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Tag Archives: Giants
Liverpool… a City of Giants!
25th to the 27th July was the return of Royal de Luxe's giant marionettes to Liverpool.
In 2012 not long after my father had passed, Little Girl Giant, Xolo her dog and the Diver came to thrill the streets of Liverpool in A Sea Odyssey, and left a lasting impact on the psyche of all who saw them.
In 2014, they once again took over the streets of Liverpool, this time with dear old Grandmother in tow. They were part of the World War One commemorations. Liverpool was celebrating the heroism of it Pals, 5,000 men who volunteered for the war effort! Almost half never returned and those who did were left with scars both physically and mentally.
David and I on the Friday took the bus into town at 8am on a bright sunny morning and stood for over three hours waiting and watching as Little Girl Giant and Xolo awoke to start their journey around town and witnessed the Grandmother visit the city for the first time.
While waiting for the Giants to wake up, David and I were magnets for the media. We were approached by BBC Merseyside, Juice FM and a gentleman asked if he could take our picture for a magazine, though I didn't catch the name of it! David and I must look approachable or was it the red cat suit I wore on the day?
It was hot, too hot and the swelling crowds seemed endless, like a sea of humanity stretching fathomlessly through the city's streets.
For the next three days the weather played along and visitors came from both far and wide to witness the magical spectacle.
As the Giants took over the city's streets, public transport was sorely affected. On the Friday we ended up walking half way home as buses were diverted. We finally picked up one by the Women's Hospital, both disgruntled and with sore feet!
I struggled with a migraine all weekend. The heat and standing in the sun for hours did not help.
On the Friday evening, after trying to sleep off the migraine, David and I went to Newsham Park where the evenings events were to be held. We went with his family. As expected the fields were already filled with people, so we were not so lucky as in the morning in getting a front row spot!
The giants were over an hour late as Grandmother had a malfunction with her head!! At least it was a nice warm evening under a golden sun!
Finally the Giants entered the make shift stage. There were Pipers pipping, drummers on top of double decker cars and Xolo ran around entertaining the crowds. The grandmother sat down next to the Little Girl Giant and told the tale of how the Giants made mankind! They then all bedded down for the night while cheesily John Lennon's 'Imagine' played into the twilight.
We did not go to see the other two days. Saturday was a blur as I recovered from my migraine and Sunday, because we knew there would be crowds, we decided to cut our loses. At least we had seen the Giants during their visit, and we had seen them two years ago. However I did not feel the emotion that I had on their first visit to the city. Perhaps I was still in mourning then? Either way, the Giants this time around was as good if not more productive for the city and its credibility. May they return in the future with a much stronger tale to tell.
Christine 2014.


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subset: commoncrawl


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WooCommerce 5.4 Themes – Best Recommended Items!
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By Country Industry Forecasts - Oman
Key Features: Broad Country and Industry Coverage.
The service covers 68 countries across Europe, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa, where 85% of world business is conducted. Up to 85 manufacturing industries are covered per country, six service sectors and other relevant series (car sales, steel production, gross value added).
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One-way friendship ends, but guilt remains
DEAR ABBY: My "friend" from childhood, "Camille," has never had my back. I have done the heavy lifting in our friendship our whole lives.
While I was on vacation two years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer. I came home immediately and drove to the hospital at 1 a.m. to be by her side. I've always been by Camille's side for everything, even though she hasn't been there for me. I told her that several times, to no avail.
I went to EVERY chemo and doctor appointment, and was there every day to rub her feet to make her feel better. I threw her a party for 100 people to "kick cancer's butt," took her on a vacation — it goes on and on.
I ended the one-sided friendship last year. My problem is, I feel guilty for doing it. I feel I left her with cancer. But I also feel that because someone is sick doesn't give them the right to be abusive or inconsiderate. Camille hasn't tried to contact me, either. In fact, she has told others that she will never speak to me again.
I bent over backward for her, but if some other person sent a card, she would make a big deal out of it. I'm deeply hurt and don't know how to move on. Help! — WOUNDED ON THE EAST COAST
DEAR WOUNDED: One way to stop feeling guilty and get on with your life would be to acknowledge in your head AND your heart that the relationship with Camille was not a healthy one for YOU. In fact, from the way you have described it, it was more like a bad habit.
Bad habits can be difficult to break, but many people have been able to accomplish it by replacing a bad habit with a good one. Example: Instead of feeling guilty for not rubbing Camille's feet, consider getting a pedicure for yourself. Although it might seem expensive, it would be cheaper than talking to a therapist.
DEAR ABBY: My siblings and I, all born in the '50s in a small town, have fond memories of our childhood. After our mother died in 1989, our father married "Sylvia," a new arrival in town. They lived together in our childhood home until his death in 2016.
We "kids" wanted to honor our parents and our fond childhood memories. We endowed a plaque for the town park dedicated to their memory and noting they had raised a family in that community. Sylvia is now grievously offended and furious that she was not included.
Abby, Sylvia came on the scene long after we were raised and gone. She's not our parent and played no part in the memories we wanted to honor. Although Sylvia was a good wife to our dad, she did her best to erase all traces of our mother from Dad's memory and from his home. Were we wrong? She has rebuffed our attempts to explain our benign motivations. — CONFUSED IN PENNSYLVANIA
DEAR CONFUSED: You weren't wrong, but it would have been better had you discussed your plans for the plaque with Sylvia before donating it. That way, you would have been able to explain to her the reason why she wouldn't be on it. She may still be grieving the loss of your father, so try to understand her feelings.
And by the way, it is not unusual — or out of line — for a second wife to make her husband's home "her own," so don't hold it against her.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.


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It's the eve of 2013 and today I was discussing with my partners leveraging my skill and expertise as a designer dressmaker to secure space for Tibiae Tech… Ironically yesterday I posted an excerpt from the memoir of Elizabeth Keckly; the dressmaker and designer of the first lady's gown at Lincoln's second inauguration! Her joy at being free struck me! She used her skill to secure the freedom and that of her son.
It's a New Year … getting a new attitude is tougher this time around! there seems to be so much to do. Today as in the days before emancipation, the days before desegregation, Blacks with skills use it to the benefit of their family and community! It is a legacy I know too well and often admittedly sometimes resent! Dealing with this community is not easy…. but I was born free, I am educated and trained. I have no excuse!
I've been laid back in pursuing Black Redress… aiming for a June event but as I was reminded that the proclamation came into effect on January 1st 1863 but that many were not told till June 19th … I plan to celebrate and honor their memory from January 1st to June 19th! Join our Google Plus community Submit info on local black makers, crafters, artist designer in your area of African Descent … across the Globe
Listen to narratives. http://www.theafricanamericanlectionary.org/popuplectionaryreading.asp?lrid=1 from events listing
On the 150th anniversary of Watch Night, we should gather in churches, synagogues, mosques and in not so secret locations recognizing and commemorating those men and women of faith who gathered on December 31, 1862, to watch for the opportunity to secure the blessings of liberty for themselves and their posterity under the banner of the U. S. Constitution. Indeed, on the 150th anniversary of the Day of Jubilee, we should celebrate when the war to preserve the Union officially became a war to end slavery, thus recognizing the efforts of Americans of African descent who freed themselves by helping to save the Union.


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Studying Biological Diversity in Belize: Go to Chaa Creek for Research and an Unforgettable Experience
Host to one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, Belize provides the perfect getaway and hands on research for students studying evolutionary biology, botany, biodiversity, or even sustainable farming methods. The country has more than 150 species of animals, 540 species of birds, 151 species of amphibians and reptiles, and over 3,400 species of plants. One of Belize's most popular destinations, for both vacation and field research is Cha Creek, a tributary of the Macal River located in the western region of Belize.


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Cheating, though, can be so much more! Why ask for an extra life when the right code will give you an entire army, or the power of a god? Why settle for a shortcut when hidden humor, violence, sex and evil are waiting to be discovered? Why bother with mirrored maps or secret difficulty settings when a truly "special mode" will modify your favorite game beyond recognition?
The following cheats, patches, filters and bonuses unlock way more than a little help - they unlock a whole new experience.
Star Wars games have always lackeda certain something. They feature the obligatory aliens, droids, blasters and spaceships, of course, as well as the stirring orchestral sounds of John Williams cashing yet another royalty check. Sometimes they'll even throw in a Mark Hamill cameo to keep you mildly interested and keep him off the streets.
But the one thing you never get to do - and the one thing that all of us have been dying to do since Obi-Wan first terrorized the Cantina - is dismember, decapitate and otherwise destroy stuff with a lightsaber. If that old geezer could slice enemies' arms off with a mere flick of his wrinkly wrist,
why can't we?
Well, actually, we can. And so can you.
Here's the trick. Load up Star Wars: Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast for the PC and hit the "Shift" and "~" keys together. A prompt should appear. Type "devmapall" to unlock cheats and "g_saberrealisticcombat 999" to unlock dismemberment. Realistic combat, indeed!
Yeah, by adding these bonus sections, we've technically included 14 entries in a Top 7 feature. Yeah, we just love you that much.
Anyway, did you realize that Urban Chaos: Riot Response, the thoroughly mediocre shooter that nobody played in 2006, is actually the totally terrifying survival-horror gorefest that nobody played in 2006? It's true!
Simply dust off your last-gen console and enter the following combination at the main menu: Up, Up, Down, Down, Circle (or Y), Down, Up, Circle (or Y)
That'll open the cheat screen, where you can type "BURNINGBULLET" and then "KEEPYOURHEAD" for the Headless Horseman effect shown above.
Next up... dinosaurs!


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The Federal Trade Commission has released a report tracking compliance with established rating systems across multiple forms of media, and the results follow past trends: video games are the best-regulated form of media in terms of keeping adult content away from children. The easiest form of media for children to buy? Music CDs with the parental advisory label.
Video games didn't just eke out a win, either—the difference in rating compliance between games and other forms of media is great. Let's take a look at the data.
The FTC utilized a team of 13- to 16-year olds, with no parent present, to attempt to buy M-rated games, R-rated DVDs, tickets to R-rated movies at the theater, and CDs with the Parental Advisory Label. Here are the results of that secret shopper program:
If you're a kid who wants to listen to whatever terrible music grown-ups are scared of these days, you'll likely be able to buy any CD you'd like. "Retailers of explicit-content music demonstrated slight improvement since 2009 in enforcing the Parental Advisory Label—but still generally failed to prevent sales to minors," the FTC reported. "Nearly two-thirds of underage shoppers (64 percent) were able to purchase CDs with this label, down from 72 percent in 2009." The worst offender was Target, allowing 77 percent of children to purchase CDs with the Parental Advisory Label.
In contrast, the worst offender in selling video games rated "Mature" to children was Walmart, but only 20 percent of the secret shoppers were able to successfully buy M-rated games at the big-box retailer. The best retailer for ratings compliance in video games was Target, with only eight percent of children able to buy M-rated titles.
"We are extremely pleased to see the Federal Trade Commission confirm not only that the video game industry continues to have the highest rate of enforcement at retail, but that it continues to climb higher than before," ESRB President Patricia Vance said in response to the data. "The strong support that the ESRB ratings have enjoyed from retailers is crucial, underscoring their firm commitment to selling video games responsibly."
It's important to note that each of these ratings systems are voluntary, enforced on a store-by-store basis with no backing in law. There have been attempts in the past to pass laws that would punish retailers who sell certain games to children with fines, but each law has failed on Constitutional grounds. We're still waiting to hear the Supreme Court's ruling on California's version of this legislation, but until then it's comforting to know the industry is already effective at keeping adult content out of the hands of children.


text: Sure, you can fill any lapse in conversation with "Run, you idiot!" and "Gooooaaaaaaaal!" for the next 15 1/2 days (but who's counting?). However: if you want to be seen as the savior of conversation at the bars this weekend, why not shout these topical local news stories into your neighbor's ear? Even if your friend is rooting for [SO AND SO] and you're staunchly [INSERT TEAM HERE], you can probably both agree that it's great that the cool kids in middle school are miserable now. More


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Arctic Blast Hits Mission Bay Ice Bowl
On Feb 27th 73 disc golfers descended on Mission Bay Golf Course to play a round of disc golf under the lights, and for a very good cause, to raise money and food for the San Diego Food Bank. Temperatures recorded at 50 degrees, and at times felt more like 49, which made the event feel like a Southern California ice bowl. After a three-hour round with mulligans and a raffle, the final calculations are as follows: $1040.00 in cash and 250lbs of canned goods for the Food Bank.
Taking first place in the Open field with a hot round of 48 ( no mulligans ), and lighting up the course, Micah Dorius. In the Advanced field, hungry for a win, Kevin Cocks shot an impressive 50. Mark Hawking froze the Intermediate field with a 56, largest division in the event. In the shadows of the competitive Recreational division, Rastin Luna shot a 60 to emerge victorious. First place winners received an ice bowl trophy donated by Big George Spracklen. To view complete results go to pdga.com under tour results.
Ballast Point Brewery donated many raffle items including a starter home brewing kit that was won by Shawn Ludlow. Karl Heuring took home the Innova Traveler Disc Catcher. Again, many thanks to the sponsors of this year's event; Morley Field, Innova Disc Golf, San Diego Aces Disc Golf Club, PDGA, Escondido Rotary Club Disc Golf Course @ Kit Carson Park, Jeff at the golf course concessions, and Ballast Point Brewery.
Thanks to all those who brought baskets and helped set up the course; Van"Gator", J. Nichols, Quickdisc, Patrick P, KG, John B, Kool Hand Karl, and Big Ian. Thanks to Kent for taking photos of the event which can be viewed at Morley Facebook site.
Many are wondering if Mission Bay will become a disc golf course? The success of this event, selling out three days in advance, with many more wanting to play, helps in convincing the city that disc golf is a viable sport in our community.
Warm Regards,
Patrick P permalinkMarch 18, 2011 1:34 pm
Any update if this course will become permanent in the near future? Night disc golf would be great this summer in San Diego!


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The last time we looked in on the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers were embroiled in an epic playoff battle with the Cincinnati Bengals when the unexpected happened… Vontaze Burfict sealed what looked like the first playoff win of the Marvin Lewis era. Then a Jeremy Hill fumble while trying to run out the clock opened the door, and a few senseless defensive penalties allowed the Steelers to steal an 18-16 win.
These two antagonists renew acquaintances in week 2 in Pittsburgh and a few questions arise. Will the Steelers be able to move the ball on the ground with LeVeon Bell serving a 3 game suspension?? Can QB Andy Dalton get that signature win vs. a top AFC contender?? Have the Bengals learned from last year's meltdown in January??
2016 AFC North Predctions
1. Pittsburgh Steelers 11-5 **
2. Cincinnati Bengals 11-5 *
3. Baltimore Ravens 6-10
4. Cleveland Browns 4-12
Cincinnati has a tough beginning to their season with 4 of 6 on the road which includes trips to Pittsburgh in week 2, and to New England in week 6. How New England fares during Brady's 4 game suspension dictates how desperate the Patriots could be for a win. Typically these are the games Andy Dalton always seems to lose. Will 2016 be different?
Speaking of suspensions, the Steelers will be without LeVeon Bell for the first 3 weeks of the season. The only AFC team they play in that stretch will be against the Bengals. So they have time to catch Cincinnati with a slow start. They'll have to run the ball with DeAngelo Williams and rely on Ben Roethlisberger (319 of 469 for 3,938 yds 21 TDs/ 16 ints) and Antonio Brown.
Last year Brown came in 2nd to Cam Newton for the Taylor Blitz Times MVP for 2016. With 136 receptions for 1,834 yds and 10 TDs, he was within reach of both NFL records for receptions and yards. He's quick in and out of his cuts and has the speed to get deep. Barring injury he'll have a similar season with the added attention in Bell's early season absence
With age catching up to Adrian Peterson, Bell is arguably the best back in the NFL when he's healthy and will be rounding into shape as the Steelers make their playoff push.
The Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns will definitely be on the outside looking in. The Ravens will have Terrell Suggs and Steve Smith to lead them into battle on both sides of the ball. However the Ravens struggle to run the football and Joe Flacco will be coming off of major knee surgery himself. Before his injury he was playing like the east coast version of Alex Smith and checking the ball down too much. Now with him possibly being gun-shy expect more of the same.
One intriguing story to watch is the resurrection of Robert Griffin III and Terrelle Pryor in Cleveland. Head coach Hue Jackson has mentored a series of NFL quarterbacks to successful seasons. This could be a perfect storm of coaches and players all having something to prove and the ability to get it done. If Josh Gordon stays with the team, this could be fun to watch. It will come to fruition in 2017 not this year. However they will be a competitive team to watch offensively.
Thanks for reading and please share the article.


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The work in your hands is, I would like to emphasize, not a scholarly work. I'm sloppy about references, for example - sometimes they are there, sometimes they aren't. Often they will be in the form of a ``wikinote'' like this one1 . For example, when I misquote (say) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I assume that we share some cultural context there and that you'll recognize that ``42''2 is the answer to it all, the reason for Existence itself (and know where it comes from). And hopefully laugh. Putting a wikinote on things like this is a form of hedging my bets, so to speak.
It is intended to be:
Mind you, there are occasional pockets of math and logic to wade through in the text below, and it is more than a bit hard on proselytic religions of the highly organized and militant sort that seem to be a source of violent misery in much of the world today. In case you have any personal doubts about whether or not you can manage the math, let me summarize the entire book right here, right now. If you can understand the following, you can cope with the set theory and probability theory or even skip it and it won't matter. If you agree with the following, you can probably even skip buying the book!
But please don't! If you do, I don't make any money, and my goal in writing it is to save the world and bring about an age of world peace and understanding, and incidental to this, to make money.
Anyway, here it is, the fundamental truth about what any conscious mind knows of the Universe and everything in it:
From which we can draw the following two very important conclusions:
Ultimately, this is a book about freedom, the pure intellectual freedom to choose what you want to believe. This is the real deal: If you choose to believe as a matter of personal faith that the world is 6011 years old and was created in seven days as a primary axiom and thereby reject the standard for contingent inferential truth that this work will advance as a really good idea (and that leads one inevitably to very different conclusions) well, no one can tell you that you're wrong, only that your system of reasoning is massively inconsistent without a few million axiomatic band-aids. If you're good with that, well, it is your choice (at least, in a society that practices religious freedom).
However, you in turn must recognize that your belief is literally insane to someone that has as fundamental axioms the ones that support science and contingent inferential knowledge based on observation, someone that has any sort of ``minimalist'' axiom (such as Occam's Razor) for logical consistency that rejects what I will call ``fairy hypotheses'' below. You are free to believe whatever you want, but you are not free to force your beliefs down the throats of others (not even your own family) or to insist that your beliefs should be adopted by society as a whole when they manifestly don't ``work'' (are inconsistent without the aforementioned infinity of band-aids).
Personal intellectual freedom to this extent is scary; to get you to where you are more or less forced to acknowledge the truth of it I'm going to perform memetic surgery without any anesthetic but a bit of laughter and a sense of open minded wonder, and blast away without mercy at scripture-based religions, most political systems, and a substantial chunk of the philosophical traditions of both East and West. Using nuclear weapons and asteroids falling from space, by the way, to utterly obliterate them beyond any hope of resurrection, whereever they assert that they are true (as opposed to plausible, or implausible as the case may be).
Living without these socio-memetic crutches will be scary, at first, until you realize that you can still believe in things, as long as you understand that you are believing in them, that underlying every instant of your awareness is an act of faith and a miracle, that you have no right to expect others to believe as you believe. East can actually meet West as you recenter your self to a state of perfect knowledge of the moment, the state that Zen generally refers to as ``Enlightenment'',4 and then playfully and with compassion choose what to believe on top of that.
True Zen5 , of course, holds that Enlightenment is an experience that cannot be conveyed with words, and then of course uses all sorts of words in the form of ``Zen stories'' and detailed instructions on how to meditate just right to attempt to convey it with words, which is actually kind of funny all by itself. For example (to convey it in words) the general idea is that if you can ever completely stop your mind's unstoppable verbal activity while remaining completely aware, Enlightenment can happen as an experience, but one that hence by its nature cannot be conveyed in words.
If you find this confusing, don't worry. Many Zen stories read like a shootout in the Wild Wild West - this or that would-be Zen pretender goes head to head with a leather-slapping top-gun Zen Master and tries to prove how Enlightened he is by not proving it in the most elegant possible way. Of course that usually means that he is trying to prove it, as the real Zen master artfully refrains from pointing out even more eloquently while whacking the offender on the head with a handy blunt instrument (a ``Zen blow''). The loser generally becomes the devoted student of the winner in hopes of eventually achieving real enlightenment and maybe one day getting to whack students of his own. Heady stuff, and great fun, actually6.
Alas, I personally disagree with the basic premise and think that words are essential to the process of Enlightenment. There is empirical evidence that wolf-children raised without language cannot achieve Enlightenment7. As a work dedicated to the basic metaphysic of existential reality, this book attempts to guide you directly to a state of Western-style Enlightenment using the incredible power of language (and a certain amount of axiomatic set theory) to convey just the right degree of self-contradictory confusion while telling you with incredible clarity just what you do not know. Which is almost everything, in a sense that is made axiomatically precise, actually.
In deference to the East, it does include a minimal number of obligatory haiku-style koans and funny (Zen) stories, sometimes accompanied by that odd whack on the head. To ensure that these guaranteed-politically-correct whacks are really odd (and are equally guaranteed not to cause any lasting injury and hence provoke lawsuits), they are performed not with my knuckles or a hard and unforgiving blunt instrument as they might be in a Zen monastery but are self-administered with a banana.
You do have to provide your own banana.


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YMCA director: Rec program change going 'extremely well'
The transition to the YMCA of Lenawee County operating recreation programs formerly operated by the city of Adrian has been smooth, YMCA Executive Director Sue Smith told the Adrian City Commission Monday.
Smith presented an update on the transition during the commission's study session before its regular meeting.
"The first few months have gone extremely well," Smith said.
The YMCA took over operating the programs in September of last year, after the city decided to eliminate its recreation department for budget reasons. Under its agreement with the YMCA, the city still maintains the city-owned facilities where the programs take place, such as playing fields, the Piotter Center and Bohn Pool.
A former city recreation department employee, Brent Kubalek, who now works full time for the YMCA, also works on a contractual basis with the city performing tasks such as scheduling facilties and coordinating upkeep of the Piotter Center.
All the programs previously offered by the city are being offered by the YMCA, Smith said.
Smith distributed a chart showing participation in 2012 and 2013 for the 21 programs the YMCA has operated so far. Five of the programs saw an increase in the number of participants. Of 15 that saw a decrease in 2013, seven were within five participants of the 2012 participation numbers. One had the same number as in 2012.
"All in all you'll see that these participation numbers are pretty consistent with what transpired before," Smith said.
The biggest drop was in the "Santa at Stubnitz" event, where the originally scheduled event had to be canceled because of a snowstorm and the make-up date did not draw nearly as many people as in 2012. In that case, 930 people attended the event in 2012 while 330 attended in 2013.
The YMCA's direct costs for running the programs and its income from them is "fairly break-even," Smith said.
So far, fees for the programs have remained the same or very close to the same as the fees when the city was running the programs, Smith said.
"It's one of those things that we still have the option to increase as we see the need change, and we'll look at that as we go forward, but during these first several months ... we really wanted to maintain that and make sure we're delivering what people were used to," Smith said.
Smith said she would like more certainty regarding the city's employment of Kubalek, whom she called a "key part of our team."
City parks and forestry director Justin Combs, whose department is responsible for the recreational facilities, called the transition to YMCA operation of the programs "very smooth."
Combs said he had participated in three or four of the recreation programs and volunteered in three or four more.
"From a participant's standpoint there really hasn't been a change other than you register the "Y" as opposed to city hall," Combs said.


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I haven't felt so good the past week.
In fact, I've felt completely crumby for the past week and a half.
4 days ago I noticed a few little red "bug bites" near my left eye. I figured I got bit when I was out tending to my (struggling) garden, so I didn't really think much of it. I scrubbed my face with cleanser and put a bunch of hydrocortisone cream on the bites, but they only got itchier.
The next day, I had a headache and was incredibly tired. Man, was I tired! Actually, I'm still tired!
I did a whole lot of nothing, thinking my body just needed some rest. Then, I noticed the side of my face hurt. Like, really hurt. I also had a giant, swollen lump in front of my ear. I knew it was my lymph node; so I figured those bug bites were maybe a spider bite and my body was trying to fight off infection–or something.
I didn't want to think about a spider crawling on my face (that gives me the heebie jeebies!)…so I didn't. Instead, I took ibuprofen and went to bed.
When I finally crawled out of bed the next day, my eye felt funny. It was really swollen and itchy; and my lymph node was huge (as big as an egg!). I decided I better see the doc.
She walked in the room, looked at my face, and said "I think it's shingles."
What?! Shingles?! But…I'm only 27!
I'm young. I'm healthy. I shouldn't have shingles!
Unfortunately, I do. Apparently they are becoming more common among younger people; and they're often related to stress.
Stress about what? I have no idea. I don't feel stressed. There is absolutely no reason why I should be stressed; but I guess I am. Hmphf.
The worst part about having shingles is that I can't wear my contacts and have to wear my glasses (does that make me vain?). …Also, I can't be around my niece, my nephew, or my grandparents. I've been told I can't go to work either (sorry co-workers!).
Having shingles is unattractive, inconvenient, unpleasant, and BORING! I'm going stir-crazy being stuck in the house! You'd think I'd have a good time…you know, maybe get caught up on blogging and do some experimental cooking. But the truth is, I just now opened the computer (4 days into this ordeal)…and haven't had the energy (or motivation) to cook.
I couldn't stomach the thought that I'd have to eat takeout for another day. I'm sick of takeout. So this afternoon I rummaged through the refrigerator and found a bunch of random ingredients. I had arugula, lots of mint and a bunch of chopped shallots hanging out in my produce drawer. I also had some cut up cantaloupe.
Salad, it was!
I had no idea how this salad would taste, or if my husband would even eat it, but it turned out to be a success! The arugula added a little bitterness to what would otherwise be a very sweet salad. It balanced really nicely.
I think it would make an incredibly beautiful fruit salad as well. I can imagine less arugula and more cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon. Maybe add a little more mint and a smidgen of honey drizzled over everything. Yum!
As for a recipe, I simply tossed my greens (I used baby arugula), chopped mint, and chunks of cantaloupe together. I then drizzled with a little homemade dressing, and garnished with some chevre.
The dressing was quite simple, and used things I had on hand. If you decide to try this recipe, feel free to substitute whatever you think would taste good. You could even make a simple balsamic vinaigrette with some olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.
In fact, a flavored olive oil or balsamic vinegar would really enhance the dressing. I didn't have any flavored oil or vinegar that would work, so I used a mixture of olive oil and vegetable oil. I also used apple cider vinegar–for a little flavor.
Cantaloupe, Arugula and Mint Salad Dressing
This recipe makes quite a bit of dressing. I only use about 2 tbsp to dress my salad, so I'd say this makes enough for 6-10 salads (depending how much dressing you use).
- 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 1/4 c. vegetable oil (use all olive oil, if you prefer)
- Honey, to taste (I used a few tbsp.)
- 3 tbsp. mustard (I used Blueberry mustard, but any Dijon or dark mustard would be great–steer clear of the yellow stuff in the Heinz bottle).
- 2 medium-large shallots, diced
- salt-to taste
- pepper- to taste
I toss all the ingredients in a mason jar (the medium sized one) and shake it until everything is mixed really well. Drizzle it over the salads, and store the remainder in the jar. It'll stay good for a week (even longer…) if kept in the fridge.
Hopefully I'll get back to blogging more regularly soon! In the mean time, I hope you enjoy this salad!


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"You need to eat low carb and high protein. Lots of meat!"
"No, you need to stop killing animals. Go vegan. Eat fruits and berries and vegetables and you'll be fit naturally."
"No, all you need is this meal replacement shake that you can buy from me."
Everywhere I turn, there seems to be people who tell me how I'm supposed to be doing things… and yet, here I am… still.
I remember growing up watching my mom drinking tab and being on the grapefruit diet. I'm guilty of buying a Shake Weight, thigh master and some ridiculous balance thingamajig that a couple of fellow Realtors® convinced me to get with them – and never used.
I remember my husband's grandmother eating a full box of chocolate exlax every other night and being surrounded by a bunch of beauty queens with other notorious eating disorders that seemed oddly ordinary at the time. In my house, there was a full set of Gilad, Jane Fonda, Buns of Steel and Cindy Crawford on betamax tapes.
I pay an $80 monthly membership for my husband's jujitsu gym that he went to a couple of time about 7 months ago. Also pay for a monthly membership for us to go to another gym and now pay extra for spin classes that I can get free with my monthly gym membership at the other place. I've paid for medical weightloss programs like HCG and tried every diet known to mankind like keto, adkins, paleo, bone broth, vegan, vegetarian, fasting, juicing, eating five servings of air a day, etc…. only to find that my triglycerides go through the roof, extremities swell up like the elephant man and end up gaining more weight than when I started the silly diet! I've tried to melt off pounds with saunas, hot yoga and trashbag looking sweat suits and even tried to freeze off love handles with cryotherapy (although cryo is really good for other things and muscle recoop that I love and saunas for simple peace) and continue to remain the flabalanche that I am. I've hesitantly bought into programs where if I just drink this shake, I can magically melt off the pounds…. really just look at these before and after pictures of one of their clients yada yada yada. And have now had the horrible thought go through my head where I've reduced myself to giving up and thinking if I just go get a mommy make over now, could I possibly have enough time to recover and be perfect for my son's wedding pictures? Every possible option has been entertained, hesitantly entered, jumped in head first 100% and still failed miserably.
Thousands of dollars spent and hundreds of pounds lost and gained and lost again and gained back… I've come to the conclusion that health and fitness is NOT a one size fits all solution. Until I did things the old fashioned way – the hard way – the long way – and even then, got hurt and have found myself starting over.
Each one of our bodies are different from the other and so are our genetics, our good habits, bad habits, every day physical behaviors, customs and beliefs. To get sucker punched hard enough to think that there is one magic pill, shake or exercise and diet program that can conquer this multifaceted dilemma is seriously far fetched.
What I write about in this blog is what my own personal family history, upbringing, genetics and experiences have brought me. It may NOT fit you. If you have just started reading this blog, go to the search box and type in "How it all started" and read the entries in chronological order, How It All Started I, How It All Started II and How It All Started III.
I've learned through the course of all this time, expense and great lessons is simple:
- Make better food choices: If God didn't make it naturally, don't eat it. If you ate something you aren't supposed to and/or too much of it, just get up and get yourself back onto the band wagon and start over. We all fall down some time.
- Move: do something you like to do so it's not such a downer chore. Gardening, Zumba, Soccer, Marathons, Triathlons, Hiking, Roller Blading, Walking, Crossfit, nigh club dancing… whatevs… just do something and do it consistently.
- Don't compare yourself to others or yourself from way back when: I have ONE nemesis, 22 year old Myssie. You remember that girl, the one who ate pizza and nachos and cheese puffs and still had the body to die for? Ugh! I hate that girl!!!!
Simple huh?
Yeah right. I'm still and will always be a work in progress. Always seeking out something fun to keep me active, and open to new ideas… yeah, even a shake weight. I do good on the food choices… MOST of the time and other times, eh, not so good.
I work – a lot. It's not an excuse. It's my personal priority at this moment. Yes, there IS a difference. I am a mom. It's not an excuse. It's a priority and although I'm not having to deal with changing diapers and lack of sleep like a new mom, I do deal with the stress of having a son being deployed, not knowing where he is, what he's doing, if he's healthy, hurt, etc… and another son who is a teenager in that stage where he is going through some of life's most difficult challenges. I'm still a mom. It is my priority. I am also a wife. It's not an excuse. It is a priority. His job is dangerous – like REALLY dangerous. I stress out about that, too. And equally dangerous is the temptation of countless other women who throw themselves at him in hopes that he gives them the life they see us have. It's an endless, daily struggle balancing, prioritizing, executing, conquering, failing and doing it all over again day after day. I'm a stress eater… see where I'm going with this???
Get to know yourself, what sets you off, what is the root cause of your unhealthy behaviors and find solutions that work for you to chip away little by little to make yourself better each day.
If I sound like you… a working woman, midlife, tons of stress seeking ways to live a longer, healthier, happier life, follow/join me. Let's try to help each other out. No subscription, no monthly payment, no book to buy, no club to join, no magic powder to put in your meal replacement shake. This is me. Just me. Wanting to help you. All of you. In hopes that in the end, we just all help each other help each other.


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Go fishing and log the time, the conditions, the location and the fish you catch.
Login to The Pro Fishing Log website
and add a new fishing log or basic fishing journal entry by entering the fishing info you logged on the lake or river while fishing.
Learn. Improve your chances of a succesful
trip by researching your fishing log and basic fishing journal entries, before heading out to the lake.
The Pro Fishing Log makes it easy to keep track of all your fishing log entries. And with the release of the new PFX Fishing Log App, it's even easier to analyze
the log entries of your fishing trips. You can research and discover patterns ahead of time to help make your future fishing trips more successful.
Why deal with a paper fishing log or spreadsheet that is difficult to maintain. Why struggle to determine the best places to fish from loose sheets of a paper fishing
journal or rack your brain looking at scattered rows in a spreadsheet? Become a better fisherman. It's time for less fishing and more catching.
Search public fishing logs for fishing reports. Currently, you can also search by Minnesota lakes for Minnesota fishing reports,
but mapped fishing reports are coming soon.
The Pro Fishing Log also is a place to keep in contact with your fishing partners. You can make it your own online fishing club by inviting fishing partners to register and then adding them to your fishing partner list.
For those who want to keep things a little more simple, the basic fishing journal
will continue to be available on the website. To access your basic fishing journal,
login or register and click the Log Manager link at the top of the page.
The Pro Fishing Log is secure. You control who can view your basic fishing journal
You set each journal entry as either private, partner only or public.
In the PFX Fishing
Log app you set which of your partners has access to new locations you add. By default,
only you will see it on the map. Nobody has to know about your new
secret fishing spot.


text:
About Us
Freedom Recovery Centre in Nigel is one of the most cost effective long-term and 12-step rehabs in the country. We are registered and accredited with the Department of Health and the Department of Social Development!
Who are we?
Freedom Recovery Centre was called to life to give support to the parents and families suffering the pain and devastating consequences of drug- and alcohol abuse in South Africa.
We are committed to the provision of a long-term rehabilitation centre, where lost and addiction-tired substance abusers can find a true new life! Not only are we committed to save the person from addiction, but also to educate them in important life skills.
Lastly, FRC is also committed to drug prevention campaigns and in educating scholars, parents and family members on a regular basis regarding the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.
Contact Info:
Website: www.freedomrecoverycentre.co.za
Email: email@example.com
Contact No: Derick on 082 506 7890
Pieter on 071 892 2985


text:
Feb. 3, 2010— -- It was the scientific paper that served as a central pillar for the idea that vaccination could increase children's risk of developing autism.
Now, with a formal retraction from the Lancet, the medical journal which in 1998 published this piece of research by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, most researchers will view the study as if it had never been published in the first place.
In a statement explaining its retraction of Wakefield's paper, the Lancet said: "Following the judgment of the U.K. General Medical Council's Fitness to Practice Panel on Jan. 28, 2010, it has become clear that several elements of the 1998 paper by Wakefield et al are incorrect ... in particular, the claims in the original paper that children were 'consecutively referred' and that investigations were 'approved' by the local ethics committee have been proven to be false. Therefore we fully retract this paper from the published record."
"The Lancet is an enormously prestigious journal with worldwide circulation, so its action of repudiation is very important," said Dr. William Schaffner, chair of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine's Department of Preventive Medicine in Nashville, Tenn. "The retraction puts another nail in the coffin of this awful, painfully erroneous study."
But the retraction is unlikely to close the Pandora's Box that the Wakefield study opened, other vaccination experts said.
"Unfortunately, the idea that vaccines cause autism is already out there and the damage has already been done," said Robert Field, professor of Health Management and Policy at the Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia. "Years of research have clearly disproven a vaccine-autism link, yet many people continue to believe in it. If all of that research hasn't changed their minds, the Lancet's retraction is not likely to make much difference."
Dr. Gregory Poland, editor-in-chief of the journal VACCINE and director of the Mayo Vaccine Research Group in Rochester, Minn., called the Lancet's action merely "procedural."
"What is more important is that an investigator, on the basis of false pretenses, published a paper and propelled a controversial hypothesis forward that led to decisions among individuals and groups to reject vaccination, with resultant outbreaks of these diseases," he said. "The results are highly significant: millions spent needlessly, hundreds of thousands -- maybe even millions -- unimmunized, and a fog of suspicion cast upon vaccines."
On Jan. 28, the United Kingdom's General Medical Council (GMC) found Wakefield guilty of acting unethically during the time he conducted the famous case report of 12 children that questioned if a childhood vaccine caused a new form of autism.
Ethical Questions Dog Controversial Autism Study
Wakefield's hypothesis was that by combining vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella into a single shot, known as MMR, the vaccine weakened the immune system and damaged the gut. He said that this, in turn, led to the development of autism.
The GMC concluded that Wakefield participated in "dishonesty and misleading conduct" while he conducted the research. Specifically, it found Wakefield responsible for an ethics breach because he wrote that the children involved in the case report were referred to his clinic for stomach problems, when he knew nearly half of the children were actually part of a lawsuit looking into the effects of an MMR vaccine. Some children didn't have stomach issues at all.
Wakefield also failed to disclose he was paid in conjunction with the lawsuit, or that he had a patent related to a new MMR vaccine in development when he submitted the case report for publication.
Moreover, according to one of the findings against the doctor, Wakefield took blood samples from children at his own child's birthday party and paid them each five British pounds for their trouble.
Following the GMC's Jan. 28 ruling, Wakefield declined an interview with ABCNews.com, but issued a statement saying, "The allegations against me and against my colleagues are both unfounded and unjust and I invite anyone to examine the contents of these proceedings and come to their own conclusion."
The GMC ruling is unlikely to erase the apparently false connection between vaccines and autism from the public mind. Nor will it detract from Wakefield's positive reputation among some activists groups.
Following the GMC's decision, the advocacy group the Autism Society issued a statement in which it said it "strongly supports funding research into gastrointestinal pathology, as well as any links between this pathology and the symptoms of autism. ... In this field, Dr. Wakefield's contributions to our families and members are greatly appreciated and there are many who support him in his research efforts."
Wakefield Study Had Big Impact on Vaccination Rates
Similarly, the parent groups who stood behind Wakefield in rallies and in press statements say his theories have led to anecdotally successful treatment in their children and also doubt that a finding by the GMC will change any minds.
It is on this point that critics of Wakefield's work agree.
"In some ways I think [the GMC ruling] is irrelevant," said Dr. Paul Offit, chief of the Section of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who has been twice threatened with lawsuits for critical statements he has made of Wakefield's work.
According to Offit -- and international studies supported by the CDC as well as a 2004 review of large international studies by the Institute of Medicine -- high-quality studies could not confirm Wakefield's hypothesis about vaccines.
Still, when the public got word of Wakefield's work, worried parents skipped vaccines, and the percentage of children who were not vaccinated in the United States rose from 0.77 percent in 1997 to 2.1 percent in 2000, according to an article by Dr. Michael Smith in the journal Pediatrics. A similar rise in children not being vaccinated occurred in Britain.
Although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control declared the United States cleared of measles in 2000, the lower vaccination rate brought back the disease in a 2008 outbreak. At least 131 cases were reported to the CDC, and 11 percent of the cases were hospitalized. A handful of children in Britain died of the measles around the time of the U.S. outbreak.
Since the publication of the 1998 article, Wakefield has left England and has set up an alternative research and treatment organization called Thoughtful House in Austin, Texas. On April 7, the GMC is scheduled to decide whether his ethical breaches constitute "serious professional misconduct" and if so, how Wakefield will be reprimanded or whether he will lose his license.
Regardless of the outcome, many vaccine efforts hope that this latest chapter in the debate over a connection between vaccines and autism will be the last.
"I think it is vital that the public and more importantly the press move past this issue," said Dr. Nancy Minshew, professor of psychiatry and neurology and director of the University of Pittsburgh's Autism Center of Excellence.
"It is time for a new script," she said. "In a time when scientists have discovered a prevention for ASD in infants and toddlers with the tuberous sclerosis gene, the public and press should be racing to understand how this came about and where the next discovery will come from."


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Rapture, by Phillippa Yaa de Villiers, is dedicated to the protection of South Africa's rhinos and is reproduced here in support of World Rhino Day.
Rapture by Phillippa Yaa de Villiers
We have to keep going as if there is a future, but it's the end of the world,
the rapture, screaming bodies hurled to heaven. Wars everywhere and the middle
east burning: the smell of bodies lost to wonder, the callous mistake of statistics
sunburnt holes in the sky and the ritual murder of elephants and rhinos
almost industrialized, like our responses as automatic as breathing
as automatic as pressing a button as automatic as autopilot settings
as bodies kept alive by machines, and we are asked what we think
like/don't like and there's the debate and the edge of the world subsides
into flames of not caring. The world will end and we are nowhere near
the ones we love and the cold voice of the airport tells us to hurry to our boarding gate;
the ark is only half-built, the launch of the new strategy for the state is still waiting
for a coat of paint.
Here's our life spread out in Eliot's etherized surgery, facing Soyinka's unwelcome guest
who won't care about whether or not it's convenient for you, will come calling when he likes
and when death comes for me I want to be busy making light. It won't do to blame politicians for
power failures, I thank them as I write you, poem, into life.
Not dead yet, I've still got the whole night because I am not the one who was shot, banned or
almost beheaded, I am not the victim of some gruesome experiment with power, I simply
stand and stare at our world and write down what I see and even though it is misunderstood
at times, it stands.
The world ended just a moment ago
for another rhino lying in its lonely blood but that might not be on the news tomorrow.
Probably not. The news is hardly ever of sorrow but of egos mortally offended, naked
emperors and a child's laugh as he paints the funfair of history. The electricity of connection
fails to resurrect our community, we're in the dark here, so take this small hand,
this poem, this picture, spark stolen
from a power failure in Johannesburg:
may it light your way till you find your own.
First published in the 2013 anthology For Rhino in a Shrinking World (Ed Harry Owen) and subsequently with audio in the anthology Let Me Tell You a Story, 2016.


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The very early discovery of avian viruses associated with cancer, and the subsequent failure for many years to isolate similar viruses from mammals, gave some researchers the idea that possibly birds were unique in this regard. However, "RNA tumour viruses" or oncornaviruses, as they were known for a time, were first demonstrated to affect mammals when mouse mammary tumours were shown to be due to a virus by John Bittner in 1936, by transmission in milk. He also demonstrated vertical transmission, or inheritance of the virus.
The nature of the agent was not known at the time, but by 1951 L Gross had shown that leukaemia could be passaged in mice using cell-free extracts. In 1958 W Bernhard had proposed a classification of what were to become known as retroviruses on the basis of electron microscopy. In 1964 a mouse sarcoma virus and a feline leukaemia virus had been isolated, and in 1969 bovine leukaemia was shown to be a viral disease. 1970 saw the description of reverse transcriptase from retroviruses, and in 1971 the first primate leukaemia virus – from gibbons – was described, and the first retrovirus (foamy virus) described from humans. Bovine leukaemia virus was characterised as a retrovirus in 1976.
It is not surprising, therefore, that many labs tried to find cancer-causing disease agents in humans. However, such effort had been put into finding oncornaviruses associated with human tumours, with such lack of success, that it led to people talking of "human rumour viruses" – a useful list of which can be seen here. Nevertheless, by 1980 Robert Gallo's group had succeeded in finding "type C retrovirus particles from fresh and cultured lymphocytes of a patient with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma", which they called human T-cell leukaemia virus (HTLV). The breakthrough was made possible by their prior discovery of "T cell growth factor", now called interleukin 2 (IL-2), which meant human T cells could be successfully cultured for the first time. A group of Japanese researchers described an "Adult T cell leukemia virus" (ATLV) in 1982: this proved to be the same as what became HTLV-1, given the description also in 1982 by Gallo's group of another retrovirus associated with a T-cell variant of hairy cell leukaemia, which they dubbed HTLV-2.
HTLV-1 is associated with the rare and genetically-linked adult T-cell leukaemia, found mainly in southern Japan, as well as with a demyelinating disease called "HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP)" and HTLV-associated uveitis and infective dermatitis. The areas of highest prevalence are Japan, Africa, the Caribbean islands and South America. HTLV-2 had a mainly Amerindian and African pygmy distribution, although it is now found worldwide, and causes a milder form of HAM/TSP, as well as arthritis, bronchitis, and pneumonia. It is is also frequent among injecting drug users. However, except for rare incidences of cutaneous lymphoma in people coinfected with HIV, and the fact of its origin in a hairy cell leukaemia, there is no good evidence that HTLV-2 causes lymphoproliferative disease. The two viruses infect between 15 and 20 million people worldwide. HTLV-1 infections can lead to an often rapidly fatal leukaemia.
By 2005 another two viruses had joined the family: HTLV-3 and HTLV-4 were described from samples from Cameroon that were presumably zoonoses – being associated with bushmeat hunters – and which are not associated with disease. Interestingly, all the HTLVs have simian counterparts – indicating species cross-over at some point in their evolution. Collectively they are known as the primate T-lymphotropic viruses (PTLVs) as they consitute an evolutionarily related group. Another relative is bovine leukaemia virus.
The HTLV-1/STLV-1 and HTLV-2/STLV-2 relationships are relatively ancient, at more than 20 000 years since divergence. However, their evolution differs markedly in that STLV-I occurs in Africa and Asia among at least 19 species of Old World primates, while STLV-2 has only been found in bonobos, or Pan paniscus dwarf chimpanzees from DR Congo. It is therefore quite possible that there are other HTLVs undiscovered in primates in Africa and elsewhere, that may yet emerge into the human population.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) was for a time after its discovery in 1983 called HTLV-III by the Gallo group and lymphadenopathy virus (LAV) by the Montagnier group; however, evidence later obtained from sequencing and genome organisation showed by 1986 that it was in fact a lentivirus, related to viruses such as feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and the equine infectious anaemia virus discovered in 1904, and it was renamed. Francoise Barre-Sinoussie and Luc Montagnier were awarded a half share in a 2008 Nobel Prize, commemorated here
in Viroblogy.
HIV is indirectly implicated in cancer because it creates an environment through immunosuppression that allows the development of opportunistic tumours that would normally be controlled by the immune system: these include HPV-related cervical cancer, and Kaposi's sarcoma caused by Human herpesvirus 8 (see later). It is also possible that HIV may directly cause lymphoma development in AIDS patients by insertional activation of cellular oncogenes, although this appears to be rare.


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- 1 The mobile imperative for retail banks.
The mobile imperative for retail banks.
Mobile has become a fifth appendage, an extension essential to get through the day. That makes your bank's approach to mobile a good gauge of your capability as an experience business, one focused squarely on customers and how to delight them. With phones in their pockets, consumers should be able to research, compare, apply for, transact and engage with all your products and services in a simple, seamless and occasionally surprising way.
Leaders in retail banking are no longer going mobile — they've gone. To satisfy customers, keep up with competitors, raise revenues and ensure an always-on connection, you need to mobilise, too.
Let's talk about customer satisfaction first. From January 2015 to November 2016, banking via mobile phone was up 54 per cent, according to the Adobe "Mobile Maturity Study." It's the only device with a steady uptick in use for retail banking since 2014, as our graph shows. But by mobile, we do mean smartphone — and it's clear looking at the chart that, for retail banking use, the phone line trends up strongly while the tablet line flattens. So much for having more real estate for complex banking products.
Retail Banking: Smartphone has increased 121% since 2014.
Financial services firms have responded to customer preference by investing in mobile — it ranked first for increased 2017 budget expenditures among the over 850 financial services respondents to the Adobe and Econsultancy "2017 Digital Trends in Financial Services and Insurance" study.
Respondents' 2017 budget plans by channel or discipline.
Social media
virtual events
Search engine
Social media
It's not just "me-too-ism." The average number of product holdings — like loans, CDs, credit cards and mortgages — increased right after consumers adopted mobile, according to Fiserv's "Mobile Banking Adoption." Customers also increased number and value of point-of-sale, ATM and ACH transactions, bringing increased interchange revenue to banks. Attrition is lower among mobile banking users, too.
But it's not only about revenue. Increasingly smartphones provide the only way you can stay connected to customers any time, anywhere, with email, text, web, app, social and yes, even phone.
Recognise the obstacles to mobile.
Still, it's not easy. But what's clear is that at the moment, customers of every age find mobile banking best for transactional tasks like checking balances and depositing funds. And as Forrester's "2016 Global Mobile Banking Functionality Benchmark" says, many banks fall short when it comes to sales and service via mobile — and that's reflected in customer activities.
Bank-related tasks performed by smartphone users.
Monitored bank balances
Made account deposits
Originated a loan or mortgage
Applied for a credit card
Monitored bank balances
Made account deposits
Originated a loan or mortgage
Applied for a credit card
Source: 2017 ADI US Finance Survey
That may be contributing to slowing adoption of mobile banking. Although 53 per cent of smartphone users have used mobile banking in the last 12 months, that number has grown only three points since 2012, according to the Federal Reserve "Consumers and Mobile Financial Services 2016." The survey cited security as the major concern, along with the difficulty of banking on a small screen and using banking apps. Banks themselves cite fragmented channels, difficulty of sharing data across legacy systems and security and performance as barriers to delivering personalised experiences via mobile, according to the Adobe and Econsultancy 2017 "County of Digital Transformation in Financial Services" study.
Let's look at how banks can manage these obstacles and use mobile to acquire customers and deepen relationships.
Move the needle on mobile acquisition.
Let's start at the beginning: customer acquisition. Within three years, 87 per cent of digital leaders anticipate mobile will be a major or primary source of new account origination, according to the "County of Digital Transformation" study. To drive prospects to their mobile websites, most banks currently use mobile search, social media and display ads. But they stop short of letting customers enrol in accounts or apply for products on their smartphones, according to Forrester's "2016 Global Mobile Banking Functionality Benchmark."
See mobile as the source of new future accounts.
87% indicated mobile will be an equal or higher source of new accounts in 3 years.
Mobile will be a source equal to other options accounts. (27%)
Mobile will be a major source, overtaking other channels in volume. (41%)
Mobile will be the primary source. (19%)
Mobile will be a limited source for new account openings. (13%)
That gives banks an opportunity to outpace competitors by making it easy to research, apply and ultimately onboard via mobile. At the moment, customers cannot "pass Go" until they sign up on their desktops. And that's not going to delight customers who want the instant gratification of signing up for mobile at the moment.
You need to offer a responsive, user-friendly and secure enrolment or application process designed for mobile. That doesn't mean shrinking the desktop or, worse still, your paper-based forms. Instead, you need to implement responsive forms and documents integrated with existing apps and websites. Let users work off-line and sync when they're connected. And once customers log in, make sure guidance on mobile banking and information on security and privacy are easy to find.
To ensure the best possible experience — and the greatest customer conversion — enable segment targeting, analytics tracking and A/B testing to make sure you get it right. What you learn here will also serve you in other application processes, from car loans to credit cards.
Balance channel preference.
Once you have mobile banking customers on board, you may ask if you should encourage them to go all mobile, all the time. In a word, no. Eventually, you'll want to offer solid mobile options for all your products and services. But customers who didn't grow up on mobile or even on digital may still look for a friendly, helpful experience at your branch when they're filling in a loan application or selecting a credit card. That means desktop or branch visits will complement the mobile experience. As with other channels, integrating mobile web and apps requires a solid digital foundation to unify data, manage content and test and optimise experiences.
Even customers who use mobile visit branches regularly.
Use mobile baking:
Gen X
Visited a branch in the last year:
71% averaged
11 visits
71% averaged
11 visits
Customer satisfaction still ranks higher for those who mix and match banking channels, according to J.D. Power. Overall satisfaction among those who visited a bank branch within the past 12 months is 27 index points higher, on a 1,000-point scale, than those who didn't. Even millennials who visited the branch scored 20 points higher.
What's critical here is understanding your customers' channel preferences through mobile, branch and web analytics and then acting on them through targeting and testing. But most banks are still limited in the capabilities they can extend to mobile channels. By building capabilities, you can move toward providing personal, useful mobile interactions and even mobile video. As the portion of your demographic using mobile increases, you'll be able to entice customers and increase their loyalty at the same time you cut costs to serve them.
Desktop capabilities move to mobile.
Capabilities respondents are able to extend to mobile channels
Mobile site
Mobile app
Lure customers with mobile apps.
For 52 per cent of respondents to the 2017 Econsultancy and Adobe "County of Digital Transformation in Financial Services" report, appealing to new generations of consumers — younger, increasingly mobile-first people — was a top-two concern. One promising approach to engage millennials and Gen Z-ers is through apps. Large retail banks and many of their regional and local counterparts have launched solid smartphone apps that reduce transaction friction and discourage bank hopping. For example, Bank of America's app displays useful account information even before log in and supports appointment scheduling, according to Forrester's "2016 Global Mobile Banking Functionality Benchmark."
Keeping up with consumer demands means you need to work continually to understand what your customers want to do on mobile and adjust your mobile approach to suit. After a bad mobile experience, 85 per cent of consumers are unlikely to do business with a company again, according to "Transforming the Mobile Customer Experience" from V12 Data. And difficult mobile navigation has prompted 70 per cent to abandon a website. It's clear you need to make sure the basics are solid, like intuitive navigation and easy-to-access guidance. And when customers need support, make sure it's readily available via text, live chat or social media.
Realise that your experience can't just match that of your banking peers — your customers' rocketing expectations are set by other industries. If Amazon's app knows which credit card your customer uses to make a purchase, then your bank's app should know their payment preferences too. If the Starbucks app can let your customer know within a minute when they can pick up their half-caf, non-fat, extra-hot latte, then your bank's app should alert them when they're about to exceed a spending limit they set.
Customers will use mobile banking more frequently as they gain confidence with transactions like transferring funds or adding a new bill payee, according to Forrester's "2016 Global Mobile Banking Functionality Benchmark." But transactional apps are almost a yawn. The best apps let customers find what they're looking for by rethinking the small screen, view offers prompted by their actions across channels, apply quickly to loans and credit cards using capabilities like instant fill and image scanning and incorporate tools for personal money management, including goal tracking.
Mobile can be the fast path to customer conversion and upselling of services in a world where consumers value self-service more than individual brands. But to provide the best possible mobile customer experiences, you need to continually raise the stakes.
Empower Innovation.
New innovations in mobile are giving retail banks fresh opportunities to offer unprecedented experiences and build enduring relationships. And forward-looking banks are tapping the following exciting trends to enrich customer experiences:
Mobile payments and mobile wallets.
More retail banks are offering customers payment options, including Apple Pay®, Samsung Pay, Android Pay, Microsoft Wallet and their own wallets. These also provide recommendations, allow contactless payments and enable person-to-person payments.
Mobile apps for prospects.
Your relationship with a prospect could kick off with a mobile app that helps them better manage their financial lives. If you can offer prospects guidance on buying a home, car or boat, you're one step closer to providing the financial services they'll need.
Location is at the centre of multi-channel interactions via mobile. And it gives you the chance to make valuable product and service offers. For example, if your customer just walked into a car dealership, you might message them with information on your low-interest auto loans.
Several banks, including Atom and Starling, announced they will enable customers to log in via facial and voice recognition. Authenticating users in this way means greater convenience and security than usernames and passwords that are easily forgotten or stolen, according to Waracle.
Internet of things devices.
Wearables let financial services firms connect with customers through new touchpoints. CIBC lets customers quickly transfer money via the Apple Watch app and Bank Millennium lets them find ATMs and make payments in shops, according to Forrester's "2016 Global Mobile Banking Functionality Benchmark."
Trends in innovation inspire unexpected experiences.
Financial service firms see opportunity in other trending areas.
Mobile Wallets & Mobile Payments
Mobile Apps for Prospects
Internet of Things (IoT)
Biometric Authentication
Mobile Geolocation
Priority 1
Priority 2
Percentage of respondents ranking innovations as top 1 or 2 (out of 5)
Grow from the top and bottom.
Most banks let customers pay bills, deposit checks and transfer funds via mobile, which lowers costs, cuts expense and contributes to bottom-line growth for the bank. But for experiences that inspire customers, look to the companies that were born mobile. They've moved beyond enabling transactions to removing friction from basic processes that make it easier for consumers to view, move and manage their money. That increases account signups, deposits, cross-sales and product penetration that all drive revenue, contributing to topline growth.
To be at the forefront of the mobile experience, banks need to get ahead of the customer — to comprehend their goal in every moment, immediately offer them the right product or service and make it possible for them to add it instantly on-the-go.
"2017 Digital Trends in Financial Services and Insurance" Econsultancy and Adobe, 2017
"2017 US Retail Banking Satisfaction Study (SM)," J.D. Power, 27 April 2017.
"7 Key Mobile Trends in Financial Services," Waracle, 6 September 2016.
"ADI US Finance Survey 2017," Adobe, 2017.
"Adobe Mobile Maturity Study," Adobe 2017.
Aurelie L'Hostis, Zhi Ying Ng, Peter Wannemacher and Rachel Roizen, "2016 Global Mobile Banking Functionality Benchmark," Forrester, 15 July 2016.
"State of Digital Transformation in Financial Services" report, Econsultancy and Adobe 2017
"Mobile Banking Adoption: Where Is the Revenue for Financial Institutions?," Fiserv, 2016.
"Transforming the Mobile Customer Experience," V12Data, 28 November 2016.


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Ever since we purchased a new rug for the living room on our last road trip, I've been anxious to add some details here and there to finish the living room off. It's been in limbo for a long time! One thing the room was lacking: wall art.
Check 'em out here:
|Image: Pinterest
|Empty wall. Needs pictures. ASAP.
|Image: The Haunted Hollow Tree
|Image: The Haunted Hollow Tree
|Image: The Haunted Hollow Tree
I did a really terrible mock-up in Photoshop to get an idea of how it would look with these three prints. I think the textured paper and the subtle browns will add a little bit of contrast with the all-white frames and mats. I'll have to get some custom mats cut at a local framing store but I always love how they turn out so I'm looking forward to that!
Well, that's one mini-project that I can cross off my list. Don't you just love that!?!


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This Thor Foil Balloon can be inflated with normal air through a straw/pump which you insert into the valve (will not float away).
They can also be inflated with helium (will float away) so they should be tightened to a weight. They last for a few hours.
Tip: Do not overinflate the balloon, it can pop!
Brand: Anagram


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•Mauricio Ibarra, 19, Fort Morgan, was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs and other related charges at 700 Turner Street on January 4 at 9:15 p.m. Held without bond.
•Ronald Tsosie, 48 and Roselin Brown, 44, Brush, were arrested for domestic violence and harassment at 1515 Edison Street #11 on January 4 at 10:04 p.m. Held without bond.
•Christopher Romero, 20, Brush, was arrested for minor in possession, harassment and criminal mischief at 215 South Cameron Street on January 5 at 6:36 p.m. Held on $750 bond.
•Kyle Kravig, 22, Brush, was contacted for an ordinance violation at 112 South Bruse Street on January 8 at 2:45 p.m. Summons issued
•Altara Higinbotham, 33, Brush, was contacted for a traffic accident at Everett and Ray Street on January 4 at 2:31 p.m. Summons issued.
•Male juvenile, 17, Brush, reported a burglary and theft at 129 South Curtis Street on January 6 at 10:15 a.m.
•Rosalia Garcia-Morales, 34, Brush, reported a theft at 1104 Edison Street on January 6 at 6:05 p.m.
•Guadalupe Rincon, 55, Brush, reported an attempted fraud at 118 Carson Street on January 8 at 10:31 a.m.


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Fine Summer Star
£13.50 £27
With its characteristic star print, the Fine Summer Star scarf is one of Becksöndergaard's oldest classics. The scarf is lightweight and can therefore be used all year round. The signature print is found in a lot of different color combinations, so there is certainly one that suits your taste.
Quality : 100% Fine Cotton
Color : Scallop Shell
Product Id : 00006000010670601


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~Sophie Neville with the yacht 'Goldfish' sailing on Wroxham Broad~
In May 2018, I travelled up to Wroxham for the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club's Open Day. They were celebrating life on the Broads in the 1930s, along with the books by Arthur Ransome that are set in East Anglia.
We were blessed by such glorious weather that almost everybody seemed to be sailing when I arrived.
A number of vessels that appeared in the BBC TV adaptations of 'Coot Club' and 'The Big Six' entitled 'Swallows and Amazons Forever!' were on display at the club, including Titmouse, the dinghy belonging to Tom Dudgeon in the story, that normally resides at Hunter's Yard in Norfolk.
Tom's punt, the Dreadnaught was pulled up alongside an elegant Edwardian skiff called Joan B that was once set adrift at Horning by George Owden. She had been brought along by Pat Simpson, a member of the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club.
Pippa, a classic broads river-cruiser with dark sails belonging to Geoff and Rose Angell, was cast adrift at Horning in the dark of night. She came to no harm and was now out on the water, racing against a 1904 yacht with white sails, number 4, called Swallow.
'White Boats' or 'Yare and Bure one-designs' originally brought out in 1908, were also racing as they have been since the Farland twins, Port and Starboard, crewed for their father in 'Coot Club'. Ransome refereed to a white boat called Grizzled Skipper who belonged to Chris Shallcross, but no one could remember which of the 140-odd White Boats registered was used in the series. Many members of this class of 20 foot half-deckers are named after moths or butterflies. You can see a fleet of White Boats here racing at Horning, the Swan Inn in the background:
I spotted 'Brown Boats', a Broads' one-design with a distinctive counter stern and spoon bow, which would also have been seen racing in the 1930s. They were first built in 1907 and although a few were lost during the war there are still 88 in existence, although some now have fibre glass hulls. Number 61, called Hanser, is owned by Danny Tyrrell.
Lullaby, who played the Teasel in the series, was up at Horsey Mere with other from her fleet but we had her costume on display. It is a varnished transom painted with the name Teasel.
Janca, the motorboat who played the infamous Margoletta, hired by the Hullabaloos, was unable to come as she is currently being renovated, but Water Rail, a Herbert Woods Delight Class B 1930s cruiser belonging to Liz Goodyear was safely moored alongside other classic boats. She appeared in the back ground of several scenes in the television drama.
I then spotted a distinctive burgee that took me back thirty-five years:
Bird Preservation Society – it was the flag belonging to the Death and Glory, flying next to 'the little old chimney' made from a galvanised bucket.
Originally a German lifeboat washed up on the beach at Southwold, she had been bought for the series by Pat Simpson of Stalham Yacht Services, who found her moored at Snape in Suffolk.
Pat kept her for his sons to take out on the Norfolk Broads and it has been operated by children as Death and Glory, ever since.
It must have taken a bit of work to make her sea-worthy but tarred and fitted-out correctly, she closely resembles Arthur Ransome's illustrations, the homemade cabin mysteriously larger inside than out.
I was asked to sign a copy of 'The Big Six' bought along by Professor John Farrington from Aberdean, who acquired the Death and Glory for his own children in 1989.
'I took them to the boatyard and suggested they climbed aboard. "Get on!" 'They were aged ten and eleven.'
'"But what about the owners?" they asked.
"You are the owners," I told them.' He had just bought it for them as an unexpected present. 'Before long they rowed it from Stalham to Sutton and back.'
This year is the 80th Anniversary of The Norfolk Broads Yacht Club, which is why they have a 1930's theme running through their calendar. The day proved a true celebration of traditional boats that would have been seen back then.
I had been asked to give a talk about filming the series, which I will relate in my next blog post. The re-mastered DVD, for which I wrote the DVD extras, is available on Amazon here:
You can read more about how these boats were used in the series here
and on Norfolk Broads Yacht Club website
Do add any information about these boats or ask questions about making the book adaptions in the comments below.
~Photograph of Water Rail moored on Wroxham Broad by Richard Hattersley~


text: Teacher's Guides Lesson Plans Curricula Teacher's Guides Keywords 5 Result(s) 6-12 Geography Listening Performance Theatre Grade Range 6-12 A Literary Glossary for Literature and Language Arts Our literary glossary provides a comprehensive list of terms and concepts along with lesson plans for teaching these topics in K-12 classrooms. Whether you are starting with a specific author, concept, or text, or teaching a specific literary term, but do not have a lesson or activity for students to work with, teachers and students will find what they're looking for here. Grade Range 6-12 Maya Angelou: A Phenomenal Woman Poet. Orator. Actress. Activist. Writer. Singer. Phenomenal Woman. These and many more superlatives are used to describe the incomparable Maya Angelou. Gone too soon in 2014 at the age of 86, Dr. Angelou's legacy will live on through the words she used to eloquently, powerfully, and honestly express emotions, capture experiences, and spread hope. Grade Range 6-12 "Not of an age, but for all time": Teaching Shakespeare For more than 400 years, Shakespeare's 37 surviving plays, 154 sonnets, and other poems have been read, performed, taught, reinterpreted, and enjoyed the world over. This Teacher's Guide includes ideas for bringing the Bard and pop culture together, along with how performers around the world have infused their respective local histories and cultures into these works. Grade Range 6-12 Investigating Local History This collection of free, authoritative source information about the history, politics, geography, and culture of many states and territories has been funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Our Teacher's Guide provides compelling questions, links to humanities organizations and local projects, and research activity ideas for integrating local history into humanities courses. Grade Range 6-12 Oral History as an Educational Experience Based on this model oral history experience, the toolkit includes instructional concepts, ideas, and strategies for use by educators to design a curriculum that reflects their instructional goals and the needs of their students while appreciating Vietnam veterans in their community.


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This is a sentence that ought to thrill hearts: "America may be closer to a post-gay state of politics than most realize". Alex Roarty's report for Roll Call either begs certain questions or else desecrates them; matters of perspective abide.
The St. Jerome Fancy Farm Picnic is an annual showcase for Kentucky's top politicians to give (they hope) a funny, sharp-elbowed speech at the other party's expense. While they speak, hundreds of loud-mouthed partisans are encouraged to yell and scream as loudly as they can―as if the American political id was caged in a small pavilion two hours from a major airport.
"I want to introduce myself to Sen. McConnell," he said, looking over to the Senate majority leader seated a few feet away, who minutes earlier had given his own speech. The Republicans, whose voices drowned out the sound of nearby thunder, chanted "Go away Gray!"
The candidate continued: "He earlier called me a 'nobody.' Well, let me introduce myself, senator. I am Jim Gray, and I am the guy who is going to beat Rand Paul."
What went unnoticed this recent Saturday afternoon was that Gray was probably first openly gay person to speak at Fancy Farm. Records aren't easy to come by for something that began in 1880, but veterans of the event say they can't recall an openly gay speaker.
This is how Gray's campaign has gone: He's making history, and nobody seems to notice. Or, for that matter, care.


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Dean of Engineering Office
Engineering 7 (E7), Room 7302
Direct line: 519-888-4885
Internal line: ext. 44885
Welcome to S20 Patch Design Contest! Here you can submit designs for patches that you want to see sold in Novelties. Submissions will be voted on and the winning design will be produced and sold in future terms!Submissions: May 11 - June 80 Voting: June 10 - June 20
Do you want to be involved in the future of the society? Run to be a member of the next B-Society Executive team! Nominate yourself.
President (May 11-13)
Represents Engineering students to faculty and university and guide the vision of the Engineering Society
VP Academic (May 15-22)
Provides academic, co-op and mental health supports and advocates on student issues
VP Finance (May 22-25)
Oversee the society operations, budgets and spaces (Novelties, POETS, RidgidWare)
EngSoc Scavenger Hunt is a term long event where students find items or participate in events to collect points. It's a chance for people to get involved in the Engineering community and school-wide events. Just like the name would suggest, we are sending you on a gigantic scavenger hunt! Check out the list of items and instructions.
There are only 5 purple hard hats available! Prize will go to:
Looking to win a bit of extra cash?! The 50/50 Charity Raffle is here! Purchase as few or as many tickets as you want to wager your odds at wining half of the total jackpot! The raffle will open on date and close on date. The winner will be announced on date!


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I love this story I got from a guy who is nice enough to comment on my writing from time to time. He is always telling me what a wonderful woman his wife is and how lucky he is to have found her. In fact, I think he described it as "lucky as a dog with two dicks. I couldn't speak from experience for obvious reasons, but he certainly sounds happy.
Me: How did you meet her?
Him: I met my wife at my local bar and she was sitting with some mutual friends I knew. I was working on several big projects at the steel plant and was getting behind on my house work and gardening so she offered her services. The house was spotless. My clothes ironed and folded and she even put a little garden in the back yard along with flowers along the driveway. I worked 11 months without a day off then finally got 2 weeks off at Christmas. I thanked her for her services and gave her a nice going away bonus. She asked what I was doing for the holidays and I said just taking a long deserved break alone. Why don't we spend Christmas together she said and the next day she brought some clothes over along with her bird Joey and her little dog Amie. The next two weeks were magic and her spell has never worn off. I had given up on ever being happy again and had buried myself in work. What a fool I was. I didn't want love but love found me.
Me: You were lucky to find each other.
Him: Luckier than a dog with two dicks! Were going out dancing today and I wish you could be there to meet us and have some fun. I just wanted to share that my favorite song Higher and Higher is on YouTube and the video is of Fred Astaire and partner dancing to it. It's great fun and wish you would watch it and think of me!
Me: That sounds really lucky. Tell me about her
Him: My wife is Marie and she comes from a large family of German/Russian descent from Regina Saskatchewan western Canada.She married young and moved to Calgary Alberta and had four kids in a row. Her first husband drank himself to death at 34 years old. She then met a man I knew from Sault Ste. Marie and they moved back here. From what little I know he drank and abused her till she'd had enough and left him. She managed a large motel when I met her and lived just around the corner from me. She keeps in great shape exercising and loves reading novels. Summertime she's out in the garden and we have lots of preserves come fall. I know you would love her for she's kind and friendly and likes a few beer and good company. I have a funny story about meeting her mother if you want to hear it?
Me: I'd love to hear that one.
Him: We went out west to visit my wifes' family after we got married and the first night in Regina we spent at her Mothers' place. Her Mom was leery about me and a little cold but polite. My wife was tired so went to bed and left me and Mom to talk. I got us a couple of beers and she showed me her picture albums of the family. There were old pictures of a little girl with a dog or sitting on a pony. I'd ask is that little girl you Grandma and she yelled don't call me granma and I laughed. Another picture of a little girl and I asked the same question and the madder she got. Finally I asked if she would like another beer Grandma and this time she smiled and politely said yes, thanks son and we were pals after that. I loved all her family and they accepted me and loved me as there own.
Me: I like the way Grandma thinks.
This is one of the best love stories I've heard in a long time. It has all the essentials, housework, bars, Fred Astaire, And a beer-swigging granny. I'd love to know this guy and his sweetie.
A card and poem from Mother.
Finding True Love is hard to do.
Looking for one, forever true.
Resigned to a life, always alone.
Thinking my heart would never find home.
Not looking for love, love found me.