to know "ABOUT" you. Employers buy and sell the information they receive from massive numbers of resumes after the information has been put in to databases. Yes! They do. It's a source of profit.
They are not looking for a reason to hire you anymore; the entire process is backwards. They instead are looking for a reason NOT to hire you these days. It's called screening. It's always been done of course but now it is has become an intrusive, predatory, profitable practice. You could be the most competent, the most capable candidate for the job but perhaps your credit score is a little low. Maybe there is a picture of you on a web site at a party living it up. Maybe they hired some firm to check you out. You are out of contention! But you know what, they still have all of your information, don't they? Yes, they do. And they will use it. You can bet on that. They don't purge it.
How could they make any money off of your information if they purged it? In statistics you are now what is called a "case." You have an electronic file at that corporation. When you were filling out that app, you know what they did? They left a "cookie" on your hard drive. If you didn't remove it, now they know where you surf the internet. Now your file grows and grows. They know all about you. They may even find something interesting about you in your resume and begin searching for information about you on the internet and build that file so they can test you. Oh, yes. They do that. Make no mistake. You have to be careful when you apply at a corporation these days. Ever look at a corporation when you are driving by and ask you yourself, "I wonder what they make there?" Maybe they are making YOU! Why don't you send them your resume?
So, no wonder it is so difficult to get a job. The actual process of getting a job is often working against you and it is in fact designed to work against you.
It wasn't like that when I was younger. I can't believe that somehow all Americans have become monsters that would destroy a corporation in a way that the application process indicates they all are. Maybe it is the other way around. Maybe the reason people are having trouble getting jobs these days is because employers are making the task of getting a job simply too difficult and instead profiting from the process at the same time in what some might say is a predatory fashion. Yes, maybe that's what is happening. Or maybe there is no "maybe" about it. By the time you complete the entire process, some "holier than thou" person you never meet has found some selection you have made online in the application process they didn't like or you don't match "the profile," when instead all they really are doing is "harvesting data" only to use it against you in a sales pitch perhaps to profit from your need to work.
You might ask, well if the unemployed aren't working, they don't have any money, why would they want to market to them in the first place? Quite the opposite. Marketers focus intently on the unemployed because many of the unemployed are receiving weekly benefits and not working. They have leisure time, time to spend their benefit money. Marketers also focus on single women having children out-of-wedlock who receive government benefits. Last year over forty percent of children were born to single mothers, nearly half. It's a huge market. HUGE! It's a science.
You often hear employers clamoring that they can't get enough trained people in the US and they want to hire from outside the US. They want the State Department to increase US work visas for foreign nationals. Why? They claim that there are not enough US applicants. Why? Because the system of hiring has screened any potential US citizens out! The US produces more thoroughly trained applicants than any other place in the world and does it well. It's just that the hiring process precludes many of them from working in The US. And the employers want a tax break for hiring foreign nationals, too! Go figure.
Some might say, "Bill, stop it. You are killing us. We are trying to do business here." My response, "It's a flawed business model. You don't treat your customers that way. That's not how you treat the American public."
It's time to regulate the job application process.
Copyright © William Thien 2014
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Bringing the Price of Gasoline Down by Curbing Use of Electricity And Other Unrelated Fuel Sources
Posted August 9, 2014on:
So I've been kind of getting sick of these gas prices holding above $3 and often approaching $4 and $5 for the last six or seven years with no relief in sight and it occurs to me as it has to those of you who lived through the seventies I'm sure that there were measures we all took which in the end lowered the price of gasoline back to a reasonable level. OPEC as well as domestic oil producers were trying to squeeze every dollar they could out of the American household.
The measures that were taken not only involved driving by using certain methods such as trip chaining (doing all of your errands at one time instead of returning home after each one) and driving more conservatively (where I reside the governor was lauded for establishing a lower speed limit on the interstate), but the methods used to bring fuel prices down also involved curtailing the use of other forms of energy, such as the electricity you purchased from the local utility. And it worked.
And it was in fact the curbing of the use of other forms of energy it was believed that contributed the greatest to the lowering of the price of gasoline for automobiles. I don't really know the exact explanation except that somehow the various sources of energy, oil, coal, natural gas, whatever, were able to somehow interlink their prices so that if the price of one went up, so did the prices of all of the others. It was a new form of economic charlatanism that the media force-fed the American public at the instruction of the special interests involved, big oil for instance, I'm sure.
And a national effort was created to lower the price of gasoline and all energy sources. That national effort involved taking certain steps in the home to curb the use of electricity and fuel. Perhaps if we revisit those methods, we can help to bring the price of gasoline back in line. Who knows? They may be cooking up some new line in the big oil PR departments for the media to spew to the public which will justify new price increases. Even municipalities got it on it. They started turning off streetlights in the very early hours of the morning and turning off streetlights in industrial areas where there was not traffic whatsoever. Municipalities also began installing low energy use lights throughout their cities and towns. It was a huge effort and it worked.
The first thing you must do is elect or designate an "Energy Cop" for the household. Usually both parents will split those responsibilities with such wise admonitions as, "SHUT THE DOOR! What do you think, we are heating the WHOLE PLANET!?" Or, "If you aren't watching the television, turn it off or I'll take away your TV privileges for the month." These directions will come as loud, sometimes blaring, in-your-face warnings and are usually effective enough to gain compliance, but stricter measures are sure to follow if the offending party fails to comply.
Remember, make a list of what must be done to save energy and put it in an obvious place so everyone in the house can see it.
I will attempt to recall some of the methods we used in the seventies to bring the price of gasoline in line. First, create a plan and put it on paper in a place where everyone can see it, a list of rules for managing household energy. Put the list on the refrigerator or somewhere where everyone can see it and you can point to it if there is every a question in the house.
Put these on that list:
1. If you are not in a room, turn off the lights. The same holds true for a radio or television. Turn them off and read a book.
2. Turn off porch and landscaping lights by a certain time, such as 8pm. Stick to that time.
3. Use a shorter cycle on the dishwasher or clothes washer. Hang dry your laundry.
4. Buy plastic sheeting to use as added insulation during the winter months and place it over windows and other places where air leaks through from the outside. Separate areas of the house with added doors or cloth barriers in the winter to decrease air leakage. Contact your local insulation technician and have them do a review of the house where heat is escaping. They probably can lower your heating bills substantially by insulating areas you didn't even think needed more insulation.
5. Don't go in and out of the door frequently during periods of extreme cold or warmth so as not to tax the heating or air conditioning. This is an important measure and if you follow it, you will see your heating and air conditioning bills drop significantly. Why? Because you use a thermostat to regulate the room temperature and even slight temperature changes can activate it causing your heating or air conditioning to come on.
6. Keep your thermostat at or below 60 degrees in the winter and 72 in the summer.
7. Cool liquids by placing them in cool spaces in the home instead of filling up the refrigerator with them. It takes a substantial amount of energy to bring the temperature of a case of beverages down to 36 degrees when they have been sitting in the back seat of your car in the hot summer sun.
These are just some of the measures you can take to bring your electricity and heating costs down and by doing so it may help to bring the price of gasoline back to reasonable levels. It's no guarantee. The media is complicit or perhaps ignorant of the big oil PR line in the abuse of the prices, I believe, so you will have to be alert to the media line which is coming straight from the producers. I've said there is nothing wrong with making a buck. And I believe that. But when it means sending families into debt as it does for many merely to drive to work, there is a problem. One way we can all address that problem then is to help out by using such measures as I've described.
When Americans began enacting these measures in the seventies, when they said it was only a matter of two or three years before all the oil would be gone (yes, they tried that line of BS on everyone and it worked! People were scared, lining up at gas stations for blocks and blocks. Now we see it was all a lie to which the media facilitated), Americans began to see the price of oil and other fuel sources go down.
There was no way for the producers to keep the prices up any longer because the amount of fuel used was actually being measured and reported and the amount used had plummeted. They could not say that demand had exceeded capacity any longer. Prices had to come down. They had to come down because that was the line they were using to drive prices up in the first place.
So if you want that new tennis racket or your kids need a new pair of shoes for school but you don't have the scratch, just think of what you can do to change that and stop throwing it all away by putting your paycheck in your car or burning it up to heat the house.
Make the list, put it on the refrigerator, and hold everyone in the house to it. You are the "Energy Cop."
Copyright © William Thien 2014
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Recently the gubernatorial election where I reside has entered into a debate on the subject of outsourcing. One of the candidates is a family member of a large corporation that outsources most of its labor to China. One candidate accused the other of undermining the economy by outsourcing while the other candidate accused their opponent of not creating enough jobs. The debate began when one candidate made an increase in the minimum wage to $10 per hour part of her platform while the other accused her of being hypocritical because the company to which she is affiliated outsources most of it labor to China and pays those workers less than $2 per hour.
As you know, my position is that politicians don't create private sector jobs in the first place; they create an environment which stimulates private sector job growth. But even that is limited.
Politicians promise jobs because they know how desperate Americans are for good jobs because, well in this case, one of the candidates is directly associated with a corporation that outsources a lot of potentially good American jobs. It's a valid issue for any campaign, if you ask me.
Let's examine this matter further.
The debate has centered or perhaps has been steered towards the belief that companies have outsourced generally because labor costs are too high here in The United States and that environmental regulations and other regulatory matters make it impossible to manufacture here in The United States.
All of that of course is false. Americans are considered the best industrial employees having higher education levels and greater reliability and are considered more productive in many cases.
The real reason companies outsource is that after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and communism in general around the globe, suddenly there were six billion people ready to work for pennies on the dollar, whereas before companies were prohibited from using such labor due to restrictions related to political matters. When the Berlin Wall came down suddenly companies had a chance to make obscene profits by utilizing the sudden supply of cheap labor whereas prior they were merely just doing well. Clinton then gave China Most-Favored-Nation Trading Status. That coupled with the North American Free Trade Agreement, also ratified during The Clinton Administration, pretty much shut the American assembly line down. As I've said before, it was almost as if President Clinton himself went to the end of the assembly line and threw the switch, bringing it to a halt.
Industrialists then blamed the so-called high cost of union labor in order to justify the outsourcing. Manufacturers blamed restrictive over-regulation. The media bought it like a cheap Chinese suit and now that's almost all you can find anywhere.
The real reason companies in The US, and much of the western world for that matter, have outsourced much if not most of their industrial production is due to the chance for a massive increase in profits, the chance to make obscene profits in many cases. Let's face it, the real reason many companies have outsourced is because of greed.
Now that the American worker can't afford to buy such products anymore, many companies are reconsidering their short-sighted production strategies and they are bringing their production facilities back to The United States or no longer outsourcing to other producers. Many believe those jobs are never coming back. Though most experts agree that it is, let's hope it's not too late.
Copyright © William Thien 2014
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Free college completion program floated in Connecticut
Free college programs have sprung up in New York, Tennessee, Oregon, Rhode Island and California and now Connecticut lawmakers are looking into a similar plan to help students complete their degree.
"Connecticut has a lot of residents stuck in the pipeline," state Sen. Beth Bye, co-chair of the legislature's Higher Education committee said. "It is a real issue. So many students don't matriculate."
As a result, she said skilled jobs that employers need go unfilled.
Take the financial burden away, Bye said, and more students would leave college with a degree.
The idea, which has yet to have a fiscal note attached to it, would be to offer free tuition to Connecticut residents who earn enough credits and maintain a certain grade point average so they can complete their degree.
The idea did not get a mention Wednesday during Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's final State of the State address which carried a theme of "fairness." Education — an early focus of the Malloy administration — got barely a mention during the 40-minute speech.
The omission did not go unnoticed.
"His budget proposal is anything but fair for Connecticut's students and public schools," said Shelia Cohen, president of the Connecticut Education Association, the state's largest teachers union.
On Monday, Malloy released details of a budget proposal which would cut state education aid entirely to 33 communities and pull back on promised increases to many others.
Also absent from what traditionally is a budget address was any mention of the state's budget crisis.
"Not a scintilla," Pat O'Neill, spokesman for House Minority Leader Themis Klaridis, R-Derby, said. "There were a number of good ideas but not a word about how to pay for them."
The free tuition plan announced by House and Senate Democratic leaders on Tuesday, meanwhile, came with few specifics like how a state that is deep in the red would pay for it. So much so that officials from both the University of Connecticut and Connecticut State Colleges and Universities said they needed more details before they could comment.
Whether the concept would apply to just community colleges, or four-year institutions as well, has yet to be determined. Bye said research on the concept is under way. She also promised public hearings on the issue.
State Rep. Gail Lavielle, R-Wilton, said she wonders if there isn't a better approach.
"First we have to iron out K-12 and make sure all are getting the same good education. That is not happening," Lavielle said.
Then, Lavielle supports exploring programs like one in Norwalk that allows some high school students to graduate with a high school diploma and an associate's degree.
"Student don't pay for any of it," said Lavielle. Instead, the Norwalk Early College Academy program is partially funded by private businesses.
She'd like other districts to emulate the program and explore the possibility of partial state funding in the future.
"To me something like that is probably more worth looking at" than, Lavielle said, "make this free, that free."
During last year's legislative session, State Rep. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown proposed a bill to study the feasibility of implementing a debt-free higher education program for in-state students attending public colleges.
Sen. Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said having more residents with degrees would attract more business to the state. Some 25,000 jobs go unfilled because of a lack of employees skilled enough to fill them, according to estimates, Duff said.
Democrats also want to invest more in the state's technical high schools as a way to create a stronger pipeline to skilled jobs, but have yet to offer details.
State. Rep. Caroline Simmons, D-Stamford, said the effort was essential to supporting workforce development and regrowing the economy.
"We have a ways to go," Simmons said. "Let's keep our kids here in Connecticut."

subset: commoncrawl


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Wednesday to Sunday Evenings
Dinner Seatings 5:45pm
Regular Seating Doors Open at 7:00pm
Curtain at 7:30pm
Saturday Matinees
Doors Open at 12:30pm
Curtain at 1pm
Wednesday Matinees
Doors Open at 10:30am
Curtain at 11am
Please Note: Late seatings are at the discretion of management.
The menu is prepared specifically for each production featuring a four course dinner served at your table including a starter, an appetizer, choice of main course and gourmet dessert.
Specific Dinner Menu's for each show can be found on our Home Page.
Vegetarian options are always available and dietary concerns can usually be accommodated with notice at time of purchase.
Dinner is ordered and served a la carte on the evening of your show. No need to pre-register your meal choice other than reporting any dietary concerns so we can prepare for you.
A selection of cocktails, wine, beer, champagne and after-dinner drinks are available in the lobby and at your table.
Mainstage Tickets as low as $52
with Dinner Reservations from $85
Please call the box office early for VIP Private Box Seating OR Wheelchair Accessible Seating.
Ticket prices subject to change based on availability
Ticket Fees and 5% GST applies to all tickets sold
Actors Studio uses the Dynamic ticket pricing model. As such, the earlier your purchase your tickets the lower the ticket price.
There are no refunds or exchanges for unused tickets. Please safeguard your tickets. Tickets are only good for the specific performance designated and are not for resale.
Ticket sales include all applicable taxes and fees.
Ticket exchanges for another performance within the same production are subject to a $3 service charge per ticket and must be completed 48hrs prior to the original date.
A $3 service charge is applicable for all mail deliveries.
Wheelchair access is limited and based upon availability. Please mention at time of booking and book in advance.
All children are required to have tickets and separate seats. Babes in arms are not permitted.
Discount group reservations for 10 or more people are available for many Actors Studio performances. To start planning, contact our box office manager, Rebecca Leboe at 250-862-2867 ext 110.
Gift cards may be purchased in any denominations and are redeemable for most events held at Actors Studio and concession purchases.
Shows subject to change and are based on rights availability.
3yrs ago the Kelowna Actors Studio decided to adopt the model of Dynamic Ticket Pricing. This means that if you book early you are rewarded by paying the lowest available ticket price. As each performance fills up, the cost of the ticket increases (ticket price increases start when any given performance reaches 70% of capacity).
Because the Actors Studio is the only local arts organization that receives no local, provincial or federal government or private grants, their ticket revenue is their entire revenue stream. The increase on ticket prices on higher selling shows allows us to keep ticket prices as low as possible for pre planners and less popular shows, but ensures we are maximizing our revenue potential on the more popular shows.
Regular Ticket Subscriptions for $220
Matinee Dessert Theatre Subscriptions from $247
Dinner Theatre Subscriptions from $364
Why Subscribe?
Become a Diamond Club Member for an additional $90
Subscriber Ticket Exchanges
If you have a season ticket but can't come on your regular night, you may exchange your ticket for another performance of the same production, provided that seats are available. The request must occur at least 48 hours before the performance date shown on the ticket. This may only be done once per production.
Kelowna Actors Studio relies on the support and dedication of our 100+ volunteers who work tirelessly in front of house, set decor, props and more!
Join us for our Annual Volunteer Appreciation Night! Each year we host a Volunteer Appreciation Night, which features wine, appies and performances by some of Actors Studio's favourite personalities!
Stage Crew
The show cannot go on without the work of stagehands and crew "behind the curtain". Their tasks range from scenery moving and looking after props during a performance, assisting performers, and painting sets or props prior to the show opening. If you enjoy working behind the scenes and want to find out more about working in a stage production, then this is the crew for you. Please fill out the volunteer form here.
Front of House
Members of this crew are people who like to work with the public. They can be found greeting theatre-goers at the entrance and as ushers in the front of the house, handing out programmes, clearing tables and helping people locate the correct seat. Shifts are 5:15pm to end of show and noon to end of show for Matinees. Please contact Kelowna Tickets at 250-862-2867.
Volunteer FAQ
How much time does this involve?
The time you commit is up to you, according to your availability and interest. Some volunteers work a few hours per year, while others participate in several full performances a year.
How will I know what to do?
Orientation and training is arranged in the area that appeals to you before working your first show. Theatre staff and experienced volunteers will be on hand to help you become confident in your role.
Who chooses which shows I work?
You decide which shows to volunteer for by signing up at the theatre Box Office. You may also be called when extra help is needed, but the choice is always yours.
Why become a theatre Volunteer?
Meet new people and make new friends.• Learn new skills.• Discover or confirm career interests.• Enrich retirement.• Be a proud member of a great team.• Know that you are enhancing your community.
The first step is figuring out where you want to volunteer!
Cancellation Policy
There are no cash refunds for class registrations. Cancellations prior to the beginning of class may qualify for a gift certificate credit. Cancellations for reasons beyond the student or families control after a class begins are subject to pro-rated class fees and will only qualify for a credit. Dropping of classes due to not getting the part you or your child wanted in the class will not result in a credit.
Unaccompanied Child Policy
Any children left at the Studio past class time that requires teacher supervision, the following rates will be charged in order for the teacher to remain onsite.
15-20 minutes ~ $20.00 plus an additional $5.00 per five minute block thereafter.
The Kelowna Actors Studio is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information of its employees and patrons. We value the trust of those we deal with, and of the public, and recognize that maintaining this trust requires that we be transparent and accountable in how we treat the information that you choose to share with us.
During the course of our various activities we must gather and use personal information. Typically, this information is collected by Kelowna Tickets, a subsidiary of the Kelowna Actors Studio. This information is carefully protected and any use of or other dealing with this information is subject to consent. The Kelowna Actors Studio does not share, trade or sell personal information.
Personal information gathered by our organization is kept in confidence. Our personnel are authorized to access personal information based only on their need to deal with the information for the reason(s) for which it was obtained.
We collect, use and disclose personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in light of the circumstances. Individuals are offered the opportunity to opt not to have their information used for purposes beyond those for which it was explicitly collected.
The Kelowna Actors Studio makes every reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy of the information held. Individuals are entitled to examine the information held about themselves subject to the restrictions provided by law.
Questions, concerns or complaints relating to The Kelowna Actors Studio's privacy policy or the treatment of personal information should be emailed to [email protected]
The Kelowna Actors Studio respects your privacy. We protect your personal information and adhere to all legislative requirements with respect to protecting privacy. We do not rent, sell or trade our mailing lists. The information you provide will be used to contact you when necessary regarding programming changes and to keep you informed and up to date on the activities of The Kelowna Actors Studio. You may occasionally be contacted with regards to special events presented at or promoted by the Kelowna Actors Studio or fundraising opportunities as they pertain to our Non-Profit branch – the Kelowna Actors Studio Academy Foundation. If, at any time, you wish to be removed from any of these contacts simply call us at 250-862-2867 or email [email protected] and we will gladly accommodate your request.


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- Summer holidays.
- Day on harbour in friends boat, swimming at Nielsen park, lunch at Watsons bay.
- Lots of afternoons spent at Blackheath pool.
- Stay in Fairlight, Sydney at a friends house while she is overseas. Swim at beach every day (Freshwater, North Steyne and Dee Why). Catch ferry accross to Sydney and visit Botanical Gardens and Art Gallery of NSW. Also, Mirazozo - part of Sydney Festival.
- Keira went on holiday with a friend to beach house near Taree, NSW.
- Keith's Birthday.
- Keira started high school.
- Keith went to Brisbane to practically re-build our house there that was severely affected by the floods. (12 days)
- Kids played lots of basketball
- Caley went to Maths camp - and enjoyed it!
- Had a great day doing Dargans Creek canyon.
- Caley turned 11.
- More basketball.
- Keira learnt new skills doing her school assignments.
- Keith did lots of planting and landscaping work.
- Keira played the piano at the opera house in a graduation concert.
- Soccer season started for Cal.
- School holidays (2 weeks plus Easter)
- On the 6th we fly to the UK!
- Spend time with Keith's family in the UK.
- Visit London & Lake District.
- Fly to Paris.
- Catch train to Nice and visit Keith's Mum.
- Have a truly wonderful holiday!
- Arrive back in Australia on the 1st. (Kids go to school on the 2nd . . .)
- Sharyn stops working 2 days a week in Leura.
- Hockey season starts for Keira.
- Have 2 weeks to prepare our cottage in Leura to be let out for holiday accommodation.
- Sharyn's Birthday.
- Blackheath has an afternoon of snow.
- Spend a few days with friends in Port Stephens, NSW (where the children swim!).
- School holidays (3 weeks).
- Keira baby-sits a friends pet rat . . . Keith and Sharyn are not convinced that she should get one!
- Blackheath experiences a huge wind storm that knocks down trees all over the suburb including one that falls on a train carriage at Medlow Bath. The damage is so extensive that we are without power for 3 days. After the second night, with no heating, we all decamp to friends houses for much needed warmth, tlc and showers!
- Heat pump is installed - and at almost the end of our third winter here - we have warm floors!!
- Keira completes the 40hr famine - no food (just water and rationed barley sugars) or technology.
- Cal goes to G&T camp in Sydney.
- Hockey & Soccer seasons finish.
- First anniversary of Sharyn's Mum's death.
- Keira turns 13.
- We host The Craziest Race party for Keira and 20 of her school friends . . .
- Cal goes on school trip to Canberra for 3 days.
- School holidays start (2 weeks).
- Keith starts working at Sydney University. First "job" in 9 years . . . and means commuting on the train for 4 1/2 hours each day.
- Cal leaves on school 'Outback Tour'. A 10 day trip out west visiting Dubbo, Lightning Ridge, Toowoomba, the Gold Coast and Coffs Harbour.
- We say goodbye to Honey as she goes to live with friends in Bullaburra, who adore her!
- Keira and Sharyn complete 45km Charity walk for the school. They walk from Wentworth Falls to "Bungawarra" (the School's Outdoor education centre), Little Hartley, raising money for a school in Uganda.
- Basketball starts again for Cal.
- Keira goes to school camp at Bungawarra - rains steadily for all 4 days!
- Cal goes on school camp to Shoalhaven - enjoys the abseiling, camping out in tents and canoeing.
- Cal spends a day in the high school in preparation for next year.
- Keira receives 1st prize at the school Art Awards for her money box made in Tech class.
- Keira performs in the school pantomime Cinderella (6 shows) (and sprains her wrist during a costume change . . .)
- Cal attends his Year 6 Farewell - looking very smart in his suit - and has a fantastic night.
- Sharyn organises a dinner for the parents of year 6 children at The Grandview Hotel, Wentworth Falls.
- Cal's Year 6 classmates put on a Fun Day for the rest of the school. Cal and his friends run a Nerf Gun Tournament - which was very popular!
- We all head out to Newnes State Forrest for our annual catch up/Christmas party with canyoning friends and Bush Santa arrives for a visit.
- Keira and Cal have a piano exam (Keira's first one ever) and they both do a great job and get A's!! (Keira - Grade 4 and Cal - Grade 3)
- School finishes for the year. (Both children receive Academic awards, with Cal also getting the Chess prize and Keira a prize for coming first in PDHPE.)
- Summer Holidays start (2 months).
- We go and stay at the Swisshotel in Sydney for 2 days and enjoy looking at all the Christmas decorations and eating at nice restaurants/cafes. (Keith enjoys a much shorter travel time to and from work!)
- Sharyn's sister and her 2 children move out of the studio at Hat Hill Farm and relocate to the much warmer Central Coast (Terrigal), after living here with us for nearly 3 years (6 months with us in the main house and the rest in the studio by themselves)
- Keith finishes his contract at the Uni.
- We all enjoy a beautiful, sunny Christmas day with family here for lunch.
- For New Years Eve, we head to the Wentworth Falls Country Club and watch great fireworks with friends (and almost everyone else in the Upper mountains!)
And, all year long . . .
- Keith has worked tirelessly on the garden and house, creating a beautiful place for us all to enjoy. We thank you!


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San Francisco Criminal Defense Firm
In California, you face serious penalties if you are convicted of Domestic Violence, Assault or Battery.
What does it mean when an attorney is a "Certified Specialist"?
If you have been charged with Domestic Violence, Assault or Battery, you should contact a lawyer immediately. As a California board-certified criminal law specialist, Attorney Christoper F. Morales has the experience and knowledge to help you beat a Domestic Violence, Assault or Battery charge. In these cases, self defense is almost always a viable defense. These are great cases to fight because an experienced attorney like Mr. Morales can almost always find a winnable defense.
In addition to possible jail time, being convicted of Domestic Violence, Assault or Battery can have a negative impact on child custody proceedings and future job opportunities, and deportation for non-citizens. A conviction can result in a lifetime criminal record visible to any employer who runs a background check.
The severe penalties you face make it essential to have a criminal defense lawyer with substantial trial experience fighting for you. Attorney Christopher F. Morales is a Certified Criminal Law Specialist who has been in practice since 1991. He has successfully defended hundreds of clients facing criminal charges. After reviewing the facts of your case, Mr. Morales will give his honest assessment about your chances of winning. Depending on the case, Mr. Morales will move to have the charges against you dismissed or reduced.
Contact Us
To find out more about how Mr. Morales can help you fight a Domestic Violence, Assault or Battery charge, please contact us today for a free consultation. We look forward to hearing from you.
Find A Trusted Assault & Battery Lawyer In San Francisco


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2019 is a BIG year for Temple Parks & Recreation… it is our 75th Anniversary! But did you know, Jackson Park is the park that started it all? Joining the 2019 Class of Lonestar Legacy Parks, Jackson Park is Temple's oldest park. It was developed from property gifted to the City from two prominent Temple families, each with separate ties to the city's two community hospitals at the time – Kings Daughters and Scott & White.
By the onset of World War II in the 1940s, and its resulting population boom, residents approved a massive bond issue that included $22,500 for park improvements, thus leading Temple to formally create a Parks Department to oversee park maintenance, as well as host community activities.
Join us as we celebrate our Diamond Anniversary by hosting several FREE Party in the Park community events in selected parks throughout the city.


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"Do you know how to open that?" asked a young, red-headed Sushipop employee as he approached the table with my order. A sly grin was on his face as I looked askance at the bottle of Ramuné I'd quickly chosen from the cooler near the register.
"Um...no, I don't," I admitted, a bit ashamed. The bottle itself said on the side: Ask your parents for assistance in opening. Or, in my case, ask a kid half your age at a fast food sushi restaurant for assistance in opening. I had officially become old in that moment. Thanks, Ramuné.
The kid laughed as he showed me the intricate steps involved in opening what is ultimately a bottle of Japanese Clearly Canadian with a marble in it (oh, screw caps -- why have you forsaken me?). It was one of many authentically Japanese beverage selections in the case -- sake and beer among them -- at Sushipop (9770 Katy Freeway, Suite 100), the new fast-casual sushi joint that's among the latest rash of openings in the vast strip mall megaplex that's evolved at Bunker Hill and I-10.
I'd been eyeing the restaurant with interest before it opened, for one reason above all: I am a sad, sad sucker for cheap sushi. My appetite for sushi far surpasses my ability to pay for it, so I'm always on the lookout for inexpensive sushi to tide me over between gorging sessions at places like Soma or Sushi Raku. Unfortunately, it's the inexpensive sushi that I'm able to afford about 90 percent of the time. Fortunately, it also means I get to try a wealth of different places in my search for a place that can form a happy place between price and quality.
Sushipop opened on August 19 and seems to have been doing brisk business since then. I attribute some of that to the visibility of their location and some of that to the fact that there really aren't any other affordable sushi options close to Memorial City Mall and the wealth of shopping, office towers and other density that's lately sprung up in the area.
The cool, chic interior certainly doesn't hurt, either. With a sweeping mural on one wall, flatscreen TVs showing news and sports, and an assembly line of sushi chefs to watch, it's simultaneously multi-sensory and inviting. And then there are the prices.
I ordered a High Roller combination over the weekend in an effort to taste three hand rolls in one go, and also because the price was decent: $9.95 for a shrimp tempura hand roll, a spicy tuna hand roll and a spider hand roll. The combo also comes with a choice of miso soup or a salad. I went with the miso soup, as I'd already ordered the edamame as an appetizer.
First things first: Sushipop does not skimp on the hand rolls. They're the same size as the ones I normally get at Oishii -- another inexpensive favorite -- although priced a little higher. The same rolls are $2.50 each at Oishii, or $7.50 for a trio (sans the soup/salad, of course).
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The edamame and miso soup were standard, typical offerings. Nothing particularly good or bad about either. The hand rolls, too, were pretty bland.
They were mostly well constructed and filled with plenty of ingredients, except that the vinegared rice fell apart the moment you bit into the rolls, and the fish -- particularly in the spicy tuna hand roll -- tasted of air. Slightly spicy air, but air nevertheless. The shrimp tempura roll was the standout, solely because the tempura batter was nicely light and crunchy. I was particularly disappointed in the spider roll, which featured none of the spicy mayonnaise typically found inside. Without it, the roll lacked the zing which normally makes it a favorite of mine.
Despite this, I do want to go back and try some of Sushipop's signature rolls. Perhaps more effort and attention is given to items like The Fisherman (spicy tuna roll topped with unagi, eel sauce and sesame seeds for $9.95) or The Alaskan (snow crab, avocado and cucumber for $6.95). And I do appreciate the concept of fresh, fast sushi at an affordable price.
For now, though, places like Oishii still have the market cornered in that area. And Sushipop's interests seem to lay in expanding their operation straight out of the gate: More locations are already tentatively planned, according to the website and Facebook page. My advice? Take it slow and concentrate on getting the food right first. Then take over the world.


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"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."
I carry this prayer in my wallet and sometimes I actually remember to look at it. I was first introduced to this prayer in my teenage years when I chose a clean and sober lifestyle. In twelve step meetings we always prayed out with the Serenity Prayer.
This prayer is a powerful reminder that some aspects of life are out of control and we must surrender and let them be, rather than trying to make them be a certain way. However there are many things in our lives that we do have agency over.
We all have the ability to change our thoughts, our words, and our actions and yes, even our circumstances. We just need to connect to this truth and find the courage to make changes.
How do we find the courage?
What's helped me tap my courage is to find someone who has done what I want to do or to find others who are in the process of making similar changes in their lives.
When I wanted to get sober I got a sponsor and attended meetings with other people who were choosing a healthier lifestyle.
When I've had to muster the courage to take bigger leaps in my own life, I've hired my own life coach, therapist and spiritual counselor. I practice what I preach. I believe it's very important for people who coach or counsel others to also be engaged in their own personal growth work and get support. In fact, I'm sort of suspicious of people who don't.
I've also found that prayer, positive affirmations, and talking with a trusted friend are powerful ways to tap into courage.
My clients often remark that in our work together they are able to move through fear, self-doubt and negative thinking and make important changes in their lives. They say that working with me as their coach has allowed them to "light a fire under their butt" or that working together allowed them to push through blocks that previously stopped them.
I get it. When I wanted to get in shape I joined a gym and attended exercise classes and boot camp. Having a coach or a trainer to encourage and push me kept me going on days when I was tired and I wanted to quit.
I love surprising myself and moving past my own fears and perceived limitations and I love to help other people move beyond their fears and find fulfillment they didn't know was possible.
While some things are truly out of hands, everyday we get to make a choice to be courageous about the things we can change. Will we choose to go after our dreams? Will we choose to live our lives authentically? Will we choose to address our mental blocks and negative thoughts that hold us back? Will we choose to make lifestyle changes that allow us to be healthy, strong, and vibrant? Will we choose to end unhealthy patterns of relating?
Today let us pray for the courage to change the things we can.
Check out my free call 7 Steps to Move Beyond Fear and Courageously Live the Life of Your Dreams


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Welcome to my Daily Inspiration - Daily Quote. See today's daily inspirational quotes below.
May the world be kind to you, and may your own thoughts be gentle upon yourself. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie
May the world be kind to you, and may your own thoughts be gentle upon yourself. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie
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Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Humility is Strength
Humility is not thinking less of yourself,
it's thinking of yourself less.
- Rick Warren
Humility is not cowardice.
Meekness is not weakness.
Humility and meekness are indeed spiritual powers.
- Swami Sivananda
It's all about humanity, humility, and integrity.
- Debra Wilson
Pride makes us artificial, and humility makes us real.
- Thomas Merton
Further reading: Value Honor, Not Ego
Humble Places
Love Your Neighbor
On importance - read this first - then this
Posted by Jonathan Lockwood Huie
Labels: Debra Wilson, humble, humility, pride, Rick Warren, Swami Sivananda, Thomas Merton, virtue
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GU1670 was a standard brass disk set in a round concrete post. It was set on the side of the road, across from the old fire station behind a curb. It was reported as 'found' in 1984 and then 'not found' in 1985, and for all intents and purposes, it should have been there as no improvements have been done in the area in some time. I couldn't find it as part of the project, but the benchmark hunter in me kept looking. I went back multiple times over the next few years, kicking dirt and looking in the logical and not so logical places, with no luck. This site probably had the most visits by me for any mark I've looked for without finding anything.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this thread, my employment has recently changed. My present employer has a collection of surveying equipment and artifacts on display throughout the office. Last week I was speaking with one of the other employees (relatively new to the survey industry) about the purpose of benchmarks and their markings. I was using one of my employer's display benchmarks to show him what I was talking about. During our discussion, the designation of the mark caught my attention; 'G944 1958'. The '944' was familiar - there was a '944' series of marks around the Coalinga area, set in the late 50's. I routinely used 'Y944', north of Coalinga, as a calibration point for my survey-grade GPS. I searched the NGS database for G944 in the State of California and only got one hit - it was GU1670. After nearly four years of searching, I found the brass disk I'd been looking for, more than 75 miles away.
Now, for the rest of the story....
Flash back to 1987. I was studying Architecture at a local college and got hired by a Civil & Survey engineering firm as a draftsman. This was before computers and CAD; all the plans and maps were drawn by hand with pen & ink. I was hired because of my drawing ability and penmanship, not because I knew anything about surveying or engineering. I honestly didn't know what either a surveyor or civil engineer was, let alone what they did. As I drafted the maps and plans, I would ask about things I saw or drew onto the plans. Over time I found that I was more interested in the surveying portion of my job over the civil engineering portion, and the architecture I was studying for that matter. (That interest in surveying is still there, nearly 20 years later. The architecture is all but forgotten.) I routinely asked the chief surveyor and the lead crew chief questions. I remember posing the question 'what is a benchmark?' to the lead crew chief. He explained it to me using an old brass disk he had on his desk that he used as a paperweight.
Now, flash forward to last week. My new employers are the same chief surveyor and the lead crew chief I worked with back in the 80's. About seven years ago, they cleaned out their desks and went out on their own. Now I'm back with them. GU1670 was in their small collection. When I told them that I'd been recently looking for that mark, one of them, the old lead crew chief said 'Really? I used that thing as a paperweight for years!'


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I give you the best WooCommerce Tutorials that I know of. By following these tutorials you will be able to create a world class eCommerce solution with your WordPress Website. Continue reading "Best WooCommerce Tutorials"
Best WooCommerce Tutorials
Posted on by Peter Mead in Strategy, WooCommerce, WordPress
Published by Peter Mead
Peter Mead is a WordPress SEO Specialist who has a passion for domain names, and all things Tech & Web. He is also the co-organiser of the Melbourne SEO Meetup group. View all posts by Peter Mead


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Diane Bouttier
General Manager, Foa Marine, S.A., Greece
- Marine Insurance
- Blue Water Hull
- Commercial Insurance
+30 2108 982 617
Mobile: +30 6951 653 796
Email Diane Bouttier
As General Manager of Foa & Son's Greek Branch office (Foa Marine S.A.) , Diane works alongside Greek and international ship owners and assists them with the placement of global marine insurance.
Throughout her years in the industry, Diane gained her experience as an in-house legal consultant for ship-owning companies dealing mostly with claims, international maritime law and marine insurance matters. Diane achieved a Masters in Maritime Law, enabling her to provide quality client services.
A French national, raised in the United States and living in Greece, Diane has obtained an LL.B. from Paris XIII with Honors, and an LL.M. from the University of Hertfordshire. She likes to spend her free time playing golf.


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Posts Tagged 'recruiting'
MLM is Dead!
Become Amazing at Meeting People
Keep Sponsoring Until You Create Critical Mass
Inspiring Others with Your Story
How to Win at Network Marketing
Developing New Leaders
We're at the lost post on our series of the seven actions that separate average team members in network marketing from team leaders. (If you missed the first six, you can find them here.) Action number seven is…
Continue reading 'Developing New Leaders' »
The Lie That Holds You Back…
New Rule Number Four
Let's pick up where we left off, on the new rules for how we need to conduct and promote our business. (If you didn't read New Rules One and Two and New Rule Three yet – I suggest you go back and read those first.)
Continue reading 'New Rule Number Four' »
New Rules 1 and 2
If you'll remember, some time back I wrote a manifesto for network marketers. It started a revolution. The manifesto was downloaded and shared millions of times and translated into numerous languages. (Even including a "G rated" version.)
With everything that has transpired in the profession since then, I believe it's time for a new one…
Continue reading 'New Rules 1 and 2' »


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"Chalk Outlines of Snow Angels"
by Jasmine Mans
"Chalk Outlines of Snow Angels"
This collection of poems was published by Thorn10 Publishing in May of 2012, under the guidance and support of Gene Thornton, or NoMalice from Clipse. Chalk Outlines of Snow Angels creatively delivers a series of heartfelt and blood-boiling pieces that are filled with both religious and political undertones.
Foreword by Michael Cirelli


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DMD f 3 year old boy
Created by Updated on Jun 17, 2016
My son us 3 year old n he is diagnose with DMD. patienta f dia disease will loose there power to walk n be on wheel chair at the age f 10 n hve a short life. can any one help me on this topic please. loose every hope as no treatment all over the world. he is v weak from legs cnt walk properly n climb stairs. weak bones please its a request
| May 25, 2017
Nirmal poly clinic 7666765049 u can call him and inform Aditya Raghava mother gave from Hyderabad
| May 25, 2017
sorry for a very delayed reply have changed my mobile. Dr is kishore Metha in vile parle west Mumbai
| Feb 26, 2017
hi rama lakshmi, good to see improvement in your condition. may i know which homeo doctor in mumbai he is seeing. we also wanted to contact for my friends son.
| Nov 29, 2016
hi all, I am from Hyderabad,my kid now 2. 8 is also diagnosed with DMD, he is 2. 2 when diagnosed , as there r no medicines in allopathy and in other forms ,we got to know through our family doctor who is homeopathy doctor,we r getting treated him at Mumbai with a experienced Homeo doctor. we could see improvement he is climbing steps with little support and his calf also reduced the stiffness.
| Jun 17, 2016
Hi Sonia. DMD is any parents worst nightmare. Yes its prognosis is not gd... however hard one tries. some things are just not in human control.. how so much progress scientifically we may have made. I have encountered other types of muscular dystrophy patients at opd. first you please be strong. may god give immense strength to u n ur family. then please start ur son with physiotherapy treatment along with other treatment(allopathic) that might be going on. Physiotherapy treatment will help him strengthen his muscle power n body control n maximize his functional capacities Acc to his physical state. Also it will delay the onset of complication ..like breathing problems... which ultimately proves fatal. N dear try to make the most of time u have in hand.. give him the happiest life u can.. let him do wotever makes him happy n enriches his soul.. If God has given him limited time,u make it the best time he will ever have.. Sending love n prayers ur way!
| Jun 17, 2016
Hi Sonia, I can understand your concern, but please don't lose hope. If you check on the internet then you will definitely find an answer to your problem.


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What Castro Knew About Lee Harvey Oswald
The official narrative skips tantalizing signs of a Cuban connection.
In November 1963, Cuban intelligence officer Florentino Aspillaga was posted in a little hut near a Cuban beach where he operated listening equipment trained on Miami and CIA headquarters in Virginia. On the morning of Nov. 22, Mr. Aspillaga—who would defect to the U.S. in 1987—said that he was ordered "to stop all your CIA work, all your CIA work." He was instructed to "put all of my equipment to listen to any small detail from Texas. They told me Texas."
Did Castro know that Lee Harvey Oswald was about...


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Do you have a bag of business cards hiding in some corner of your room? This is a bag of business cards, flyers, and pamphlets I've accumulated from comic conventions, art shows, and more over about 6 years. In years past, I was not the best at following up with all of these people (that's what the cards are FOR, right?). But recently I've optimized my follow-up strategies! Here are some tips to help you avoid the overwhelm of following up when you find yourself with like 50 cards after any event:
1. Pick the TOP 5 most important people you met and get back to them the week after the event. How you define "important" will vary based on your priorities and goals. Your criteria could be people from major companies, people most likely to lead you to a job, or just new friends you felt a strong connection with!
2. Pick the NEXT 5 most important people and get back to them in the following month. Beyond a month and you risk them not remembering you. A month seems like a long time, but a solid follow-up email requires more work than you'd think. For my follow-ups, first I review all notes I took when I met Person A (if you don't take notes, START!). These notes usually include recommendations of people and companies Person A said to check out. Next, I check out said peeps/companies online, which can be like going down a rabbit hole. One cool link leads to another, and before you know it, hours have gone by! Make sure to keep track of your time to not get too caught up in this research step, but have enough knowledge to mention something about it in your follow up email to Person A. They'll see that you're more serious about taking their advice.
3. For all other business cards beyond those 10, just follow them on social media. Think quality, not quantity. With my busy schedule, there's no way I can write a thoughtful email to every person I've met, which is why in the past sometimes I just put it off entirely, which lead to that gigantic bag of cards. It makes me wonder what happens to all of my business cards...
The next step after following up is... will you actually DO the advice those top 10 people gave you beyond just checking out so-and-so? Granted, take all advice with a grain of salt - you may even get conflicting tips. Pick what advice feels right to you. Make a list of specific steps you can do to improve your artwork (or any other skill!) and begin implementing them. All too often in the past I've just let this last step go, but it's important to moving forward in my career. That could be a whole other blog topic of project organization and implementation, but that's for another time!
Oh yeah and that note on the bag is an idea I had one time to scan all the cards. It's a project on my "rainy day" to-do list. Considering following everyone on social media, or just throwing it out.


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I love how crocheting is making a comeback again. I was excited to receive a complimentary copy of Fashion Crochet: 30 Crochet Projects Inspired by the Runway by Claire Montgomerie for review.
Just last winter my dear friend persuaded me to pick up my crochet hooks that had been buried for years and make some cute scarves. I would like to pursue my skills further and this is the perfect book to wet my appetite. The project ideas in this book really do come straight from the runway. There are beautiful color photos as proof, along with the final project photo. I really like how every page contains color photos along with the directions. It also contains quite a few diagrams.
Projects range from basic to advanced and include accessories (jewelry, purses, scarves) to clothing. This book is great for any yarn crafter.
I can't wait to get out and get some skeins of yarn and start some projects!
This book is only $15.57 right now at Amazon.com.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review purposes. As always, this post contains my honest opinions. This post contains an affiliate link for Amazon. That means if you purchase it from Amazon via my link, I may get a very small commission of the sale from Amazon but you will not incur any additional charges.


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We've seen it within the realms of celebrity relationships, courtships that zoom from zero to 60, only to come to a screeching halt just as quickly.
A perfect example is the "swift romance" of British actor Tom Hiddleston and singer Taylor Swift. In June, photos surfaced of the two as a couple. Within a month, they had not only met one another's parents, but were taking vacations together to Australia and Italy; all the while, their romance was being chronicled online by the paparazzi. But then, by month three, their relationship had catastrophically derailed.
These "fast-track" relationships are not exclusive to the rich and famous, but seem to be quite prevalent among us ordinary folk as well. Celebs, of course, gain maximum publicity from these "crash and burn" relationships that help to promote their next film, album or television show. However, it is difficult to see how relationship experiences of that nature benefit the average person.
But for those of us normal, everyday people, what is the allure of the swift romance, and why are these super-speedy courtships suddenly so common?
Marital therapist Andrew G Marshall, author of I Love You But I'm Not in Love With You, says being able to easily express our likes and dislikes via social media has led to the world as a whole speeding up when it comes to dating and coupling. We have a need for instant gratification: if we like something, give us more, and right away! Then, when we tire of something or dislike it, we just turn off, tune out and disappear.
The emergence of a dating culture that involves the use of websites and smartphone apps has also contributed to this sense of immediacy. There is pressure to move quickly when it comes to relationships, because if one doesn't seize the moment, someone else will be ready to swoop right in and claim your spot before you've had a chance to 'swipe right or left.'
Of course, sometimes two individuals meet and know instantaneously that they are meant for each other. The couple quickly becomes committed and, as luck would have it, they are able to spend the rest of their lives in happily-ever-after mode. But for most of us, a swift romance vanishes as quickly as it appears.
Here are just a few reasons why jumping headlong too quickly into a romance can bring it to a screeching halt.
1. There's no time to get to know one another
Thoroughly getting to know and understand another person takes time. When we first meet someone and are attracted to them, we tend to wear rose-colored glasses. That blurred vision prevents us from seeing the true colors of the other person. It is only by spending time with him or her that we are able to take a deeper look into their true self.
2. Makes you seem codependent
Becoming attached too quickly robs us of our independence, gives us a false sense of security, and sets us on a path of believing that we couldn't possibly find happiness if we had to go it alone.
3. Lowers our standards
Just because someone pays attention to us doesn't mean they are "The One." Knowing what we are seeking in a partner, setting a high bar and having the ability to set boundaries gives us a chance at relationship success from the outset.
4. We're not living in the real world
A swift romance can be, and often is, just a fantasy. Just as no one is perfect, no relationship is perfect, either. So keeping our feet firmly planted on the ground even when our head is in the clouds will enable us to be more realistic about our new love interest. We'll be better able to view the pros and cons objectively.
Speaking of clouds, becoming intimate with someone too soon can alter our judgment and put physical intimacy at the top of our list of priorities when there is actually so much more to consider about a person. Just because there is an amazing physical connection doesn't mean that that person is a long-term partner or marriage material.
A solid, long-lasting relationship is an investment. Both you and your potential partner owe it to one another to take the necessary time to get to know each other in a variety of ways and situations. If you are truly in search of a committed relationship, be aware of the pressures of the new crash and burn dating culture. Don't be tempted to take shortcuts. Opt instead for the type of old-fashioned courtship that allows each of you time to gain a deep understanding of the other. Develop a solid attraction for the person as a whole. Otherwise, if you settle for fantasy, that island may just turn out to be a mirage.


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Space is mostly empty, which is why we call it space. There is, however, still plenty of stuff out there in all the emptiness, and sometimes it runs into a planet or moon. Humanity has been watching the nearby heavenly bodies for decades to catch a glimpse of impact events, but the big ones are few and far between. Astronomers observing the moon last year spotted a bright flash of light believed to be a significant impact event, but confirmation was needed. New observations of the site now confirm a new crater about 34 meters in diameter mars the Moon's surface.
The original flash of light was detected by the Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System (MIDAS) on September 11th, 2013. MIDAS consists of a network of telescopes that keep watch on the moon for signs of impact events. The thermal energy released when asteroids and comets hit the lunar surface is seen on Earth as a brief flash of light. These are usually little more than blips, but the impact last year was visible for more than eight seconds–the largest impact ever detected by MIDAS. You can see the impact toward the end of the video below.
Data from MIDAS indicated the impact happened in Mare Nubium, an ancient lava-filled basin slightly to the south west on the Moon's visible face. Luckily, there are higher-resolution images of the area that could be used to confirm the MIDAS predictions. With updated images of Mare Nubium, it's clear a new crater has been formed. There's even visible ejecta scattered around the site for about 500 meters. The crater itself is 34 meters (111 feet) in diameter, which is a bit lower than the MIDAS estimate of 50 meters. Still, it got the location down to less than 2 kilometers.
The object that caused this crater was probably no more than a few meters across–it would have burned up in Earth's atmosphere. Studying impact events on the moon and other bodies in the solar system could provide valuable data on impacts here on Earth.


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DOVER — Technically, Monday night's championship game of the Dover Girls Holiday Tournament didn't count for anything except bragging rights. Bot don't tell that to Danielle Semprini of the Portsmouth High School girls basketball team.
Semprini's Clippers went on a run in the opening minutes of the third quarter to break open a game that was tied at halftime, and Portsmouth left Ollie Adams Gym with a 58-48 win over Oyster River and the tournament championship trophy in tow.
"It's pretty exciting beating Oyster River," Semprini said. "They're one of our main rivals. The game didn't count, but it was still a tournament championship. It meant something to us."
Portsmouth finished the tournament at 3-0 and Oyster River went 2-1 in a tournament that featured two Class I schools in the finals and two Class L schools in the consolation round. In fact both Class I schools went 2-0 against their Class L counterparts.
Susie French was Portsmouth's only double-digit scorer with 12 points. The Bobcats were led by Jilliane Friel with 18 points, including two first-quarter 3-pointers. Six-foot sophomore center Danielle Walczak was a strong presence in the paint all night long and scored 15 points for Oyster River.
Monday's game did not count in the Class I regular-season standings for either team, and set the stage for two more meetings between the rivals, scheduled for Jan. 13 at Portsmouth and Jan. 28 in Durham.
With the way the two teams went at it in the first quarter, it looked like a fourth meeting — perhaps deep in the Class I playoffs — could be in the offing. Both teams employed a fast break, shots were going down left and right and there were even a few no-look passes.
"I told the girls that this was just one of three, possibly four, times we'll see them this year," Portsmouth coach Eric Chasse said. "We faced them three times last year, and we're familiar with them and their personnel. I told the girls to just go out, have fun and relax. The other games will really count. I just asked for 32 minutes of playing hard."
During the opening half the teams combined for 60 points, with five ties and three lead changes. Oyster River led by four points on two occasions in the first period and Portsmouth bumped its lead up to five on two occasions in the third. The Bobcats' Devyn Kirby hit a 3-pointer with 5.3 seconds left to tie the game at 30-30 at halftime.
Portsmouth took a 32-30 lead in the opening minute of the third quarter, a jumper by Rosa Drummond, and never trailed again. Amanda Studer followed with a 3-pointer to give the Clippers a 35-30 lead, and Portsmouth eventually led 43-34 on a turnaround layup by Semprini with 1:45 to go in the frame. Semprini scored on a layup with 8.5 seconds remaining, and the Clippers led 47-36 after three.
"They just played better than we did," Oyster River coach Dave Nichols said. "Defense and rebounding are two keys for us — the rebounding was there, but our defense was not good tonight."
Portsmouth kept up the pressure in the fourth, eventually expanding its lead to 16 (54-38) on an Amy Winchell layup. But the Bobcats went on a 10-4 run to end the game, with Friel scoring eight points. Friel moved to the point-guard position midway through the third period as Kirby left the game with what Nichols said could be a concussion.
"We have six-minute stretches where we look like we're on top of Class I," Friel said. "Then we have those two-, three-, four-minute stretches where we're scraping the barrell. When we do that, give up a lot of momentum and easy baskets. It's hard to come back from that."
Both teams return to regular-season action shortly after the start of the new year — Portsmouth hosts John Stark on Saturday and Oyster River is at Hollis-Brookline next Tuesday.
Portsmouth, 58-48
OYSTER RIVER (48) — Kirby 2-0-5, Bilynsky 0-0-0, Sosnowski 0-0-0, Messler 0-0-0, Sherry 2-2-6, Mistretta 0-0-0, Contas 1-0-3, Friel 5-6-18, Sharbaugh 0-1-1, Walczak 7-1-15. Totlas: 17-10-48.
PORTSMOUTH (58) — Tilden 1-0-2, Semprini 2-0-6, Collins 0-0-0, French 6-0-12, Winchell 1-0-2, Marchewka 0-0-0, Nevin 3-0-6, Bacon 2-0-4, Drummond 4-0-9, Studer 3-1-8, Beauregard 4-0-9. Totals: 27-1-58.
Oyster River (2-1) 19 11 6 12 — 48
Portsmouth (3-0) 18 12 17 11 — 58
3-pointers: O-4 (Friel 2, Kirby, Contas); P-3 (Drummond, Studer, Beauregard).
Clippers pull away from OR for title
DOVER — Technically, Monday night's championship game of the Dover Girls Holiday Tournament didn't count for anything except bragging rights. Bot don't tell that to Danielle Semprini of the Portsmouth High School girls basketball team.


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For those of us who have children, we are aware that parenting is one of the most rewarding jobs out there. Some of us, though, are taking this responsibility on with only a single income.read more
Licensed Insolvency Trustee
Greg Best enjoys working with clients to create solutions for their financial needs.
Licensed Insolvency Trustee
Chris Sinclair believes a practical approach is required to solve serious financial difficulties.
Insolvency Coordinator
Cynthia's goal is to ensure that every client feels respected and understood and to instill hope that they can get their life back by giving them the fresh start they deserve.


text:
When we are in college, people say there's nothing like 'School Days' and that they are never come back. And when we graduated and commence to take responsibilities of our life and career seriously, that's when people tell us that there's nothing like 'College Days' and that they are never coming back. So while you're out there being a collegiate and cursing your years or you're out there taking up huge responsibilities, we'll tell you these precise things you won't ever miss about college:
1. Exams
Source: Jamesperryexamcoaching
2. That one person who takes supplements while you've not even started writing your answers
Source: Financialexpress
3. Creepy 'Roadside Romeos'
Source: i1os
4. Gossip girls' squad
Source: Timesofindia
5. Aftermath of failing a couple of subjects
Source: Studysoup
6. That one guy who wouldn't join everyone in Mass Bunk
Source: Lifehacker
7. Post-Mass Bunk day
Source: Resumes-for-teachers
8. Those extreme extroverts who'd always want to be with you no matter what
Source: Sulekha
9. That one person whom you'd hate without any reason
Source: Imgflip
10 .That one person who'd never attend classes and score the highest grade
Source: Memegenerator
11. That one guy who'd always ask for a pen (or perhaps your food or girlfriend)
Source: dailymail
12. That lot who'd always take selfies no matter what the situation demands
Source: punjaboutlook
13. That one person who attends ALL the lectures no matter what
Source: Imgur
14. 456 unread messages on your class' Whatsapp group at any time of the day
Source: Mememaker
Title image: Collegedekho
Download Reacho on Android or iOS to get more interesting stories at your fingertips.


text:
The Xenophon Archive
Little concrete data survives from the world as it was, the world before the incident.
History has become vague, causation uncertain.
From the fragments here assembled, now to be known as The Xenophon Archive, we have been able to infer the following:
With climate change a stark reality and ocean levels rising, in 2023 the newly formed, private research consortium R'lyeh Institute was awarded the prestigious $10m Core Oil Ocean Explore prize, for successfully creating the world's first comprehensive, high resolution bathymetric map.
R'lyeh's mission statement was as follows:
"Our mission is to overcome, through science and technology, the strongest kind of fear; fear of the unknown"
Fears, however, were not diminished when in 2028 a study was commissioned, led by R'lyeh Intitute from their HQ in Switzerland. The precise nature, size and aims of this study remain unknown, as does the identity of who exactly commissioned and funded the research.
The study's results were made public in 2035. It was widely believed at the time that the results that were made public were only a small fraction of the body of research undertaken.
In 2040, the first laboratory-engineered para-human, Xenophon, was first revealed.
Medical science was rocked to its core and great advancements in curing disease and vastly prolonging human life were predicted.
Para-Humans – that which humans had now become – had achieved near invincibility.
Yet humanity was gravely under-prepared for the state of emergency that existed around us, as climate change and rising ocean levels combined to make Earth an increasingly hostile environment, and we understood little about what the proposed "solution" of embracing para-humanity really entailed.
Our greatest scientific development of the C21st threatened to be our greatest disaster, precipitating a state of emergency no one had predicted: from even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent.
In 2093 society collapsed. It has not yet recovered.
Presented to the sub-committee for the first time in its entirety, please find herein The Xenophon Archive. Make your own deductions accordingly.
Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.
The world is indeed comic, but the joke is on mankind.


text:
PORTLAND, Ore. – Ben College scored 30 points to lead visiting Whitworth to an 89-77 win over Lewis & Clark in a Northwest Conference men's basketball game on Friday night at the Pamplin Center.
The 9th-ranked Pirates improved to 11-1 overall and 3-0 in the NWC with their seventh straight win and 11th win in a row over the Pioneers (4-8, 0-3).
College went 9-14 from the floor, including 3-8 from three-point range, and 9-11 at the charity stripe for his 30 points. He added three steals on the defensive side.
The Pirates never trailed and the game was never tied after Ben Bishop converted a three-point play on Whitworth's opening possession. Kevin Crosno's three-pointer made it 15-9 and a Sam Lees basket gave the Bucs their first double-digit lead (21-11) just under seven minutes in. L&C pulled within 29-27 on Zeke Crawford's layup. Whitworth outscored the Pioneers 18-5 over the final seven minutes of the first half to take a 47-32 lead at the break.
The Pirates used a balanced scoring effort in the first half. Jordan Lester led the way with nine points while Isaiah Hernandez had eight points off the bench. College and Kyle Roach scored seven apiece.
College scored 23 of his points in the second half to help Whitworth withstand an early L&C rally. The Pioneers got within 49-40 early in the period on Daelon Floyd's layup. Jared Christy scored back-to-back baskets to extend the Bucs' margin back to 65-51 and Whitworth eventually led 89-69 before the Pioneers finished with a late flourish. College scored 11 straight points late in the second half.
Lester ended with 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Bishop and Roach totaled ten points apiece. Christy led all players with 13 rebounds. Whitworth shot 48.4% (31-64) from the field, but got to the free throw line 26 times where the Bucs made 20 shots.
Floyd led Lewis & Clark with 20 points while Crawford chipped in 15. The Pioneers shot 50.8% (32-63) from the field, but only 4-13 from three-point range and 9-13 from the free throw line.
Whitworth will return to action on Tuesday night when the Pirates host Whitman at 8:00 pm in a match-up of top-ten teams.


text:
Avalon College can provide advice about choosing the right school for your child. With our extensive knowledge of schools and network of contacts we can introduce families to schools and also help with the enrolment process once the family has decided on a school (extra fees may apply).
Avalon College is the first step for many young international students on their path to a first class Australian education.


text:
As a photographer I constantly search for inspiration. For me, inspiration does not necessarily come from other photographers' exceptional work; often my inspiration does not even come from the realm of art. A few days ago, while browsing Vimeo I came across a short video titled "The Knife Maker". It has nothing to do with photography, but for some reason it resonated with me enough that I felt compelled to share it.
The Sartorialist
Dark Side of The Lens
And even though I could not embed this last one, "The President's Photographer" is definitely worth watching!


text:
Reinventing Boston's schools
Why does the city/union run the schools based on some early 20th century factory system model? The union rules only make sense if you are working on an assembly line with widgets.
You can't just stick a teacher in front of any class because they have been "in the system" a certain number of years. You can't switch teachers around into different subjects just to fill spaces during budget cuts. The concept that all teachers are interchangeable based on number of years worked and can teach any group of students might work on an assembly line. It fails miserably in a school.
The early 20th century factory model of education in the Boston Public Schools must be stopped immediately and if the union can't understand this then it must be dissolved.
This is a recession and there are a lot of good teachers out there looking for work.


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Chapter 1159:The Grand Auction
True Martial World was originally one of the liveliest and most prosperous trading hubs of the Divine Realm. Immemorial Imperial City was the largest city on True Martial World, with the most citizens living within. And now, borrowing the great wind of the Divine Realm First Martial Meeting to boost everyone's spirit, the grand auction that was being held could be said to be the grandest event for the last several thousands of years!
Before this grand Imperial City Auction was held, Immemorial Imperial City had already held many smaller auctions. But compared to the precious items at the Imperial City Auction, everything else was simply left in the dust.
This auction would continue for three days and would include thousands of treasures. In addition, there were also 100,000 pieces that would only be bid on in private.
Although these weren't items that would be put up for public auction, the truth was that they were very precious. For instance, items such as peak top grade saint artifacts would be privately sold. In the past, even most direct disciples of Phoenix Cry Palace wouldn't have such a treasure, but here they wouldn't even see the light of day.
"Two sirs, here are your seat numbers."
Lin Ming and River Feather each took a jade slip. They looked through them and saw that their numbers were over 200,000. This was proof that just at this moment there were already over 200,000 guests at the auction site. And these 200,000 people all had to have shown proof of certain financial prowess or they wouldn't have been able to take a single step inside.
One could only say that the Divine Realm was far too great!
The two moved towards their seats. Lin Ming hadn't chosen to alter his appearance. He retained his original appearance as well as his original name.
It was easy to hide his appearance in Starbind Bank because Starbind Bank protected the privacy of their customers. Even if there were powerhouses in the bank, they still wouldn't do something so rude as investigate Lin Ming's true appearance in front of everyone.
But at this auction, many visitors were Holy Lords, peak Holy Lords, or even half-step World Kings. It was impossible for Lin Ming to use his appearance changing technique in front of them with any hope of success. Instead, if he remained secretive yet possessed a massive amount of wealth, that would only attract more eyes to him, and Lin Ming wouldn't be able to do anything against this type of probing.
So, he might as well use his true appearance and enter the stage. It didn't matter if anyone noticed him. He had already rented out the best cultivation area he could at Immemorial Imperial City. As soon as this auction was finished, he could train in there for three months in absolute safety.
After he joined the First Martial Meeting, he would be even more secure.
This auction site was similar to the arena of the Sacred Martial Grand Tournament. However, it was a bit smaller. The venue was only a five mile wide square, and the seating areas were much taller at up to 10 miles. Like this, they could accommodate more guests.
At first glance, the countless seats were just like little grains of sand in the desert.
At the center of the auction venue there was also a battle array disc floating in the sky. It would project an image of the auction goods so that everyone could clearly see them.
Lin Ming followed River Feather into the auction venue until they reached the area that the River Family had been assigned. Here, they couldn't help but meet River Feather's older brother:River Wind.
River Wind looked at River Feather and Lin Ming with a smile on his face. He directly ignored Lin Ming and only looked to River Feather, "Dear little brother, I never imagined that you would manage to scrounge up enough money to come and bid on the trashiest items here. Did you borrow it from your pack of loser friends? Are you counting on buying a few top grade saint artifacts here and giving the First Martial Meeting a shot? Do you want to gain some experience or something?"
River Wind's words were clearly mocking. He had suppressed River Feather's ability to borrow violet sun stones from his family and had expected that River Feather wouldn't have any money to come here. Being able to buy a few top grade saint artifacts was already better than what he had expected. As for River Feather making any sort of progress in the First Martial Meeting, that was simply a joke. Let alone River Feather, that was impossible even for Yue Ironrock.
River Feather sneered. He said, "The reason I came to this auction is to accompany my friend to participate. As for the First Martial Meeting three months from now, Big Brother doesn't need to waste energy and worry about me."
"Friend?" River Wind shot Lin Ming a glance and then heartily laughed, not even bothering to toss out any cruel words. After all, he didn't have any hatred or conflict with Lin Ming, and he wasn't stupid enough to randomly create a new enemy. Moreover, Lin Ming only had a ninth stage Life Destruction cultivation; River Wind simply didn't place him in his heart.
Lin Ming didn't look at River Wind. This sort of lowly and trivial character didn't even enter his eyes. At this time, his only competition was the heroic young elites of the World King level Holy Lands!
And these people were all seated at the uppermost, reserved seats.
"No one from the True Martial Holy Lands has come… it does make sense though. The True Martial Holy Lands' Holy Lord is the True Martial Great World King. This person has managed True Martial Great World and Starbind Bank for so many years that he must have accumulated an incalculable amount of wealth and resources. These resources should be more than enough to supply the disciples of his Holy Land with everything they need. In just this aspect alone, an ordinary World King level Holy Land like the Sacred Martial Mansion simply cannot compare…"
As Lin Ming was thinking, he looked over the young elites sitting in the reserved section. Not only were there people from Sacred Martial Mansion, but there were also disciples of other super influences. These disciples had come from outside of Immemorial Imperial City. If they could sit in the highest levels, the level of the influences they came from must be no worse than the Ancient Dragon Clan!
All around Lin Ming, 90% of the martial artists present were heroic young elites. They had all come for this auction and also the First Martial Meeting three months from now. They were constantly discussing all of the exciting events that were recently occurring.
Lin Ming sat with his eyes closed in meditation, ignoring all the conversation around him. This auction would be similar to a battlefield. If he couldn't win here then it would be difficult for him to rapidly increase his strength in these next three months. It would greatly affect his performance in the Divine Realm First Martial Meeting! If he wanted to advance into the top 10 then, it would be far too difficult!
"Esteemed guests, you have waited for a long time! The Imperial City Auction will begin now!"
At this time, at the very center of the auction site, a charming and flirtatious voice echoed out, easily spreading over a dozen miles.
Lin Ming opened his eyes. He could see that at the center of the auction site, there was a red-clothed woman standing there. She was delicate and naively beautiful, with icy white skin and a body that seemed molded from water. She had a playful look with eyes that promised 10,000 different dreams. Overall, she was incredibly beautiful. Moreover, what was strange was that she had a long, winter-white fox tail.
"That is the Wintry Fox Clan's Princess Honeylush. I didn't think that this auction would be managed by her." River Feather commented from the side. Lin Ming was from one of the four God Beast Clans, but even though they were called God Beast Clans, they only had the bloodline of a God Beast transplanted into their bodies. As for the Wintry Fox Clan, they clearly had a true wintry fox ancestor. They were descendants of a human and a wintry fox that had lived long enough to manifest a human form. They were considered half-monsters, thus they had certain characteristics like a fox tail! As for the four God Beast Clan juniors, although they could use some secret skills to take on the shape or characteristics of God Beasts, they weren't true body parts.
"This is… wow, I heard that Princess Honeylush's talent is extremely high, not inferior to the three prodigies of Sacred Martial Mansion. There are countless suitors chasing after her. With her presiding over this auction, those countless young elites will crazily kick up the price in their feverish desire to please her!"
Lin Ming thought little of it. "It doesn't matter. Princess Honeylush will at most be able to affect the prices of some ordinary goods. As for those true final closing treasures that involve a massive amount of money, no one will carelessly increase the price just for a smile from a random beauty."
Lin Ming sat down, keeping his heart and mind calm and clear. At this time, the first auction item was placed on stage.
For every auction, the best items would naturally be placed at the end. But, the very first item would be of high quality too, with value no lower than those that would come at the end. This was to rouse the good mood of the guests and to bring a grand opening to the event.
Princess Honeylush patted the box near her and sweetly smiled. She said in a clear and coy tone, "Thank you distinguished guests for your support. In this Imperial City Auction, there are over 300,000 guests present. This is the first auction item for this grand and momentous event! What could it possibly be? Not even I know!"
Princess Honeylush's voice was just as sweet as honey, causing those who heard her to feel their hearts twitch. She was skilled at galvanizing the mood of heroic young elites. Many people shouted, asking her to immediately open the box and start the auction.
"The first item up for auction is…" As Princess Honeylush spoke to here, she slowly opened the box, revealing a piece of flawless crystal. This crystal was in the shape of a baby, only half a foot high. Through the projection of a battle array disc, one could clearly make out every single inch and texture of the crystal. What was strange was that this 'baby' had nine holes in its body. Coincidently, these nine holes all corresponded to vital acupoints on a human body. They were naturally formed and not carved, a miracle of nature.
And beside this crystal was a card. Princess Honeylush picked up the card and looked over it. She laughed and said, "The first item for auction is a nine aperture spirit crystal! Hehe, so it was this sort of thing! I think that many guests present will be joining the Divine Realm First Martial Meeting in three months. If you lose to an opponent in strength, then there is nothing left to say. However, if you lose to an opponent not because of your strength but because of a weapon, then that would truly be regretful!
"This nine orifice spirit crystal can be used to nourish a spirit artifact's artifact spirit! I think that there is no need for me to mention just how useful an artifact spirit is to a spirit artifact and what benefits a stronger artifact spirit would bring. In order to perform well, the necessary tools are required. With a superior weapon, the battle is already half won! This nine orifice spirit crystal has a base price of 4 billion violet sun stones, and the minimum bid increase each time is 500 million violet sun stones. And now, it is time to begin the auction!"
Nine orifice spirit crystal!
Many of the young elites present gulped. The first auction item was actually aimed at a spirit artifact! One couldn't forget that this auction was aimed at Divine Sea martial artists. A Divine Sea martial artist using a spirit artifact? Just what kind of luxury was that! This sort of spirit artifact required a top supreme elder to expend a great deal of time and energy so that a young elite could be attuned to it. Besides juniors of super influences, no other Divine Sea martial artists could possibly be so extravagant.
From this alone, one could see just how magnificent and lofty this auction was! Some poorer young elites felt their hearts ache. They had collected the lowest amount possible to hopefully join this auction as a foil, but they couldn't even afford a fifth of the starting bidding price!
"Nine orifice spirit crystal, not bad!"
Lin Ming thought to himself. The first auction item was something that would actually be extremely useful to him. This was a very good sign but also well within reason. Everything in this auction was aimed at top Divine Sea geniuses!
"5 billion!" In the audience, a youth called out, suddenly attracting the envy and admiration of many others. This proved that this youth had a spirit artifact as a weapon. His background could be imagined!
This youth faintly smiled as if this wasn't something worth mentioning. But in the next breath of time, another person raised the price.
"5.5 billion!"
"6 billion!"
The price climbed higher and higher but Lin Ming remained unmoved for now. He knew that the starting price was only a tentative exploration. The true buyers still hadn't yet shown themselves!
Chapter 1159:The Grand Auction
Chapter 1159:The Grand Auction
R: Way of Choices(Ze Tian Ji), The cultivation of the rebirth of the city, The martial arts master, Horizon-Bright Moon-Sabre, Hidden Marriage, Romance of Three Kingdoms, I Came From The Mortal World, Absolute Choice,