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A sweet and inspiring story about art, love, and gardening, Into the Garden With Charles is set against around the author's noteworthy garden outside his 300-year-old house in the hamlet of Orient on Long Island. In the memoir we meet Wachsberger, a boy in New York City who dreams of storybook gardens and grows into a a middle-aged gay man who has given up on finding the one. Then he meets Charles, an avid gardener, and the two will become life partners and create the wildly gorgeous garden of their dreams. Wachsberger's published books include Daffodil, Rose, Of Leaf and Flower, and Stories and Poems for Gardeners, which he edited with his partner, Charles Dean, and for which his illustrations won the Garden Writers Association award for best book illustration. Into the Garden With Charles, in fact, includes 14 full-color illustrations of the author's paintings, which give this sweet little story the feel of an antique children's book, fitting for a memoir about growing up and falling in love in a storybook setting. (FSGbooks.com)
German Count Harry Kessler (1868-1937) was born into wealth and lived a life of privilege during the belle epoque, when Kessler was a socialite, book publisher, and cofounder of the avant-garde publication Pan. Kessler rubbed elbows with many of the era's leading artists, performers and writers and his diaries are rich with gossip about those who shaped the times. Kessler was also a prolific journal writer, producing so many diary entries between 1880 and 1918 that the 877 pages included in Journey to the Abyss represent — according to Laird M. Easton, the editor and translator — only abou a quarter of his writings. The diaries, which had previously been thought lost, were discovered in 1987 in a safe that had been rented 50 years earlier.
Kessler, who never married, wrote positively about homosexuality, predicting in 1907 that, in a decade or two, "the movement" would achieve "a kind of sexual revolution through which Germany will very quickly ... overtake the lead that France and England have had."
Unlike Kessler's later diaries (1918-1937, previously published as Berlin in Lights), these entries reveal a man who fails to see the dangerous political aspirations rising in Germany and who still shares his nation's anti-Semitism. The elder Kessler lost his fortune, left Germany forever in 1933, and condemned that year's "abominable Jewish boycott." Kessler died in 1937 in his sister's home in France. (KnopfDoubleday.com)
In this sequel to an earlier volume of William S. Burroughs's letters (1945-1959), the bulk of the 300 letters collected in Rub Out the Words are directed to Allen Ginsberg, beginning with 1959's classic missive: "Dear Allen, Thanks a million for the mescaline."
While drug use is certainly an important element in their relationship, the two men also shared a love for the creation of fine literature — but Burroughs's letters to Ginsberg also delve into mundane concerns about doctors and jobs. Readers hoping to learn more about the death of Burroughs's wife, Joan Vollmer — whom the writer killed in an alcohol-fueled barroom game of William Tell — and the controversial obscenity trial over Burroughs's famous novel Naked Lunch will be disappointed. If Burroughs wrote about those issues, those letters aren't represented here. Instead, while the Massachusetts Supreme Court decided the fate of Naked Lunch, Burroughs seemed more concerned that Grove Press was mishandling his royalties.
But what it lacks in new revelations about Burroughs's personal life this collection more than makes up for in the sheer joy of devouring Burroughs's command of language and ability to imbue his letters (including riffs on the creative process) with the same literary genius that seared his Beat poems into our collective consciousness. And you'll understand why, 15 years after his death, there's renewed interest from Hollywood in Burroughs and the Beat movement he personified. (HarperCollins.com)
Thirty-two-year-old Moshe Kasher is a Jewish comedian who has appeared on television shows including Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, Shameless, Chelsea Lately and Whitney. In his hilarious memoir, Kasher in the Rye, he chronicles a troubled San Francisco childhood, spent in and out of psychoanalysis, mental institutions, drug trips, and rehab. The son of two deaf parents, Kasher was sent to anger therapy when he was just 4 years old, the start of a long journey toward mental health with detours when his self medicating got out of hand. Although he keeps his dark humor throughout, Kasher does share some heartwarming moments as well, as when he signs to his mother while receiving his college diploma.
Although he's straight, Kasher has earned gay-adjacent cred by incorporating a queerish personality into his stand-up routines ("If at any point you do become offended, that's just you being a bitch"), Twitter posts ("If i have a son I will send him to the Boy Scouts so he can learn to tie a knot and to prevent gay people from tying the knot"), and interviews ("What is your least favorite question to answer? 'Why are you such a faggot?'"). (hachettebookgroup.com)
A coming-of-age story by a transgender man tackles new territory, especially as Sallans (seen in the video below) interlinks his history as body-obsessed kid with an eating disorder that almost killed him. It's a traditional transition narrative but because Sallans is able to focus on very intimate issues that may related to his gender identity and the struggle to become the man he knew he should be, it transcends the ordinary and offers a fascinating look at a the life of a modern trans man. As Sallans says it took him 29 years to find himself, Second Son certainly could help others avoid that very long journey the author took. (TitleTownPublishing.com)
Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was born in 1571. By the time he was 6 years old he had lost all of his male relatives to the bubonic plague, and he spent much of his youth on the streets, brawling with a gang of what one early biographer called "painters and swordsmen who lived by the motto nec spe, nec metu, 'without hope, without fear.'" In some way, Caravaggio never really escaped those roots: at 38, he was executed for killing a man.
These sparse facts were nearly all Andrew Graham-Dixon could uncover about the famous painter, even after extensive research and returning to the original Italian source material (mostly criminal records). It's that same dearth of biographical material that led two novelists (Peter Robb and Francine Prose) to previously offer fictional accounts of Caravaggio's personal life. But there remains another source of insight about the artist, the paintings he left behind. Understanding that artists cannot help but to reflect parts of themselves in their work, and knowing Caravaggio frequently utilized his own face in his work, Graham-Dixon interprets truths about the painter's life from the biblical scenes he was commissioned to paint.
In fact, Caravaggio seemed to have a particular need to incorporate the world he knew — the squalid, violent world of Rome's underclass, populated with unwashed prostitutes, pimps, criminals, beggars, hustlers, and street urchins — into his portrayals of iconic Bible scenes.
Needless to say, not all of his contemporaries were pleased with Caravaggio's penchant for painting the Madonna with the face of a prostitute or depicting bowls of fruit as rotten and worm-infested, and, during his life, his work was often disparaged. It wasn't until the latter half of the 20th century that Caravaggio's work finally received the recognition it deserved.
Caravaggio's homosexuality is distilled from the numerous naked boys he painted as angels and saints. They are often seated on disheveled beds, explicitly offering (rotten) fruit, wine, and music while implicitly offering their own fruits for the plucking. Graham-Dixon calls the pudginess of these young, feminine boys "the hormonal side effects of castration."
In this illustrated biography (out in hardback now, in paperback in November), Graham-Dixon shows us a painter who may have lived 500 years ago but was in many ways a thoroughly modern artist, willing to portray both the ugliness of superficial beauty and the beauty in gritty, fetid realism. (wwnorton.com)
Daniel Suelo does not pay taxes, or accept food stamps or welfare. He doesn't have a "job" but he works a great deal — never accepting money for his contributions. He lives free in the caves of the Utah canyonlands, foraging wild onions and berries, scavenging garbageboms, and grilling up road kill. Why? Suelo gave up money over a decade ago. The story of how this 50-year-old gay man came to live in such a sustainable way, and the spiritual morality that still guides both his environmentalism and his beliefs about volunteerism, is a fascinating page-turner and a veritible Walden for the 21st century. Beautifully subversive and thought-provoking, Suelo's story is really about universal desires and how you strip away what's all artifice and you find what's really important in life, especially at a time when politicians are still debating climate change and sustainable energies. Expect to see this one become a classic environmental text. (Amazon.com)
Born in England in 1937, David Hockney didn't struggle as an artist, but did struggle with his sexuality. Still, when he found a supportive environment at college, he immediately came out and his art reflected his new identity as a "queer" and "unorthodox lover." In 1961, Hockney traveled to New York and was so moved by both the art and gay scenes that he remained in the U.S., although he was soon drawn to Southern California's endless sun, pools, beaches, and tan boys. Hockney was immortalized in Jack Hazan's biographical film A Bigger Splash, which — much to Hockney's chagrin — ended up focusing less on his art and more on the breakup of his five-year relationship with his (much) younger lover, Peter Schlesinger.
This biography of Hockney is full of insiders' anecdotes (the author has known his subject since the 1960s) and includes color reprints of many of his most famous works (including The Rake's Progress and his internationally recognized paintings of Los Angeles pools) as well as photos of Hockney and his lovers. But the book is marred by ending while the Hockney is still in his 30s, with half a career to come. Likely it was rushed to time its publication with the major Hockney retrospective at the British Royal Academy, but many readers will want to continue Hockney's journey a lot longer than Sykes did. (Powells.com)
Mind Your Own Life: The Journey Back to Love by Aaron Anson (Balboa Press, $19.95)
Aaron Anson is a "largely self-taught" inspirational speaker, consultant, and "New-Thought coach" who chronicles his struggle to overcome his conservative political and religious indoctrination as a devout Christian Southerner and embrace his gay sexuality in this memoir that argues we don't have to be held captive by others' expectations. Certainly a good lesson to embrace. (BalboaPress.com)
In this self-published but well executed memoir, written in the form of love letter to her daughter, the Dominican-American playwright, director, and producer of the one-woman show I Was Born, Alicia Santos, describes surviving rape and coming out as a lesbian. (CreateSpace.com)
Butterfly in the Typewriter: The Tragic Life of John Kennedy Toole and the Remarkable Story of A Confederacy of Dunces by Cory MacLauchlin (Da Capo, $26.00)
Chosen as one of Publishers Weekly's Best Summer Reads of 2012, Cory MacLauchlin's Butterfly in the Typewriter is a thoroughly researched, well-documented, and highly objective biography of John Kennedy Toole, the author of A Confederacy of Dunces.
After Toole's masterpiece was was rejected by publishers he suffered a mental breakdown and took off on a two-month journey across the United States. He returned to his beloved hometown of New Orleans before committing suicide on the side of a road outside nearby Biloxi, Miss., by hooking a hose up to his car's exhaust pipe. Twelve years later his manuscript was finally published — to critical acclaim. It went on to win a Pulitzer Prize.
MacLauchlin does this tragic story justice, producing a gripping biography worth reading. The only criticism stems from what at first seems a compliment: as Publishers Weekly says, "MacLauchlin does an admirable job distinguishing facts from speculation." But one of those "speculations" has been that Toole was gay or at least bi-curious. To such talk, MacLauchlin replies, "He may have questioned his sexuality, I don't know. I found nothing substantive to indicate he was homosexual. And in the absence of such evidence I think it is irresponsible to speculate."
Not knowing what would constitute substantive indication of someone's homosexual orientation, readers can choose to accept MacLauchlin's determination. And because he chose not to speculate, Butterfly includes not the slightest suggestion that Toole was anything but straight. Is that the truth? Maybe not, but it's a good story nonetheless. (DaCapoPress.com)
In 1947, when John Hirsch, a Jewish Hungarian orphaned by the Holocaust, first arrived in Winnipeg, Canada, he was just 17 years old and spoke no English. A decade later, he cofounded the Manitoba Theatre Centre, which became a model for regional theaters across North America. He later spent four years at the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. as head of English television drama and then served as artistic director at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival from 1981 to 1985. A gay man known for his fiery temper and budget-blowing sets, Hirsh died of AIDS complications in 1989.
Hirsch's story is intrinsically Canadian, and the authors' not being Canadian themselves may have doomed the biography to being less than it could be (as did, one could argue, their stumbling upon his life story while researching war orphans). That lack of intimate knowledge of the subject, his homeland, and his work resulted in a flawed book with a number of factual errors and notable exclusions. Still, it remains a fair introduction to the life of a fascinating and influential gay man. A Fiery Soul includes black-and-white photos and covers both Hirsch's professional and personal life. (VehiculePress.com)
Lev Raphael's parents survived the Holocaust and he'd sworn never to set foot in Germany, the land they escaped. Having published 19 books of fiction and prose, Raphael is one of the most prolific writers about the experiences of second-generation Holocaust survivors. When a book tour for his 2003 novel The German Money took him to Germany, he had to face his mixed emotions with visiting locations where his family had lived and died. Raphael's experience is all the more intense as it corresponds with his coming out as a gay man.
This book is part family history and retelling of his mother's experiences in a slave labor camp and part recollections of a childhood where his parents didn't speak of their life-changing experiences. A classic travelogue meets a coming-out story, My Germany takes readers along on Raphael's journey of growth and self-discovery and offers reconciliation with the past. (UWPress.Wisc.edu)
Derailed: A Memoir by Jerry Tanner (Balboa Press, $17.99)
Jerry Tanner started a $20 million health care company from the ground up. He then took over a bankrupt pharmacy and turned it into a $30 million company within one year. Then when the sons of an evangelical pastor alleged sexual assault, all that changed. In Derailed: A Memoir, Tanner describes how his life was turned upside down when reactions to his sexual orientation morphed into false misconduct allegations and finally a criminal indictment. "American society was founded on the principles of equality and tolerance," says Tanner. "I was a highly successful businessman and I was brought down by mere allegations of misconduct, plus being gay." An incisive coming-of-age story and a reminder that the legal system isn't always fair when you're on the wrong side of what your commuity considers morally right. (BalboaPress.com)
This long-awaited memoir by the lesbian author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (which became a film, see video below) covers much of the same material as that autobiographical nove, but delves even deeper into her relationship with a religiously zealous adoptive mother who treated her like the spawn of Satan.
"Mrs. Winterson," as Winterson calls her mother in the memoir, was an enormous British woman and "flamboyant depressive… who kept a revolver in the duster drawer, and the bullets in a tin of Pledge." The elder Winterson waited wit h baited anticipation for an imminent biblical apocalypse that would strike down her godless neighbors and deliver her into the rapture her piety must have surely earned her. As must have raising Jeanette and doing her best to wrest the disobedient child into a god-fearing Christian. "The Devil led us to the wrong crib," Mrs. Winterson liked to say. She employed all of her resources in her fight against Satan, sparing neither rod nor scripture. But nothing — not beatings, shutting the child "in a coal hole," nor routinely locking her out of the house all night — seemed to work.
Opposed as she was to all forms of intimacy, including [hetero]sexual intercourse, it came as no surprise that Mrs. Winterson did not take kindly to learning of her daughter's lesbianism. But, the author writes, the ensuing three-day exorcism failed to expel her demons. That Winterson survived the torture of her childhood is astonishing. That she did so with her wit and mental faculties intact is inspirational. "The one good thing about being shut in a coal hole is that it prompts reflection," she jokes. In that reflection, Winterson came to recognize that her mother was both her kryptonite and her steel: "What we notice in stories is the nearness of the wound to the gift. My mother was in charge of language."
The author was forbidden to read secular books, but Mrs. Winterson read aloud from the Bible every night and, once a week, would send her daughter to the public library to check out murder mysteries (the one vice to which Mrs. Winterson was addicted). At the library, Winterson discovered a means of escape: "A book is a door. You open it. You step through."
After Mrs. Winterson discovered and destroyed the author's secret stash of paperbacks, Jeanette began creating her own stories inside her head. So, before you condemn the cruel Mrs. Winterson, consider that we may owe her those finely crafted stories that have filled the pages of Jeanette Winterson's 16novels. (GroveAtlantic.com)
Adah Isaacs Menken (June 15,1835–August 10,1868) was born into a mixed-race Jewish Creole family in antebellum New Orleans. She went on to become a global superstar, internationally known as the "Naked Lady," for "baring all" on stage and film (although in reality she wore a flesh-colored bodystuit).
Remarkably prescient about creating a pre-celebrity public brand, she was adept at utilizing the newly invented mediums of photography and the daily newspaper to promote her performances and herself, allowing her personal life to not only become public but dominate the front-pages of scandal sheets. Menken had five husbands and became the most famous, highly paid actress in the world at the time, working in New York, San Francisco, London, and Paris -- all of this before her mysterious, sudden death at 33. Her influence on artists and literary giants of the time was reflected in the presence of the famous poet Longfellow at her bedside. He composed a farewell love song in her honor.
Like her friend George Sand, Menken "adopted what were considered to be men's dress and habits. They wore pants in public...They smoked cigarettes and sometimes cigars. They chose their careers, earned lots of money, and played a significant part in the events of the day."
But, the Fosters insist, "The lesbian relationship promoted by an American biographer of Sand, Noel Gerson (alias Samuel Edwards) is clumsy fiction. Gerson is the same hack who faked Menken's licentious Havana diary." Although Sand and Menken were photographed with Sand's arm around Menken, and Sand gave Menken's son her last name, the authors insist the two women were just friends. They point to the 30-year age difference and say by that time Sand, "her beauty faded, looked like an older woman," whose face was described as "'mummified.'"
Still, A Dangerous Woman acknowledges Menken's bisexuality and lesbian sexual encounters. The book is an engrossing look at a fully modern woman who presaged everything from femme fatales like Marilyn Monroe to today's international celebrities and our fascination with the details of their lives. (LyonsPress.com)
Mary Johnson spent two decades as a nun working closely with Mother Teresa, and her memoir provides a frank, unflinching account of that experience and the difficulties she faced. A Texan who was inspired by Mother Teresa, Johnson joined the Missionaries of Charities to help the poor. But her superiors decided her skills would be better employed in a managerial track, so they pulled her from the field and Johnson spent most of her years as a nun in and around Rome doing paperwork and teaching.
That role put her in a position to witness the political machinations and less-than-Christlike behavior of her superiors, and she doesn't hold back on naming names (while using pseudonyms for innocent nuns and priests). Johnson is even willing to bypass the standard portrait of Mother Teresa as a "living saint" and provide a more nuanced description of a flesh-and-blood woman who could be something of a control freak, who deliberately pursued sainthood, and who strictly adhered to biblical and papal edicts even when those teachings kept other women subjugated and powerless.
But it isn't the failings of others that eventually drives Johnson from the Missionaries of Charity, it's her "unquenchable thirst" for emotional and physical intimacy. The order prohibits physical contact, forbidding nuns to even offer each other a friendly hug; but Johnson can't stop herself from going much further, developing sexual relationships with other nuns and having an affair with a priest. Eventually she leaves the order in 1997. The book wraps with a short epilogue that brings readers from 1997 to 2007, when Johnson visits some of the sisters and priests she knew during her years of service. We learn she's married (to a man), that she no longer attends church, that she teaches creative writing and has found a community with women writers, but we're left hoping for a follow-up memoir that details the decade she's glossed over. Hopefully it will be as engaging, frank, and thoughtful as this one. (RandomHouse.com/spiegelandgrau)
The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, edited by Helena Whitbread (Virago, $14.95)
Previously published in 1988, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister was re-released to correspond with the airing of BBC's TV movie of the same name. Born in the 1790s, Anne Lister lived during an era when women needed to be attached to a man to survive economically, but she forged her own way. An independent woman, Lister was a British landowner, industrialist, and lesbian who established a liaison with another woman that left them free to live on their own terms. Lister's diaries had been written in a complex code, which was finally cracked by academic Helena Whitbread, who then released the transcribed diaries in two volumes, I Know My Heart (1791-1840) and No Priest But Love (1824–1826). No matter what form they come in, Lister's diaries offer a fascinating look at the intimate lives of 19th-century lesbians and pioneers in the struggle for women's rights and independence. (Virago.co.uk)
Jock Soto is an acclaimed gay dancer who rose from nowhere to ballet fame and for two decades (1985–2005) was a principal dancer for the New York City Ballet. Born to a Navajo mother and a Puerto Rican father, Soto learned Native dancing as a child, but it wasn't until he was 10 that he first saw — and fell in love with — ballet. Yet, by his mid-teens, he was living on his own in New York City and dancing with the New York City Ballet.
In Every Step You Take, Soto, now teaching at the School of American Ballet, writes about his career, his creative process, his Native American heritage, and his gay identity. Although he isn't as talented a writer as he is a dancer, his overreliance on cliches doesn't prevent this from being an enjoyable and inspirational read. (HarperCollins.com)
Jim Flint is a gay Chicagoan best known as founder of the Continental Pageant System. After a stint in the Navy, Flint opened the drag club Baton Show Lounge and became known as Felicia, the baton-twirling, roller-skating queen of Chicago. He went on to own the Redoubt leather bar, head the Chicago Knights motorcycle club, found the Windy City Athletic Association, and run (in 1987) for the Cook County Board of Commissioners as an openly gay candidate.
This is the second biography of an icon from Chicago's LGBT community authored by Tracy Baim and Owen Keehnen of the Windy City Times (following Leatherman: The Legend of Chuck Renslow), a duo who seem to be singlehandedly documenting Chicago's queer history, one book at a time.
The 500-plus pages include 400 photographs and places Flint's life story within the broader historical context of LGBT Chicago. "It was an opportunity to capture a larger history," explains Keehnen. "With Jim, that story includes the trans world, gay sports world, political world, activist world, bar culture, [and] pageantry world." (Amazon.com)
August Farewell: The Last 16 Days of a 33-Year-Romance by David G. Hallman (Rising Star/iUniverse, $16.95)
After his partner of 33 years was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, David G. Hallman only had two weeks to say a final farewell to the love of his life. In this moving memoir, Hallman recalls those painful last days and shares anecdotes from the three decades they spent together, traveling internationally and running a bread-and-breakfast in Canada. David Hallman has written six nonfiction books and is the author of the just-released novel Searching For Gilead, which reads as a thinly veiled memoir of his and his partner's time working with the World Council of Churches. This video is all the enticement you need to read both of these very worthy books. (iUniverse.com)


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Portable Air Compressors
Whether you are paint spraying or powering air tools, choose from our wide range of electric and petrol driven compressors.
For tips on painting and decorating your home visit our blog.View full details
Useful information
You must wear all round protection grade 1 goggles to EN 166.B – for less hazardous work grade 2 spectacles can be worn.
Protection required against high noise levels. Earplugs are suitable for short-term work.
Semi-durable polypropylene material recommended as protects clothing from accidental splashing and dirt.
Respiratory disposable masks with charcoal filter recommended to protect against welding fumes, ozone and most nuisance level odours.
Residual Current Devices protect from electric shock. Strongly recommended for electrical equipment used outdoors or in damp conditions.
You will need a vehicle at least the size of a truck to collect this item
Free click and collect from your closest branch. And to make life easier you can drop off your kit at any branch nationwide. Simply check stock availability in your area and choose your branch for collection.
PLEASE NOTE: the special offer on this product is not valid for the hire period you have selected. The price in your basket will reflect this.


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Draper StageScreen 16 x 12 ft (4:3) Portable Rear Projection Screen
The StageScreen is designed specifically to be flown, but can also be used with legs. Due to its truss system, screen assembly is faster and easier. It is engineered to hold tolerance after repeated usage and the image area of each screen is exact and true to format. Hinges, snaps, and Handy Cranks are not required.
We strive to provide impeccably maintained equipment that is prepped and ready for your next event. Our experienced staff stands ready to help you create the perfect lighting and video experience. You will receive a rental quote back within 1 business day.
- View Specs (1 MB)
- View Manual (1 MB)
- 192" x 144"
- 4:3 NTSC Format
- Rear Projection Screen


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Living in Hawai'i, I'm a photographer and self taught digital artist of surreal imaginings and essence meanderings, occasionally writes poetry.
I love color, spiritual, ethereal, magical essences and try to capture these through art and photography. Being inspired, creating works of digital art and poetry is a exciting and joyful experience.
Please stay awhile and browse through my galleries!


text: PS3 Media Server is a DLNA compliant UPNP media server for the PlayStation 3. It is ready to launch and play. It has no codec packs to install. It does not require folder configuration and pre-parsing or any other annoying preparation. All your folders are directly browsed by the PS3, and folder displays are automatic refreshed. It also features real-time video transcoding of various formats, direct streaming of DTS/DTS-HD core to the receiver, remuxing H264/MPEG2 video and all audio tracks to AC3/DTS/LPCM in real time, full seeking support when transcoding, and much more.


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The Student Space Exploration and Technology Initiative Association is a miniature, education oriented space agency that gathers young dedicated enthusiasts with one common passion – SPACE. Currently, more than 500 students from more than 15 universities, located mostly in European countries and Canada, participate in our present and past projects.
By its existence the association provides a dynamic and exciting environment in which these students can increase their contacts with this growing network. The first satellite involving these students, SSETI Express, was launched in October 2005 and the students are now working on getting another projects launched in next few years.
Moving Express around
The association is now in a transition phase of its activities with educational goals in mind. The plans are to provide more different exciting opportunities to young dedicated enthusiasts from various fields – not only science and engineering but also finance, law and others.
Our motto is 'Let's launch the dream!' – would you like to join us?


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As the CIO of Nebraska, Decker says the smartest thing she did was establish strong partnerships/collaborations with other political subdivisions of government within the state.
Editor's note: In this series, Public CIO set forth to find answers from several of the nation's top CIOs who have served or currently are in state, local and federal positions. These firsthand accounts are about how establishing partnerships, trusting and letting go, investing in people, and assessing situations have all been instrumental to smart decision-making. Photo by Jessica Mulholland
The smartest thing I did as CIO of Nebraska was to establish strong partnerships/collaborations with other political subdivisions of government within the state. In Nebraska, political subdivisions of government include public schools, the university system, cities and counties, and the federal government. The Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) is 100 percent public power, so it is also a political subdivision of government.
Partnering/collaboration is not the easiest path to undertake. Establishing trust is essential for effective partnerships, which takes a great deal of time and investment for parties on both sides of the equation. In addition, both sides have extensive memories of all the wrongs they have endured from the other side over the years. It takes time to work through those issues and establish a new relationship that enables everyone to move forward for the good of the partnership. I also learned that much of this partnering could not be "staffed" out. It involved me and my commitment along with the leadership of the political subdivision. As the leaders of our organizations, if we would have been unable to establish this level of trust, what chance did the operational staff have?
As we set up these meetings and moved forward, what lessons did we learn? First and foremost, you must have executive backing. In our case, Gov. Dave Heineman was 100 percent behind our efforts and understood the benefits that could be achieved through these partnerships. Second, you must realize that you will rehash old ground. Without understanding the perspective of each side, you don't know what obstacles you need to overcome. That may mean hearing how your organization messed up a project 15 years ago, how it affected your potential partner, and acknowledging your errors. Third, in a partnership, neither side gets everything it wants all the time. Once everyone understands this concept, it is easier to compromise on major decisions. Finally, the efforts exerted to establish the partnership are not a one-time exercise. This is an ongoing process that requires continued "care and feeding." However, one success lays the foundation for many, many new projects.
Three highly visible successes we have seen include a partnership with the University of Nebraska system that established a statewide network providing a high-speed backbone called Network Nebraska. This collaboration has more than doubled capacity across the state at lower and lower costs. The state's partnership with the NPPD created a jointly owned statewide radio system in place of the two systems being planned. With the NPPD and state pricing their system upgrades at approximately $20 million to $30 million each, the joint $17 million expenditure was seen as a win-win situation. And the partnership between Network Nebraska and the K-20 schools has seen some of the lowest networking and Internet pricing in the nation.
Was it worth the time invested? Absolutely!
Read more stories in the Smartest Thing series
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Meg Fallowes is 20. She's just finished Uni and is...
Diary of the Unwanted Sister119264
- by Little Miss Mermaidd
- Rating:
- Published: 7 Apr 2014
- Updated: 5 May 2014
- Status: Complete
Meet Brielle. She's 16 and stuck in the middle of her divorced parents feuding, her family's constant battles and is now about to get the shock of her life. Her mother is marrying her arch enemy's father and her father is moving in with her arch enemy's best friends mother. Could anything get any worse but with her diary by her side, will this unwanted sister become wanted?
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WARNING: Outdoor recreational activities are by their very nature potentially hazardous. All participants in such activities must assume responsibility for their own actions and safety.
The information contained on this website cannot replace sound judgment and good decision-making skills, which help reduce risk exposure, nor does the scope of this website allow for disclosure of all the potential hazards and risks involved in such activities.
You should not depend on information contained on the TahoeMoutainSports.com website for your own personal safety. Your success at any of the activities described herein is based on your own judgment, experience and sometimes luck!
There are no warranties either expressed or implied, that information found on the TahoeMountainSports.com website contains accurate and reliable information. Your use of the information found herein indicates your assumption of the risk and is an acknowledgement of your own safe responsibility for your outdoor safety.
Please, learn and understand as much as possible about the outdoor recreational activities in which you participate, prepare for the unexpected and be cautious, it can get dangerous. The reward will be a safer and more enjoyable experience. Rock On!!!!


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Anyone up for playing the Game? Cuz I just lost. . .
www.losethegame.com go there now, and everything shall become clear.
Every time you lose and don't have anyone to say it to you should post it here. And add something, anything that's on your mind at the time, because just saying that you lost the game could get a tad boring.
I Just Lost The Game!
And swine flu isn't that big a deal it's just like the regular flu but with a cooler name.


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Tuesday, July 15, 2008
And the winner is...you tell me!
The winner will be announced Thursday, and will have a recipe video named after them!
10 comments:
- gromgull said...
Hmm - I was thinking something along the lines of "Sense fear? I'll show this hollandaise!"
but couldn't make it snappy enough at the time, and forgot to come back after coffee ...
Cred to Sparta and Soviet Russia for classic internet jokes though.
- July 15, 2008 at 3:45 AM
Scott - Boston
Yeah, SPARTAAA was the immediate stand out for me, as well.
- July 15, 2008 at 11:12 AM
- Chef John said...
Hey Scott, I would have included the anonymous comment that referred to you, ...but I wrote it! Just a little homage to you and the fans of your comments.
- July 15, 2008 at 11:29 AM
from Wikipedia
alter-ego; (Latin, "the other I") example,
scott - boston and chef john.
- July 15, 2008 at 12:47 PM
- Chef John said...
oh, you mean, "brother from another mother"
- July 15, 2008 at 12:51 PM
wiki -
brother from another mother works for me! Hey doesn't that already have the tags "step" or "half"?
And I don't mean "half-wits". - You guys are full of wits!
- July 15, 2008 at 1:40 PM
Hey john, hehe you little cheater there :P I actually thought of just the same punchline as you did hehe oh well, Voted for your's actually! KEEP IT GOING BOB !
- July 15, 2008 at 5:09 PM
haha oh my..I just came up with an awsome idea(no chanse of putting it in there i know.. thats lazyness for ya) But this is my punchline hehe..
Oh well, good luck john :)
- July 15, 2008 at 5:10 PM
- Steffen P said...
GO DENMARK!! aka. "This was the first and last time Jeff cooked from scratch!"
- July 15, 2008 at 7:39 PM
Thanks for the nod, but it's the very least I can do to pay you back for all you've given us.
Scott - Boston = Chef John?!?! You've apparently never tasted my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My 4 year old says it's "magnifique". Hmmmf...
Scott - Boston
- July 17, 2008 at 1:07 AM


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Matthew 16:18 King James Version (KJV)
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
You'll get this book and many others when you join Bible Gateway Plus. Learn more


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Former CBS DJ Adam Carolla Gets a New Gig: CBS Podcast Host
Earlier this year, I wrote about Adam Carolla, who used to be a popular DJ for CBS Radio and now hosts his own popular podcast. My take: Carolla is even better on the Web than he is on the air, but I worried that he'd have a hard time turning his talent and Internet audience into money.
Turns out he's figured out how to do it: By going back to work for CBS.
The broadcaster, which canned Carolla from his radio job earlier in the year, is now going to sponsor his podcast. It will promote the show, handle ad sales and let Carolla program his own Web radio station.
The press release announcing the deal describes it as a "partnership." I'm trying to figure out if that means Carolla will become an employee again or if it's a real partnership, whereby, say, he retains ownership of his show and shares revenue with CBS (CBS).
I'm guessing it's the former, since selling ads for podcasts still requires a lot of work and not that much return. It's much easier for CBS to sell ads against a local radio station with an audience of a million or more than for Carolla's show, which reaches an average of 130,000 people at a time.
Still, Carolla's show is frequently in Apple (AAPL) iTunes's Top 10 podcast list, and someday, someone will figure out how to take advantage of its (relatively) small but dedicated audience. And the show already has one sponsor–Carolla has started doing a "live read" for Adam & Eve Stores, the "the nation's number one source for all things erotic."
Here's an interview I conducted with Carolla in March, where he explains his not-entirely voluntary move to the Web and his attempts to turn it into a money-making venture.
And here's the release:
Popular Entertainer's Podcast To Be Featured Across CBS RADIO Properties;
Carolla To Also Program His Own Streaming Radio Station, K-ACE
CBS RADIO today announced it has partnered with Adam Carolla, comedian, TV star, radio host, actor and entertainer to present his successful podcast to legions of listeners and fans nationwide. "THE ADAM CAROLLA PODCAST" can be heard for free on-demand at www.adamcarolla.com and is additionally available for download on iTunes.
Promotion for Adam Carolla will appear across CBS RADIO's portfolio of station properties with direct links to the entertainer's dedicated website. Once there, fans can listen to the latest audio rant from Adam, as well as sample archived podcasts. Ad sales for the podcast will be handled by CBS RADIO. Pre-roll, in-stream audio and live reads are available for local and national clients looking to reach Adam's target audience of Men 18-49, among others.
In addition, an Adam Carolla focused radio station, called K-ACE, debuts on Monday, September 28, and will offer fans segments from Carolla's popular podcasts interspersed with rock music and programming selected by Carolla, "The Aceman," himself. K-ACE can be heard via CBS RADIO's streaming platform, Yahoo! Music Radio, AOL Radio, and on select mobile devices such as the iPhone, iPod Touch and the Blackberry.
"THE ADAM CAROLLA PODCAST" began in February 2009 and currently reaches over 130,000 listeners per show. The podcast remains a constant in the Top 10 of iTunes' Top Podcasts chart. Carolla, famous for his rants on various outrageous topics, uses his podcast to broadcast his opinions, while hosting an assortment of influential and popular celebrities and friends, as he charms guests and listeners alike with his witty sense of humor and biting sarcasm.
"I'm thrilled to be back in business with my friends at CBS RADIO and feel like I'm at the vanguard of an exciting new technology," says Carolla. "Now, if somebody could just tell me what the hell a POD is!"
"We are excited to once again be working with Adam Carolla providing our listeners with the same Adam that so many fans have come to know and love over the years," says Chris Oliviero, Vice President of Programming, CBS RADIO. "Adam has an uncanny ability to relate to everyday people in a funny and engaging manner, and the popularity of his podcast is a testament to that.
"This distinctive partnership showcases CBS RADIO's commitment to growth in the digital space and highlights the accessibility, portability and cutting edge programming available on radio."
Adam Carolla, who is best known for his work in television and radio, has previously hosted CBS RADIO's "The Adam Carolla Show," was co-host of the nationally syndicated radio call-in show "Loveline," co-created, and executive produced and co-hosted Comedy Central's "The Man Show," co-created, executive produced and was a character on "Crank Yankers," as well as was a contestant on ABC's popular series "Dancing With The Stars." Carolla also starred, wrote and produced the award-winning indie film "The Hammer." He is currently writing his first book to be published by Crown in Fall 2010. In addition to "THE ADAM CAROLLA PODCAST," Carolla is host of "Carcast," a podcast devoted to those who share Carolla's passion and pastime of all things automobiles.


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The draws for the 2008 USA Badminton Junior National Championships can be downloaded as PDF files by clicking on the links below:
Please note that the draws and match times are subject to change.
Any questions regarding the seeding in a particular draw should be addressed to Fred Coleman (Junior Committee Chairman) at email@example.com. Other draw-related questions should be addressed to either Fred Coleman or Chris Lawrence at email@example.com


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- WiFi
- Car park
- Pets admitted
- Rural
- Accessible
- Family
- Sports
Choose your room
Family-run for 100 years, the charming Hotel Hohenstauffen is in a quiet location, a leisurely 15-minute walk from Salzburg's historic quarter. Free Wi-Fi is available in public areas. The bedrooms are decorated in a traditional theme. The classic looking drapes and floral prints further enhance the overall feel. Hand-crafted furnishings give each of them a touch of individuality. The breakfast room has original beam ceilings and traditional furnishings, and every morning you can enjoy a rich breakfast buffet. Many restaurants and cafes can be found in the area of Hotel Hohenstauffen. The Convention & Congress Centre, the Exhibition & Fair Centre, and the Mirabell Gardens are all easily accessible by foot. Hotel Hohenstauffen is just a 5-minute walk from Salzburg Train Station, with access to all city bus lines.


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Postpartum Between The Sheets
Photo credit: ONOKY - Eric Audras/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
You may not want to right away
Whether you're still in recovery mode physically or mentally or just plain exhausted by the responsibilities of new parenthood, sex simply may not be as appealing to you as it was before you became a mother. Give yourself time and be honest about your feelings to your partner. And here's the good news...
He might not either
Though a new dad doesn't have the demand of physical recovery, we're willing to bet he's pretty tired from pulling nighttime duty with Baby, too. Instead of focusing on physical intimacy, bond over new parenthood — the struggles and the joys — until the moment is right for both of you.
Breastfeeding can indeed mess with your sex drive
When breastfeeding, a woman's body produces less estrogen (making your downstairs drier and less flexible — thus more uncomfortable during sex) and less testosterone (buh-bye libido). It also produces more prolactin, which drags your sex drive down. With this triple threat, it's no wonder that you may not be in the mood. Respect what your body is doing — breastfeeding has amazing health benefits for both you and your baby. And know that once you're finished breastfeeding, your sex drive should return to normal.
You may not be in a touchy-feely mood
Whether or not you are breastfeeding, as a new mom, you're holding, snuggling and comforting your new baby all day long. And that can leave you simply touched-out by the end of the day... right when you're honey is ready for some snuggle time of your own. Help him understand that it's nothing against him, and do your best to carve out some touch time just for him. After all, he was your main squeeze before Baby arrived, so he could even be feeling a little left out by all the time you spend canoodling with your newborn.
More on Baby, sex and new parenthood
New mom tips you never thought about
Swim safety for babies


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Harmful flame retardants found in 84 percent of Calif. couches
Couches tested in random California households overwhelmingly contained hazardous flame retardant chemicals that have been known to harm hormone production and cause cancer, a new study says.
"Our study found that people are exposed to toxic flame retardants every day. These hazardous chemicals are in the air we breathe, the dust we touch and the couches we sit on. Many flame retardants raise health concerns, including cancer, hormone disruption, and harmful effects on brain development. It is troubling to see that a majority of homes have at least one flame retardant at levels beyond what the federal government says is safe. Infants and toddlers who spend much time on the floor are at higher risk for exposure," Dr. Robin Dodson, a co-author of the study and a scientist with the Silent Spring Institute, said in a press release.
The study was conducted by Silent Spring Institute scientists who looked at the levels of 49 different flame retardants ranging from hormone disruptors, carcinogens, and chemicals with unknown safety profiles in 16 California homes in 2006 and 2011. In particular, they looked at the foam inside 102 couches found in those houses. California has strict regulations about the flammability of items, including a standard known as TB 117 that says foam products must be able to withstand an open flame for 12 minutes, leading manufactures to add more flame retardants in their products.
The scientists detected 44 different types of dangerous chemicals in different samples. Thirty six of the chemicals were found in at least 50 percent of the samples, and some were even at levels that caused health concerns. Items that pass the TB 117 standard are supposed to have a label on them if they have flame retardants in them. However, 64 percent of the couches tested had no label -- and had detectable levels of flame retardants.
Chlorinated organophosphate flame retardants were found in the highest concentrations. The group includes carcinogens TCEP and TDCIPP (or chlorinated "Tris") -- the latter of which was banned from children's pajamas in 1977 but is still allowed in other products. Tris was found in 75 percent of homes.
In total, scientists found five flame retardants that were on average found at higher levels than EPA health risk guidelines: BDE 47, BDE 99, TCEP, TDCIPP and BB 153.
The tests also showed that 17 percent of the foam samples contained the flame retardant pentaBDE, which is banned in 172 countries and 12 U.S. states. Long-lasting pentaBDEs can move into the environment and collect in living organisms. Studies show they can disrupt endocrine activity and affect thyroid regulation and brain development and cause impaired motor and behavioral development in children. Fetuses exposed to the chemicals are known to have low birth weight and lower IQ.
PentaBDE and Tris were the only flame retardants found in couches bought before 2005, the year U.S. manufacturers phased out using the retardant. After that year, most of the couches contained Tris and two other chemical mixtures, one which has little information known about it.
"Overall, we detected flame-retardant chemicals in 85 percent of the couches we tested and in 94 percent of those purchased after 2005," Heather Stapleton, associate professor of environmental chemistry at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment in Durham, N.C., said in a press release. "More than half of all samples, regardless of the age of the couch, contained flame retardants that are potentially toxic or have undergone little or no independent testing for human health risks."
- Chemical banned in '70s from kids' pajamas resurfaces in couches
- Flame retardant found in common foods from Dallas supermarkets
However, not everyone says the results are cause for alarm. The American Chemistry Council told CNN that this shows that companies are using flame retardants, a good way to prevent fires.
"This study confirms what we would expect to find: Furniture manufacturers use flame retardants to meet established fire safety standards, which help save lives," the American Chemistry Council said. "There is no data in this study that indicate that the levels of flame retardants found would cause any human health problems."
The study was published online in Environmental Science and Technology on Nov. 28, 2012.


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Mila Jovovich to star in "Year Zero", which is about a "a young woman attempting to clear her father's name in a string of gruesome murders at an Alaskan oil refinery.
The "My Bloody Valentine 3D" DVD will come in both 2D and 3D versions. The 3D version will also contain 4 pairs of "red/blue" 3D glasses, since "RealD" is not a medium available for home theaters yet. How will the red/blue results translate to DVD? You'll find out May 19th when this disc lands.
Rebecca Romijn (formerly Romijn-Stamos) has been tapped as the third lead in ABC's "Eastwick", their television adaptation of "The Witches of Eastwick". She'll play "Roxie", a "bohemian and sharp-tongued single mother. Sounds sassy!
Nicholas Cage isn't ready to sign on to "Ghost Rider 2" yet because as he puts it, the script needs "some tweaking". No word on if his input is what made the last film so "awesome", so I really have no idea how to interpret this.
Full Moon president Charles Band wants to remake his "classic" film "Puppetmaster", and do it in 3D. I really have no words for this story.
Of course Lesbian vampires have super long tongues. Kind of makes sense, no?


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|Biosequences .. Software .. Molbio soft .. Network News .. FTP
Dear Arabinetters, Due to considerable last minute interest in this position, we have extended the application deadline until April 30. For further particulars and application procedures, please visit http://biology.anu.edu.au/internal/jobs/pcbebpd.html Should you decide to apply, email applications are suitable. Please address selection criteria in your letter of application. ================================================================== Post-doctoral position in Plant Cell and Environmental Biology at the Australian National University, Canberra - available immediately to investigate the role of environmental and endogenous mechanical forces in cell and plant development. The challenge is to understand how exogenous forces such as those generated by soils on root tips, or imposed on guard cells during stomatal opening and closing by atmospheric changes (humidity and carbon dioxide levels for example) interact with genetically programmed endogenous mechanical fields and modify plant morphology, development and performance. The position is funded by a new strategic research initiative between the Plant Cell Biology Group and the Environmental Biology Group at the Research School of Biological Sciences. The program is led by Dr Josette Masle and Dr Geoffrey Wasteneys and involves collaboration with Professor Farquhar and Dr Williamson whose interests range from the molecular control of cell wall synthesis and of the interactions between cell wall and cytoskeleton, to stomatal and root stress physiology. We are well equipped for a wide range of experimental approaches including pressure probe measurements in single cells, microscopy (cooled CCD and confocal) of living cells, microinjections and are setting up a state-of-the-art high resolution microscopy facility that will permit simultaneous pressure probe and visual (fluorescence or DIC) analysis of living cells. The appointment will be for 2 years. initial closing date 20 April 1998 but late applications will be considered. For further particulars contact: Dr Masle or Dr Geoffrey Wasteneys: (masle at rsbs.anu.edu.au) (geoff.wasteneys at anu.edu.au) tel: 61 (0)2 6249 4410 tel: 61 (0)2 6249 3952 fax: 61 (0)2 6249 4919 fax: 61 (0)2 6249 4331 Dr Geoffrey O. Wasteneys Plant Cell Biology Group Research School of Biological Sciences The Australian National University GPO Box 475, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia Phone: +61-6-249-3952 Fax: +61-6-249-4331


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Professional Community for Car Dealers, Marketing, Advertising and Sales Leaders
Welcome to Part 3 of a live dealership case study in which Stan Sher from Dealer eTraining is working on location with a dealer, management team and the entire customer facing staff.
It has been two weeks since Part 2 was published. Stan has been working in Chicago while consulting with another client, along with his role in presenting at and facilitating the Internet Sales 20 Group 3 day series of workshops...
Here is Mr. Sher's Part 3 Report for this series:
I came home to a major hurricane which slowed things down considerably. But here is what we were able to accomplish:
CRM Implementation:
We have been working on pre-installation processes with eLead by installing email headers, templates, and other important parts of the CRM. It has been a simple process as the CRM company is accommodating. eLead will be spending the week at the dealership training and installing the CRM at the dealership which means we will be live in a few days.
Dealership Website:
Once again, the major challenge is that it is OEM mandated and certain things are not able to be done while others are being developed as we speak. As much as I respect what OEMs are doing to make all dealers in the same brand unified I feel that they make it difficult for a dealership to create a unique image to stand out from the competition.
We are in the process of updating employee pictures. This is a tough task because the owner wants all pictures to be the same exact size. The challenge is getting the pictures to show up on the website in the same size. I am still trying to figure out with the vendor what is going on and this is the one time where I feel they are not helping me as they should.
We drastically improved the way the specials pages look with come great content and even more specials. We started to add video testimonials to the website which was a challenge also because the videos did not want to upload from my end. In addition, we made proper changes for the new month and any news pertaining to changes.
Social Media:
I have begun to focus on Facebook this past week. I have been posting engaging content and getting people responding it. In terms of twitter, I know we have followers but for some reason I am looking for the login which no one can seem to find. I might have to setup a new account but I will give it a week before I do it.
I have continued to blog and syndicate content. The content has been getting some views which tell me that people are reading it. We had an announcement from the OEM that there is a hurricane relief discount available to people in certain areas that lost their vehicles to flood and hurricane damage. I was quick to post it and promote it on facebook before any competing dealer can think of doing the same, if they normally do it.
It was disappointing to me that when I left for a whole week and asked sales people to start getting their own videos and pictures that not a single person took an action. They got all excited about the fact that they can brand themselves but they took no action at all. I addressed that with management because the process takes all of one minute and I am even here to get the content up. All they need is to have a form filled out, snap a picture or capture a 30 second video and have me handle the rest. I hope that they fix the situation and get to it. However, one person did get a picture for me that is now posted.
I added more content to the Flickr account.
Traditional Advertising:
I have not had to be involved with this.
Online Reputation Management:
I discovered a challenge that I have never had before. In all of my years doing this I was always able to grow a dealership's online reputation without problem. I sat in and listened to reasons why the service department has a hard time getting reviews and I am noticing from the sales department why they are not doing.
The sales department is not pushing for it at all. The service department explains that whenever they ask for a review to get posted that customers do not want to post it. The understanding that I am getting is that a lot of the customers here are generally in aged in the mid 40s and range as high as 70+. They do not want to leave an email address and they prefer to leave a survey in pen and paper.
This raises a challenge to me, a social and digital warrior that believes that everyone and everything should be online. I am thinking that we need an iPad in service and sales with a 4G connection and we should work closely with the customer to get what we need by guiding them or assisting them. It is obvious that post cards with links to review sites do not work well for the customers as they do not pay attention to them.
I have never been a fan of spiffing customers for reviews. However, cars.com has a really neat format of how to generate reviews. Cars.com offers to place customers into a contest where the customer has a potential of getting $100 for leaving a review. There is an email template for it. I am thinking of also creating a process strictly for cars.com to let customers know about the offer not just as delivery but also after delivery where they can be guided through. I mean, "Who wouldn't want a chance to get $100?" It is also my goal to learn from cars.com if the review can somehow be syndicated just like the way DealerRater does it with google.
If anyone has suggestions of how to get reviews from customers that are more mature and not as computer savvy, I am open to some responses on here.
Dealership Process and Operations:
While walking around the dealership looking for things that needed improvement I noticed a binder with parts specials that looked sloppy. I took it upon myself to let management know about this and created a new professional looking binder with better specials and more transparency.
I have been spending time watching how the sales department functions from how sales managers are managing their people to how they work deals. I have to say that when it comes to working deals and selling cars they do a great job and they have decent grosses. The managers get involved in deals and are aggressive to sell cars. This dealership is generally number one in its district. The other things that I have been observing are how the one internet coordinator functions throughout the day. The GSM complains about the coordinator because he finds him playing on his cell phone a lot. The fix to the problem was that I monitored CRM activities in the old CRM and read comments along with emails that were being sent to the customers.
I noticed something interesting and disturbing. When an internet appointment comes in the internet coordinator sits with them and talks with them sometimes as long as 20-30 minutes. When I approached management they agreed and said that it needs to be fixed. I had the perfect fix for that. At the Internet Sales 20 Group, Ralph Paglia introduced the "Showroom Appointment Reception Agenda". This form is a professional way for the coordinator to meet the customer that they communicated with. What is amazing about this form is that it explains in a quick and transparent fashion what the customer will accomplish on this visit which is a 4-5 step process. The coordinator turns over the customer to a sales consultant and moves on with their job. This takes 1-2 minutes. We are implementing this as of this week as the new CRM is installed. There were major changes made to the document that Ralph provided which I will describe in the next section.
Call monitoring is not very strong in the dealership. The dealership relies on cars.com and their website provider to have toll free numbers. It is amazing that the newspaper always had a local number. No one really ever listened to phone calls. In fact, all sales calls are being handled by sales consultants and not the internet coordinator. This is a whole other issue that I will be tackling soon if I get the chance to. The way I monitor the calls is I stand in the showroom and listen to the sales consultants talk to phone ups. I then log into to my limited tools and listen to the conversation. My plans are to do the same with service and parts soon. While taking many notes, I have discovered flaws in phone skills and will be planning on phone training sessions at this dealership after the CRM is installed.
Ownership Challenges:
The only real challenges in the improvement and transformation of the dealership are dealing with ownership in this case. The dealer principle is not hands on yet has very interesting opinions to how things should run. As far as sales and service is concerned, she lets the managers do their thing and make money for the store. But when a highly paid expert that has built numerous success stories is brought in a challenge is created. Now, I am not saying that challenges are not fun. This is a unique challenge where I am working with a personality that involves me trying to figure out how they think.
Every best practice email installed needs to be edited because the writing does not work for them. This stalled the processes of installing emails into the CRM by two weeks. Take website content, wording of some serious best practices just never work and they need to be changed. My challenge is that I need to change content and write it as if I was this other person. Again, it is an interesting challenge.
The best practice implemented by Ralph Paglia was another example where 60% of the content was rewritten and another 20% was omitted just to satisfy their feelings. Now I am not saying the document became a bad document but it had changed the TO process from internet coordinator to sales person in a way that I personally would have done differently.
I respect the challenge and although at some point it is frustrating it is what makes me better at my job and what ultimately brings more success to the dealership.
That is all for Part 3.
If anyone has questions, always feel free to contact me.
Your comments, feedback, observations, recommendations and suggestions are encouraged and Stan Sher would greatly appreciate any ideas you may have by posting them below...
Views: 475
Adam, I thank you for sharing your experience with the iPad phenomena. A year or so ago, I was speaking with a dealer group who had very bad reviews and almost no good ones. I asked them what they planned to do about it. They said, "We're going to get iPads and make people do the reviews while they are still in the dealership."
They were very satisfied that many professional "Reputation Management" companies were recommending that. My question was, "Why don't you work on your customer service, the way you do business and REAL reputation?" You know... the hard way.
Needless to say, the iPad "revolution" in reputation management was short-lived. The same applies to any "technique" for getting good reviews. There's only ONE lasting and acceptable way to get good reviews and that's to earn them and then ask for them.
The bell is sounding for the future where companies will be judged for their actions rather than for their rhetoric and boastfulness. You can read some of my previous articles here on ADM about this very subject. All aboard!
Thank you. I am glad that I can help anytime.
Stan, just getting caught up on your posts. Again, great job! Heads up on the ipads. I put ipads in the showroom and service area to capture reviews after attending #DSES in 2011 when the people from google said is was ok to do and actually recommended it. Well - not so much. We were blacklisted on dearlerrater and google. After investigating, it didn't matter that they were 3g with their own changing ip...dealerrater didn't like it and my entire staff needed to go through DR's webinar on proper technique and rules. Google said it isnt so cut and dry and Jacy Young @exteres helped us through that debacle. Your suggestion of a good, solid template in the CRM PRECEEDED by a phone call is our best device to get reviews. I didn't know about the cars.com template and reward so thank you for that golden nugget.
Thanks Alyssa, it worked out perfect.
Download Gimp, it is a free tool to resize pictures and change the format. Save all pictures of employees at the same size and send to the website company this way. When I add customers to contact at once, I do this. It seems to work.
Thank you everyone. I appreciate the feedback.
If anyone has suggestions of how to get reviews from customers that are more mature and not as computer savvy, I am open to some responses on here.
Stan, I am really enjoying the progress. You really have no idea of the depth of the issues until you get really involved. It can really get ugly.
This suggestion works for customers at time of delivery. They need a smart phone but it is really easy.
I used a large blank index card and put the dealership logo, address and phone number at the top.
Across the center, I had several oil change coupons. The first one was free and the others were specials that they were offering on the website.
At the bottom were two QR codes. The first went directly to DealerRater's "rate this dealer" application. Once scanned, you were able to complete the review without seeing the dealerships other reviews. It didn't take 5 minutes to complete and because it came from the customer's own phone, it would not be removed. This activated the coupons.
The other QR code goes to the dealer website to make an appointment in service.
One of my friends, back in Dallas, is using this and they had 10 reviews in just 3 or 4 days.
The card looked professional and fit into the customer's owners manual.
Getting buy-in is crucial and often elusive. You can easily get buy-in from a green-pea and if you could isolate them from other sales staff, you might produce a digital winner. If I had my way, every green-pea would start in the Internet Department until they had great follow-up habits and only then be allowed on the floor. (I've never been able to sell that concept)
Getting buy-in from experienced and successful sales staff is much more difficult. If you can force them or incentivize them to try new things, AND experience success, they MIGHT buy into the concept. Nothing sells like results. Our most successful sales staff tend to be those who are open to trying new things and seeing results. They must be held up as an exmple for the rest who are "sure" it won't work.
Stan, thank you again for providing us with this week by week case study. In many ways, I would like to say welcome to my world. Many of the frustrations and challenges you seem to be facing are not because you don't know best practices and what the dealership employees should be doing. It is frustration in getting the employees, and in some cases the dealer to practice and fulfill the agenda. I believe you may never have that "Aha" moment where everything falls into place. It is a constant battle that someone will have to assume for you when you leave. You must be training leaders who will assume that mantle and be persistent. I believe in your sincerity of purpose and willingness to accept the challenge before you. I wish you success!
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Opinion: Where Are the Jobs?
American Enterprise Institute Fellow Jim Pethokoukis on Friday's dismal August jobs report.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... the stock numbers are out ... in the unemployment rate dropped to seven point three percent from seven point four percent by ... the Labor Department revised down the July numbers so ... is this the report to celebrate or to cringe at ... American Enterprise Institute scholar and chin PepsiCo this joins us now from Washington ... agenda I'm just going to call up from the White House here's how they are spinning these numbers and I quote ... while the month to month figures can be vault I'll year over year changes indicate ... that the recovery has been durable ... in the face of several headwinds that have emerged in recent years and quote ... champion free ... well ... for a few wobbles headway as are the I pod Exactech slice of the administration one of the top twenty percent increase in marginal tax rate ... of six that increase in investment tax rates ... that took the job ladder and some contacts one hundred and sixty nine thousand at that pace ... it would take ... a decade to close the jobs gap between where we are and where we should be if growth returns would serve prerecession trajectory ... to be in no way is this a good report ... ok but if you look at the headline number in the unemployment rate dropped why why are we celebrating ... why would so great it was because we have a shrinking labor force once again the labor force to space rate has dropped ... never at that rate was where we were back in ... January two thousand I get my really close to eleven percent of the demographic issue I think they were real unemployment rate is really close somewhere between nine and ten ... I would love to Monterey to keep falling because ... of because are a lot more jobs than people coming back in the workforce will be a great situation that's not what we have the one it seems we've been writing about a lot in the editorial pages what we call part-time America ... then a lot of businesses are looking in Obamacare that fifty worker ... by the time go when it there until you're affected by it than just cutting back on full time positions ... is that seen continuing in this report ... whatever the issue before they headed decline part-time jobs on accord a more volatile household survey ... they have to look over the past year deal with it by far the majority of jobs that part-time jobs and when that will continue we don't know but there's a lot of job growth in the store sector's we get a lot of part-time jobs ... are in a week Ealing Restaurants home health care adding going for it to the Miri real concern ... how about the Obama funding base I ... minorities views as single women than any kind improvement there ... listen up you are not seen any improvement really I think I'm not his nose with a really overall this is a very weak report ... I mean administration like to keep saying listen that it's it's a floor covered obese were covering ... were really not making any progress if those demographic groups overall now whether ... or not to accelerate ... I can look at some of the more on high frequency numbers jobless claims the ISN numbers ... needed or not seen this report well if you look of the productivity gains though the U S businesses since the crisis ... I it which looks like the economy is set to explode companies have a lot of cash on hand ... the productivity numbers so so what specifically is holding us back about a minute left ... ah well some would say that you know in gasoline Green productivity on that because a lot more automation machines ... and indeed this type of tree productivity and job growth but it is also still lot of uncertainty it IMAX's was can happen with the debt ceiling in abundance here for more long term what's going on with health care reform ... and at some point either going have to deal with Taiwan's dramatically raise taxes that the better they be ice for answering the looming out there very briefly ten when the big job gains that we did have an autistic they come from the private sector the public sector ... I think a private citizen a great job about a hundred fifty two thousand most for private sector jobs DuCharme grinding their way for the spider I think is a lot more government spending and higher taxes ok grinding our way forward not exactly two thumbs up for the August job numbers American Enterprise Institute fellow agent that because it's ... thank you so


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News and Documentary prepares students to report and produce short-form and long-form video journalism for traditional and non-traditional media. From the first class, students are on the streets reporting, shooting and editing. We emphasize not only the story, but the storytelling. Our goal is to have a student skilled in both form and content, able tell a story by effectively using all aspects of the medium.
Master Classes
Not only do students work with full time faculty, but we have a series of Master Classes that bring in the best independent documentary filmmakers in New York City. We also host filmmaker screenings throughout the year so students can see current work and interact with filmmakers to learn more about the process and different styles.
Our students are in demand for internships at all the major broadcast news organizations and websites in New York as well as at smaller documentary production companies.
Our Specialness
NewsDoc is special because it is among the most creative programs in journalism education. Many journalism programs today use multimedia as a catch phrase: it has become short hand for scratching the surface of everything. The problem with that approach is that you master nothing.
NewsDoc still takes the long view. It values in-depth long form journalism and takes the time to get there. Its curriculum is made up of building blocks with each class and semester layering on what came before. The diverse backgrounds of the faculty – film documentary, broadcast news, TV news magazine, multimedia reporting, even magazine writing – is a testament to the program's respect for storytelling in all forms and exposes students to a variety of tools to draw from. That is how you truly master your craft and it is evident in the annual News Doc Film Festival. You leave us prepared to work in news at the networks, a documentary production company, VICE, New York Times video or on your own.
Fellow Students
NewsDoc also has a tradition of attracting students from all over the world. This commitment to a diverse classroom and creating an intimate international group each year is the best newsroom setting we can imagine. Students partner on projects, share feedback, and foster a strong professional environment. Most incoming students have one-three years of professional and intern experience in some aspect of journalism but that is not a requirement. We're interested in interesting students who have something to say.
Follow Us
NewsDoc Alumni on Producing their First Films at NYU
Upcoming Events
Check back soon for upcoming events!


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How are we supposed to think about the reported two-year, $16 million contract the Toronto Blue Jays just gave 28-year-old Melky Cabrera, the Yankee-turned-Brave-turned-Royal-turned-Giant, the prospect-turned-fatass-turned-presumptive-batting-champion-turned-disgrace-turned-webmaster-turned-martyr-turned-champion? Cabrera had an exceptional two-thirds of a season last year: He hit .346/.390/.516 in 113 games, considerably better than his .284/.338/.414 career line. But the boost in his stats came from more singles (and more luck), and maybe chemicals.
Just how little we know about Melky and steroids bears repeating—we don't know when he started using testosterone, how much testosterone he used, and the extent of testosterone's benefits to an MLB player. It's possible, though unlikely, that drugs turned Cabrera from a replacement-level hack into an MVP candidate—perhaps he had some really good stuff. It's also possible, though unlikely too, that drugs did nothing to improve Cabrera's performance—maybe he didn't take a lot of testosterone, and maybe his stellar 2012 resulted from good luck and skills improvement, rather than added muscle mass. Who knows? Surely the Toronto Blue Jays don't. But this is their best guess. $8 million per year is a lot of money for most everyone, but it isn't in baseball. Torii Hunter, who is 37 and, unlike Cabrera, no longer a center fielder—got two years and $26 million from the Tigers. Before this season, Coco Crisp, who was then 32, signed with Oakland for two years and $14 million. Crisp's a better defender than Cabrera, but he's nowhere near the hitter Melky has been in recent years.
The deal Cabrera got is a decent price for an average, proven, veteran center fielder. But we imagine that's not what the Jays expect. They want the boom guy from last year, but they know they got a bargain because they considered the possibility of the bust guy from years before. Which'll they get? We'll begin finding out a few long months from now.


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| 9.3°C Belfast
Kelly Clarkson has topped a list of the biggest-earning American Idol stars.
Forbes, which put together the list based on income made in the 12 months to May 2012, ranked Kelly at the top with an eight million dollar income for the period, despite it being a decade since she won the first season of the show.
The Stronger singer, who performed at President Obama's inauguration, is at the top thanks to album sales, a mentor role on The Voice, a Toyota advert and a lucrative tour.
Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry both share the second spot, with estimated earnings of five million dollars each.
Scotty McCreery was next with an estimated four million dollars, while Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson, who didn't win the show, increased her earnings with a Weight Watchers endorsement and memoir, completing the top five with three million.
Last year's American Idol winner Phillip Phillips does not make the top 10 as his success came too late, though Forbes says that he could have a place next year.


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Option game comes into play for some Rays
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Given the status of the Rays' roster this spring, some decisions about who will make the final cut could depend on injuries as well as which players have options.
Players who are out of options include Chris Archer, Josh Lueke, Jake McGee, Cesar Ramos, Brandon Guyer and Matt Joyce.
Not in that group is right-hander Brandon Gomes, who is a bullpen candidate. He has one remaining option, which means the Rays can option him to the Minor Leagues and not risk having another team claim him. Thus, his option situation will make it more difficult for him to make the team if he's battling a player -- who is out of options -- for a roster spot.
"If you don't get that the business part is a significant portion of how things are run, it's almost ignorant to go about your business that way, because it does factor into decisions," Gomes said. "It's just part of the game.
"But [the situation] is really no different from your first or second Spring Training. You really just have to handle what you can handle. Know the possibilities, and be OK with it."
The rule is in place so organization's can't stockpile players. Eventually a player will run out of options, at which point he has to get through waivers in order to remain with the club. Gomes said he can appreciate the way the options situation eventually works in a player's favor.
"Yeah, I mean, everything is put in place there for a reason," Gomes said. "At one point it would be beneficial for you. At another point it would hurt you. It's part of the game. It's part of the business. But it's really a non factor. If you take care of what you're supposed to take care of, then it will work out."
Meanwhile, Guyer, who is an outfield candidate, is out of options this spring. That puts him in an odd situation, because a player wants to be loyal to the organization in which he plays, but he also wants to get to the Major Leagues.
"I love being here," said Guyer, who came to the Rays in a trade with the Cubs prior to the 2011 season. "That's the ultimate goal is being in the Major Leagues with the Rays. They're going to be such a good team. I'd love to be a part of that with these teammates. But when it comes down to it the ultimate goal is to be in the big leagues. But like I said, I would love for it to be here, but we'll see what happens."
Guyer noted that he feels as though he's paid his dues.
"When I haven't made the team, I've gone to Triple-A and I've played as hard as I could," Guyer said. "And I've put up really good years. I don't want to say there's nothing left for me to prove at Triple-A, but every year I feel like I've done pretty well. We'll see what happens, but I feel like after the year I had last year, even though I was hurt for a month, I put myself in a really good position to make this team. And I'm going to do everything I can to make that happen."


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CASE47471: Horary consultation concerning Young Mrs Montgomery (PERSON14235)
Question asked by the patient on 8 September 1618 at 10:30
RN The same day I went to Mr Mūgūbry to see his sick wife Sept 8. ♂ h. 10. 30 ant m 1618.
Transcribed entry from MS Ashmole 230, f. 26r (upper right part of page)