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The terms 'employee engagement' and 'collaboration' have been buzz words in business for quite a while now, and the currency of these concepts does not show any signs of fading. A report from Aon Hewitt on global employee engagement published in 2013 showed that companies which engage with their employees by seeking their views on long term strategies and demanding measurable actions are more profitable than those which do not (Aon Hewitt 2013). The reasons for this are intuitively correct as any organisation which can harness the insights and experiences of its workforce and use this to direct its course of action will have a serious competitive edge over one where management do not listen to employees at all and where decisions are taken only in the boardroom and with no reference to the reality of what is going on down on the 'shop floor'. An additional and very significant benefit is that employees whose voices are listened to are likely to stay working for an organisation longer, so reducing the costs of recruiting and training new staff whilst retaining experience within the company. So employee engagement is an all round 'good thing' and many employers are now taking it very seriously.
But as with all business practices, indeed most things in life, there are various degrees to which you can implement any strategy. You can implement something at a superficial level, paying only lip service to the rigours of the process, or you can take a practice deep into the heart of the organisation and implement it fully and with a real commitment to making it a reality. From a senior management perspective engaging with employees and really paying attention to their thoughts about the direction of a business can be a real challenge. You may not always hear the things you want to hear, and you may hear a whole lot of things which make your job harder rather than easier, at least in the short term. Burris (2012) explores how employee opinions can be perceived as a threat by management and reaches the conclusion that the manner in which the opinions are voiced is critical to how well management receive them and act upon them. Speaking up in a large meeting may create a sense of threat, so Burris recommends training for both managers and workers so that the workers can mediate their opinion to maximise impact and reduce threat. This means the managers are able to listen constructively and, crucially, create situations where employee voices can be heard in a productive and non-antagonistic way.
There are many ways to engage with employees. Some of these are informal and arise from the cultural practices within the organisation. Good managers will listen to their staff and a flow of information will be established based on personal relationships and trust. Staff appraisal is also an important mechanism; in organisations which do employee engagement well, the appraisal is about far more than measuring performance and includes conversations about the wider goals of the organisation in relation to that employee's activity.
But individual soundings of employee views can only take you so far. The real power of employee voice comes when many opinions are gathered and aggregated and the results made available for analysis. This is where response systems enter the picture as they provide the ideal technology to support this scenario. Brown, Dennis and Venkatesh (2010) have written about the use of technology to support collaboration in the workplace. For an effective session where staff can vote on important issues, they argue the need for a balanced mix of collaboration technology and company attitude: The company's commitment to listening to its employees and employee commitment to feed back . And that's where OMBEA comes into play. At Reivo we have supported many of these types of sessions and both management and workers alike have valued them and taken tangible outcomes back to their respective roles. From a big picture perspective we've seen the feedback from such sessions feed into the formation of tactical and strategic initiatives built with workforce rather than for it.
OMBEA has been designed to easy to use and creating the questions is no harder than making the Powerpoint slides which are a feature of any meeting. Designing appropriate questions is a challenge, but time spent doing this is valuable in itself as it encourages reflection on the most important issues facing the organisation and where the views of employees could most help. We've helped many organisations at this most crucial stage of the process by drawing on our experience of engagement sessions from the vast range of vertical markets we work with
Meetings where employees can share their opinions about an organisation's strategy through the response systems can therefore be an important and cost efficient part of a wider drive to make the buzzwords of 'employee engagement' less hype and more reality.
Brown, S, Dennis, A, & Venkatesh, V (2010), 'Predicting Collaboration Technology Use: Integrating Technology Adoption and Collaboration Research', Journal Of Management Information Systems, 27, 2, pp. 9-53
Burris, E. R. (2012). The Risks and Rewards of Speaking Up:: Managerial Responses to Employee Voice. Academy Of Management Journal, 55(4), 851-875
Aon Hewitt (2013) Trends in Global Employee Engagement online Available at: Accessed: 4 Dec 2013.


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Routes : Australasia : New Zealand : Upper North Island : The Project
The Project (Indoor Gym)
About The Project:
|The only Bouldering Gym in Auckland! A awesome Bouldering gym, this gym is built by climbers for climbers ! AS most of you will know there is a new bouldering gym that has opened out West Auckland which all of you should go and check out! Its a awesome to train and get strong at. also to get to know climbers in Auckland the people there are great and are willing to help you out with technique and let you know if there are any trips going on. The gym is BUILT by CLIMBERS for CLIMBERS! Members get their own key and have unlimited access to the project any time between 9am and 11pm any day, plus you can bring a friend if they put into the drop box so you dont have to climb alone (Byo refreshments, coin donation for instant coffee and tea in the kitchen) Plus access to the stereo, bring your ipod or choose/share some tunes from the laptop. And shower if you bring a towel Non members (incl 10 session pass holders) get access between 4pm and 11pm daily, and from 11am during the weekends. Costs, Casual entry is $10.00 10 Session pass $85 3 month membership $150 6 month $250 12 month $450 Payment either cash or internet banking through Zahnay Products (Gst receipt available if claiming back expenses) Account details: Zane Bray 03 0146 0510222 00 Cheers, Zane
|Nearest town or city:
|44 Portage Road, New Lynn. Entrance gate on Mcwhirter place. 12 min from the city! Auckland, New Zealand
|Latitude, Longitude:
|Web Site:

subset: commoncrawl


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For the final instalment of my Shanghai adventure we moved hotels to the Fairmont Peace Hotel.
From the moment I walked in, I felt like I was on an art deco movie set, yet one quickly realises that this is no movie set - it's real art deco.
So expect to find yourself strolling the grand halls of what once was The Cathay Hotel (which opened in August 1929), with your mouth gaping!
If you keep wandering, you might stumble upon the Jasmine Lounge, where you can partake of high tea, and admire a beautiful piano played by stars including Marlene Dietrich.
When you finally scoop your jaw off the mosaic floors, it's time to find your beautifully appointed suite.
My two favourite features were the claw-footed bath with in-bath television and waterproof remote control; and your own in-room coffee machine. The bed is soft, the decor tasteful, in fact you'd be perfectly happy except while I was there, the hotel was renovating the Mezzanine level, which meant they were hammering from 9am-5pm every day of the week. Not quite conducive to spending quality time enjoying your suite!
On the first night we were there we took a crazy taxi ride to Shanghai Circus World to see Era - Intersection of Time. Taxi rides are quite the adventure in Shanghai - I spent all of them in the back seat trying to not see the near misses on the crowded roads.
I love circus, and see a lot of it, so this was not my first introduction to Chinese circus, though it was my first visit in China. The show takes place in a geodesic dome. Seats are relatively cramped and not the most comfortable, but as soon as the show starts, you won't care. Tricks are well performed with more emphasis on skill-based acts (acro-balance, trampolining, silks) than clowning. My favourite act besides the terrifying finale, was the partnered silks. It was a beautiful and innovative male-female routine.
The finale was a death-defying sphere which performers enter on dirt bikes. I have seen this act before, but never with more than three bikes inside a relatively small dome. So at three, I shut my eyes and started screaming. I peeked at four, but when they did two bikes doing vertical lines, two doing horizontal, I screamed some more. Then they put in the fifth bike. When they were all going around the circle's circumference in a line I was holding my breath. There couldn't have been more than twenty centimenters between the nose of one bike and the tail of the next. When three more bikes came out to enter the sphere I was flabbergasted. They got eight bikes into the sphere, for a thankfully short time. It was an astounding routine.
As a sidebar, our concierge told us two performers had been killed doing this act already, and all the rest are scarred from it. I am not surprised. They all certainly deserve your money and you're unlikely to think the show is poor value whatever seats you take (by the way, B-Reserve seats on the ground tier are perfectly fine).
It's also fun to view The Bund by night - though on the evening I picked, the famous Oriental Pearl Tower was a stick without a round top due to the fog.
However the eerie haze did nothing to dampen the looks of the wonderful architectural collection of buildings along The Bund, in fact it accentuates their baroque, gothic and art deco styles!
You should also turn the corner down Fuzhou Road to check out the Gotham City-esque Shanghai Metropole Hotel, one of Shanghai's most glamorous hotels back in the 1930s. Inside it's not much to look at, but it certainly cuts a menacing three-corner skyline outside!
While you're on your feet, be sure to take a stroll (or a tourist train) up Nanjing Road to check out all the neon lights.
This bustling commercial street is popular with locals and tourists alike, and even looks good in the rain (especially from inside a covered tourist train).
This hotel is also well placed for a trip to Pudong on the other side of the Huangpu River. We chose to take The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel - a strange but entertaining way to cross underneath a reasonably grubby river!
You travel through a rather trippy tunnel in a small glass carriage - it's cheesy but funny, and a convenient way to get to Pudong.
On this side of the river there's a boardwalk, and if you're lucky you might even see a kite flyer.
He's flying a very simple (and inexpensive) centipede kite, and I was even lucky enough to get a turn flying it!
While you're looking up, check out the amazing Pudong skyline, or travel up 474 meters to the hundredth floor of the Shanghai World Financial Centre. You can also go up the neighbouring 420.5 meters (or 88 stories) in the neighbouring Jin Mao Tower, which gives you a good view of the more impressive Shanghai World Financial Centre, as well as the twisting tower that is set to be the tallest of the group at 632 meters. (If you're after some bars or restaurants to visit while you are in Pudong, check out my previous posts: Shanghai Eats & Shanghai Bars.)
If you're more interested in art than architecture, head to M50 Creative Park at 50 Moganshan Road. It's packed with an array of galleries that could keep you busy all day, and the road in is decorated with some of the only street art I managed to see in Shanghai.
From there jump a cab to the former French Concession and locate the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre in the basement of an apartment complex (remember, printed instructions in Chinese for cab drivers are your friend). It's worth the hunt for the fabulous collection of Maoist period posters.
The owner, Mr. Yang Pei Ming, is a fountain of information and is keen to hear about where his (almost all) foreign visitors hail from. Hearing I was from Australia, he told me he'd had a Christmas card from Kevin Rudd. Mr. Yang Pei Ming explained that while he'd never actually met Kevin Rudd, his son had visited the museum. He was much more interested in hearing about Julia Gillard, who it would seem appeals to the Chinese more than Rudd. He explained that the Chinese youth are not interested in hearing about China's communist history, they're all fully developed capitalists, though in my travels I did spy a Chinese man on a bike riding around behind a poster of Chairman Mao.
While we're talking about the streets, simply driving around Shanghai is a visually stimulating adventure.
Intersections look like chaos, and everywhere there are bicycles and motorbikes weaving between pedestrians and vehicles.
As the traffic is on the other side of the road, it takes a few days to get used to knowing where you should be looking.
While I was in Shanghai, I learned that a walk sign means it's safer to cross rather than it's safe to cross; that there is seemingly no limit to the number of things you can carry on the back of a motorcycle; and that bamboo scaffolding is perfectly safe (well safe enough - it's been banned in China for buildings over six stories)!
After a morning of art, you're probably thirsting for a beverage and perhaps a spot of shopping? I found the arts and crafts area Tianzifang to be a great spot for an afternoon combing narrow alleyways for souvenirs, art and the odd snack.
Spying More Than Toilet (which I had seen on a television show) I couldn't resist going in and sitting on the commode!
Their menu of snacks includes tiny squatter toilets bearing chocolate soft serve. It's gimmicky but cheap and fun enough to warrant you taking a load off those aching tootsies.
This is an amazing city that I feel I only just touched on in six and a half days and five colourful posts on this blog. I'd definitely like to return to China again after travelling to Shanghai (courtesy of New Shanghai who provided my airfares).
Please also see: Shanghai, Shanghai Eats, Shanghai Bars & Shanghai Sights.
Fairmont Peace Hotel
Era - Intersection of Time
Shanghai Metropole Hotel
Shanghai World Financial Centre
Jin Mao Tower
M50 Creative Park


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6 Days Masai Mara – L. Nakuru – Amboseli
per person
This safari features the open plains of the famous Masai Mara Game Reserve for unparalleled game viewing in one of Africa's best game parks, famous for its annual migration of Wildebeests, Zebras a among other mammals. The pink waters of Lake Nakuru home of over 1.5 Smillionlesser and greater flamingoes. Amboseli game viewing with the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro at the backdrop. Amboseli is a compact game park, abundant in wildlife, which makes for some excellent game viewing.
Guaranteed departures with minimum order: 2 People
Departure TimeApproximately 7:00 A.M
IncludedBirdsEntry FeesFlamingosPersonal GuideSight seeingWildlife
Not Included5 Star AccommodationAirport TransfersBreakfastDeparture Taxes
Day 01: Nairobi
Masai Mara. After breakfast depart Nairobi for the Maasai Mara national reserve. Arrive in time forLunch., followed by afternoon game drive through the reserve to this endless reaches of acacia-dotted grasslands studded with hazy hills where pride of Lions, Elephants, buffaloes, zebras and numerous plain animals are in abundance. Accommodation at camp / lodge
Day 02: Masai Mara.
Full day game drive at the Masai Mara with picnic lunch. Game drives provides greatest moments for game viewing in these mystic plains, a time when the soft red hues of the sun will give your photographs the clarity of the actual African savannah. Morning game viewing with drive to the Mara River where you will be able to view the resident hippos and crocodiles. The Mara is the land of African legend; Lions are abundant throughout the park, as are the elephants, giraffes, a variety of antelops and zebra, Cheetah and leopard are also regularly seen and, less commonly, rhino. Several species of Bee-Eater, the flying rainbow that heads the list of the Mara's birds, occur in the reserve. Accommodation at camp/ lodge. Optional visit to Masai Village for a cultural tour can be arranged at extra cost of $25 per person. Also optional hot air balloon ride can be arranged this morning, then proceed with your game drive – $450 per person.
Day 03: Masai Mara – Lake Nakuru national park.
Morning game drive the return to the camp/lodge for breakfast. After breakfast drive to Nakuru with lunch en-route. Lake Nakuru is a soda lake and is home to the Greater and Lesser Flamingos. At times you may see a lion crawling on the waters edge. If you are a bird lover you will spot different bird species. Dinner and overnight at Hotel/lodge/camp Lake.
Day 04: Lake Nakuru – Amboseli national park.
Early breakfast, then proceed for morning game drives. Depart Nakuru at around 11:30am for Amboseli via Nairobi with lunch enroute. Arriving in Amboseli in the evening. This park is famous for its unforgettable views of Kilimanjaro, and a relaxed abundant population of elephants as well as prolific bird life. Accommodation at Tented camp/Lodge.
Day 05: Amboseli national park.
After breakfast depart for a full day game drive where Mount Kilimanjaro background offers a good photographic scenery coupled with animals such as Buffaloes, lions, gazelles, cheetahs, wildebeests ,hyenas, Warthogs, zebras, giraffes and baboons on the ground. overnight at the camp/Lodge.
Day 6: Amboseli – Namanga/Nairobi .
Pre-breakfast game drive. After breakfast game drive back to Nairobi or drop off to Namnaga border if you are proceeding on to Arusha – Tanzania.


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"ETFs certainly provide investors with the quickest way to tap into the latest bounce in global equity markets," said EPFR Global research director Cameron Brandt, in a statement. "But, given the timing, some of the money may be looking to benefit from the quarterly rebalancing of many funds at the end of this month."
The bond categories with the strongest flows last week were high yield, emerging markets, municipal and mortgage-backed bond funds, the Boston-based research group says. They were again to the fore as "the U.S. and Japanese central banks reaffirmed their commitment to ultra-low interest rates," according to the group's latest report.
As for equities, Japan-themed products saw inflows jump to their highest level since August 2011, as the benchmark Nikkei index topped 10,000. Over 90% of new inflows went into ETFs.
"Flows have been quite volatile in recent weeks, reflecting the tension between an improving outlook for export plays and the Bank of Japan's asset buying program on the one hand and the lack of credible political leadership on the other," Brandt explained.
Bond Boom
Mortgage-backed bond funds have taken in fresh money every week for over a year. Meanwhile, year-to-date flows into high-yield bond funds are nearing the $24 billion mark. Emerging-market bond funds posted two of their four biggest weekly inflows since the beginning of February.
Europe and EMEA — Europe, Middle East and Africa — bond funds snapped outflow streaks of three and 10 weeks "on the heels of the ECB's latest intervention," said EPFR Global, as global bond funds experienced inflows for the 12th week in a row.
U.S. bond flows remain concentrated in municipal, mortgage-backed, corporate high-yield and intermediate-term debt, which accounted for more than 70% of the previous week's inflows. Flows into the high-yield and municipal categories, though, are slowing from February levels.
Emerging bond funds were the fourth best on record, "reflecting their position as the best performing pure fixed-income fund group year to date," ahead of high-yield, says EPFR Global. Their performance, however, still lags that of balanced funds (invested in both fixed-income assets and equities), which have a 7.8% gain for 2012 through mid-March.
Equity Movement
Investors pumped more than $3 billion into global-sector funds and retained their appetite for alternative and dividend-equity funds. They also committed the most money to Japan equity funds since mid-3Q11, while pulling money out of Europe equity products ahead of the official approvals of Greece's latest bailout package. Furthermore, investors remained leery of fund groups with significant exposure to China.
Still, flows into the diversified global emerging-market equity fund group last week suggest that broad-based support for this category remains intact, according to EPFR Global. China's recent lowering of its 2012 GDP target, however, helped spur back-to-back weeks of outflows for Asia ex-Japan equity funds year to date.
Korea equity funds, which have benefited in the past from the growing share of Korea's trade going to China, posted their biggest weekly outflow since 4Q07.
Latin America equity funds, though, were "buffered by the continued improvement in the U.S. economy," the research group said, and took in fresh money for the seventh time in nine weeks.
Also, Russia equity funds attracted new money for the seventh week in a row as oil prices remained high.
Sector Funds
EPFR Global-tracked sector funds drew more than $3.4 billion during the second week of March. Outflows were reported in only two of 11 groups – telecoms and infrastructure. Consumer-goods sector funds saw the biggest inflows, taking in more than $900 million.
Industrial, financial and energy-sector funds absorbed more than $500 million for the week, and utility funds snapped out of their five-week losing streak.
Funds specializing in gold and precious metals accounted for the bulk of the flows into the commodities-sector funds, despite the recent drop in gold prices.
Bond inflows just set a weekly record at close to $7.6 billion, despite signs that some fixed-income returns are faltering, said EPFR Global on Monday. The research group also notes that, during the week ended March 14, equity funds had a solid week of flows as the stock markets rallied, in a reversal of the previous week's $4.3 billion in new outflows.


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Woody Fraser is an admitted workaholic.
The creator-executive producer of the Family Channels
HOME & FAMILY, FAMILY CHALLENGE and WILD ANIMAL GAMES - - in addition to two shows on Nickelodeon,
WILD & CRAZY KIDS and WHAT WOULD YOU DO? is now doing what?
"Developing another kid show," he says with a laugh.
"I create and sell live shows," Fraser explains. "Its like
running a small company."
Indeed. After he tapes HOME & FAMILY on the backlot
of Universal Studios in Hollywood, Fraser tapes four shows a day of FAMILY CHALLENGE.
But his big project is HOME & FAMILY, starring
Cristina Ferrare and Chuck Woolery. Taped before a studio audience, the show is beamed to the Midwest and East, then shown
in a taped version later on the West Coast.
"We do one remote a week," Fraser says, "usually from the
movies or TV shows [being shot] on the lot. Ours is a live, two-hour show. When I did GOOD MORNING AMERICA, we had
fifteen minutes of commercials, promos, etcetera."
Last year Fraser promised that a new, livable house would
be built as the setting for the show. Less than two months later the completed home, on 2,600 square feet, opened on the Universal
backlot, complete with garage, patio, and garden. "I went to a bookstore and found various publications on home construction,"
he says. "I put the best features of several plans together. Then I contacted the contractors."
Currently the house is part of the tram tour of Universal.
"But Universal has no percentage or participation," he says. "They just gave us the home."
Since its debut last April, HOME & FAMILY has
evolved into a lighter show, the producer notes. "Were more into entertainment now - - more like MIKE DOUGLAS meets
the HOME SHOW.
"We have lots of laughs and entertainment on our show. People
want to laugh and be informed at the same time. Thats my philosophy. We needed an answer to trash TV. We have fun."
Fraser is no novice to light programming. Between 1966 and
1973 he was responsible for thrity-two half-hours of (weekly) television programming, including THE MIKE DOUGLAS SHOW,
THE DICK CAVETT SHOW, THE DELLA REESE SHOW, THE BILL RUSSELL SHOW, and KID TALK, all of which aired simultaneously.
During that period, he also created and produced THE VIRGINIA GRAHAM SHOW and THE STEVE ALLEN SHOW.
Between 1988 and 1993, Frasers HOME SHOW on ABC grew from
a half-hour format to a full hour of live broadcasting, receiving fifteen service awards and three Emmy nominations. In all,
his shows have won nine Emmy awards.
Originally from Cincinnati, Fraser graduated from Dartmouth
College with a degree in zoology, but, needing a job, looked to the TV industry. "I was lucky to be in the right place at
the right time," he admits.
Despite his hectic TV schedule, Fraser finds time for his
hobbies, namely his pets and his work as a pen-and-ink artist. "My family is my hobby also," he says, smiling.
And what else does Fraser do in his spare time?
"I lecture in colleges - - on how not
to produce."


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2011 CJI presented by WSWV
Click the link below to see pictures of the winners at the Charlie James Invitational presented by WSWV. Congratulations to all the winners including the Lee High Girls Track Team and the Gate City Boys Blue Devils for winning the team competitions. There were also individual award winners:
Morgan Gose, Gate City and Robbie Hicks – Gate City, Outstanding Sprinter
Mackenzie Arney, Lee High and Jared Brewer, Thomas Walker – Outstanding Jumper
Sarah Giles, Thomas Walker and Austin Reed, Gate City – Outstanding Thrower
McKenna Tankersley,. Union and Garrett Watts, Gate City – Outstanding Distance Runner
Pictures of the winners can be seen on our Facebook Page, please be sure to click the like button.


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AM Report: Is Worst Over for BP Investors?
Investors were relieved by BP's decision to suspend dividends, hoping it would ease pressure on the company over its handling of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Grainne McCarthy, David Weidner and Guy Chazan discuss. Also, David Wessel discusses America's system of home ownership, saying that although it has been celebrated for putting so many families into their own homes, it has become, as one economist put it, "a case study in failure."
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... we ... finally get some clarity and BT financial situation shares up nearly ten percent in London trading already by ... the rally last ... as questions ... linger of the company's future welcomed in an AFL ... and Kelly Evans during this morning with David Weidner right knee McCarthy in the morning welcome when the right to live in our guide to the new keeping an eye and BP shares and that at this point that people seem pretty happy with the disclosures even though BP is suspending its dividend and paying a twenty ... billion dollars into this fund ... so what exactly are people so I really bow ... one thing that just really relieved that funny this is clear ... transparent mechanism for ... such legal claims ... there was a great deal of uncertainty wiping omissions ... from the past several weeks ... and that people just didn't seem to be up to get a handle on walks ... the piece ... final liabilities might be time to that uncertainty ... was just it was just riding investors crazy ... still at this point here's the question I guess you given how important BP is both UK trading and of course here in the US is well on ... once people get passes moment of clarity Wellink search and ... have renewed concerns about the company's future to get a lot of this is probably been a drag on BP for years ... will will absolutely I mean I think ... the hope that if you on the skull Mrs Golding saying ... it sold very well and good cricket set of respondents to a long time but there is still a degree of ... uncertainty about ... the peace future liabilities ... especially as the twenty billion dollar claims from ... that doesn't beats civil fines and ... penalties ... said this week that civil and criminal fines the Mounties ... said to ... say we I mean it yet BP could be facing another big Bill ... outside of its twenty billion dollars bond ... you know that that the bills could keep mounting for years to come ... yet grand entrance at this point whether you think investors should wait or is this as a buying opportunity in the shares are down by what fifty percent basically Last absence ... how can the US but it was interesting and that several analysts in the U K this morning upgraded the shares to buy ... I mean I don't know what you think about the kind that seems to have somewhat optimistically based on just getting this clarity and that's ... just been affected not just in the stock market the bond market Odyssey was happy with their dividend suspension but really ... when Israel for UK shareholders to come to this than to the dividend is that he is released to the negative ... was interesting essay we also saw the options market ... where options on BP have been very active insensitive in the bearish direction Adam and they've already been training as if to say I was ex dividend so it has implications ... that still have to work their way through the market I'm ... but for now I think it is today shareholders have been relaying ... undertaken this is somewhat as a possible because the yen back I ... knew it was the startling photos of before washing up on the pitch the spill has not been what does it still doesn't ... so until until that is for something that does that there's a real trooper ... I was worried I especially an undeserved what it matters at this point if that still kept ... that ... would ... be nice but today the was one of those he said that last ... line has been tremendous and if you'd like to BP and ice became an investor this morning to see what he thought about it he said ... we get is a line in the sun but in this but this can be another wave coming this just a wipeout outlined in this and ... so do ... it sitting on the BP said nobody gets certainty when they complete this relief well ... which will finally stop the leak I diving Club for joining us now legit Govett David Actuant brings up is well you were a column to talking about how we need to keep a nine year I went to Brighton leadership ensembles their head that I think certainly ... add the chairman's comments yesterday about serve referring to the people in their trade clause malls on his mind and not gone well so is it time for management ago ... and I talk to the ... to a public relations consultant in the Wieseman of all places who sought and found a comment if you buy in credit ... Mr ... Liani said it was incredibly arrogant and I think it's time ... certainly for four Tony Hayward and BP to step it up ... really absurd leadership position ... of when they went testifies before Congress was interesting read on him and we're talking about the choice to bring the chairman on yesterday to discuss this but of course he made the step yet but ... I can or if you talk to the people who work for corporations ... they feel that the work has really dropped the ball he's become some of the Robert greenlighting is ... betting that I would root and the sad that I think hybrid is really a consultation we really saw yesterday with the BP Chairman a Swedish ... man not a native English speaker ... would pay what he has become a soft spoken and you know British accent I Meritech sometimes known ... as a study by the ... but the wind is that often they just don't sound forceful than that they're in control and then when you know yesterday unfairness of it and he was saying I love write to ... the one thing that people focus on was the small ... with ... an overdue bill next week for July for three fireworks injuries in the Capitol Hill this morning thank you Graseck for days to ground one even if the joke is watching is happening in markets morning in the defense Kelly well we got weekly jobless claims rising at twelve thousand to four hundred and seventy two thousand while she had expected a decrease so we have jobless claims increasing that's not selling very good news ... of the fission fusion who had been moving up earlier so it's taking off to summer the sun and Twitter off about Wall Street's open ... of wheat that U S listed shares of BP ... up about one percent ... of Merrill Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgraded the stock to neutral Collins Stewart upgraded to buy some though I make signals there on BP ... and the Spain sold the three billion euros of ten year bonds an encouraging sign for the European debt situation ... that you can ... see they flogged told of the increase in jobless claims is not going to add to solve the market's jitters ... not a good sign said when I frequent in an ad for High Frequency indicator like that but as Ricky BNI the job market look in other places seen a lot of trouble ... the housing market ... I did what was a great column today taking a look at whether all the props to the housing market didn't set up over the years have pushed us in the wrong direction ... I enjoy this now from Washington Hubbell of Mr. Wessel and that any insurance in particular what you think should be done at this point to serve on reverse that the over emphasis that we believe that house ... we've learned the lessons of this crisis but we haven't yet responded ... we know that we have for decades over celebrated homeownership is a virtue ... and people in the thought of the thirty year fixed rate mortgages and credit ... constitutional provision that it ... should be entitled to ... think they're both wrong you called a unique and costly strain were given by the blink an eye they have a five-year mortgages for the most part so why oh why are there any euro while ... I was digitally struck a time and it makes me but luckily stands in the State University as economists said that ... many other countries have just as much ownership is we do ... if they don't have a thirty year fixed rate mortgage ... the plain is that if you get a fixed rate mortgages you can pre pay at will ... it means that you're paying extra for that option calling derivatives that protect you against rising interest rates and allows you to benefit from falling interest rates ... some are afraid to be lower ... and the second thing is that the thirty year fixed rate mortgages were the reason we have Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ... which are turning out to be perhaps the biggest taxpayer ... bailout of the entire crisis ... and so direct somebody but ... neither homeownership for thirty year fixed rate mortgage should be seen as the automatic first rose everybody requires some thought because both of them have downsides to the point ... as you point ... out that there is huge ... this is that this is the result of decades of political arm ... the strategy in Washington ... D C any recognition on the part lawmakers that maybe this ... is not the way to go as they are rethinking happening ... I think is very deep in our culture goes back to nineteen eighteen and Labor Department wants to ... own your own home campaign that ... Simon are to be a fully fledged member of the American middle-class U S dollar outs ... I'm ... that will change very slowly I think one way we see the change that actually happens ... is much more talk about the importance of rental housing ... the answer to statements from our politicians to Americans that some of you should rent ... and that's OK and why did the industry is very strong and is in the psyche is very strong ... so I don't see any change your ... last question given the way the Housing guys in on the lot of areas when she recommended people grab some of these bargains better suited to stick to their rent ... gotta give people that enterprise that they did two things to remember what is to buy more house than you can afford ... because it did notion that you ... grow into it ... at a time of slow economic growth and rising house prices will will let will pay you out that we learned that those both are very risky bets ... and and the second thing is that you don't want to miss the mistakes of the past so ... you want to tell people don't buy now ran with ... it but we made it a try ... so I just think if it requires more thought than most people thought it should not be on at ... the time is ripe for a small bank lover joining eSun that I didn't take advantage of Congress in one inning for being here ... for sure come on line is Wellington saying that if anyone that your party amid the closing wrap Davidson Korea says it wanting to join us and Kelly Evans have agreed that ...


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Fundamental concepts in testing audio equipment are reviewed, beginning with an examination of the various equipment architectures in common use. Several basic analog and digital audio measurements are described. Tradeoffs inherent in the various approaches, the technologies used, and their limitations are discussed. Novel techniques employing multitone signals for fast audio measurements are examined and applications of sampling frequency correction technology to this and conventional FFT measurements are covered. Synchronous averaging of FFTs and the subsequent noise reduction are demonstrated. The need for simultaneity of digital and analog generation is presented using converter measurements as an example.
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I Wonder as I Wander – an unusual Christmas song that is thought to have its origins in the American Southeast.
Hear the story about this song and a hauntingly beautiful arrangement by Richard Souther.
Christmas Moments are Stories of beloved Christmas songs by Ed Blonski and with music by Richard Souther and Nyle Steiner.
You can find this and more music from Richard Souther at RichardSouther.com
These stories and more Christmas devotions can be found in the book "In My Father's Footsteps Christmas 2016 Edition" here.


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Get to Know Your Dean - Laurie Hendrickson
We recently had the opportunity to interview Laurie Hendrickson, Dean of Nursing at the Rasmussen College – Mankato, MN campus. In this interview, Dean Hendrickson highlights nursing degrees and nursing career information.
Q&A with Laurie Hendrickson
What Professional advice do you have for nursing graduates?
My advice would be to always remember that it is all about the patient, never forget that!! Even when it seems chaotic all around you and there are more than enough things that need to be accomplished in your day- think about what your patient really needs the most. Always listen to them, give them your utmost respect, and remember that sometimes it is the 'little' things that can mean the most to your patients. They often just need a listening ear or a caring touch. That is why you went into nursing in the first place…never, ever forget that!
Why did you choose to go into Nursing?
I went into nursing because my favorite aunt was a nurse and she was such a wonderful person that I wanted to emulate her. I felt like I needed to make a difference in the lives of people and nursing seemed such a natural way to do that.
Why is it such a great time to become a nurse?
In my opinion, there has never really been a 'bad' time to enter the nursing field. Nurses are always needed but the need is going to get even greater in the next several years. I believe that you will never have to worry about having a job as a nurse, if you are willing to go where there is the greatest need. The current opportunities for nurses are amazing and so vast, there doesn't seem to be a limit in what you can do as a nurse-the sky is the limit.
How important is continued education in nursing?
Nursing is one of those careers where you have no choice but to continue with your education. I have been a nurse for 35 years and it seems like the older I get, the less I know. There are so many changes within the medical/nursing fields, it is almost mind boggling. I often tell students that even being a nurse for so long, if I were to attend any one of their clinical experiences, I would most definitely learn something. Nursing provides you with an opportunity to obtain your education in increments. Meaning that you can start as a practical nurse, continue as an associate degree nurse, then a bachelor degree, master's degree and finally a doctoral degree. Even if you decide not to obtain further degrees, there are many certifications that can be obtained which will always provide you with current knowledge within the field of nursing.
What are some of your personal or professional achievements?
I have had many amazing experiences as a nurse although to many people they may not appear that exciting. However, I have had a chance to make a difference in the lives of so many of my patients and their families. I returned to college when my three children were very young and obtained a teaching degree. In my personal life, I have been involved in my local church for quite some time and it seems as though I have been involved in almost all opportunities that were there. Some of my favorites are, serving as camp nurse at our Bible Camp several times, directing our children's' musicals for many years. I have often been part of the worship team and the choir as well and I even used to play the organ and piano for a variety of events. I was on our conference Christian Education board for several years. We have had an active drama group for many years and I have acted in several performances that we have done. My husband and I have three grown children that live within an hour drive or so and we really enjoy doing things with them whenever possible. We have done some traveling together recently-my daughters and I went to New York City last fall and we visited Washington DC, along with my husband, this summer. I love decorating and working in my yard. We have a large property in the country and there always projects that we want to do!
More on Dean Laurie Hendrickson
Laurie Hendrickson serves as the Dean of Nursing for the Rasmussen College School of Nursing- Mankato Campus. In this role, she provides leadership for a team of faculty delivering nursing instruction for over 200 nursing students in practical nursing and associate degree nursing programs. She has also served as the Medical Assistant Program coordinator and was instrumental in achieving AAMA Accreditation for that program.
Prior to coming to Rasmussen College, Laurie held a variety of positions within the healthcare and educational arenas. She served in a variety of managerial positions in nursing, taught in practical nursing programs, where she served as department chair. She provided extensive training in a variety of nursing assistant training programs. She has also been a Nurse Evaluator for the State of Minnesota for the MN Nursing Assistant Registry.
A registered nurse for over 35 years, Laurie holds an AA Degree in Nursing from Rochester Community College, Rochester, MN, a Bachelor of Science in Teaching degree from Mankato State University, Mankato, MN, and is currently enrolled as an MSN student at Loyola University New Orleans in their Healthcare Systems Management program. She is a member of Minnesota Nurse Association
Laurie and her husband, Keith, have three adult children and reside in rural New Richland, MN.


text: Classic Thunderbird Owned by the Clash's Joe Strummer Up for Auction 10:00 AM PDT 8/15/2014 by Michael Walker FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Beverly Hills Car Club Joe Strummer Thunderbird - H 2014 The guitarist bought the car while living in L.A. in 1987 and recording his solo album "Earthquake Weather" The punks had a soft spot for throwback Detroit iron — see: the Pretenders' video for "Brass in Pocket" and its tail-finny '59 Cadillac. Now, an American classic owed by of one punk's founders is on the auction block. The Beverly Hills Car Club is accepting bids through Aug. 21 for the 1963 Ford Thunderbird formerly owned by Joe Strummer, guitarist and founding member of the Clash. Strummer was living in L.A.'s Laurel Canyon and recording his solo album Earthquake Weather when he bought the Chalfont Blue T-Bird for $4,200 in 1987. The Thunderbird was reportedly Strummer's main L.A. ride for the next two years — he drove it 850 miles to the 1988 Santa Fe film festival, where Strummer was featured in Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train. Ironically, given the car's exhaust-spewing 390 cubic inch V-8, Strummer later was active in Future Forests (now the Carbon Neutral Co.) and offset the carbon footprint of the manufacture of his records by planting trees. Strummer died in 2002 in England — the final day of the auction would have been his 62nd birthday. As of Aug. 14, the current bid for the car was $22,3000. To bid. FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Michael Walker email@example.com @thr


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Look no further, you brave soul. They're all over the Carolinas. Here are a few suggestions:
There's a new Blackbeard exhibit at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, North Carolina. It has artifacts from the famous pirate's shipwreck, Queen Anne's Revenge. While the exhibit is permanent, the artifacts will change periodically. www.ncmaritimemuseums.com/beaufort.html
Check out the pirate museum inside Teach's Hole on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. The gift shop, which opened in 1992, claims to have more than 1,000 pirate-theme items for sale, as well as a small pirate museum. www.teachshole.com
The Pirate Voyage is an extravagant dinner show that opened in June 2011 at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina that includes a huge pirate battle. www.piratesvoyage.com
Pirate Invasion is a big, annual festival that takes place in Beaufort, North Carolina every August. Participants will enjoy a pirate attack, treasure hunt, face painting, music, special tours, and much more. www.beaufortpirateinvasion.com
Charleston was a big hangout for pirates during the era of Blackbeard. Take a guided tour to learn more about the Golden Age of Piracy and to see where some of them were hanged! The guide wears a pirate costume complete with a colorful macaw perched on his shoulder. www.charlestonpiratetour.com
Terrance Zepke
Author of Pirates of the Carolinas and Pirates of the Carolinas for Kids


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|Mrs. Naughty
40-year-old SugarBaby
(Next Birthday in exactly 3 months) Aquarius
Washington District of Columbia, DC, United States
Seeking SugarDaddy 40 - 60
Personal Details
|About Me:
A wife, but not a housewife.
Naughty, but not desperate.
I am happily married, looking for a bit of harmless mischief. I'm a professional with a post-graduate degree (with gargantuan student loans) as well as a professional dancer; a sophistocated free-spirit. Many describe me as ecclectic, exotic, and a little eccentric. Travelling, reading, dancing, surfing, and throwing great parties are my favorite things to do.
What I'm Looking For
I am looking for a fun-loving gentleman to goof off with once in a while, have an occasional romp with, who will spoil me like a goddess. I like to be treated to impractical (fun) things just not in my budget at the moment, however I am not the diamonds and furs type, a regular allowance plus gifts would be ideal. I particularly like men who are a little plump with a goatee, and bald/balding is ok too. I prefer dark hair and brown, hazel, or green eyes. Must be drug/disease free like me. Is this you?
Looking For


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This is the second in my series of introducing you to my favourite cancer specific podcasts. I highly recommend that you check these out! If you aren't familiar with podcasts or how to listen on the go, check out my post about the top 10 podcasts for cancer thrivers. You can find the post HERE.
The first podcast I reviewed and recommend is The Cancer Warrior with Mel Majoros. You can read my review and listen to the episode that I was featured on here.
This second podcast review is for a podcast called Living With… with host Tom Coccagna. When I first heard Tom Coccagna speak, he reminded me of Mr. Rogers. Do you remember that children's show? It went like this…Mr. Rogers would come into the house and change from his outside shoes to his inside ones and his light jacket to a sweater. Then he would talk to kids, have guests and do a craft.
Tom's voice brought me back to that show and I instantly felt that his voice was one I could trust. Tom is a gentle soul who has been put on this earth to help others. He is an amazing listener. I can't stand so-called "professional interviewers" who constantly interrupt their guests. Tom doesn't interrupt. He listens. He lets his guests tell their whole story. And the stories are amazing!
Tom interviews people who have done inspiring things as a result of their cancer. Some have written books, started charities and began donor registry drives. Despite their illnesses, these people put their heart and soul into helping others. The kind of people whose shoulders new patients stand on. They have seen where deficiencies lie and are committed to making things easier for the patients who come after them.
Tom himself lives with a form of myelodysplastic syndrome and will often share parts of his personal experience as he relates to his guest. His podcast is relatively new as it only started in February 2015, and I hope it continues. I think the stories people share on his podcast need to be heard by cancer patients and survivors because they provide hope and inspiration! I encourage you to listen!
The interview I did with Tom was released in June. You can listen to the episode on Tom's website HERE or access the episode through iTunes HERE. This episode is the only place where I have made public the very stressful events surrounding my cancer diagnosis. Anyone who has had a cancer diagnosis on the heels of a stressful life event will relate to my story. I shared my story because I want you to realize how stress can leave your immune system vulnerable and also because I want you to know how important it is for you to love and accept yourself unconditionally.


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The World Champion Springboks have withdrawn from the Rugby Championship, according to a report by Liam Napier at the New Zealand Herald.
Leinster's sombre exit from the Champions Cup yesterday heralded the conclusion of a noteworthy rugby career, that of Rob Kearney's.
The All Blacks claimed a 1-0 advantage in the Bledisloe Cup as they battled to a 27-7 victory over the Wallabies at Eden Park.
There are no news for this match.


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Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Happy Waxing Moon
No Full Moon painting for me this month. Our sky was socked in with clouds.
I've two more sketches to do of the convergence of Jupiter and the waxing Moon. Right now they are just hen scratchings on a piece of scrap paper and laying in my 'to do' pile :)
Posted by Pam Johnson Brickell at 9:54 AM
Labels: Full Moons, Watercolor
6 comments:
Just goes to show you don't have to do the full moon to have a beautiful post for us :)ReplyDelete
Aw shucks. Thanks, Rhonda!ReplyDelete
Pam, the calendar you created at Lulu.com came today and it's lovely! So full of your beautiful artwork and interesting astronomical events printed - and each full moon so I'll know when you'll be out there painting :) Thanks so much for sharing this creation with your viewers!ReplyDelete
Thank you, Rhonda!! I hope it brings you joy the whole year through :)ReplyDelete
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Prep Courses, Classes & Resources for All Major HR Certifications
There is nothing that says more about your commitment to the HR profession, your career, credibility, strategic value, and willingness to step up to the challenges of today's business and HR environment than becoming certified! HR Cert Prep Pros can help you prepare for and pass your exam.
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Get free insight on how to choose and prepare for HR certification.
Which HR Certification Is Right for Me?
HRCI Certifications
The Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) was established in 1976 as an independent non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to developing and maintaining the comprehensive and evolving Body of Knowledge (BoK) for the HR profession; developing and administering certification exams; establishing recertification criteria; and administering the recertification of HR professionals holding HRCI certifications.
More than 500,000 HR professionals worldwide have earned HRCI's fully NCCA-accredited certifications, which include the aPHR, aPHRi, PHR, PHRi, PHRca, GPHR, SPHR, and SPHRi.
Join a free "Which Exam is Right for You?" webinar and we'll help you choose the right exam for your career and situation.
HRCI's Associate Professional in Human Resources™ (aPHR™) is the perfect certification to provide you with the knowledge and confidence to fast-track your career growth or launch into the HR profession. To be eligible for the aPHR, you must have a high school diploma or global equivalent; no HR experience is required. Catapult your career with this knowledge-based credential!
The PHR certification is for HR professionals with experience planning and implementing HR programs and policies. The PHR demonstrates your mastery of the technical and operational aspects of HR management, including U.S. laws and regulations. The PHR is the must-have credential for HR professionals in operational roles!
The SPHR demonstrates your mastery of the strategic and policy-making aspects of HR management. Organizations seek out SPHR professionals for their proven accountability for HR department goals, breadth and depth of knowledge in all HR disciplines, and understanding business issues beyond the HR function. The SPHR is the highest level, most respected, and most highly rewarded certification in the HR profession!
In 2014, SHRM (the Society for Human Resource Management) rolled out its two behavioral competency-based certifications to test HR professionals on behavioral competencies required to effectively apply knowledge in the modern workplace in support of organizational goals.
The SHRM Body of Competency and Knowledge (SHRM BoCK™) is the foundation for these certifications. The SHRM BoCK organizes eight behavioral competencies into three clusters: Leadership (Leadership & Navigation, Ethical Practice), Interpersonal (Relationship Management, Communication, Global & Cultural Effectiveness), and Business (Business Acumen, Consultation, Critical Evaluation). In addition, there are 15 HR knowledge areas that are critical to the success of any HR professional.
The SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) is geared towards early- and mid-career professionals.
Business leaders expect that HR professionals will demonstrate, in addition to a thorough knowledge of HR concepts and requirements, the behavioral competencies required to effectively apply knowledge in the modern workplace in support of organizational goals.
The SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) is geared towards senior-level practitioners.
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Men are hardwired to be strong, not emotional. They may come across as insensitive on many occasions but that's not what it really is. Men seem to be insensitive through online dating because they don't know how to display their feelings and emotions. If you're wondering how to emotionally connect with a man, we have the perfect guide for you.
Show Him Respect
Nobody likes to be disrespected and if you disrespect a man, he will only repel against you and become cold. If you want to emotionally connect with your man, you need to show him respect and you need to respect his judgments and decisions. Respect is a form of emotional connection and it acts as a foundation stone for any healthy relationship.
Pamper His Ego
Men love having their egos pampered. If you do anything or act out in any way that hurts or damages a man's ego, he will begin to hold grudges against you. If you want to emotionally connect with a man, you need to pamper his ego and make him feel like he is something great. Avoid insulting him in any way or saying harsh things that may hurt his ego. A man who has his ego pampered will connect emotionally in a much better fashion than a man who has a hurt ego.
Be Positive And Have An Affirming Attitude
No man likes to emotionally connect with a woman who's consistently negative. If you're going to go on nagging your man about each and every little thing, he is only going to switch off emotionally. You need to be positive and have an affirming attitude when dealing with a man. You need to compliment him on his good qualities and strengths every now and then. When he sees that you appreciate him for what he is, he will automatically be able to connect with you emotionally.


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BF Blagomai bought and transferred blankets (blue, 10 pcs.) For a family-type children's home of the Fedoryak family, for the amount of 3 567.20
We express our gratitude to the anonymous benefactor.
Dear reader of this news, if you also want to help children from orphanages in Ukraine, you can go to this link http://charitymay.com/how-to-help/make-donation to make your donation in any way convenient for you. Also, you can subscribe for regular donations through Privat24 / through the fund's website, and then every month the sum you set will automatically be deducted from your account for good deeds.
Hurry to do good deeds, improving the childhood of children from orphanages in Ukraine!
With respect, kindness and love, the team of the Blagomay BF
Dear reader of this news, if you also want to help children fr


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The Silver Edge by Kim Andersen
Starting at $39.95
In stock
Customer Reviews
ShawnI purchased the coins the moment they became available and I absolutely love them! I have very little coin handling skills and the strength of these coins enable me to do a lot of effects with full confidence as if I've been performing them for years. The only limitation I have rest in my inexperience of coin handling and not in the coins themselves. What is cool about that is, these coins will be right there by my side as I get better over time. I would love to see more videos of how others have used them. Great job!
NickI was first concerned about the quality of these coins from what I read on another site. When I received this particular set from Ellusionist I was extremely satisfied with the quality of my set. Every single coin looks exactly the same. The video tutorial is good and provides some cool routines. Any magician who gets their hands on these coins will have a blast coming up with their own routines. I've never seen its equal.
PatrickDespite the secret being mentioned in the ad this is going to be something you're going to have to devote some time too. I personally cannot get the skin hold out to work because my skin isn't cooperating so to remedy this I use the quiver coin holder attached to my belt and just "adjust" my shirt to receive the coins. There is a lot of great material here but you will need to practice. You will have to find certain positions that work for you in the self working goshman pinch. My problem is if the coin is too deep into my finger palm position that the pinched coin falls when rotating my hand back around. Again, this is something you will just have to overcome yourself and make it work for you . Once you do that it's beautiful routines that hit hard. Recommend this if you are up for the challenge.
RussellI love these coins!I just wish that they were available in dollar size.
MarcI don't write reviews very often but I feel I must.
I got my hands on these the day they were available. I have around 6 years of coin magic experience and I do believe that the routines are beginner to intermediate in skill level.
The coins are super well made and I have been using them almost exclusively since they cam out. Add a Turtle and create extra miracles, add a Dolphin and dear god the options.
Using these injunction with a few common gimmicks and most importantly, solid coin sleight of hand and you have an endless eel of options.
I have seen some negative reviews on these and I'm not sure why they are negative. If you "can't" do the routines; you need to sit down with BoBos and get a beginner understanding of basic coin handling and you are gold. I have fooled laymen and magicians alike with what I feel is self working magic. Tennis pennies? No Problem! Coins across? No Problem! 3 Fly? No Problem! Just grit it out and practice some coin handling, you have to be bad before you can become "good".
5 Stars from me.
My favorite coin gimmicks I own... other than my Turtle of course. ;)
AkisCoins are perfect quality. The effects are nice. Kim andersen is also ok teaching. But the most important thing is that with these coins there are a ton of tricks you can do.
PeterI am an amateur magician who is only started practicing because of people teasing me about my last name and not knowing Magic. This is the easiest by far coin magic trick to learn and requires very little concentrated practice. Not all the tricks shown in the video are extremely easy but a couple of them are unbelievably easy requiring only 10 minutes of practice. It is so easy and amazing that one of my no longer magician friends stole it from me and I have to re-order the coins.
CuenytThis is probably the worst purchase I've ever made guys. I hate to give bad reviews but the handling of the coins is not easy as they are super strong magnets. It is definitely not worth it to pay 115 Dollar for this set.
Yup must be very careful with the coins as they can stick together at any time. The dvd is great an die I agree that he puts a lot effort in it and it might suit him. However I don't think this is good for daily use they are a
Other great coins Magic's out there which I use a lot and they are reliable. Silver edge is ok but for me it was a waste of money and I hate to say that!
StephenI just recieved the coins - and whereas I don't have a review for them in action yet - I was VERY pleased that they came with three fifty cent pieces as well as the coins. WELL DONE E! WELL DONE!
SummaryAgree these coins are top quality. My problem is they are advertised as being good even for a beginner with coin magic. I am a magician with 20 yrs experience, albeit none with coins. Thinking this would be great I spent the $123 dollars only to find out each routine taught takes a great deal of coin sleight of hand that only comes with yrs of experience. I now have two choices...invest a great deal of time getting up or speed or try to sell the set at a loss. Very disappointed!


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The World's Greatest Puzzle!
Shortly after it's introduction, THE RUNES was featured in MENSA magazine, which described:
"The Myriad Mysteries of THE RUNES"
including the fun, challenge and the ancient secret to uncover.
Here's What Solvers Are Saying
(Read these and more comments at THE RUNES Forum)
"For me the magic moment came on page 2 where the green picture could mean any of three things. I identified the picture almost at once but could not see in which of the three directions it might go. And I knew that I had to find out!"
"This should come with a warning label on it. ...It's highly additive.
I've put it down with good intentions of getting back to life and work. But I couldn't keep away! Now, instead of sleeping, I'm doing the Runes."
"I took it to Rome with me and sought inspiration in the Forum....
................. aaaagh, there's no escaping the clutches of the Runes!"
"It took three pages before I was fully sold on this. I guess that's probably because I would class myself as a "hard-core" puzzle solver. I didn't see anything particularly interesting on page 1 and page 2 didn't take much longer. It wasn't until page 3 and the "proper" solution for the top keyword that I was hooked. And, of course, I had peeked ahead and seen the awesome complexity of the later pages. Oh, and the mysterious Easter Island Statue that also made it clear that there was a lot more going on here than met the eye."
"What I have enjoyed is the step-by-step developments of the first few pages leading into the greater challenges as you realise that there is more to each puzzle than you were first led to think - and the buzz of discovery when you realise how it actually works."
"This is one of the most complex puzzles I have ever encountered. I've been working at this since June and feel I'll probably still be here next June too."
"I am proud to say that I have had my first Eureka moment when everything just slotted into place. I know I still have a long way to go but for now I am bathing in my moment of glory."
"I'm totally intrigued with this puzzle. Even though I'm nowhere near finished - I'll be sad if I ever get to the end. I now think I need counselling!"
"Great to know that there are still people out there coming across the great quest.....
Can You Solve The World's Greatest Puzzle?
The Runes is presented in colour on 27 A4 pages (11" x 8"), inside a presentation folder.There is little text, just a very large number (300+) of original puzzles and a challenge to unravel the underlying ancient mystery.
THE RUNES is available for £29.95 plus p&p.This includes free access to THE RUNES FORUM, where you can check some of your solutions; record and compare your progress with other solvers and exchange hints and help.For post and packing to UK addresses, please add £2. You can pay by credit or debit card, PayPal, cheque, or money order. For posting overseas, We always ship airmail, which means that
you are most likely to receive the puzzle within about 5 working days of paying for it. The price for THE RUNES sent in this way is as follows: Europe: £39.95; USA: $69.00; Elsewhere: £43.95. You can pay by card or by PayPal.
You order THE RUNES simply by letting us know that you would like a copy.
You can do that in any of the following ways: - Phone: 01395 250297 - e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com - Message: Click on "Send Message" in the top left menuWe will confirm your order and then you can decide which method of payment suits you best. The payment will be handled with full PayPal security and you will be able to use a credit or debit card, PayPal account or cheque.
Card details are not needed to order now


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Rigging claims throw Kenya polls into chaos
NAIROBI (AFP) - Kenya's critical presidential election was plunged into further disarray on Thursday after the party of one of the leading candidates alleged vote-rigging and demanded that the count be halted.
The accusations by Prime Minister Raila Odinga's running mate came a day after his chief rival, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, protested at the inclusion of spoiled ballots in the vote count, a process that could increase the chances of a second round runoff.
Monday's elections in the regional powerhouse were the first since 2007 when a dispute over the counting process erupted into weeks of deadly violence that left more than 1,100 people dead.
"We have evidence that the results we have received have been doctored," Odinga's running mate, outgoing vice president Kalonzo Musyoka, told reporters, adding that in some cases "total votes cast exceeds the actual number of registered voters."
Odinga says he was robbed of victory in the last polls in 2007 when disputed results triggered the bloody ethnic killings.
But Musyoka urged calm, stressing that his accusations were "not a call to mass action" and that the party was "committed to the principle of rule of law".
"Because of these concerns, we as a coalition take the position that the national vote tallying process lacks integrity and has to be stopped," Musyoka said, demanding that "primary documents" from polling stations be used.
Kenyatta, who faces a trial at the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity over the 2007-08 violence, held a clear lead as counting continued Thursday, with almost half of estimated ballots cast so far tallied.
As of 0900 GMT, two and a half days since polls closed, Kenyatta had won 54 percent of valid votes against 40 percent for Odinga, according to official results relayed by Kenyan media.
Both Kenyatta -- one of Africa's richest and most powerful men -- and his running mate William Ruto face charges of orchestrating murder, rape, forcible transfer and persecution in the aftermath of the 2007 elections.
Concerns have been raised at the widespread failure of a system under which the electoral commission had been broadcasting running tallies based on encrypted text messages received from polling stations.
Leaders have urged calm after hitches caused an electronic tallying system to stall, forcing the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Wednesday to start reading out results delivered in person by returning officers.
-- Parties vow to follow legal process --
Kenyatta's party has also raised major concerns over electoral process.
Party official Charity Ngilu said Wednesday that the inclusion of mountains of spoiled ballots in the count was motivated by a "sinister and suspect" logic.
Initial results sent electronically showed that the spoiled ballots made up more than five percent of votes cast, greatly adding to the number needed for a candidate to break the 50 percent threshold for a first round win and increasing the prospect of a runoff due within a month.
However, official results showed a far lower number of rejected ballots counted -- more than 38,000 so far on Thursday, according to Kenya's Citizen TV, as opposed to the several hundreds of thousands reported in interim results.
No explanation has yet been given for the difference.
"All of a sudden, because of this manual delivery of tallies, there is a tremendous reduction in the number of spoilt votes," Musyoka said.
Partial results from over 4.6 million votes -- from a total of 14.3 million registered voters -- showed that Kenyatta had won more than 2.4 million against almost 1.9 million for Odinga.
To win outright and avoid a second round, a candidate must win more than half of all votes cast, according to the constitution, as well as at least 25 percent of votes in more than half of all 47 counties.
IEBC chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan has said official results are expected on Friday, although legally the commission has until Monday to deliver the tallies.
Odinga and Kenyatta -- the son of independent Kenya's founding president -- have publicly vowed there will be no repeat of the 2007-08 bloodshed.
But the trials later this year at The Hague-based ICC for Kenyatta and Ruto have raised the stakes in the election race: should they win the vote, the president and vice-president could be absent for years.
Kenya has been largely calm in recent days apart from isolated incidents of violence.


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As readers of this blog will know, we've been putting a lot of work into doing stitching of large numbers of brightfield images to acquire large fields of view. You will also have noticed that all the images I've shown so far were grayscale. That's because we have a grayscale camera. However, many biological samples that people want to image are color. Rather than buy a color camera (and because color camera support in Micro-Manager is poor right now) we've instead tried using a red/green/blue (RGB) LED source from ScopeLED to generate color images. It works pretty well:
The ScopeLED illuminator is a pretty simple device – it bolts on to your brightfield illumination pillar and has arrays of red, green, and blue LEDs. You can turn these on and off separately to get monochrome illumination, or you can turn all three on at the same time to get white light. By varying the intensity of the three colors, you can change the color temperature of the light. Importantly, for our purposes, there is a Micro-Manager driver for it (although it leaves some things to be desired).
The ScopeLED illuminator.
To acquire color images with the ScopeLED, then, all we need to do is take three images in succession, one in each color. Overlaying them then gives us the RGB (color) image. There's just one little problem, which is that we need to scale the brightness of the images appropriately so that white comes out white. This is known as white balancing, and there are a lot of ways to do it. Fortunately for us, the simplest thing I tried works well, which is to flat field each color channel using a flat-field image acquired for that channel and a global dark-field image. After this process, a point in the sample that didn't absorb any light will have an intensity of (1,1,1) in the three channels, hence white. This process gives us both flat-fielded and white-balanced images.
Micro-Manager doesn't yet have much support for color images, so I do this processing offline in Matlab. That's how the image above was processed. I can post the code if it's of interest to anyone. Now, we're working on integrating this with stitching to get large color images of samples.
I think that as RGB LED illuminators become more common, this will become an increasingly common approach for capturing color images. It saves money (assuming you already have a camera you're using for fluorescence). It also generally produces higher quality images, since the fluorescence cameras are generally better and you avoid using a Bayer mask and deBayering.


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'K Blows Top': Reliving Khrushchev's American Tour
ALISON STEWART, host:
This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Alison Stewart.
Imagine the sight of a foreign nemesis barnstorming across America kissing babies, being greeted by crowds, the press following every move, all while the pugnacious world leader criticizes the American way of life and hurls one-liners at local leaders.
You don't have to imagine it - it all happened. This year marked the 50th anniversary of the unusual visit to the United States by the then-general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Nikita Khrushchev took every opportunity to tell his side of things to anyone who would listen.
For example, this moment from his road trip where he explained what he really meant when he said to America: We will bury you.
Mr. NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV (Former General Secretary, Communist Party, Soviet Union): (Through Translator) When I spoke of the burial, that should not be understood literally, word-for-word, as if someone was going to take a spade and start burying somebody.
STEWART: The trip is the subject of a new book, "K Blows Top: A Cold War Comic Interlude Starring Nikita Khrushchev, America's Unlikely Tourist." Peter Carlson, a former columnist from The Washington Post, is the author of "K Blows Top," and he joins us in studio. Hi, Peter.
Mr. PETER CARLSON (Author, "K Blows Top: A Cold War Comic Interlude Starring Nikita Khrushchev, America's Unlikely Tourist"): Hello.
STEWART: So, "K Blows Top" is one of the real headlines from his trip. First of all, tell us what he blew his top about and why we only called him K in headlines.
Mr. CARLSON: They called him K because Khrushchev is a very long name and they couldn't fit in headlines. So the headline, from which I took the story, was in the New York Daily News after Khrushchev blew his top because he wasn't allowed to go to Disneyland. The headline was three lines: Denied Tour of Disneyland, K Blows Top. One of my favorites came out before Khrushchev arrived: Khrushchev To Get Free Dry Cleaning.
(Soundbite of laughter)
Mr. CARLSON: And another one of my favorites, above a story of a man who went crazy and killed two people after he watched Khrushchev's arrival on television. The headline was: Sees K on TV, So He Murders 2.
STEWART: And they're all real headlines, and they're all real things that happened.
Mr. CARLSON: I couldn't make it up.
STEWART: Let's talk about the origin of the visit. The head cold warrior of the time, the Soviet leader setting foot on U.S. soil. Actually, it was a bit of a diplomatic snafu. He wasn't really just invited to come around and stomp around the United States. What happened?
Mr. CARLSON: Well, Khrushchev had threatened to do something unspecified bad to West Berlin, and the Soviets and the Americans and British and French were negotiating about Berlin in Geneva. President Eisenhower, in the hopes of getting an agreement in Geneva, decided to invite Khrushchev to the United States, and he wrote a letter to Khrushchev.
And the letter was given to one of Khrushchev's aides by a State Department official named Robert Murphy. And Murphy was supposed to tell the aide that the invitation had a condition to it, and the condition was if they came to an agreement in Geneva, then Khrushchev was invited to the United States. But Murphy forgot to say that.
Khrushchev got the letter and immediately said, sure, I'll come over. How about letting me travel around the country for a couple of weeks? Wasn't much Ike could do. He couldn't uninvite him.
STEWART: He was quite angry about it, though, Eisenhower.
Mr. CARLSON: He was very angry and he gave Murphy quite the tongue-lashing.
STEWART: How was the itinerary set?
Mr. CARLSON: Well, there was a lot of fighting about that. Thousands of Americans had written, saying, please come to my house, my lodge meeting, my town, my factory. Finally, basically, they let Khrushchev go where he wanted to go, which was Washington, New York, Hollywood, San Francisco and a steel mill in Pittsburgh and from there to summit talks with Ike at Camp David.
STEWART: Did any diplomatic work get done? 'Cause every time the United States' diplomats or Henry Cabot Lodge, who was sort of his keeper, showed him something that was wonderfully American, Khrushchev would just say, we have it better in the Soviet Union or, that's not so great.
Mr. CARLSON: Well, that's right. Except for hot dogs - he really liked our hot dogs. Also, he liked the lockers at Union Station in Washington. In the Soviet Union, you checked your coat or your bags while you were waiting for a train and you had to stand on line. And Khrushchev was fascinated by the lockers in the station where you could put your stuff in and you could put a quarter in and take the key out.
STEWART: You write a lot about how he was just followed by throngs of reporters. And do you think this trip had a lasting effect on media coverage?
Mr. CARLSON: I think it did. Scotty Reston(ph), a columnist of The New York Times, wrote a column about how Khrushchev and Lodge and all the other people were not really talking to each other, but were talking to the media. And Khrushchev himself instinctively understood this, and he knew that his trip was less a diplomatic tour than it was a big TV show starring himself as the new, charismatic leader of this young and vibrant communist world, as he saw it at the time.
STEWART: One of the members of the media during all of this was Daniel Schorr, who, of course, we all know from NPR, but he was a CBS correspondent at the time, right?
Mr. CARLSON: Yes. He had been in Russia. He spoke fluent Russian, and I believe he had been kicked out a couple years earlier, and he covered '59 tour and then again when Khrushchev came back in 1960.
STEWART: So, Peter, I'd like you to read a passage from the book in which Dan Schorr makes an appearance. And we've actually asked Dan Schorr to play the role of Dan Schorr.
Mr. CARLSON: Khrushchev is on a train from L.A. They've stopped at a whistle stop and he got out and met people, and so he's now in a great mood because he believes that the American people love him. So, in the train he walks into the car full of reporters and this is what happens.
He didn't need strong liquids, he was already high. Today I won my freedom, he announced. I was able to meet real live Americans and look them in the eye. I'm happy that the house arrest I was placed under has been lifted.
DAN SCHORR: You seem in better humor today than you did last night in Los Angeles…
Mr. CARLSON: …Daniel Schorr said. You know, Mr. Schorr, when they stick pins in you, you have to retaliate, Khrushchev replied. He illustrated by throwing a quick punch towards Schorr's gut, causing the CBS correspondent to flinch and step backwards.
SCHORR: Does this mean that you've decided not to go home?
Mr. CARLSON: Why should I go, Khrushchev asked. Did you see the crowd at the railroad station? Did you see that little girl waving at me? She was waiving at communism.
STEWART: Did Khrushchev enjoy this back and forth with reporters?
Mr. CARLSON: Oh, he loved that. He was very good at banter and he loved it, and they loved to do it.
STEWART: Yet he took great offense when it was suggested that Pravda and the like did not have freedom of the press.
Mr. CARLSON: That's true. He did not like to be criticized by people and he would always defend his presence, saying it's really none of your business. Ironically, when he was old, he had been overthrown, he grumbled to his friends that - he was reading Pravda and he couldn't believe they would print this crap because no one would possibly believe it.
STEWART: The book does not end with Khrushchev just going home and saying goodbye to America. You actually talk about one of the most famous incidents involving Khrushchev, the shoe incident, where he banged his shoe on the desk at the U.N. because he was angry that the Soviet Union was criticized for aggression towards Eastern Europe.
But after reading your book, I wonder if that shoe-banging incident isn't related in some way to the 10-day trip, because it seemed that Khrushchev and Eisenhower had bonded in some way.
Mr. CARLSON: Yes. He felt that he had gotten along very well with Eisenhower. He flew home, immediately went to a huge rally in Moscow and he praised Eisenhower's wisdom and Eisenhower's love of peace. And it wasn't just rhetoric, because he went back and he cut the military budget by a lot. He reduced his military by over a million men, and he built a golf course so that when Ike came to the Soviet Union the following spring, he would be able to play his favorite game.
But then Ike sent a U-2 plane spying over Russia on May 1st, 1960, and the Soviets shot it down. And Khrushchev looked to the hardliners at the Kremlin like a weakling because his friend Eisenhower had betrayed him. So Khrushchev threw a major temper tantrum and cancelled Ike's trip to the Soviet Union. He appointed himself head of the Soviets' delegation to the U.N. and acted terribly. He did everything he could to embarrass Eisenhower and denounce the United States.
STEWART: Peter Carlson, a former columnist from The Washington Post, is the author of "K Blows Top." Thanks for being with us, Peter.
Mr. CARLSON: Thank you.
STEWART: You can read an excerpt of "K Blows Top" on our Web site NPR.org.
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Look at it. This is the majestic Madewood Plantation in Napoleonville, LA where I am staying for the five-day Les Bohemes retreat.
It's only the second day and I am learning so much about how important it is to have love for yourself and your unique set of gifts. For so long I've been battling depression because I felt stuck. But not anymore.
"I am tired of grieving the person I did not become. The time is NOW to love the woman I am." That's what I wrote from the workshop led by Floetry's own Natalie (below). Continue reading "Les Bohemes Part 1: Learning Self Love"


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written by: Freya Pickard
clustered boles
singing, chanting, humming
choral stand; iron post
standing, dominating, polluting
regimental ranks
Freya Pickard
Freya Pickard is the Author of The Kaerling series, an epic fantasy set in the strange and wonderful world of Nirunen. She writes mainly fantasy tales, with some poetry thrown in, whilst juggling with running a Bed & Breakfast and trying to read as many books as she can. She has published 13 e-books and 6 paperbacks so far and has plans to publish many more. Having survived cancer, Freya is not afraid to explore the darkness and finds her inspiration in the ocean, beautifully written books and vinyl music. When she has time, she likes to bake bread and paint with watercolours!
Latest posts by Freya Pickard (see all)
- Stuck In The Middle - July 4, 2020
- Wavesong - April 21, 2019
- Spotlight On Writers – Freya Pickard - July 14, 2018