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52 Must-Have Apps and Tools for Marketing ProsMay 6, 2014 | by admin | Category: Uncategorized
If a marketer does it, chances are a developer has made an app for it. From task management to time-tracking to social media management to website usability, the worldwide web is overflowing with online tools, mobile apps, and desktop programs designed to help you work better, harder and more efficiently.
Here are our picks for the 52 best and absolutely must-have apps and tools for marketing professionals.
Table of Contents
Use the anchor links below to quickly jump down to a particular section:
- Productivity Apps and Tools
- Marketing Automation Apps and Tools
- Brainstorming Apps and Tools
- Design, Writing, Video and Multimedia Apps and Tools
- SEO and Website Optimization Apps and Tools
- Client Relations Apps and Tools
- Office and Sales Apps and Tools
- Social Networking Apps and Tools
- Trade Show Marketing Apps and Tools
- Other Must-Have Marketing Apps and Tools
Productivity Apps and Tools
1. Any.do
If you've ever panicked over your own disorganization, the award-winning Any.do is the answer. This simple planning app lets you organize any and every to-do into lists marked for Today, Tomorrow, Upcoming, and Someday.
Key Features:
- Sync tasks via Chrome from your smartphone to Gmail and/or your home or work computer
- Set reminders for tasks
- Sync Any.do with the Cal calendar app (available from the same company)
- Available for iOS and Android
Cost: Free
2. LogMeIn
Remote access is the holy grail of productivity: once you have it enabled, you never need worry about saving to shared folders, emailing yourself a project, or saving a presentation to a thumb drive. LogMeIn is remote access on steroids, allowing you to not only access your Mac or Windows computer, but to transfer files, remote print, and other features.
Key Features:
- Access your desktop (Mac or Windows) – and all its files – from anywhere, including from your mobile device
- Transfer files, large and small, through the file manager
- No web browser required for remote connect
- Available for iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire
Cost: Free Trial; LogMeIn Pro starts at $99/year
3. Dropbox
If you're looking for an easy way to access your files from anywhere… or to share notes with colleagues… or to collaborate on projects with other marketers… or, well, almost anything to do with accessing documents, images, video and other files on different computers and different users, Dropbox is an excellent solution.
Key Features:
- Access, edit and annotate documents, video, photos, and any other file from any computer, tablet or phone via your Dropbox login info
- All files secured with 256-bit AES encryption and two-step verification
- Available for iOS, Android, Blackberry, Kindle Fire and desktop
Cost: Free basic account; Dropbox Pro and Dropbox for Business from $9.99/user/month
4. Toggl
If you bill by the hour or just need to keep track of your time investment on a project, Toggle is the perfect time-tracking tool. It measures time spent, down to the last second, on any task.
Key Features:
- Hide in your system tray for unobtrusive, lightweight time-tracking
- Manage your time on projects – even manage time spent per client, across various projects
- Available iOS, Android, desktop (Mac, Windows and Linux) and as a web tool
Cost: Free basic version; Toggle Pro from $5/month
5. Pocket
Sometimes, productivity is all about what you're not doing – namely, not wasting time, procrastinating, or getting distracted. Pocket (formerly Read it Later) helps with that. Simply save anything online – an article, a video, a tweet – to read at the right moment.
Key Features:
- Pocket anything from your web browser or supported apps (currently at 500+), including Flipboard, Twitter, Pulse and Zite
- Once you've saved something to Pocket, it's on your phone; you don't need an Internet connect to view it
- Available for iOS, Android, Kobo and via web browser
Cost: Free
6. LastPass
If you can hardly open a new browser tab without entering yet another password, then LastPass is for you. This handy little app saves all your passwords in one place, securing your data and simplifying your life – and giving account access to your whole team, too.
Key Features:
- Manage all your password-protected accounts via one LastPass password
- Centralize all your data in one easy-to-use, easy-to-view password vault
- Backup sensitive documents and images automatically, so you'll always have a digital copy
- Available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, and desktop (Mac, Windows & Linux)
Cost: From $18 per year, per user
If you can remember back to middle school math, then you probably remember the formula, if this then that. IFTTT (pronounced ift), is the easy way to program your smartphone: if a trigger (an "if") happens, then an action (a "that") results. Examples: If you change your Facebook page photo, then change your Twitter photo, too.
Key Features:
- Piggyback off common if:then community recipes
- Never miss notifications, reminders or social interactions
- Easily turn personal recipes on/off, as needed
- Available for iOS and Android
Cost: Free
8. Jelly
It's no surprise that Twitter co-founder, Biz Stone, is the innovative mind behind this social app built to crowdsource knowledge. If your social network is replete with other marketers, Jelly lets you ask questions via text or photo (or both).
Key Features:
- Incorporate images, locations and maps into your questions. Images may be cropped, zoomed, and reframed.
- Questions may be answered via map pins, drawings, attached links, and text
- Forward questions to network connections who don't use Jelly
- Available for iOS and Android
Cost: Free
9. Docurated
Docurated is a highly-evolved search engine and collaborative tool for all your files and is compatible with cloud file sharing platforms, like Box and Dropbox. Trying to find that Powerpoint presentation or data chart from a year ago that's now buried in a sea of files? Docurated will get it done.
Key Features:
- Access the most relevant page or slide without having to open a single file or folder
- Find relevant content from multiple repositories like Box, shared drives, your local desktop.
- No manual tagging or uploading—all your content is automatically indexed
- Available for desktop, supports the following file types: (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Keynote, Images, Video)
Marketing Automation Apps and Tools
10. Tinderbox
Tinderbox leverages technology to automate time-consuming, detail-rich but repetitive tasks like project proposals and presentations. The goal: free up time so your team get back to doing what it does best – selling.
Key Features:
- Create data-driven templates in TinderBox (or your CRM) to generate quick-start sales documents, like presentations and proposals
- Keep your brand consistent with branded design across sales docs
- Automate sales processes, including prospect engagement tracking, billing, and integration of electronic signature
- Available for desktop, tablet and smartphone
Cost: Free Demo
11. MailChimp Mobile
If you already use MailChimp for email list management, you can access all your data via mobile. With just a tap-tap on your smartphone, you'll have instant access to subscribers, campaigns, and latest emails, plus growth analytics, subscriber discovery, data filtering, and other handy tools.
Key Features:
- Send, automate and even schedule new campaigns from your mobile device
- View reports and manage your lists
- Share one account among various team members
- Available for iOS and Android
Cost: Free with MailChimp account
Brainstorming Apps & Tools
12. Evernote
At its core, Evernote is a note-taking app. But it's a lot more than that: Evernote allows you to take all your notes, outlines, marketing concepts, and other information on-the-go, wherever you have access to the Internet.
Key Features:
- Share notes to collaborate with friends, colleagues and even clients
- Download the web-clipper bookmarklet to save any webpage with the click of a button
- Automatically sync every note and notebook, so you can access everything from any device
- Available for desktop, tablet and smartphone (iOS and Android)
Cost: Free
13. Mural.ly
If you love online whiteboards, you'll love Mural.ly. This snappy app takes visual collaboration to the next level, allowing you to organize your thoughts, ideas and creations in one online space.
Key Features:
- Add text, images, videos, sticky notes, docs, spreadsheets, links, and more to create a multimedia-rich whiteboard
- Browse public whiteboards for inspiration and spark brainstorming discussions
- All murals are auto-saved every few seconds, so you'll never lose your work
- Available for iOS, Android and as a web app
Cost: Free basic account; Paid packages from $29/month
Design, Writing, Video and Multimedia Apps and Tools
14. Grammarly
For marketers who struggle with homophones (is it there, they're, or their?) or type with the help of an overly helpful autocorrect, Grammarly reviews your grammar, spelling and word choice.
Key Features:
- Drag & drop (or copy/paste) your text into Grammarly for instant correction
- Test your content against 8 billion webpages for plagiarism and duplicate content detection
- Tweak your text with better word choice, more colorful synonyms, and other improvements
- Available as a web tool
Cost: Free trial; Monthly plans from $29.95
15. Directr for Business
Consumers love video (did you know? 85% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase after watching your video), but companies don't always love video. There's the time investment, of course, but it's also about the logistics of creating visually pleasing, professional-looking video. Thankfully, Directr for Business does that for you.
Key Features:
- Access Directr's professional video template, categorized by theme (product launch, company culture, etc.)
- Follow easy how-tos on how to shoot your video
- All you need is a smartphone with video capabilities
- Available for iOS
Cost: Free basic; paid packages from $25-$400 a month
16. Moat
If you're designing new banner ads and are stuck for a little inspiration, give Moat a whirl. You can search by brand or simply browse recent ads – and let the banner-ad muse inspire your next creation.
Key Features:
- Browse by brand or recently seen ad
- Share your favorite ads with your design or marketing team
- Available as a web tool
SEO and Website Optimization Apps and Tools
17. HubSpot
Your marketing strategies likely rely heavily on content, and HubSpot offers some of the best inbound marketing software out there. Never again will you question the ROI of blogging or ask yourself how to write an eye-catching headline.
Key Features:
- HubSpot's all-in-one platform integrates SEO, email marketing, blogging, social media, landing pages, calls-to-action, and more into one easy-to-manage marketing dashboard
- Track sales from first contact through purchase
- Available for iOS and Android
Cost: Free with HubSpot subscription
18. Quicklytics
Widely regarded as the best Google Analytics app for iOS, Quicklytics puts your Google dashboard in the palm of your hand – literally.
Key Features:
- Access data in real time
- View hourly charts, drill-down data though filters, run reports for custom periods, and more
- Connect multiple Analytics accounts in one dashboard
- Available for iOS
Cost: $7.99
19. mAnalytics
This handy app is the Quicklytics of Android. View all Google Analytics stats from your Android device; check your search engine rankings for specific keywords; query stats – this app does it all.
Key Features:
- View analytics for multiple Analytics accounts
- Secure login via Android Account Manager, no password required
- Available for Android
Cost: €0.99 (about $1.32)
20. Adwords and SEO Secrets
If you could use a refresher on search engine optimization, Adwords campaigns, or other optimization topics, this simple little app does the trick. A series of videos takes you from basic SEO topics, like CTR and backlinks, to more advanced tutorials.
Key Features:
- Video tutorials are divided into sections: Intro to SEO, Tips and Optimizations, Advanced SEO: Tools and Tricks, AdWords 101, and Advanced AdWords Tutorials
- Highest rated SEO app on the iTunes Store
- Available for iOS
Cost: Free
21. Marketing Plan & Strategy
Like the Adwords and SEO secrets, this tutorial app features videos and tutorials on marketing and SEO. It's a good choice for marketers who need to brush up on their skills and knowledge, and for DIY'ers looking to market their own products.
Key Features:
- Videos and tutorials cover a wide range of topics, including SEO, SEM, local service advertising, and email marketing
- Chat with a marketing expert when you need extra help or personalized advice
- Available for iOS and Android
Cost: $0.99
22. Userium
There's no use denying it – website usability is all that and a bag of chips. If you're new to the usability field or just need a refresher, Userium fires off a comprehensive checklist of criteria to evaluate your site for user-friendly design and content.
Key Features:
- Super-simple checklist with no gimmicks or signups; just tick off as you go
- Usability criteria are sectioned by topics, including User Experience, Navigation, and Accessibility
- Available as a web-based tool
Cost: Free
23. Convert
Good marketing always incorporates A/B testing, and with Convert, your tests just got easier. Integrate and segment data; analyze results with Google Analytics; and boost your knowledge through webinars, and more.
Key Features:
- Run A/B, Multivariate and Split URL testing
- Create tests in the WYSIWYG editor, or write your own HTML and CSS
- Seamless integration with Google Analytics
- Available as a web-based tool
Cost: Free trial; Full version from $139/month
24. BrowserBite
It's important to always test your and your clients' websites over multiple browsers and multiple platforms. BrowserBite makes it easy, spitting out screenshots of how your site appears in 45+ browsers and mobile devices.
Key Features:
- The BrowserBite algorithm detects layout issues for your website a reported 2x better than the average human tester
- Automatic issue detection from your desktop browser
- Available as a web-based tool
Cost: Free trial; Plans start at 29€ (about $40) per month
25. Neustar PlatformOne™
Customer data is the next wave of user experience personalization, and Neustar's integrated marketing platform has the experience to do it right. The service helps you identify and segment customers by prospect type, target certain audiences, leverage predictive media, and much more to supercharge your sales funnel.
Key Features:
- Leverage accurate data to get a real-time portrait of your prospects and current customers
- Personalize online and offline marketing campaigns for each consumer
- Available via web interface
Cost: Customized per solution
26. SEO Spyglass
If you've ever wondered why a less-attractive, content-sparse, spam-adjacent competitor ranks higher than your own website, you know how frustrating it can be to [attempt to] dissect the SEO equation. SEO Spyglass is a good start, comparing your site to your competitors' for key optimization factors.
Key Features:
- Evaluate competitors' inbound links for quality and PageRank
- Check your competition over 400+ search engines
- Receive advice to keyword-optimize your own content
- Available for desktop (Mac and Windows)
Cost: Free trial; SEO Spyglass Professional costs $124.75
27. PlagSpotter
Duplicate content and plagiarism are the bane of marketers, damaging your site's ranking through no fault of your own. The PlagSpotter helps you uncover sites that have plagiarized your content, so you can protect your intellectual property.
Key Features:
- Check your entire website for duplicate content from across the web
- Set up daily, weekly or monthly plagiarism alerts
- Available via web tool
Cost: Free trial; Paid options start at $0.04 per URL check
Client Relations Apps and Tools
28. Nimble
Nimble is the easy way to simplify your contacts database, all in one spot. The app automatically imports your contacts from wherever you have them stored, and then gives you easy access to engage them across many channels.
Key Features:
- Integrate your Nimble contacts into your calendar, emails, and social networks, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and G+
- Add contact profiles and actionable insights to leverage your contact database
- Available for iOS, Chrome, Google Apps and via the HootSuite App Directory
Cost: Free trial; Full version from $15/month
29. OneCard
It's important to carry around your business cards, but it's even more important to take your digital business card everywhere you go. Enter OneCard, the multi-platform, cross-device digital business card that makes it easy to share your contact details with other smartphone, tablet and computer users (no app required).
Key Features:
- Design and customize your digital business card quickly and easily
- Share your OneCard info via text message, email, QR code, URL, and social networks
- Available for iOS and Android
Cost: Free basic account; Pro version from $12/month
Office and Sales Apps and Tools
30. Podio
Podio takes your office virtual with mobile messaging, sales lead management, meeting scheduling, and other features. Everything is handled via mini apps, each designed to fulfill a task perfectly – and with as little fuss as possible.
Key Features:
- Access hundreds of Podio apps, designed to track individual types of tasks
- Modify specific apps to meet your exact business needs
- Publish progress reports in your social streams, to share with colleagues
- Available for iOS and Android
Cost: Free Lite version; Podio Teams starts at $9 per employee per month
31. Asana
Even at its best, email is woefully underpowered for team collaboration and task management. Enter Asana, a multi-platform management tool billed as "teamwork without email." We're sold!
Key Features:
- Manage tasks through conversations – easy-to-follow threads that incorporate comments, updates, assignments, and more
- Assign tasks to individual owners
- View team members' tasks, priorities, status reports, and other updates
- Available for iOS and Android
Cost: From $50/month
32. Yammer
Billed as a private social network platform for business, Yammer connects your company's marketers in one, central location. You can stay in touch with coworkers via easy-to-follow conversations, ping colleagues with questions, and get your work done faster and more efficiently.
Key Features:
- Work more efficiently by following colleagues' progress, crowdsourcing answers from your coworkers, and collaborating on projects via a central platform
- Create or join existing groups of team members
- Track topics via conversation threads
- Available for iOS, Android, Windows Mobile and web platfor
Cost: From $8 per user per month
33. Wrike
Google Apps are an incredible tool, and Wrike gives you an easy way to manage your assets in Google Calendar, Gmail and Google Drive. The app integrates across platforms, incorporating all team members to keep everyone up-to-date on tasks and project management.
Key Features:
- Easily integrate tasks into your Google Calendar
- Collaborate on time-tracking, task management, emails, discussions, and other team communications
- Available via Google Apps
Cost: Free basic account; Wrike Professional from $49/month
34. Mynd
Sometimes, the standard calendar apps just don't cut it – you need more than simple reminders when things come due. Enter Mynd, a virtual assistant and calendar app that promises to help you get your to-dos done, on time and efficiently.
Key Features:
- Integrate with all existing calendar apps on your smartphone
- At-a-glance view of the day's most critical tasks and interesting information
- Mynd works with your favorite navigation app to ensure you get to meetings on time
- Available for iOS and Android
Cost: Free
35. Skype Mobile
We can't imagine collaborative communication and marketing without Skype, which allows you to call contacts, video conference, screen share, send files, and dial landlines for cheap domestic international rates.
Key Features:
- Receive Skype calls on your smartphone, so you can chat for free without being tied to a computer
- Communicate with Skype contacts via voice or video chat, and interact via screen sharing, file upload/download, and text chat
- Available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Nokia X, Blackberry and desktop (Mac, Windows and Linux)
Social Networking Apps and Tools
36. LinkedIn Mobile
Marketers simply cannot avoid LinkedIn: it's an online résumé, a web portfolio, a social network, and a place to demonstrate your know-how. From your profile to groups to your company page, you should access LinkedIn everyday. And now you can, on your smartphone.
Key Features:
- Stay up-to-date with clients and colleagues, past and present
- Participate in group discussions; share company content; answer client questions and more, all from your mobile device
- Available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, and web platform
Cost: Free
37. Flipboard
Much more than an RSS reader or a social bookmarking site, Flipboard enables marketers to build beautiful custom magazines on any topic of their choosing. Build your subscriber base as you market yourself as a thought leader, or create magazines loaded with links to helpful resources (and your content).
Key Features:
- Browse existing magazines or create your own, public or private
- Drive links to your or your clients' blogs and websites
- Available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry
Cost: Free
38. Hootsuite
Manage all (or most) of your social media accounts – or those of your clients – from Hootsuite's easy-to-use dashboard. Schedule posts and tweets, track engagement, and review analytics all in one place.
Key Features:
- Connect to your Facebook (profiles & pages), Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ (business pages), Instagram and other platforms via the social media dashboard
- Schedule up to 350 automated posts (Hootsuite Pro)
- Collaborate with a team
- Generate slick analytics reports in minutes
- Available for iOS and Android
Cost: Free Trial; Hootsuite Pro from $8.99/month
39. Feedly
Many of the old-school RSS feeders have come and gone, leaving Feedly to provide a sleek and ultra simple solution to catching up on your favorite marketing blogs and news sources.
Key Features:
- Import any RSS feed from any site with just one click
- Discover new bloggers and authors in your favorite niches
- Integrate your Feedly account with social networks for personalized suggestions
- Available for iOS, Android and via web platform
Cost: Free
40. Buffer
If HootSuite's interface is too busy, or simply doesn't meet your needs, try Buffer. This simple app integrates with Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to automate your social media posts, interactions and social listening.
Key Features:
- Write posts in one go, then schedule them to publish throughout the day
- Auto-shortens links, so you can squeeze more meat into your 140 characters
- Improve functionality with Buffer extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Safari
- Available for iOS and Android
Cost: Free basic plan; Buffer for Business starting at $50 per month
41. Social Engage
To leverage social media to its full potential, you have to understand your audience – and have tools to analyze their behavior and demographics. Social Engage does just that, offering one of the best social demographic analysis tools on the market.
Key Features:
- Engage website visitors by automatically inviting them to connect on social networks
- Track and personalize new connections' experiences according to variables you create
- View social media analytics from one dashboard
- Available via web platform
Cost: Free except for email delivery fee of $10 per 1,000 recipients
Trade Show Marketing Apps and Tools
42. iLeads
This nifty lead retrieval app uses your smartphone – no more handheld scanners or paper notebooks – to collect leads generated at trade shows. Create contacts and notes, attach actions to both, and do real-time lead analysis to track your progress.
Key Features:
- Track all trade show leads, no bar scanner required
- Attach actions and reminders to any contact or note
- All data backed up and synced to iLeads' secure website
- Available for iOS and Android
Cost: Free Demo
43. Shape Business Card Reader
There are many business card-reader apps out there, but few are as cost-effective and widely available (cross-platform) as Shape's Business Card Reader. The concept is simple: use your smartphone or tablet to take a photo of any business card to import a new contact into your address book.
Key Features:
- Snap a photo, and your smartphone reads & imports business card data into your contacts
- Scanned cards are stored in a card holder, so you can access details instantly
- Batch mode allows you to photograph several cards in a row, and save text processing for later
- Available for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile (touchscreen)
Cost: Varies by platform ($4.99 to $9.99)
44. Scan.me
Create and scan QR codes designed specifically for your tradeshow presentations, giving prospects one-click (or, more accurately, one-scan) access to product information, giveaway registration, list signups, and more.
Key Features:
- A simple code generator helps you create multiple QR codes, including codes to direct scanners to a website, send an email, follow on social media, or even get driving directions
- All QR codes are hosted online, so you can easily redirect link destinations via your dashboard
- No design chops required
- Available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Kindle, and desktops (Windows and Mac)
Cost: Free Basic Version; $1.99 full-featured version
45. Splashtop Whiteboard
Forget boring slides and cookie-cutter presentations: Splashtop Whiteboard gives you the tools to make interactive presentations – and improvise as you go. You can even hand the presentation over to a prospect, who can view, annotate and even collaborate on your whiteboard.
Key Features:
- Perform quick edits and annotations with gestures
- Connect remotely to your home desktop
- Incorporate multimedia content, including music, Adobe Flash, and movies
- Available for iOS, Android and Windows 8
Cost: Free Trial; Splashtop Business: $60 per user per year
46. Refresh
Think of Refresh as a socially supercharged contacts app. Get insights on any new acquaintance by aggregating social media data, and ultimately create a list of actionable talking points based on your contact's interests.
Key Features:
- Add notes with important facts – say, a birthday or children's names – that you can reference at a moment's notice, to make a lasting and positive impression
- Discover interesting tidbits about new contacts, and dig up what (and who) you have in common
- Available for iOS
Cost: Free
47. Ustream Live Broadcaster
If you've ever wanted to share trade show presentations and other information with off-site colleagues or clients, the Ustream Life Broadcaster does just that. With Ustream, your mobile device doubles as a live-stream broadcast to several devices and web portals.
Key Features:
- Stream events live to other mobile devices, connected TVs (like Roku or AppleTV), your website, your Facebook page, or your Ustream channel page
- Audience size is unlimited
- With Ustream Pro, you can add your logo, eliminate ads, and perform other extras
- Available for iOS and Android
Cost: Free Trial; Ustream Pro plans from $99 to $999 monthly
Other Must-Have Marketing Apps and Tools
48. Expensify
No one loves creating expense reports, but Expensify at least promises to make them "not suck." The app's simplified expense reporting makes it easy for employees to report expenses; for you to approve expenses; and for your team to export your expense info into whatever accounting software you use.
Key Features:
- Automatically import credit card transactions, and quick enter cash payments
- Record reimbursable expenses, like mileage, business lunches, and time
- Code your expenses to clients, GL accounts, projects, and other customizable fields
- Available for iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone
Cost: Free
49. Pipedrive
This excellent sales CRM app is like a power tool for your sales funnel, leading you effortlessly down the pipeline to more (and more profitable) sales. The Pipedrive dashboard gives you an overview of all your sales activities, from ideation to meetings to proposals to accepted offers.
Key Features:
- Lay out your sales pipeline by stages, so you can track any prospect and involved team members
- Zoom in on any product, timeline or team member to add notes and filter by additional data
- Available for iOS and via browser interface
Cost: Free trial; full version $9 per month
50. iMargin Professional
When it comes to on-the-fly calculations, estimations, and currency exchange, it can be difficult to accurately calculate your profit margin. iMargin Professional makes it easy.
Key Features:
- Exchange between currencies, calculated based on the latest exchange rate or your manual input
- Switch between iMargin and iMarkup, depending on situational needs and goals
- Available for iOS
Cost: $4.99
51. Podcast Apps
Podcasts are one of the best ways to stay in touch with the marketing industry, from traditional print methods to SEO and other online considerations. There's a podcast for almost any topic under the sun; you just need an app to help you discover, filter, download and organize your subscriptions. Try Downcast (iOS), Beyondpod (Android), or Podcast Lounge (W8).
Key Features:
- Search for podcasts relevant to your niche and marketing interests
- Set up automatic downloads to your smartphone, so you can listen to your favorite podcasts anytime, even when you're not online
- Available for iOS, Android and Windows Phone.
Cost: Varies by platform
52. Xero
This convenient and user-friendly business financial suite makes accounting and invoicing easy.
Key Features:
- Grant system access to your team and accountant
- Connect your bank accounts and Paypal to auto-import and categorize transactions
- Send invoices from within Xero
- Available for iOS, Android and via web browser
Cost: Free trial; Paid version starting at $9/month


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The most attractive reason for using a billing service is: Cost.
Not only does a billing service reduce your cost of operations, it should increase your income as well – thus, putting more money in your pocket in both ways.
Whether you need help submitting clean claims, managing denials, or pursuing unpaid claims, Patient Account Services, Inc can help you get paid the right amount as quickly as possible. Our highly trained and experienced account managers are organized to provide personalized service and comprehensive support by knowing your practice inside and out.
A comparison of web-based vs client/server systems, and a list of the advantages of web-based.
CareTracker Practice Management and EMR
With CareTracker Practice Management and EMR Maximize income potential, streamline workflow and simplify day-today operation of...
Practice Management Software
This powerful tool enables you to manage functions internally and improve reimbursement and processing efficiency...
EHR - Electronic Health Records
The CareTracker Practice Management and EMR web-based application is fully integrated with all the operational functions of the...


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You still have a couple of months left but tax time is quickly creeping up around the corner. For those who need help filing their taxes, The Seattle Public Library, United Way of King County and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) are offering free tax preparation services at eleven Seattle library branches. Trained volunteers will be available to answer questions and help prepare personal tax returns. Business tax returns are not eligible for the free service.
Help will be available at the Ballard Library (5614 22nd Ave NW) starting Monday, Feb. 1 through Thursday, Apr. 15 on Mondays from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
For a complete list of times and library branch locations, click here.


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Genetically Modified Products: Harm or Benefit?
- What are Genetically Modified Products?
- Harm of Genetically Modified Foods (GMO Foods)
- Benefits of GMP
Despite the fact that the specialized commission of the European Union has already recognized genetically modified products (GMP) as practically safe for our health, the discussion has not ceased for them for several years. It's not so much that the GMP are looking for some harm to the body, but how many of them do not know for sure whether they eat natural food or products containing GMP.
Moreover, even those companies that make the mark "Without GMP" on their products can not fully guarantee that this markings correspond to the truth, that's why there is only one thing: to learn how to live using transgenic products as safely as possible for the organism.
What are Genetically Modified Products
To genetically modified foods include any species of products of plant or animal origin, the gene characteristics of which have been changed by laboratory methods. This is done in order to improve some of the quality of products – for example, their ability to store for a long time, nutritional value or resistance to frost and putrefaction.
In this case, genes in plants and animals can be transplanted not only from closely related organisms, but also from those completely alien to them: for example, the gene of some bacterium can be transplanted into maize so that the plant is resistant to the effects of various insects.
Unfortunately, transgenic products can cover all categories of food products, including:
- meat products,
- vegetables and fruits,
- cereals,
- fish,
- confectionery,
- soy,
- juices and drinks,
- flour.
In some countries, the cultivation of such products is strictly prohibited, but in Russia and the CIS as a whole there is no such ban, therefore GM foods are widely distributed.
Harm of Genetically Modified Foods
The main argument of the opponents of genetically modified products is simple: a rod lives in the intestine of a person, which can "intercept" genes from GM products and integrate them into themselves, after which they will continue their independent work directly in the body. And this work can be different – both useful and harmful. In particular, the negative result of such activities may be:
- tumor processes,
- metabolic disorders,
- diabetes,
- the occurrence of severe allergic reactions,
- rashes on the skin.
In addition, it is still not known how products containing GMP affect the environment. For example, some scientists have proved that the same corn with bacterial genes can act independently as a "pesticide", killing not only harmful, but also any other insects, which violates the ecological balance of their habitat. It is possible that similarly GM maize and similar products may affect the intestinal microflora.
Moreover, transgenic plants subsequently freely interbreed with the ordinary ones, transferring their properties to them, and as a result, no one knows whether the harvested crop is "clean" or whether hidden genomodified products are on the table.
And, finally, considering that an ordinary buyer never knows which gene is implanted in a particular product, he can expose himself to mortal danger! For example, some genetically modified foods contain fish genes (they make it possible to increase the resistance of the product to freezing), but many people suffer a very severe allergy to fish, which causes severe consequences up to anaphylactic shock. As a result, they simply can not feel safe, because a poisonous component for them can be contained, for example, even in innocuous tomatoes!
Benefits of GMP
However, the harm of genetically modified food can be partially compensated for by their use. Or rather – some of the benefits that GMOs can give to the buyer.
- One of them is the cheapness of the product and its ability not to spoil for a long time. This, of course, is not very useful for the body, but it is beneficial from the point of view of economy.
The second plus – genetically modified products that are able to withstand harmful insects and weeds, are quite resistant to the "attack" of bacteria and viruses, which can be an additional way to protect the body from pathogens of various diseases.
- And, finally, the third plus – vitamins and a number of useful substances can be introduced into genetically modified foods (for example, a rice containing a sufficiently large amount of iron and vitamin A has already been invented). This will not only avoid avitaminosis, but also cure a number of diseases caused by a lack of any trace elements in the body. In addition, products are being developed that can contain vaccines and medicines for certain diseases.
In general, the purchase of genetically modified products depends only on the buyer. It is up to him to decide whether to give preference to cheap products with GMP or better to shell out for expensive goods.
However, given that not always the buyer knows exactly what lies on the counter, genetically modified foods in the diet may long remain unnoticed, but too much to worry about it is still not worth it.


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I have a new piece that I just put the finishing touches on late yesterday and I'm really loving it. It's a bunch of cut flowers from my imaginary garden delicately arranged in a glass vase from my imaginary cupboard. I had a sense of renewed energy yesterday after being held captive in my house the past two weeks with, in no particular order: snow, sickness and a self inflicted mini-renovation on our downstairs powder room. Yesterday, the weather was mild, the snow was melting off the roof, my boy was coming home from school and my powder room looked exquisite. So – I could finally return to my studio to finish my painting. To me, it is light, delicate, feminine, serene and hopeful. This is called: Composition of Cut Flowers and it can be found here.
Composition of Cut Flowers
acrylic on stretched canvas, 20 x 24 x 1 1/2″ (ready to hang)
More to come,


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Car News
Car News
Car Videos
Car Games
Car Pictures
Volkswagen car reviews
Volkswagen news
Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet photo gallery
Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet picture
Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet 2012 wallpaper
Put the car roof down and bring on the summer! Now, it will once again be: Put the Golf's roof down and bring on the summer. Because Volkswagen is introducing a new generation of its open air bestseller to the cities, st ... View
2012 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet specs
Buick Enclave
Buick Enclave was introduced only 9 year ago, in 2008.
Ford F-250 XLT Super Duty
One model of Ford F-250 XLT just received an upgrade from TOPO of TS DESIGN. The model in discussion has been shown at SEMA Motor Show last year.
Audi A8 L Chauffeur
Audi introduced the A8 L Chauffeur edition. It will be limited to five units.
McLaren P1 by MSO
MSO upgrades another P1. It belongs to David Kyte.
Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Coupe
Mansory upgrades the Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Coupe. It is faster than ever.
Renault KWID
Renault reveals the KWID. It has a big body with a small heart.
300PS MINI JCW by Krumm-Performance
Krumm-Performance upgrades the MINI JCW. The engine and the inside have received considerable updates.
Lamborghini Huracan by VOS
VOS upgrades the Lamborghini Huracan. The entry-level gets a lot of goodies.
Cars pictures
Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet Karmann
Volkswagen Golf VII by Caractere Automobile and JMS
Volkswagen Golf VII GTI by ABT
Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet Karmann Edition
MTM Golf VI GTD
Volkswagen Golf Edition
VW Golf GTI Cabriolet
Volkswagen Golf VI - First pictures
Buick Enclave
Ford F-250 XLT Super Duty
Audi A8 L Chauffeur
McLaren P1 by MSO
Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Coupe
Renault KWID


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Kennedy Center – American College Theatre Festival
Feb 8th, 2014 by Jessica Moran
The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival is held every year to encourage and help improve the quality of college and university theatre programs across the US. The KC/ACTF allows for students to come to regional festivals and compete in different areas of theatre with the hopes of continuing on to nationals at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. While they are at the regional festivals they are also able to attend workshops and symposiums, which is an effort to fulfill their goal of improving the quality of college and university theatre programs. Students participate as Irene Ryan nominees, 10-minute play readings, full length play readings, or in the design/tech portion of the festival.
This year UW-Whitewater had large success at the Region III festival. There were two pairs of Irene Ryan semifinalists, Rasell Holt, with partner Hannah Farajpanahi and Grace Yeager with partner Liz Ehrler, with Rasell Holt going on to the finals, a semifinalist in stage management, Alissa Krantz, and two semifinalists in make up, Kim Witte and Ann Ricca, with Ann Ricca going on to the finals and winning.
Along with these students, UW-Whitewater had a total of nine Irene Ryan nominees, along with their partners, and seven students in the design/tech portion. These students are listed below:
Irene Ryan nominees:
- Eric Pfeiffer
- Peter Brian Kelly
- Rasell Holt
- Brandon Haut
- Chris James
- Jenn Samson
- Adam O'Neil
- Cory Hagen
- Grace Yeager
Irene Ryan Partners:
- Katie Krueger
- Ryan Schwartz
- Madison McCarthy
- Makenna Paris-Day
- Brittnay Meister
- Conner Staples
- Liz Ehrler (Grace Yeager's partner)
- Ken Wade
- Hannah Farajpanahi (Rasell Holt's partner)
- Marguerite Frey
- Tiffany Tesmer
- Claire Kinder
- Alissa Krantz
- Kim Witte
- Ann Ricca
- Carolyn Barth
For more information on the KC/ACTF visit http://www.kcactf3.org/index.htm


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Document › Details
From »The Analytical Scientist« (Issue 40, May 2016). (5/16). "On Balance (by Lisa Miller)".
|University of Strathclyde (Glasgow)
|drug discovery
|Product 2
|The Analytical Scientist
|Miller, Lisa (Univ Strathclyde 201605 PhD Student)
I believe that the majority of young chemists do not see the gender gap. We have come through our undergraduate degree as a mix of men and women, all treated equally, and it has resulted in us expecting to be treated equally in future positions. During my undergraduate degree, the University of Strathclyde had a large number of women studying chemistry and my particular degree Chemistry with Drug Discovery was mostly female.
I have now spent over seven years in academia and during this time carried out secondments with Takeda Pharmaceuticals, GSK and the Netherlands Cancer Institute. The labs that I have worked in were all a mix of men and women, and I have not experienced gender discrimination so far in my career. In fact, I have found that it can be an advantage to be female as there is a drive to increase the number of female scientists. Currently, I am planning ahead and looking at post-doctorate positions for after my PhD. These are often funded by fellowships, and there are a number of organizations aimed at funding female researchers.
Not everyone has experienced the equality that I have or worked alongside as many successful female scientists. The staff of department I currently work in is heavily male-orientated. At present there are no female lecturers in the organic chemistry division, but the other areas are more balanced. With respect to the postgraduates it is again more balanced, which is hopefully a sign of things to come where we will see more female scientists in academic roles. However, it is well known that many women dont wish to stay in academia after their PhD due to the difficulties of balancing work with starting a family.
Sharing examples of successful female researchers with young people will help to encourage more women to pursue science as a career. If they are told from an early stage that gender is not a problem, then they wont expect it to be a problem. I believe anyone who has good intentions and strong motivation will get what they aim for. But telling someone that they may experience discrimination will plant seeds of expectation, which could lead to them not pursuing their dreams for fear of failure. Obviously, we shouldnt ignore the problems, but spreading the good news of successful women in science will help to encourage those with any doubts.I always enjoy meeting other chemists, regardless of gender, but I do get that feeling of pride when I see a female chemist at the top of their field. It gives me encouragement that I can achieve all that I aim to.
What I do and why I love it:
I am a medicinal chemist, designing and synthesizing novel compounds. I love it because it challenges me every day, and also because I am creating new molecules that will hopefully one day help people.
The Top 50 Women Power List
It would be great positive reinforcement for female researchers who are concerned about discrimination. And we might end up with a more current poster girl chemist than Marie Curie although we do all love her, of course!
A piece of advice
Do not fear a glass ceiling in my experience, it isnt there. Chemistry is a small world with a great network, so speak to other scientists about what you would like to do, and they will help you to find the right person to speak to.
About the author
Lisa Miller
Lisa is a PhD Student at the University of Strathclyde. She is currently working on a medicinal chemistry project with Dr Allan J. B. Watson in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline that focuses on lead optimization of targets for fibrosis drug discovery.
Record changed: 2016-07-06
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Why am I not labeled "Made in America"?
A Window Without Panes or a Relationship Undiscovered
Are we seeking light to enhance our psychological and physical visions or are we seeking to minimize our psychological and physical pains?
Are we seeking light to enhance our psychological and physical visions or are we seeking to minimize our psychological and physical pains?
Not Just Physically Do I Begin to Shatter
Vince Cousino Anila rides his bike, trying to escape the shadow of the abusive father he won't become.
The Fear of Tears
Rick Belden isn't scared of the feeling of pain. He's just scared he'll actually have to express it.
Fellow Male Survivors, Please Remember We Are One
One of the significant issues with male survivors is that we generally believe we are alone, the only one. In fact, most of us are alone because of the walls of protection we build around ourselves.
I Eat My Pain
In Jackie Summers' experience, people are always telling you to "just get over it" when it comes to emotional pain. They rarely, as Jackie does here, tell you how.
Why Pain Is a Wonderful Thing
Don't kill the messenger: pain is also the source of compassion.
A Response to "A Manifesto for Conscious Men"
Sometimes it hurts being a man in modern western society.
Men, Mentoring, and Macho Mythology
Ken Solin believes that between rage and silence lies emotional health, and suggests that those men who have figured it out mentor those who have not.
We thought pain would be as difficult for men to talk about as were topics like race, and pornography and honesty, and rape and sexual violence, and gender. As it turns out, men want to talk about pain.
Pain Makes Me Feel Unmanly
For Yago Colás, the anticipation of pain is often worse than the pain itself.
The Pain of Indescribable Pain
Elijah Oberman can't find a way to describe his pain, but it feels good in a confusing way.
I Love Pain
Tom Matlack's obsession with pain is just a way to drown out his psychic angst.
My Life as a Hermit Crab
After a tragic childhood, P.M. Leonard built up a shell, but he's finding a way to see the light again.
The Many Faces of Pain
A new memoir by a trauma surgeon sheds light on the different ways we can all suffer.
Pain Is a Gift, Recognize It
We should cherish our pain, Seth Mullins writes, as it's a primal expression of our true selves.


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For Worldwide Release: June 2018
Release Number: 331PR18
Designed for use on granular materials and all types of asphalt-mix designs, the new Cat® CW16 pneumatic (rubber-tire) roller is available as a standard nine-wheel model with a 69-inch (1754 mm) compaction width or as an optional 11-wheel model with an 84-inch (2 132 mm) compaction width. The CW16 is designed for efficient performance on highways, city streets, county roads, lane additions, industrial sites, overlays, or other mid-size jobs.
Depending on ballast used (including water, sand, steel, or combinations), operating weight of the CW16 varies from an 11,464-pound (5 200 kg) base configuration to an approximate maximum weight of 33,000-pounds (15 000 kg) for the nine-wheel configuration and 32,850-pounds (14 900 kg) for the 11-wheel configuration. Operating weight can be adjusted to suit job requirements. Per-wheel weight can be varied from 1,280-pounds (580 kg) to 3,680-pounds (1 670 kg) for the nine-wheel model and from 1,060-pounds (480 kg) to 2,975-pounds (1 350 kg) for the 11-wheel model.
Oscillating front wheels assist in compacting soft voids across the entire machine width, and the 11-wheel configuration increases efficiency in chip-and-seal applications. A tire overlap of 1.25-inches (32 mm) ensures even compaction across the surface. Each wheel is equipped with self-adjusting scrapers, and a water-spray system deters material from adhering to the wheel surface. Standard cocoa mats help retain water to keep wheels wet, and heat-retention aprons are available.
The CW16's pressurized water-spray system is designed with dedicated spray nozzles for each wheel. The system includes a single water pump, triple filtration, and adjustable intermittent operation. Triple filtration (with filters at the fill point), in conjunction with the design of the water pump and spray nozzles, provides protection against clogs. The adjustable intermittent-spray mode conserves water and reduces the number of refills required, adding to the CW16's efficiency.
Two engines are available for the CW16 to meet regional emissions requirements. The Cat C3.4B ACERT™ engine meets U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final/EU Stage IV standards, and the Cat C4.4 meets the equivalent of U.S. EPA Tier 3/EU Stage IIIA/China NR III standards. An Eco-mode, in combination with an exclusive automatic speed-control system, is designed to save fuel, lower sound levels, and deliver smooth transitions for optimum mat quality. Both engines are rated at 101.9 horsepower (75 kW).
The CW16's two-speed hydrostatic propel system is electronically controlled and designed to provide both jobsite maneuverability and speeds up to 12 mph (19 km/hr). The propel system automatically shifts between speed ranges and has a coast feature that conserves fuel. Tire choices include a 12-ply 7.5 x 15 radial or a 14-ply 7.5 x 15 bias-ply.
The CW16 is designed to provide exceptional visibility for the operator, the result of a newly designed console and the machine's standard, rotating operator's station. An LCD display and push-button controls simplify operation for an all-around comfortable operating environment. A ROPS canopy or sun canopy are available.
The standard, 500-hour, engine-oil-service interval reduces both routine-maintenance time and overall operating costs. The CW16's large-capacity hydraulic- and engine-cooling systems keep components at optimum temperatures, even in high ambient temperatures, extending service life for such critical components as hydraulic pumps and motors.
# # #
Note to Editors: Caterpillar rolls out products and services in each of its territories at different time intervals. Although every effort is made to ensure that product information is released only after Caterpillar has received confirmation from our dealer network, our plants, and our marketing subsidiaries that products and services are available in the relevant region, editors are kindly requested to verify with their local dealer for product availability and specifications.
CAT, CATERPILLAR, their respective logos, "Caterpillar Yellow" and the "Power Edge" trade dress, as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.
©2018 Caterpillar All Rights Reserved
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Blog / Municipal IT Budget Planning – Part 10: Comprehensive IT Budget for a Municipality
This is the final article in the series – and I am going to try and bring it all home together in one comprehensive Budget. First of all, we need to make some assumptions:
- All equipment will be purchased new by the Municipality.
- Subscriptions will be used for common products: Office 365, Adobe, Anti-Virus, Firewall.
- Full Management of all equipment and services will be outsourced.
- Backups and Disaster Recovery will be hosted Offsite.
- A Cyber Security Assessment and ongoing Countermeasures will be included.
Here is our Budget scenario *:
- New System – or one that's 5 or MORE years-old and due to be replaced (Little Idea #2 **)
- IT Systems comprised of:
- 1 x Physical HOST server with 4 Virtual (VM) servers
- (Domain Controller, File Server, Exchange Email, & Applications)
- Finance Application uses Microsoft SQL Server database
- 4 Network Devices (Firewall, Switch & 2 x Wi-Fi Access Points)
- 25 Workstations & Laptops
- 1 x Physical HOST server with 4 Virtual (VM) servers
- 35 Users or User Accounts
- 2 Locations (Main Office and Public Works) within 2 KM's of each other and connected via wireless-bridge.
- Budget Plan: 12 months
Capital Costs:
- New Rack Server Hardware to host 5 VMs (4 x existing + 1 spare): $20,000
- Server Licensing: $21,475
- Firewall, Switch, WiFi Access Points: $4,000
- 15 Workstations: $18,000
- 10 Laptops (with accessories): $26,700
- 50 Monitors: $20,000
- 25 Power Bars: $1,875
- Installation Services (all): $15,250
- Initial Cyber Security Assessment: $5,000
- Sub–total Capital Costs: $132,300
Operating Costs:
- Subscriptions (Office 365, Adobe, Anti-Virus, Firewall): $16,465
- Fixed Cost Management (All Servers, Devices, Cyber Security): $33,800
- Offsite Backup and Disaster Recovery Services: $9,000
- Sub–total Operating Costs: $59,265
Total Budget: $191,565 + 10% Contingency = $210,721 -> $215,000
This combines all of the elements that we had in the previous 9 articles – making allowances for some changes in our assumptions, as we progressed through the series. But let's take this a step further, and try to predict expenditures for 5 years. We know that the equipment has an estimated life-cycle of 5 years (Little Idea #2**). Thus, to predict budgets for 5 years, simply requires that we extend the operating costs to match. Thus, our 5-year projected budget becomes:
Capital Costs: $132,300
Operating Costs ($59,265 x 5): $296,325
Total Budget: $428,625 + 10% contingency = $471,487 -> $475,000
There are some observations worth noting:
- Moving to Subscription-based software and Support Services makes Budget Planning easy and predictable, as costs remain relatively fixed over the entire period. It also means that Users have the most up-to-date version of the software, even at year-5.
- Having a complete refresh of hardware – while initially expensive – improves User Satisfaction, as all Users are on the same vintage of hardware and performance is uniform.
- The total cost of Ownership over the 5-year period, dwarfs the initial capital outlay. This is hard for many Planners to understand when staring at a large capital expense number; they tend to reduce costs as much as possible on the equipment. That leads to decreased User Satisfaction in years 4 and 5, as equipment specifications cannot provide adequate performance (the BIG Idea**); don't cheap-out!!
- In the overall context, effective Cyber Security is a bargain ($80,000 over 5 years) (Little Idea #3**.) It's estimated that the cost of one Cyber Security Attack is north of $150,000.
A final thought: An Industry trend that we've been seeing is converting all of the capital and monthly costs itemized above, into a single monthly payment. Some in the Industry call this HAAS or Hardware as a Service. At TRINUS, we use the term Managed Solution Provider – or our version of MSP.
In our scenario, it would amount to a single monthly payment of about $7,900 over 5 years – and takes all of the Planning, Logistics, Deployment, and Support of the entire IT system – and outsources it. We currently have 6 Municipalities on this program, and it is proving very popular and cost-effective.
Please contact me or your Account Manager, if you would like some personalized help with some stress–free Municipal IT Budgeting.
Dave White
stress–free IT
* – Full Disclosure: We're going to use Services and Prices for TRINUS-supplied Systems and Services. Other Provider costs and equipment may vary.
** – Little Ideas – along with the BIG IDEA – were presented and defined in Part 1 of this series.


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Now gold is trading around $1211 & as we can see on charts gold following a upward trade line & reaching to the major resistance zone from $1224-1245. While looking at the big time frame gold still looking bearish & this move seems like 3 corrective move after completing the 5 wave downside elliott wave pattern.
COMEX Gold and NYMEX Crude Long Term Outlook
COMEX Gold and WTIC Crude Weekly charts are shown here with ATR volatility trading system applied on top of it and William VIX indicator to guage the weekly volatility. It is observed that Gold last week entered into the long term sell mode with current weekly resistance zone coming near 1260 zone.
MCX Gold – Time to Rise – Technical Analysis
Gold (20.08.2014) traded higher as per our last article & went to $1320 mark. However a sharp fall was witnessed from there specially on mcx with combination of INR.
In Depth Analysis on Comex Gold
Lets come to fundamental side before, we witness a blast in gold price after 2008 recession & gold price almost double in just 3 year span while in last 2 year gold also corrected more than 50% from the life time high. This is the biggest correction in past 12 years in gold & may remain always. Gold rallied from 2008 on basis of safe haven buying , alternate & safe investment , later on the based on QE program from US & many .


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Ted Musgrave has been behind the wheel of many different vehicles and has participated in each of the three major NASCAR racing divisions. His longest career was in the Winston Cup Series, where he raced from 1990 to 2003, though only full-time from 1991 to 1999.
He raced intermittently as a part-time racer in the Busch Series during 1989, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2006. The Busch Series did not prove to be the most successful of Musgrave's career. However, Musgrave was intent on finding the right outlet for his racing needs and the Busch Series provided just another opportunity. In his eight years of Busch Series racing, Musgrave got one top five placement and two top 10 placements [source: Racing Reference].
Musgrave was the most financially successful in his career as a Cup Series driver. He had 20 top-five placements and 55 top-10 placements. He made five poles.
Though Musgrave ended his NASCAR Cup Series career in 2003, he continued to race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Musgrave earned his best statistics in the Truck Series. He began truck racing in 1995 and 1996 part-time, but then took a hiatus. From 2001 until 2008, Musgrave raced full-time. He placed 17 wins, 12 poles, 80 top-five placements and 119 top-10 placements. In 2005, he was the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion.
Musgrave was set to compete in 2008's Qwik Liner Las Vegas 350, but before he was even able to race, ASE/Harris Trucking Motorsports announced that September 20 would immediately mark the end of their partnership. The reason for this immediate rift in the relationship between HT Motorsports and Musgrave was due to Musgrave's practice session wreck. After a team official blamed Musgrave for wrecking on purpose, Musgrave quit the team. For the remainder of the 2008 series, Musgrave was without a team for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series [source: Demmons].
For more information on stock car racing and related topics, visit the links on the next page.


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Want to create a nice little garden but the vanilla trees are just too big and wild? Install the Bonsai Trees Mod 1.13/1.12.2 by Davenonymous and create a nice little garden!
What is the Mod About?
Bonsai Trees Mod adds a block called the Bonsai Pot that grows small trees in two block spaces. The bonsai pot can be used on many saplings and the tree that grows in the pot can be harvested or broken. Bonsai pots can also be upgraded to Hopping Bonsai pots that can automatically drop items to a nearby inventory. The Bonsai Pot also supports many modded trees including the ones in Forestry, Harvestcraft, and Industrial Craft 2!
Bonsai Trees Mod 1.13/1.12.2 Installation
The mod requires the modding API Minecraft Forge mod to work. To properly install the mod, follow the simple steps below.
- Download and install Minecraft Forge.
- Run Minecraft with Forge installed at least once to generate the necessary files and folders.
- Download the mod using the link below.
- Navigate your way to %Appdata%.
- Locate the '.minecraft/mods' folder.
- Put the downloaded file to the mods folder inside Minecraft directory.
Should You Install it?
The mod is not only useful to automate harvesting of wood and tree-related goods, it is also quite beautiful. We highly recommend installing the mod.
Bonsai Trees Mod 1.12.2/1.11.2 Download Links
- We do not host any Minecraft mods on our website!
- We do not modify or edit the files in any way!
- The download links are updated every 3 days so you alway get the last version!
- If you have any problem, please leave a comment below and we will help you.


text: Why Does Your Furnace Smell When You Turn It On? Posted November 1, 2016 The temperatures are dropping here in Odessa and that means soon we'll be relying on the comfort of our furnaces. This is usually the time we have a number of furnace repair calls from our clients worried about a weird smell evading from their furnace. If it's been a few months since you've turned on your furnace and you smell something bizarre, stay calm. There's probably nothing to worry about and there are a number of reasons your furnace could smell strange. Last winter was most likely the last time you've had to use your furnace. During the year, dirt may have accumulated inside of your furnace. Starting up your furnace for the first time will burn that off, producing a smell. This smell will spread through your home throughout your duct work. This typically isn't a dangerous condition and the odor will not last long. Although, if the smell doesn't go away in a short while, you'll want to call in a technician to inspect things. Another possible cause of strange smells coming from your furnace is a clogged air filter. A clogged filter will cause your blower motor to run harder which could cause the motor and/or your furnace to overheat. You're better safe than sorry and if there are any odors coming from your furnace the professionals at Redhawk Heating & Air Conditioning in Odessa are ready to check things out and set your mind and nose at ease. You're going to be counting on your furnace more and more these next months, if you haven't yet, it is the optimal time to get your regular furnace repair scheduled. Our certified technicians will get all those internal components cleaned and checked out to ensure your system will run efficiently and without troubling smells this Odessa winter. Get an appointment scheduled by calling us at 432-237-0168. Back To Blog


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[C]umbria County Council's Active Travel team launched the exciting 'Feet First' initiative in November 2016 with the aim of encouraging children, parents and staff to walk, cycle or scoot to school.
Since then, 53 primary schools across Cumbria have signed up to the scheme, with over 7,000 children taking part. As a result of travelling more actively to school, children (as well as their parents and staff taking part) are more alert when they arrive and they're fitter and healthier too.
As part of the Feet First campaign, children from all of the participating schools were invited to enter a competition to design a logo for the scheme. The competition was judged separately for pupils of infant and junior ages, with a winner and runner up for both. Twelve schools took part in the competition, with almost 100 entries. These were whittled down to three from each school for both infants and juniors and judged by David Jenkinson, Senior Manager for Transport Services at Cumbria County Council. David was impressed with the imagination, creativity and originality of the designs. Prizes included a goody bag of arts & crafts materials, felt pens, paints, activity books and a £25 voucher for Halfords.
Nancy Sloan, School Travel Officer at Cumbria County Council, said: "Feet First is not only good for the environment, but travelling actively to school results in healthier and fitter children, and we hope they will carry this habit in to their teens and adulthood. Each child taking part in Feet First is given a fun and educational puzzle book to complete throughout the school year, and if they travel actively to school once or more each week they receive a reward at the end of each term.
"The competition to design a logo for Feet First has been very well supported and the standard of the entries was amazing! It was very hard to pick winners and runners up – we have some budding artists in Cumbria! Congratulations to the winners and runners up and a huge thank you to everyone who took part, we're looking forward to next year's competition already!"
Katie Ellison, aged 10 from St James Junior School in Whitehaven was one of the winners in the junior age category. Katie's drawing was exceptional and she was delighted to receive her award and prizes. Katie's winning entry design is attached to this release.
Evie Robinson, aged 5 from Kingmoor Infants School in Carlisle was one of the runners up in the infant age category. Evie was overwhelmed to find out she had won a prize and was delighted to receive a certificate and framed copy of her drawing as well as the prizes. A photo of Evie receiving her prizes from School Travel Officer Nancy Sloan is attached to this release.
Further presentations to winners and runners up at Stanwix School in Carlisle and Coniston Primary School are planned for later in May. Cumbria County Council's Active Travel team would like to say a big thank you and congratulations to all of the schools, pupils, parents and staff who have taken part in Feet First and / or entered the competition to design a logo.


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Nikon Coolpix S30 Review
The Nikon Coolpix S30 is compact 10 megapixels point-and-shot digital camera that works underwater down to 3m and can survive accidental drops up to 1m. Its simple and minimal feature make it one of the most affordable rugged digital cameras on the market.
The 10 megapixels CCD in the S30 has an ISO range of 80 to 1600 to work in a variety of lighting conditions. It is paired with a non-protruding 3X optical zoom lens equivalent to 29-87mm in 35mm terms. This modest zoom has a maximum aperture of 3.3 at the wide end and 5.9 at the telephoto which makes it possible to fit inside the body behind a fixed protective glass cover.
This all-new design from Nikon features large buttons and somewhat unconventional controls to ease underwater usability. The camera is completely sealed for underwater use in typical public pools and even shallow snorkeling. This makes it usable in rain, snow and high humidity too.
Nikon Coolpix S30 Key Features
- 10 Megapixels CCD sensor
- 3X Optical Zoom Lens, 29-87mm equivalent
- 80-1600 Automatic ISO range
- 1/1000s - 1s Automatic Shutter-Speed
- ±2 EV Exposure-Compensation, 1/3 increments
- 11 Levels of Saturation
- 11 Levels of Red-Blue Tint
- Optional Automatic flash
- Waterproof to 3m depths
- 10 Operating Modes
- 10 Frames @ ½ FPS
- 10 Second Self-Timer
- Smile-Timer
- 1280x720 @ 30 FPS video
- Single or Continuous video focus
- Powered by 2 AA batteries
- SDXC memory support
- Shockproof to 1m drops
Usability - How easy is it to use?
Nikon gave the Coolpix S30 an unusual interface, possibly to make it more underwater-user friendly. The side-effect of this radical interface is that user can feel lost and not know what to press next. Luckily, the feature set is extremely limited and does not take long to learn. After all, this is camera to use at play.
Centered at the front of the camera is a 3X optical zoom lens behind a sturdy glass cover. The permanent cover is always there, showing the non-protruding lens and protecting it from impact and water. It does not, however, protect the optical path from smudges, so one has to pay attention to not dirty it. Above it is a small fixed built-in flash, which the camera sets to Automatic each time it is powered on. To the side is an AF Assist lamp which turns on when the camera sees fit.
The top of the camera is oddly symmetric. At the center is a power button, flush with the surface. It must be held down for about 1s for the camera to turn on. This prevents accidentally turning on the camera. On the right side is a large two-stage shutter-release. Like a typical shutter, a half-press makes the camera focus and a full-press takes the picture. On the left side is a large video recording button. Press it fully to start and press it again to stop. Like the shutter-release, this one has relatively deep travel which makes it difficult to stop video without jerking the camera. Also visible from the top are two recessed eyelets to attach a wrist-strap on either side.
The back of the camera is dominated by a 2.7" LCD with 230K pixels which is not very sharp for a modern digital camera. It has a protective coating which makes it more reflective than usual and harder to see in bright light. It also blocks up quickly, showing highlight details as blocks of even colors.
The remaining controls of the camera are all on the back. To the right of the display is a 4-way rocker which is used for zooming, panning and paging menus. Zooming is simple and it takes 3s to traverse the entire optical zoom range and a few more for the digital range which cannot be disabled.
Menu navigation is performed in conjunction with four large unmarked buttons on the left. To get started, press any of these and the first page of the camera menu appears. Really, these buttons enter the menu in the same place. Once the menu appears, one option is shown next to each of the four buttons. Pressing a corresponding button simply selects that option. Since the menus have 3 pages, the rocker vertical direction must be used to switch pages. Not conventional at all but very easy once you get used to it.
There are no direct controls for any function, so applying Exposure-Compensation, changing the Flash mode or activating the Self-Timer all require trips through the menu system. EC is probably the slowest to set since it is under the Change Colors menu option. It takes 4 button presses to activate the self-timer which unfortunately resets itself after each use.
While there is no control over ISO Sensitivity or White-Balance, color saturation is adjustable in 11 steps and can be tinted along the red-blue axis in 11 steps as well. With both set to their middle default values, colors are relatively natural. Setting saturation to the lowest position turns the image completely B&W.
The last remaining button enters and exits Playback mode. The Nikon S30 is shooting-priority, so exiting Playback mode can be done by tapping the shutter-release or video-record button. Since there is no separate 4-way controller and zoom-controller, to switch between panning and zooming in Payback mode, the second lowest unlabeled white button must be pressed.
Overall, after a quick learning period, the Nikon Coolpix S30 becomes easy to use. Anything other than point-and-shoot operation remains slow though due to the lack of direct controls. In hand, this camera does feel solid albeit quite plasticky. Only the 4-way rocker has trouble and occasionally gets stuck in pressed position. It does not have much of a grip, so the provided wrist-strap is essential.
This is the only currently available underwater digital camera to run on standard AA batteries. With a pair of batteries, it can take an impressive 700 shots according to the CIPA standard. It has an SDXC memory compatible slot, making it able to use the cheapest type of memory cards and keeping total cost very low.
The bottom of the camera features a plastic tripod mount which is almost centered. Considering there are no manual controls and no panorama mode on the S30, there is no reason to complain why it is not inline with the lens. To the side is a single compartment door for accessing batteries and memory. The issue with the design used here is that batteries easily fall out when accessing the memory card.
Underwater Use
Nikon gave the S30 large rounded buttons to improve its underwater usability and it worked. All buttons are usable under and above water with equal ease. The LCD is also remains clearly visible while submerged.
Taking pictures while underwater is quite difficult with any camera. Waves and current cause photographers to move involuntarily. This is normally addressed by optical stabilization which the S30 lacks. Subjects are usually afflicted by the motion of water too and therefore require fast shutter-speeds. To reach such fast shutter-speeds underwater, one needs to use high ISO sensitivities. This camera unfortunately does not offer control over ISO sensitivity, so getting a sharp image is rare. Not a single sharp image was produced in an indoor pool. A bright beach will most likely provide much more success.
Performance - How well does it take pictures?
Image quality forms the basis of digital camera ratings in reviews here and it was attempted to evaluate the S30 with the same setup as other compact cameras. However, without control over ISO, White-Balance or Metering, this Coolpix proved uncooperative. The usual Indoor ISO crops are therefore absent from this review, so image quality had to be judged on a variety of real-world images.
Numerous images with ISO from 80 to 800 were seen but not once did the camera produce an ISO 1600 image which is officially its highest sensitivity. It strongly prefers to stop at ISO 400 and rarely uses ISO 800, even when it is subjected to extremely dark scenes.
The Nikon Coolpix S30 shows low image noise up to ISO 200 inclusively. At ISO 400 there is visible pattern of noise when viewed at 100% but nothing limited for mid-sized prints. Even ISO 800 makes an acceptable mid-size print, although one that lacks fine-details.
Metering is thankfully relatively good. The metering system in this digital camera looks at segments in the entire scene and is biased around the center of the frame. This causes slight under-exposure for bright subjects and over-exposure for backlit subjects. As usual, a half-press of the shutter-release locks the exposure which lets you recompose. When shooting building in the daytime, it is preferable to force the camera to meter with more sky and then frame the shot, otherwise exposure can be off by 1-2 EVs.
Lens sharpness is sufficient for the sensor in this camera except at extreme corners where it degrades. On our review unit, the lower left corner was significantly softer. There is no physical aperture in the Nikon S30, so the lens never improves by stopping down.
Color accuracy is good for a consumer grade camera but it struggles with white-balance when a significant portion of the scene is made up of water, over-compensating for blue water by adding a strong yellow cast. In typical conditions though, white-balance is good enough.
It should not surprise anyone that this camera is generally slow considering it retails for less than $100 USD. It takes between ¾s and 1½s to focus which is too slow to subjects moving towards or away from the camera. Luckily, the shutter-lag is quick. Zooming takes about 3s to cover the optical zoom range. At least its internal lens let it power on in 1½s and power off nearly instantly.
Battery life of the Nikon Coolpix S30 is amazing. It can take 700 shots on a pair of Lithium AAs, giving it the 9th longest battery-life among fixed-lens cameras of the last five years! With rechargeable batteries, it can still take over 400 shots with 50% flash use. There was no problem taking hundreds of images and dozens of videos without seeing the low-battery warning and we were using an older generation of Eneloops. The latest Sanyo Eneloops store 25% more charge. Also, unlike common rechargeables, Eneloops keep 85% of their charge after one year.
The Nikon Coolpix S30 is a low-cost waterproof digital camera with simple point-and-shoot operation that can survive drops and shoot hundreds of images without recharging or changing batteries. This makes it suitable for casual family snapshots and letting young kids take pictures too.
Given that the S30 runs on standard AA batteries, power is cheap and always easy to obtain. Its SDXC memory slot makes it SDHC cards which are the cheapest on the market. Add to that 700-shot battery-life and its unlikely to run out on you.
For its completely automatic operation, Nikon made the S30 produce quite nice image with relatively low image-noise, good exposure and pleasant color accuracy. Sharpness is not perfect but very suitable for family-album prints and web use.
The main area of concern for this camera is its slow speed. It is good enough to take posed snapshots but wont be able to capture active kids playing without plenty of luck. This also makes it struggle underwater and therefore is more recommended as a camera to have around water, rather than under. For real underwater use, Nikon makes the Coolpix AW100 reviewed here.
Nikon S30 Highlights
Sensor-Size: 6 x 5mm
Actual size when viewed at 100 DPI
|10 Megapixels Fixed Lens
|3X Wide Optical Zoom
|Shutter 1/1000-1s
|Waterproof to 3m
|Custom white-balance
|Standard AA Battery
|1.5 FPS Drive, 4 Images
|Secure Digital Extended Capacity
|1280x720 @ 30 FPS Video Recording
|Internal Memory
|2.7" LCD 230K Pixels
2020 Digital Photography Computer Building Guide
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Fujifilm X-T4 Review
Fujifilm APS-C flasghip mirrorless with 5-axis builtin stabilization mechanism using the same high-speed 26 MP X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor as the X-T3. New 15 FPS mechanical shutter and builtin HDR. Professional mirrorless with mechanical controls, dual control-dials, dual memory-card lots, a built EVF with Eye-Start Sensor and a huge feature set.
Canon RF-Lens Info
Info on all Canon native RF-mount lenses added to the Canon EOS R5 preview.
Canon EOS R5 Preview
Preview of the Canon EOS R5 flagship Full-Frame Mirrorless with 45 MP sensor on a 5-axis stabilization system effective to 8-stops. First 8K video capable digital camera. 20 FPS electronic and 12 FPS mechanical drive.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III Review
Third-Generation OM-D that packs a 20 MP Four-Thirds CMOS on a 5-Axis Stabilization System. Fast 121-Point Phase-Detect AF, 30 FPS Continuous Drive, Cinema 4K Video and more in a weatherproof and freezeproof body. Features dual control-dials and a builtin 2.4 MP EVF with Eye-Start Sensor with 0.69X magnification and 100% coverage.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Review
20 MP Micro Four-Thirds Mirrorless with 7-Stop 5-Axis Image-Stabilization, 121-Point Phase-Detect AF 30 FPS Continuous Drive and Cinema 4K capability in a weatherproof and freezeproof body with dual control-dials and dual SDXC memory card slots.
M.Zuiko 12-45mm F/4 PRO Review
A review of the M.Zuiko 12-45mm F/4 PRO added to the Olympus Premium Lens Roundup.
Peak Design Travel Tripod Review
Review of the unique Peak Design Travel Tripod with its own ballhead and the universal ballhead adapter.
Nikon Z-Mount DX Lens Roundup
Review of Nikon Z-Mount lenses for APS-C mirrorless digital cameras. Covers all current Z-mount DX lenses available.
Nikon Z50 Review
The first Nikon APS-C mirrorless is built around a 20 MP BSI-CMOS sensor with ISO 100-204800, 209-Point Phase-Detect AF, 11 FPS Drive and 4K Video capability. Compact body with dual control-dials and 2.4 MP 0.39" EVF with 0.68X magnification, 100% coverage and an Eye-Start Sensor.


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When I was a kid my friend and I caught some little frogs. My friend liked his frog so much he smothered it to death in his hand. Lenny, the mentally challenged giant in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, squeezed living creatures to death because he loved them so much. Why do people do this? Two Yale graduate students, Oriana Aragon and Rebecca Dyer, are conducting experiments to find out.
Dyer's hypothesis:
Some things are so cute that we just can't stand them. We think it's about high positive-affect, an approach orientation and almost a sense of lost control. It's so adorable, it drives you crazy. It might be that how we deal with high positive-emotion is to sort of give it a negative pitch somehow. That sort of regulates, keeps us level and releases that energy.
"This aggression may be the brain's response to the overwhelming joy incurred by such creatures (similar to how some people cry when intensely happy)."


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Today is the 28th anniversary of Manchester United's first European trophy under Sir Alex Ferguson, the 1991 European Cup Winners' Cup.
Barcelona were United's opponents in the final, with both sides changing kits, which was often the practice back then. Not too long ago, we looked at Barça's 1980s change kits and they were in their light blue shirts, which meant that United couldn't wear their own blue alternative.
The previous white away strip was used that season as a third shirt against Pécsi Mecsek earlier in the competition and also at Aston Villa in the league (thanks to United Kits, as always). As it was a final, a new set of shirts would have been produced with special inscriptions and even if they hadn't planned on doing so, the prohibition on shirt sponsorship made it necessary.
So it was that, instead of a shirt style which was three years old, adidas came up with what was essentially a white version of the home shirt released the previous summer, though without the zig-zags running through the fabric.
The home shorts were used as well as one-off socks (the 1988-90 away socks had been used as the home alternatives). Oddly, the shirts featured Football League patches on the sleeves.
Two Mark Hughes goals gave United victory and commemorative replica shirts were produced, with the words 'European Cup Winners' Cup' above the crest, whereas the match-worn examples didn't have 'European', while 'Winners' replaced '1991' below the badge.
Despite going on sale, it didn't become the official third shirt, though. In 1991-92, at Villa and West Ham, the older away shirt was once again worn, giving it four years of service.


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Digging down a bit, processing in prose, some images, themes and feelings from my recent weeks, and stories from friends and colleagues who've been struggling.
(If we've spoken recently friend, know that I'm thinking of you.)
How do you react when your peace is threatened?
How do you calm the fear in someone's eyes when they're afraid?
Each of us hits a fucking wall of emotional exhaustion at our own limit, in our time.
Sometimes, it's a major disaster in a very bad year.
Sometimes, it's dark, scared moments in your head in any given month, where nobody else can see.
For some, loss is a way of life, like the pain and pace of a marathon hike.
For others, loss is a looping internal pain, a black hole to be repeatedly filled and emptied, or avoided.
We're each of us incomplete, finite, looking for something external to fulfill us.
We've all had loss. We all share some truths, and maybe we see them, and maybe not.
Happiness and love are the light source you cannot see.
Light itself is invisible: it can only be seen by its effect on other things.
Sunlight lights up pollen and swirls of dust in its beams, reflecting the path to light the way.
"Got to be an Invisible Sun. Gives its heat to everyone."
So, my best advice is to be the light.
Don't worry about not knowing what to say in some crucial moment.
Don't worry about being shone on yourself, being lit up by the embarassing frailty of your heart.
We all have that. Nobody is any less scared than you are.
Be a way to help someone else shine, even if it's just by being comforting company – a presence, a companion.
Bear witness, lend a hand, an arm, a shoulder, a hug, a kiss.
Be the light, the warmth, that the moment needs.
Help others find their way, and your own path will never be unlit.


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A well-earned cunting for Naomi Long, from unknown leader of the Alliance party in Northern Ireland and an MEP.
What has this ridiculous woman done? She's reported Farage to the police for incitement to violence after he said they would take a knife to the civil service if they had the power to after an election.
Now for someone who's leader of a political party, you'd think she would be familiar with the word cuts and the origins of the word.
What sort of hysteria is possessing politics? How can people like this continue in politics?
Cut it out love. Your politics are less attractive than you are.
Nominated by Sixdog Vomit


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Event box
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K-3 Kids' Book Discussion Grades
Read the selected book. Join us for discussion, activities and crafts. Sign up for the next month's discussion and keep your books!
Registration required
- Date:
- Saturday, December 7, 2019 Show more dates
- Time:
- 10:00am - 11:00am
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Parma - Meeting Room
- Campus:
- Parma Public Library
- Audience:
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- Categories:
- Kid Programs


text:
By JON REMACHE
Mayor Bill de Blasio ducked a barrage of questions from reporters at a raucous press conference on Thursday and steadfastly denied any wrongdoing in the wake of news that federal and state prosecutors had dropped ongoing investigations into his fund-raising tactics while criticizing him for appearing to violate "the intent and spirit of the law."
Both Manhattan DA Cyrus R. Vance Jr.'s and acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim's decisions were based on the absence of "evidence of personal profit" and the difficulty of proving the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
But the prosecutors' unusual statements on de Blasio's and his associates' actions during the 2013 mayoral race and 2014 state senate races provided the mayor with something less than a clean bill of health, noting, in Vance's words, that dropping the investigation was "not an endorsement of the conduct at issue."
Still de Blasio portrayed the news as a complete vindication.
"We comported ourselves in a legal and appropriate and ethical manner," he told reporters. "This situation has been resolved and now we gotta get back to work serving the people in New York City 24/7."
As to the suggestions by prosecutors of ethical if not legally-provable lapses, the mayor said, "I believe they have an assessment. I don't share their assessment, but most importantly they confirmed they had to make a judgment on whether anything inappropriate happened and their judgment was it did not."
The mayor grew testy when pressed by reporters to say whether he would reform his tactics in future election campaigns, asserting that it was normal practice to serve constituents whether they were donors or not.
But, he added, "we have no plans to use that methodology going forward."
The initial subject matter of the press conference — President Trump"s plan and it's "negative" effect on local programs — was lost in the shuffle.
The focus always shifted to de Blasio's upcoming re-election campaign which he portrayed by saying, "more and more of our energy is going into grassroots donations."


text: HomeArtist made ring dishes. Each one is 3" across. These are a one-of-a-kind work of art, so when it's gone it's gone! Choose which dish you'd like as numbered in photos.Artisan Ring Dishes-BUNNIES$24.00PriceWhich dish would you like?SelectIs this item a gift? Please provide "to" and "from" names. (optional)100QuantityAdd to Cart


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Here's a sneak peak at what's coming up on Once Upon A Time this week:
Advances in two big story lines previewed here: Anna finds Rumplestiltskin, and clearly things get very interesting between them, and Hook (Hand??) and Emma finally have a real date. Not loving that Hook went to Rumple for help with his hand, though, because as we all know, ALL MAGIC COMES WITH A PRICE. I don't like the thought of Hook paying Rumple's fee down the road, could mean bad things for our favorite pirate.
But here's the really interesting thing about this episode: the title is, "The Apprentice." Might we FINALLY get some answers about the Sorcerer's Hat that Gold found in the season premiere? I hope so!!
Tune in Sunday, October 19 to find out, and then come back here on Monday and pick it all apart with me!


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Spiritual Wisdom from the Altai Mountains
Spiritual Wisdom from the Altai Mountains
The author, Nikolai A. Shodoev, grew up listening to epic tales of the Altai and to Altai myths and legends told by his grandmother. Over the years he collected material on local history and bilik, which is a Turik word encapsulating the notions of knowledge, science, cognition and wisdom.
Bilik represents a pool of traditional knowledge in the Altai culture.
Shodoev has pieced together and interpreted the knowledge of his ancestors and along with input from one of the last shamanic figures in Altai produced this book which provides a fascinating insight into the complex world of Altai historical and contemporary beliefs and rituals.
The original version of this book was in Russian and this translation has kept the original introduction which here forms the first chapter and provides an overview of religion in Altai.
The Altai Republic is situated in the South of Siberia and is seen as a key source of Asian spirituality and as the cradle of religion. With its roots in an animism world view that incorporated shamanism the religion has adapted and assimilated other beliefs and cultures over time. The book explains this development and the reasons behind it.
There is no doubt that the Altai Bilik is very complex but in this book we do have a genuine insight written by an author who is not only knowledgeable but has grown up within the culture.
Spiritual Wisdom from the Altai Mountains was reviewed by Yvonne Ryves, author of Web of Life
Nikolai Shodoev, Spiritual Wisdom from the Altai Mountains, Moon Books (27 July 2012) ISBN-10: 1780991215, ISBN-13: 978-1780991214


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September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and this project aims to get a serious message across through a fun campaign.
"The Parking Lot Prostate Exam Project," #TalkProstate, has turned 200 Toronto parking meters into prostate checks to show men how easy it is to get checked. A little regional insight – the parking passes do not drop out of these machine, you do need to put your fingers in them to get your parking pass.
The campaign is intended to trigger a discussion about prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men, and to encourage men to talk to their doctor about their personal risk and an early detection strategy that's right for them, including when to get a baseline PSA test. When detected early, the survival rate can be over 90%.
For the campaign, 200 stickers have been placed all around the greater Toronto area, so when people go to pay for their parking and retrieve their parking pass, they are cleverly invited to think, learn, and talk about prostate cancer.
The campaign was created by FCB Canada in partnership with Prostate Cancer Canada, the leading national foundation dedicated to the elimination of the most common cancer in men through research, advocacy, education, support and awareness.
"This new awareness campaign is all about letting men know that early detection of prostate cancer saves lives," says Dr. Stuart Edmonds, Vice President, Research, Health Promotion & Survivorship for Prostate Cancer Canada. "It's such an important message, especially in light of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and last week's widely covered study published in The New England Journal of Medicine."
"This is a great way for Prostate Cancer Canada to get people to see how easy it is to get tested," says Jeff Hilts, Co-Chief Creative Officer at FCB Canada. "Few people realize that prostate cancer is the most common cancer, and this is just a simple way to help get the message out."
"All the research shows that a significant number of men fear getting their prostate checked," adds Heather Segal, VP Strategic Planning for FCB. "We just want to show that it's actually very easy, doesn't take a lot of time, and that early detection saves lives. In fact, the survival rate is over 90% when detected early. It's a really important message to get out there."
There's also a campaign video (below), hosted by Canadian Football League Hall of Fame Quarterback Damon Allen, who helped to raise awareness for this initiative by interviewing men getting their parking pass from Green P machines.
Project: The Parking Lot Prostate Exam Project
Client: Prostate Cancer Canada
Director, Digital Marketing: Yaz Maziar
Director, Partnerships and Business Development: Falyn Katz
Agency: FCB Toronto
CEO: Tyler Turnbull
Co-Chief Creative Officers: Jon Flannery, Jeff Hilts, Nancy Crimi-Lamanna
Art Director: Simon Tuplin
Writer: Peter Gardiner
Account Director: Lora Landriault
Account Executive: Olivia Selbie
Head, Broadcast Production: Judy Hamilton
Broadcast Producer: Rea Kelly
DOP and Editor: Jorge Vasconez
Director, Print Production: Victor Carvalho
Print Producer: Bruce Ellis
VP Director of Strategic Planning: Heather Segal
Digital Strategist: Shelagh Hartford
About Prostate Cancer Canada
Prostate Cancer Canada is the leading national foundation dedicated to the prevention of the most common cancer in men through research, advocacy, education, support and awareness. As one of the largest investors in prostate cancer research in Canada, Prostate Cancer Canada is committed to continuous discovery in the areas of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and support. For more information please visit prostatecancer.ca or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.
About FCB Canada:
FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding) Toronto is a part of a global, fully integrated marketing communications company with a heritage of creativity and success dating from 1873. Based on a deeply developed understanding of diversified local markets and global cultures, FCB focuses on significantly changing consumer behaviour to the benefit of its clients, its people and society. The company is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG). Learn more at www.fcbtoronto.com or www.fcb.com, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.


text: Add to Cart Compare Quick view 2oz. Wicked Reducer Createx MSRP: Now: $3.00 Was: W100/4011 Wicked Reducer : add to colors to make thinner and more transparent. Allows colors to flow and spray well through smaller tip-size airbrushes and operated at lower PSI. settings. 4011 Reducer may be mixed with Wicked Colors in any ratio or... MSRP: Now: $3.00 Was: Add to Cart Compare Quick view