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When you're pressed for time, trying to generate solid leads can seem like a nightmare. That's where social media, with its ability to connect you with just about anyone, can be a great help. But how do you leverage this wide-ranging resource?
To find out, we asked 11 YEC entrepreneurs how they've successfully used social media to generate leads in a short time frame.
Incorporate a Non-Aggressive Sale
I try to incorporate synchronicity between my social media platforms at all times. This includes linking people on Twitter to my Pinterest, then to my Facebook, then to my blog, etc. On all of these pages I have a "Contact Me" section done up in a special graphic. It's non-aggressive, but shows that the door is always open for their feedback or engagement.
– Rob Fulton, Exponential Black
Become a Consistent Expert
When I first started using social media, I increased business 49 percent in the first year. I became an expert in green cleaning and shared my simple tips. I created my own hashtag and was consistent in providing info. Then I followed key people in PR, news and the community. I started chatting with them and it spread the word. Over that year people asked questions and referred my business to others.
– Kyle Clayton, Better Creative
Use Twitter Cards
We used paid Twitter lead gen cards. The call to action was to setup a consultation with our team to learn more about content marketing. We had dozens of click-throughs and were able to connect with the people directly to their email addresses simply from them clicking on the Twitter card.
– Kelsey Meyer, Influence & Co.
Maximize Content Through GaggleAMP
Social is a way for us to widen our content reach. Every piece of content we develop goes out over our "gaggle" (GaggleAMP is a great tool). We grow our gaggle through email marketing and then release new content to the gaggle, which then auto-shares it through the gaggle members. We score all of our content consumption so those behaviors lead to actual leads.
Join Hashtag Conversations
Always think of your vertical as a community. In that community there are often "town-hall" meetings, in which people discuss important trends and topics in an industry through a hashtag. This is normally led by industry publishers. Take part in these, or even observe as a lurker. Reach out to those participants based on a comment they contributed and begin a conversation from there.
Ask the Right Questions
A friend is getting huge engagement that leads to sales by asking, "How do you feel I could impact your life or help you?" and having 50 or more answers flood in. The philosophy behind it is key. Social media isn't a digital broadcasting version of TV or radio. It's meant to solicit a one-on-one conversation, like a public speaker posing a question then telling people to chat with her directly.
– Joshua Lee, StandOut Authority
Publish and Share Valuable Content
We try to create content that is useful and offers tons of value for our audience. Our team created a step-by-step infographic on how to promote your blog post once it's been published and promoted it on all of our social channels. It quickly went viral and generated a lot ofleads because it provided valuable information that was easy to understand.
Host a Flash Sale
We randomize timing for when we host a flash sale on social. That way, we keep customers guessing but also encourage them to purchase since there's a sense of urgency. With time-sensitive flash sales, we can generate dozens of quality leads in just hours. Best of all, since they're not your typical Gilt or Hautelook shopper, you'll be able to convince them to pay full-price at a later point.
Mine Relevant LinkedIn Groups
Visit LinkedIn groups where your ideal customer is and answer their questions. Publicly answer a few questions posted in these groups where you can provide your expertise based on the services or product you offer. Then follow up privately as well using the "Reply Privately" button to let them know that you're available to discuss more. This helped me generate leads in the early days of my business.
– Brian Honigman, BrianHonigman.com
Try Paid Advertising on LinkedIn
The sophistication of ad platforms on social media sites enables you to reach just about anyone. Linkedin might be the best for B2B leadsin a short timeframe because of their ability to target around accurate work information (i.e., job title, company). Linkedin also has an easy-to-implement feature that allows you to collect email addresses for interested potential leads. Expensive, but effective.
Direct Paid Advertising to an A/B Tested Landing Page
We created a landing page for a contest we were running with basic information, a call to action and a contact form. We then ran Facebook Ads targeting our specific audience and linking to our landing page. Throughout the process we A/B tested the landing page for best results. This led to a large number of solid leads in a very short time frame that we were able to grow an email list out of.
– Stanley Meytin, True Film Production
Featured Image: Rawpixel via Shutterstock


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November 14, 2014
The Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the brutal killing of a mixed breed puppy found in a dumpster in Hinesville, Georgia.
The Case: Hinesville Police Department gives the following account: A man discovered a white and brown dog in a dumpster in the Liberty Square Shopping center. The approximately 1-year-old dog was found with his legs tied together, a bag around his head and his snout duct taped. When authorities arrived the dog was already dead.
Animal Cruelty: Getting the serious attention of law enforcement, prosecutors and the community in cases involving allegations of cruelty to animals is an essential step in protecting the community. The connection between animal cruelty and human violence is well documented. Studies show a correlation between animal cruelty and all manner of other crimes, from narcotics and firearms violations to battery and sexual assault.
Debra Berger, Georgia state director for The HSUS, said: "It takes a truly heartless person to commit this crime – there is no excuse for dumping this poor dog like trash. We hope our reward helps find the person or persons who committed this despicable act."
The Investigators: The Hinesville Police Department is investigating. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Detective Joshua Heath at 912-408-8280.
Resources: The HSUS Animal Cruelty Campaign raises public awareness and educates communities about the connection between animal cruelty and human violence while providing a variety of resources to law enforcement agencies, social work professionals, educators, legislators and families. The HSUS offers rewards in animal cruelty cases across the country and works to strengthen laws against animal cruelty. The HSUS recently doubled its standard cruelty reward from $2,500 to $5,000 thanks to a generous donation from an HSUS board member. To see information on statistics, trends, laws and animal cruelty categories, click here.
Media Contact: Kaitlin Sanderson, 240-672-8397, [email protected]
Article source: HSUS

subset: commoncrawl


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Product description
Low stock
From the Albany Girones Cushion Collection
A fun and vibrant woven cushion featuring an all over design of various postage stamps. Made of a cotton and polyester blend, the total cushion measures 45cm x 45cm. Supplied with a feather pad.
- Product code
- Girones Sello
- Product type
- Cushion
- Size
- 45cm x 45cm


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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
Cooking Channel series premieres Saturday, April 25
Based on her popular namesake blog and cookbook, "The Real Girl's Kitchen," takes viewers into actress Haylie Duff's kitchen, and world, where she serves up stories and delicious discoveries. The show premieres Saturday, April 25 (1 p.m. ET), on Cooking Channel.
This 13-episode lifestyle docu-series follows Duff in and out of the kitchen as she prepares tasty recipes, and blends her southern roots with her busy life in Hollywood.
"I'm so excited to dish out new recipes and give a taste of my life as I work, travel and spend time with friends and family around the dinner table, enjoying an amazing meal," Duff said.
Throughout the season, Duff visits unique culinary destinations, including local restaurants, spice markets, candy stores and bakeries that inspire her to be creative in her own kitchen, and often invites friends and family to join in the adventure. Lauren Conrad, Amy Davidson, Arielle Kebbel, Beverly Mitchell, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Hanna Skvarla, Marla Sokoloff and Jessica Zohr accompany Duff on her quest for fabulous food.
On the first episode, Duff plans a special Spanish-themed surprise birthday dinner for her mom, Susan. While she has the evening perfectly planned, Duff leads "Mama Suz" to believe she will not be able to attend. To catch her mother off guard, Duff cooks a stellar birthday breakfast of farro cakes and strawberry crostinis. With a little help from Food Network's Duff Goldman, Haylie is able to pull off the biggest surprise of the day: homemade dulce de leche cake.
Fans can access Duff's guide to her favorite places to eat in Los Angeles and New York City, and watch behind-the-scenes clips from the show on CookingChannelTV.com. Plus, they can get real on Twitter with the hashtag #RealGirlsKitchen.
Duff is an actress who came to worldwide fame with her role in "Napoleon Dynamite." Since then, she has appeared in numerous television and Broadway projects, including "7th Heaven," "Hairspray" and Nora Ephron's "Love, Loss and What I Wore."
Duff's interest in cooking sparked after her dad gifted her his grandmother's cookbook full of family recipes. Tucked inside, she discovered a handwritten note from a café owner dating back to 1934. The note included one of his top-secret recipes, inspiring Duff to share her recipes in the same gracious sentiment.
In October 2013, Duff penned her first cookbook, "The Real Girl's Kitchen," based off her popular namesake blog.
She currently resides in Los Angeles with her fiancé, Matt Rosenberg. They are expecting their first child this spring.


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It's so easy to leave a legacy for The Oakes in your will!
Helping us keep camp costs down
The Oakes is committed to clearly explaining Christianity with children and young people in a way that they will find relevant and interesting.
We aim to keep camp fees as low as we can to enable as many young people as possible to join us on a camp. All of our staff are volunteers, and approximately half of our income is from regular and one-off donations.
Give an "Acorn"
An "acorn" is a regular gift of £10 per month committed by an individual, group or church to The Oakes. A donor may give multiple acorns or just part of an acorn.
When we opened in 2000, we set a goal to raise 1000 acorns. As the years have passed we have steadily progressed towards our goal. Currently, around 900 acorns are given each month.
One-off gifts are always a real encouragement! Acorns, however, ensure a consistent monthly income allowing us to budget sensibly. Every single acorn makes a difference – will you help us reach our goal?
Give Online
Donate securely at give.net. Regular or one-off gifts. Gift aid, too.
Alternatively, you can download and print our postal donation form.
What are acorns spent on?
Holiday Fund
Each year we offer subsidized camp places for those who are unable to pay the full cost of a camp. This accounts for around 10% of all our camp bookings.
We hope you agree that our estate is beautiful and our facilities are fantastic. However, there is a huge amount of potential still left to be unlocked.
We are constantly trying to improve the activities we have on offer. For example, the creation of our "Mudder" assault course and the purchase of zorbs in 2014 have been a real hit.
We are also continually seeking ways to improve the experience for our guests. A notable example of this was the addition of our 2010 extension providing desperately needed en-suite accommodation for visiting leaders and school teachers.
Supporting Team Members
All our team members work as volunteers. Those who come to serve for a year (or part of a year) are asked to raise £2,500 to cover their food, accommodation and training. Sometimes team members are unable to raise the full amount themselves and so acorns are used to supplement this shortcoming.
Other ways to give
There are a few other ways that you can support the work of The Oakes financially, some without any additional cost to yourself … take a look at some of the different ways below.


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Free Shipping within Ireland on Orders above €40
A selection of our fullsize jars beautifully packaged in a natural gift box complete with luxury fabric bow. This selection is comprised of a selection of our award-winning sweet products.
Contains: Irish Raspberry Dessert Sauce 330g, Lemon Curd 330g, Irish Blackberry Jam 330g, Irish Butterscotch Sauce 220g, and Irish Whiskey Marmalade 330g


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DaVinci Machines Exhibition Unveiling and Opening Ceremony
Address: 7711 East Academy Blvd
Join us for the exhibit unveiling and opening ceremony performance of "DaVinci & Michelangelo: The Titans Experience" on Saturday, April 1st at 5:00 PM.
When Leonardo DaVinci died in 1519, he left behind some 45,000 sheets of linen paper containing his detailed notes and drawings on his studies, observations, thoughts, designs and inventions. The DaVinci Machines Exhibition brings these sketches and inventions to life!
The DaVinci Machines Exhibition displays over 65 hand-crafted inventions built from Leonardo's 500-year-old designs. The magnificent machines on display, many of which are interactive, feature replicas of the major and most striking inventions of the original Renaissance Man. Visitors will also find many of DaVinci's masterpieces remastered for an up close and personal look at the greatest genius of all time. The main machines on display include the "bicycle", "spring powered car", "hang glider" and the "air screw", a precursor to the helicopter. This exhibition presents models grouped in themes: war machines, flying machines, nautical & hydraulic machines, as well as devices illustrating the Principles of Mechanics. The interactive machines are popular as visitors can touch and handle these models to gain a first-hand appreciation of how they work. Explanatory notes and illustrative panels with Leonardo's drawings accompany each model. This exhibit also contains a 45-minute film, an interactive kid's area, audio and docent-guided tours and more!
This opening ceremony event will allow guests to peruse the impressive array of DaVinci inspired machines, artwork and will enjoy the opening night performance of "DaVinci & Michelangelo: The Titans Experience". Guests will nibble on passed hors d'oeuvres and sip wine from the cash bar.
Exhibit Unveiling and Opening Ceremony Pricing:Non-Members:
Adult – $40
Youth (4-16) – $30
Adult – $35
Youth (4-16) – $25
*Dress is cocktail attire


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From the 2nd year onwards, engineering students interested in problems of urban planning, transportation, or the environment can choose a program provided by the City - Environment - Transportation Department (VET).
Several types of program
- Standard VET engineering program, with a focus on planning, transportation or the environment;
- Combined curriculum with a M2 research Masters in the 3rd year: specializing in Transportation and Mobility on the CIMO (CIty and MObility) Masters, specializing in Water Systems and Water Management on the SGE (Environmental Science and Engineering) Masters, Masters in EDDEE (Economics of Sustainable Development, Environment, and Energy) or in OACOS (Ocean, Atmosphere, Climate, and Space Observations) Masters;
- Combined curriculum with a M2 research Masters in the 3rd year abroad: students who joined École des Ponts ParisTech in the 1st year can undertake numerous Masters degrees abroad;
- Dual engineering/urban planning curriculum: after a year studying on the VET engineering program and a long internship in urban planning, students join the 15-month postgraduate AMUR (Advanced Masters in Regional and Urban Planning) program;
- Dual curriculum in engineering and Mastères Spécialisés® in "Rail and Guided Transit Systems".
Career opportunities
Future graduates find various career opportunities offering high positions in the public sector – Government departments, public organizations, regional and local authorities – and in the private sector, in large industrial corporations, consultancy bureaus, or design offices.
A variety of career opportunities
- Infrastructure or transit operators, waste management infrastructures, water infrastructures, logistics departments in industry;
- Engineering consultancy in the environment, transportation: roles in design, innovation, development, project management, technical evaluations;
- Planning and development: district planning, master plans, planning of infrastructure and service schemes;
- Government or local authority regulation: representing government, regulatory management, monitoring, and strategic decision-making;
- Environmental management: responsibility for setting and implementing environmental policy in the private and public sectors and regional and local authorities;
- Urban planning engineer;
- Researcher, research & development engineer


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text: KUALA LUMPUR: The city's largest urban entertainment, food and beverage (F&B) and retail hub, The Arch, is expected to open to the public by end-2018. According to the project developer, Focus Dynamics Group Bhd, the RM85 million venture will begin construction by the third quarter of this year, and take about 18 months to be completed. The Arch fronts Jalan Tun Razak on one end and is located adjacent to TREC KL, the headquarters of the RHB Banking Group and the Royal Selangor Golf Club. Executive Director Edward Leung said the five-storey building on 1.57ha, will have an estimated gross floor area of 530,000 sq ft, with gross lettable area of 435,300 sq ft. "The Arch comprises retail lots cum showrooms, food and beverage outlets, a multi purpose event hall, a Chinese restaurant and 800 parking lots," he told reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony here, today. The event was officiated by the Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor. Leong said the project cost included construction, renovation, fixtures and fittings, as well as working capital, adding, the company invested RM43.35 million in funding, while business partners invested RM41.65 million. This works out to 51% and 49% of the total project funding requirement. "Focus Dynamics' strategy is to continue breaking boundaries in creating the latest, and hippest concepts in F&B and lifestyle establishments. "This is not our first such project, neither will it be our last. We have proven our mettle in the Tropicana area and aim to do so in the Greater Kuala Lumpur region," Leong said. — Bernama


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By: Mir M.Hosseini
On Feb, 24 1930 Iran protested against British flags on Iranian Islands in the Persian Gulf. The official note was delivered to British Minister Plenipotentiary to Tehran. Iranians were aware that British conspiracies are the main source of some unfounded disputes in the Persian Gulf.
Historically, those Islands were part of Iran until in 1903; Britain started bringing in immigrants from Southern side of the Persian Gulf, installing them as vassal Sheikhs.
In total, Iran submitted around 30 notes of such complains.
In 1929, there was a row between Iran and Britain regarding Iran's seizure of a Dubai boat in Greater Tunb waters. Iran suggested taking the issue to international courts but Britain agreed to Iran's terms.
Because of British naval hegemony in the Persian Gulf, they bullied Iran in 1948 for expressing desire to open government offices in the islands.
In 1953, during Mosaddegh's premiership, Iran nationalized her oil industry due to the fact that British colonists were practically taking the Iranian petroleum for free. At that time, Iran experienced sovereignty over the Persian Gulf islands. The CIA backed coup against the popular government of Mosaddegh and installation of the puppet king Mohammad Reza Shah gave Britain opportunity to re-start conspiracies in the islands.
Iran took back her islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa in Nov, 1971.
Same year, Libya, Iraq, South Yemen and Algeria filed a complaint with the United Nations and representatives from Kuwait and Emirates joined a council on Dec, 9, 1971. Iran called it an internal affair and Somalia proposed mediation to resolve the issue. After all, discussing the dispute was postponed. Meanwhile Iran and Britain agreed on revoking claims on Yemen while Iran agreed to close an eye on independence of Bahrain, an Iranian province indeed.
Iran agreed to support Emirates bid to join the UN on the condition it gave up claims on the Iranian Islands.
On Aug, 7, 1972 Iran submitted a report to the UNSC proving the fact that the situation in Islands is not occupation and it's just experiencing rightful sovereignty after years of interrupt by British colonization.
It was only after the Iranian Revolution of 1979 that disputes on the Persian Gulf Islands were brought up again and Iraq claimed that one of its goals of invasion of Iran in Sep, 1980 was to occupy the disputed islands, a costly war that failed.
On Sep, 27, 1992 a conference to resolve disputes on the Islands was not successful.
Due to US trade sanctions and embargo, since 1980, most of Iran's imports and bank transactions have been done through the Emirates. This money has given the latter an illusion of power that will easily fade away by correct policies.
Britain can no more afford naval presence in the Persian Gulf however some Arab dictatorships owe their existence on American support. Presence of US warships which have been the source of discontent and tension among local residents, sometimes result in extremism and acts of violence.


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John & Paula Oliver
|Our Family
Copyright © 2019, J & P Oliver
Last Updated on January 21, 2019
Privacy Policy
We serve in a computer support ministry at Ethnos360's International Headquarters in Sanford, Florida, designing and programming computer applications to help Ethnos360 and its missionaries function more effectively and efficiently.
Visit our News & Prayer Requests page to read our latest Oliver Family Updates.
Missions is a team effort, with
What is your part of the team? Click here to find out how you can be involved.
Thanks for stopping by our web site; we hope you find it helpful. We have included a number of links to information about our mission and ministry and to perhaps help you figure out what your part of the team may be. We have also included links to a number of ministry, Christian, parenting, and other resources that you may find useful.
If you have a prayer request or would just like to drop us a note, we would love to hear from you.
As our way of thanking you for visiting our website, we would like to offer you a free laminated business card luggage tag.
And now, for a little humor, you might enjoy the weekly Reverend Fun cartoon.


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Inspection Forms
- Form 1 Complete if your brokerage traded in real estate and handled trust funds.
- Form 2 Complete if your brokerage traded in real estate, but did not handle trust funds.
- Form 3 Complete if your brokerage did not trade in real estate or handle trust funds.
- Inspection Program Overview Information about the Commission Inspection program.
- Interest Bearing Trust Account Form
- Unresolved Trust Deposit Form Brokers are to complete these forms as per the instructions in this letter from the Registrar.


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This is fascinating stuff for those interested in pop and social history in the UK. A short and remarkably hard nosed documentary on fandom and, by logical extension, groupies, in a provincial British town in 1967, focussing (for no particular reason) on Simon Dupree and The Big Sound.
Also fascinating for period class nuances - Andy, you might find material for lectures here.


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On Wednesday, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o issued a statement characterizing himself as the victim of a hoax involving a fictitious girlfriend who faked her own death. On Friday, Te'o submitted to an off-camera interview in the presence of his lawyer that, absent thorough questions or detailed observations regarding his credibility from ESPN's Jeremy Schaap, operates as a press release masquerading as an actual interrogation.
The initial story at ESPN.com is basic and short, and it offers no opportunity to scrutinize anything about what Te'o said.
"No. Never," Te'o said regarding whether he was involved in the hoax.
"I wasn't faking it ," Te'o said. "I wasn't part of this."
He also denied any embellishment to boost his candidacy for the Heisman Trophy.
"When [people] hear the facts, they'll know," Te'o said. "They'll know that there is no way that I could be part of this."
Fine. So when are we going to hear the facts? And from whom are we going to hear them?
We have a lot of respect for Jeremy Schaap. And because of that immense respect for Schaap we're more than a little surprised that he'd be a willing participant in a clumsy and grossly incomplete effort by the Te'o camp to honor Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick's vow that Te'o would be speaking about the situation without Te'o having to actually say anything of substance or to address the many questions and inconsistencies arising from the various reports that have emerged to date.
It would be better if Te'o had said nothing. In reality, that's what he has done.
UPDATE 12:30 a.m. ET: An updated version of the ESPN.com story notes that the interview lasted 2.5 hours. So why isn't there more detail being offered in the initial story than self-serving denials with no specifics or details? Hopefully, the whole thing will be transcribed and published.


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Here's how you can reach Kelly:
Or you can like her Facebook page . I suggest you check out all three!
Kelly Hashway's Books:
May The Best Dog Win
May The Best Dog Win Coloring Book Edition
The Purrfect Puppy
Santa Bunny
Melinda's Museum Magic
Cricket's Drive Around Town
Touch Of Death
Stalked By Death
Face Of Death
Curse Of Death
The Monster Within
Into The Fire
Curse Of The Granville Fortune
I hope you can get a chance to check these books and wesites out. You won't be disappointed!!


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When she's not talking about country music on her own local radio show, Ashley McMillen is whipping up tunes that get boots clickin' and brass buckles swayin'. Born in the hills of West Virginia, the Southern songbird embraces classic country using traditional instruments and heartfelt lyrics to capture the essence of the genre. McMillen carved her sound through gospel, Disney musicals, and watching her grandpa play pedal steel in his band at the local community center.
Friday 7/4. 5pm, Free. nTelos Wireless Pavilion, 700 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. 245-4920.


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|Original article taken from the second TT Wiki
Recipe for one (1) TimNeilson
1) Take a TTer
2) Add a beard
3) Throw in some Led Zepplin
4) Bake at 400 degrees for 30min.
5) ???
In all seriousness(lol), TimNeilson is probably THE oldest active TTer, and one of the few TTers to reveal their appearance.
He also has a beard of god-like proportions.
Mt. Everest? Try a pile of TimNeilson's beard shavings.
And remember kids! It's I before E, except after TimN!


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With servers located with our hosting partners in the U.S. and Canada, we can host your server and assure you of 99.9% uptime.
Why our hosting solutions:
Ideal for small/starting NGO, primary schools and retail businessesIncludes:
Budget: US$ 8/month or US$ 82 / year
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Budget: US$ 29/month or US$ 299 / year.


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High Perforance Executive Coaching (learn more here)
Board Development
Executive Presence Development
Leadership Development
Speaker Coaching and Development (TEDx and other)
Speech Writing
Career Coaching
Elevator Pitch Creation
Executive Interviewing Skills
Corporate Training
Team Building
High Performance Coaching
Sports Psychology
Keynote Speaker
Doc Robyn is a firm believer that a good coach doesn't build a box, label it "success" and put you in it. Instead she gives you the tools you need to break down the walls that are keeping you from achieving your goals.
Don't see what you're looking for or aren't sure what exactly you need? That's okay. Send an email to schedule a discovery call with Doc Robyn and together you can decide if she is the right coach for your needs.
© 2016 Champion Performance Development LLC
Home | About | My Clients | Services | TEDx | TEDx Bootcamp | Blog | Contact Me


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Tuesday, August 23, 2011
First Day Of School Shirt
Easter dresses I made my girls this year? Well this shirt came in the pattern as well.
I did make some of the same adjustments as I did for the dress as well. I made the neck line higher and I made my own bias tape (once you start making bias tape you will never go back!) But on this shirt I wanted the ruffle to be more ruffled than it was on the dresses. I was happy with the look but it caused one problem: The ruffle that got wrapped under made a big poof. So I found the spots where a ruffle naturally ends/begins and I tacked those spots down. I used my sewing machine to tack down instead of doing it by hand because I am lazy like that.
All you do is turn the feed dog on you machine off. This way you material will stay in one spot under the needle. Then I set my needle to do a slight zig zag. And voila that spot is down for good.
This wrap dress/top pattern is one of the best patterns I have ever bought. Totally worth it!
So a super cute shirt plus super cute jeans= one amazingly cute first grader on her first day of school.
Best part is: For both my girls back to school outfits I spent $12! Not $12 per outfit but $12 total!!! You really can't beat that.
Now to wait a week to send the pre-schooler off and maybe some sanity will begin to return....
5 comments:
- Michelle P said...
This outfit is seriously adorable. I am still in love with the pants (what an awesome idea!!!) but this shirt was totally worth the wait. So cute. You are awesome Liz.
- August 23, 2011 at 11:19 AM
- Rachel J said...
Aw, so perfect for a first grader, too! Love the polka dots.
- August 23, 2011 at 11:20 AM
Oh, how sweet! I've been doing the "impatient dance" ever since last week's post! :-D It turned out to be really cute!
Question: What kind of material did you use for the blouse -- was it knit or just plain cotton?
Great outift! Thanx for sharing. Hope you have a great day!
- August 23, 2011 at 12:26 PM
- Liz said...
I used cotton. Glad you guys like it!
- August 23, 2011 at 1:07 PM
- L2L said...
I started saving my boys jeans for my daughter to use when she grows into them so I can add ruffles. I gave you some blog love, thought you might want to see!!!!
- September 5, 2011 at 9:36 PM


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- Creative
- Animation
- Film Production
- Fine Art
- Graphic Design
- Illustration
- Music Production
- Photography
- UI/UX Design
- Writing
Here is my illustration with all pieces layered over each other.
Here Is my exploded illustration to show all of the separate parts I will be working with.
Looking forward to applying the rigging!
OK here is all the rigging with unused layers hidden.
My character wasn't set up quite like any of the others so I had a tough time trying to figure out how to attach and parent everything–I am sure some of my connections are less than Ideal but in the end it worked with some minor issues.
Through some of the connections I lost the responsiveness of the elbow… I'm not really sure what happened but when the hand goes up to far the elbow wont bend right. I may try to re-IKGoal it later.
And here is tiny baby Trump throwing atiny tantrum:
Had a lot of fun learning how to do this. I have never used AE before and this made me excited to continue to learn more. Thank you!


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There's something strange going on in Brazil. You might call it a "schizophrenic economy." Brazil is an economy of two halves. From the outside looking in, it's a former star player plagued by socialist leaders with no understanding of free-market principles. But from the inside looking out, it's a booming emerging market with record low jobless numbers, a strong currency, and high interest rates to keep the economy from overheating.
Although GDP slowed to a crawl of just 0.9% last year (hardly too enticing), it is difficult to find a Brazilian who even notices. More Brazilians have jobs than ever before. Wages are rising. The government is riding high in the polls. And Brazilians are shopping… eating out… and drinking out at a pace that makes London and New York look sleepy by comparison.
In fact, during my trip to São Paolo earlier this year, business contacts there kept telling me how hard it is to hire in Brazil because of the booming economy and jobs market.
If you need convincing, take a taxi ride down Rua Colômbia, a street that does nothing but sell top-end luxury autos— Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Bugati, Porsche, Maserati, Jaguar, Lamborghini, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. I have never seen anything like it—not in Europe, not in North America, and not even in emerging Asia.
Try to book a table at a restaurant in the trendy Vila Madalena and Jardins neighborhoods, and you are likely to get a polite "no."
Brazil is not without problems, as you'll know if you've visited the place. There is still plenty of poverty, corruption, and bureaucratic mismanagement. But that's precisely what makes Brazil an emerging market, rather than a mature economy.
As I always make sure to stress to people who are considering investing in emerging markets, these places are not for the faint of heart. They have frequent changes in leadership, high rates of poverty, illiteracy, and political corruption and mismanagement. But this is precisely why they offer the greatest opportunity.
The important question to ask when investing in one of these markets is whether the government can fulfill its promise of a better future for its citizens. If it can, emerging markets have a good chance of one day becoming developed nations.
Brazil has a lot in its favor. It is a mature democracy. It has a big, young population. It has huge natural resource reserves. And it has few money-draining military or foreign-policy intentions. Debt-to-GDP levels are low. And interest rates are high, which encourages savings and capital formation. Is it out of favor? Yes. Is it out of growth? Not likely.
A certain company there is a contrarian investor's dream right now. An $11 billion utility, with growing earnings per share, it's in the bottom 20% of the market on a price-to-earnings basis. But the dividend yield this stock throws off is in the top 20% of the market. That means you stand to profit as P/E multiples expand, since investors pay more for each dollar of earnings as sentiment toward Brazil improves. You also stand to profit as you cash the company's yearly dividend checks.
The third source of profits will be growing earnings per share. This company is the perfect play on a better future for Brazil. It produces power. So, all else being equal, the more power usage there is, the more earnings it will produce—and the more each share will be worth in terms of underlying earnings.
Editor's note: Every month, International Living's finance editor, Chris Hunter, brings you his recommendations of the best untapped investment opportunities in the global market.
He reveals the name of the power company mentioned in this postcard in the current issue of International Living magazine—and you'll get instant access to the story when you subscribe.


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An exciting emerging market with rich natural resources, rapidly growing
economies and geographical proximity to Europe and the Gulf
Abundant natural resource wealth, evolving infrastructure sectors, expanding corporate finance markets, and a population expected to double by 2050, make Africa an exciting market for our clients. A huge mass of political goodwill to overseas investors exists and the opportunities are undeniable.
Our Pan-African experience spans more than 40 countries over 40 years. We provide an 'entire project lifecycle' service, supporting those who have a hand in designing, building, delivering, supplying, operating or maintaining Africa's major infrastructure assets.
Our law practice in Africa consists of around 50 partners and more than 150 lawyers from common law and civil law cultures, who understand the different legal jurisdictions and languages across this diverse continent.
Connectivity into and within the region is vital - our Africa operation is built around this need and reflected in our international network.
In 2017 we established an office in Johannesburg as the important next stage in the development of a fully integrated global African practice, connecting with our African hubs in the UK, France, UAE and China.
A team of dual-qualified French speaking lawyers based in our Paris office support projects across the Francophone African market whilst our Chinese offices have considerable experience advising on inbound investment from Asia.
Our experience is combined with a network of first rate law firms across the region allowing us to provide you with continuity of service and local advice across the continent, including political risk, market entry strategies, market due diligence, and business intelligence in Africa. We provide a fully integrated service where we take responsibility for the production and delivery of legal advice as well as transparent cost reporting to manage cost-overruns and negotiate favourable fee structures. We maintain non-exclusivity in order to select specialist counsel in any given jurisdiction.
Pinsent Masons has been handling transactions and matters for international clients with interests throughout South Africa for over 25 years. Our international experience is now combined with a specialist Infrastructure presence in Africa in a prime and well connected location.
Promoting venture philanthropy through legal certainty
Study and report on PPP Legal & Financial Frameworks in the Mediterranean Partner Countries


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Guest, I have a big favor to ask you. We've been working very hard to establish ourselves on social media. If you like/follow our pages it would be a HUGE help to us. SoSH on Facebook and Inside the Pylon Thanks! Nip
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Looks like Zach Galifianakis, Male, 40, from a basement on the hill
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never really planned to go to Mongolia anyway. Aug 26, 2010
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Signatureriverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.


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Atom Ludik uses graffiti's, paintings, drawings, plays with words, images and concepts in order to make smile and catches the attention of the spectators on the weirdness of the world
He creates a universe offset, full of lively colors with simple shapes and friendly characters coming from his imagination, from his meetings, desires, values and from the planet
The signature of an independent artist who is doing « mixed media ». He mixes pigments and inks. But you will see only living, water, air and humans…
…the most precious of the planet with an extrem esthetised approach


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This is an open world wide competition and we seek submissions from as far a geographic reach as possible. The competition is open to all creative thinkers including but not limited to architects, building designers, residential designers, technologists, artists, landscape architects, inventors and any member of the general public interested in sustainable living. While the program identifies Vancouver as the epicentre of the 100 Mile radius it is hoped that the design principles promoted will be applicable to many locations on our shared planet.
Entrants may submit either as individuals or as a group. Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged so as to get the broadest input possible in the solution. All submissions will be anonymous and the judges will not be aware of the entrant (s) backgrounds. The Student Award category will be the only exception and the judges will have no information regarding the identities of the entrants other than the fact that they are students.
Not Eligible
No member of the Board of Directors of the AFBC, the Professional Advisor, members of the jury, the organizing committee, nor the respective professional partners of the foregoing are eligible to submit entries to the competition.


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Karthikeyan Natesan Ramamurthy
contact information
Research Staff MemberThomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY USA +19149451097
Professional AssociationsProfessional Associations: IEEE | IEEE Signal Processing Society
Karthikeyan is a research staff member in the mathematical sciences department at the IBM Thomas J Watson Research Center. He received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University. His broad research interests are in understanding the geometry of high-dimensional data, and developing theory and methods for efficiently modeling the data. Some approaches that he has explored include sparse, kernel, graph-based and manifold methods, and more recently methods inspired by computational topology. The key application areas of his research are in data analytics and computer vision. He also has a budding interest in the interplay between humans and machines, and societal implications of machine learning.


text: Our CEO Günther Proll will give a talk on "Label-free microarrays for the optimisation of protein and antibody binding" at the upcoming 8th Alpbach Workshop on Affinity Proteomics. Don't miss the opportunity to join this dedicated meeting from March 13-15th in the Austrian Alps. Meet Günther to discuss our latest developments and applications for proteomic research.


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Orthodontic Emergencies
Many times, you can fix a broken appliance at home. Watch this video to find out how to repair common problems.
Wire Irritation
For temporary relief, place wax over the part of the appliance that is causing discomfort. If wax doesn't resolve the problem, try clipping the wire with sterile nail clippers or scissors. Call the office to make a repair appointment.
Small Spaces Developing Between Your Teeth
Don't panic! This is usually normal and expected as teeth move into different positions, particularly in the early stages of treatment. Don't worry – we will close them as treatment progresses.
Loosening of Teeth
This is to be expected throughout treatment and is completely normal! Teeth must loosen first so they can move. Over time, the teeth will again become rigidly fixed in their new, corrected positions.
If a Separator Comes Out
Separators help open spaces to fit bands. Contact our office, and we'll let you know whether you need an appointment to have a new separator placed.
If a Bracket Comes Loose from a Tooth
Call our office to schedule a repair visit. Broken appliances will delay treatment time and need to be repaired as soon as possible.
Importance of Rubber Bands
Rubber bands should be worn as instructed to stay on track with treatment. If you forget how to wear them, please call the office for over-the-phone instructions.
If You Experience Trauma to the Mouth
Contact your dentist immediately. After seeing your family dentist, please call our office so that we can take care of dislodged or displaced teeth or damage to orthodontic appliances. If you are unable to reach your family dentist, call our office and we will be happy to assist you in the care of the injury.


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If your cat becomes ill, it would be ideal to be able to get your cat the best care quickly without worrying about costs.
When you take out cat insurance, you can be comforted by the knowlege that your cat health insurance policy will provide payments to cover the cost of vetrinary bills in the event that your cat falls ill or has an accident.
The costs of cat insurance vary, from cheap to expensive. Some cat insurance policies will not cover pre-existing conditions and others will. It therefore is important to shop around online to get the best price and level of service for your cat insurance.


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Bee Clark is a St. Paul–based author who has spent most of her adult years tripping and falling into the right place at the right time. You can usually find her on the Internet or eating. She has experience in business writing, fiction, poetry, satire, tweets, e-mails, and love letters.
Bee's fiction work has been published in literary magazines such as the Story Shack and the Rusty Nail. With special interests in fantasy, sci fi, and horror genres, she enjoys Halloween and being compared to Wednesday Addams. A self-proclaimed "cool mom," Bee enjoys teaching her daughter to swear (because the f-word is versatile and works for every occasion).
Articles by Bee


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All you need to know about how to play Hattrick and how Hattrick works can be found in the game manual.
In the Hattrick forums, there is a special forum for all sorts of game-related questions.
Our volunteer GameMasters help keep Hattrick a fair and friendly game. Visit the GM pages to learn more about what GMs do, and to report suspected cheating cases.
Read more about the extra features the Hattrick Supporter package contains. Supporter makes Hattrick more interesting and fun to play, at the same time as you help the Hattrick team to develop the game further.
Contact us if you have any kind of question about Hattrick.
Hattrick - a football game where you take on the role as a manager! Start your team today - it's free to play


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At Aristocrat Process Serving we go the extra mile to assist you in locating your debtors. Our Skip Tracing services trace and locate the individuals and businesses you need to find in order to collect on your unpaid debt and judgments. We utilize our proprietary Aristocrat People Finder database as well as several other specialized databases to locate your debtors.
When you need to locate the person who doesn't want to be found, we can help!
Call us today at 888-880-6824.


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I once dated this guy whose entire relationship with me was a massive train wreck from start to finish. People who've known me a long time know who this is, and they know precisely what I'm talking about because they watched said train wreck — it was on their 24/7 Mary news channel, it had casualties, fatalities, there was a lot of blood and gore. People who haven't known me long enough to hear about this guy, you're pretty lucky, and you won't be hearing much about him ever, so that interest of yours that has piqued? Simmer it down.
Anyhow, one day he told me that he heard a song on the radio that made him think of me (this wasn't the exact conversation but this also isn't a non-fiction essay, and I do what I want), and the lyrics to the chorus are:
"You can't always get what you want / but you get what you need"
I love sweet nothings.
I'd hit a point with this guy that my feelings didn't get hurt all that much because I was so desensitized to it, and there was something really funny about it. He thought he was being sweetly romantic, telling me this really awful story, and instead, he was being a mega douchebag, and he didn't even realize it. I mean, just totally clueless to the fact that you don't tell your girlfriend stuff like that.
This blog post isn't actually about him, I promise. Digging up old relationships in blogs is an uncomfortable thing for people — you can pretend all you want that you don't talk about them with your friends, but yeah of course you do because you're a human being — but blogs are where you're supposed to be the best, unweathered version of yourself. You haven't gone through stuff because your life is so damn perfect. I mean, I think that's the point, but I started an entire blog focusing on the low points of my life, so clearly I missed the mark somewhere.
I think about that conversation a lot (not to be confused with thinking about him or our relationship because that ship sailed about seven years ago, and then, like the Titanic, it fell to the depths of the ocean floor).The sadness that he thought that he needed to be with me because it was what he needed, despite wanting to be with someone else because it was what he wanted. The hilarity that he shared such a thing with me to my face like it was something I would want to hear or be able to fix (dude, if you don't really want me, then you probably shouldn't have me is all I'm saying kthxbai). And, most of all, how utterly untrue it is.
That always word is a tricky little guy — English professors are forever telling students to not use the always or the never words because y'all don't know, and standardized tests are laden with it to screw you up, make you fail, not get into college, become a deadbeat, live in your parent's basement, become morbidly obese, never see the light of day again, become a pod person (I don't like standardized tests).
The song may ring true, but the sentiment of tying it to an interpersonal relationship may (hopefully) not. When I met Husband five years ago (holy crap we've been together five years now — HA in your faces, people who thought we'd be divorced by now), I got exactly what I wanted, and the real cherry on top was that he was precisely what I needed as well. And I'd like to think that I fit both the want/need columns for him (he does seem to be very fond of me).
I can't help but feel like the degradation of relationships these days is in part due to
Kim Kardashian the fact that people think they can't always get what they want, but they get what they need. To quote Geico, "That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works!" There are a lot of instances in my life where I live the standard of "good enough" (DIY crafts, family meals, ironing my husband's dress shirts, filling in my eyebrows), but marriage isn't one of them. Little girls don't sit in their rooms, playing with dolls, and imagining an adult life filled with good enough — they imagine perfection and happiness and joy and laughter and the opportunity for symbiosis (despite not knowing what that is at the time). Is marriage that way all the time? Ha. No. Not even kind of (just last night, Husband and I got in a big argument over my becoming a "Destiny" widow ever since he hooked his stupid headset to his PS4 controller and becoming friends with numerous strangers across the nation). But at the end of the day, when tempers have cooled down, when we force ourselves out of our selfish behavior, he's still what I want and I'm still what he wants.
I suppose it was good my ex made the correlation of me and that song so we could get out of the mess we were making (if not spurned by him then me because he might be an idiot but I am not). Because I might not deserve being a princess or living in a house cleaned by other people or having a restaurant-quality kitchen, but I am absolutely and undeniably deserving of what I need and want. So I guess my alteration to the song, when thinking of a relationship, would be: "You can always get what you want / and you get what you need."


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Scheme 2 : HEALTH RELIEF TO MUSLIM MINORITIES WOMEN & GIRLS
In the scheme Medical relief is provided to Muslim Minorities woman and girls for medical treatment on the following conditions
1. The annual income of the beneficiary should by less than Rs 1, 20,000/- [Rupees One Lakh Twenty Thousand Only]. This Scheme is not applicable to the Government Servants.
2. Applications Should be submitted in the prescribed Proforma along with a copy of the Income Certificate issued by the Tahsildar and on estimate by the Hospital / Nursing Home approved the Government.
3. Applications should be submitted by the husband or guardian of the patient only.
4. Patients suffering from dangerous diseases like Heart, Kidney, Brain, Cancer, TB (excluding scissorine 'C' section) and other diseases are also eligible to receive the grant.
5. Under this Scheme relief of minimum of Rs 25000/- and maximum of Rs 100,000/- will be paid by cheque through the concerned hospital.
6. In certain exceptional cases relief will be paid by cheque to the patient within three months of settling of bills after taking treatment.
Click here to download application form


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Flamingo Silk Tie • Blue
Marmaduke silk ties are Hand Made in England from our whimsical Hand Drawn prints, seeped in British heritage, making each tie a miniature piece of art.
Designed in our London studio and Hand Made in England from the highest quality silk, Marmaduke ties are truly Hand Made in England from design to completion.
Our flamingo print tie is perfect worn to the office, weddings, and makes an excellent gift.
Available in four different colour ways.
• Print designed by Ruby Vestey. • Handmade in England. • 100% silk.
Each of our silk ties comes gift wrapped in a monogrammed box.


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*** (out of 5)
November 7, 2014
Matthew McConaughey as COOPER
Anne Hathaway as AMELIA
Wes Bentley as DOYLE
Jessica Chastain as MURPH
Matt Damon as DR. MANN
Mackenzie Foy as YOUNG MURPH
Michael Caine as PROFESSOR BRAND
Studio: Paramount
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Listen to Kevin's radio review…
Christopher Nolan has become such a mega-director in Hollywood that it's nearly impossible to have a level-headed conversation with anyone about him. In my experience, people are either crazy Nolan fanboys, remorseful Nolan apologists or fervant Nolan haters just waiting for the man to fail
Consequently, no one can just watch and react honestly to a Christopher Nolan movie without oodles of qualifiers surrounding it. Case in point, in this review of his new film "Interstellar," I've spent two paragraphs not talking about the movie, or even talking about him. I'm talking about people's overall reaction to him in order to frame a coherent, honest review.
Christopher Nolan no longer makes films. The days of "The Prestige" and "Insomnia" are over. Now Nolan makes events. Ever since "The Dark Knight" broke records and changed the face of superhero movies forever, a Christopher Nolan movie has been about the experience – both on and off the screen – at least as much as it is about the film itself.
I would imagine that with "Interstellar," more people are aware of Nolan's name and also probably the fact that it's screening IMAX and 70mm than they are about the actual story. It's quite a feat by Nolan, making his movies a huge event spectacle. This is good because it preserves the special quality of a big release, and even Nolan's weakest film is still better than a lot of what you're going to see out there in the theaters.
However, it's also bad. Nolan no longer has to prove himself. In many ways, he's running off of good will he developed with his fans going back to "Memento." Still, Nolan is nothing more than a pulp film director with grand scope and the ability to sell his stories as smart and groundbreaking when they really aren't (I'm looking at you, "Inception" with your "it was all a dream, or was it" ending).
In his last two movies, Nolan has crammed so many ideas, concepts, plot and characters into the story that it crumbles under its own weight. Yet, he is given a pass, with people saying these films are ambitious, which supposedly makes it okay that the movies ultimately feel half-baked. I don't recall anyone saying that about Kenny Conran and his pretty looking and concept-heavy but poorly written and unsatisfying "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" ten years ago.
This all explains why "Interstellar" has massive plot holes, overwritten character emotion, logical inconsistencies, am embarrassingly narrow view of life in the cosmos and scientific gobbledygook technobabble that rivals Stanley Tucci yelling, "Algorithms! Math!" in "Transformers: Age of Extinction."
But darn it if "Interstellar" doesn't look beautiful at many points.
The story follows a former pilot and engineer who now works as a farmer in a world where blight has killed most of the Earth's crops. With humanity's life on this planet coming to an end, NASA sends a group of astronauts through a wormhole to search for a new planet that we can colonize.
It's a simple enough story, which is a hallmark of Nolan's movies. Don't let people tell you it's complex or dense, because it really isn't. Just as "Inception" was a straightforward "Twilight Zone" story told with excellent special effects and effective action scenes, "Interstellar" is a movie about space exploration that we've seen many times before, just not this big and this loud.
Like "The Dark Knight Rises," "Interstellar" is weighted down with a bloated running time and too much forced emotion that seems as cold as the space the astronauts are traveling through. Sure, Nolan (and his brother, writing partner Jonathan) tackle some big issues, but they don't have the follow-through to really make them work.
At times the film moves painfully slow (through pretty much the entire first hour before anyone steps foot near a rocket) and at times moves ridiculously fast (like when McConaughey's character makes a snap decision to travel to another galaxy and boards a rocket in the time it would take to order a pizza).
Once the team gets into space, things start looking up. I've enjoyed space exploration movies, going all the way back to cheesy movies like "Rocketship X-M" in the 1950s. "Interstellar" covers many of the same points. The effects look fantastic (but honestly, if you throw $165 million at most movies, they're gonna at least look good), and there are some epic moments in the film. However, they're not the best I've seen. Say what you want about the story behind Ridley Scott's "Prometheus," but his shots of space travel were more awe-inspiring than "Interstellar."
This film is meant to be Nolan's "2001: A Space Odyssey," but he's tilting at windmills here. Kubrick's film was a masterpiece that hit the mark on every wild attempt to reach for the stars. Nolan catches a lot of these stars, but at least as many slip through his fingers.
Still, "Interstellar" is worth seeing, and it should be seen in a theater with the largest screen possible. Just don't expect the greatest space adventure ever filmed.


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What does Interior Design mean to us?
Dear Valued Client,
When I was a little girl my grandmother used a designer to re-design and decorate her formal living room and dining room. Those rooms were a perfect expression of my grandmother's style: tasteful, Southern, classic, and a little indulgent. I remember how grand those rooms seemed. I particularly remember how I felt when I was in those rooms. Thanksgiving dinners were a little warmer. Christmas mornings a little more joyful. Family photos a little sweeter. Time always seemed to slow just a little when we gathered there. That's what a beautifully designed space can do for you!
Looking back, I can see how these spaces influenced my approach to design. Over nearly two decades, those rooms never looked dated. The masterful mix of treasured family heirlooms, beautiful textiles, custom window treatments, art, and high quality furnishings was impeccable. The look was timeless. When I look back at family photos, I recognize the classic beauty of good design.
Beyond beauty, good design should allow you to enjoy living in your home for as long as you want. You are busy dreaming of generations gathered around your dining table, celebrating those sweet moments in life, but have you thought about how a future version of yourself will live and function in your home from day to day in 20 or 30 years? With its joys, a life well lived also brings about change. Will the beautiful home of your dreams also be able to adapt to the changing needs of your life?
Our process is always inclusive and collaborative, whether online or in person because we believe that design is a personal process. Your home should be a reflection of you and your family. Designed for your life. A place where friends and family gather for meals, fellowship, and celebration. Whether your aesthetic is traditional, contemporary, or something in between, Paradigm Interiors is dedicated to creating timeless, classic interiors that reflect your style and your life. We believe that good design begins with a foundation of high quality, classic furnishings, while building style in the details. We also believe in creating a functional design plan that can meet the changing needs of your life.
We look forward to working with you!
Warm regards,
Julie Lampe
In person or online, our designs are always personal
"Julie did an excellent job decorating my bedroom. She is very easy to work with and is great with choosing your paint colors, bedding, curtains, accessories, furniture and art work for your room. Julie is very dedicated and works very efficiently at getting the job done on the timeline that you give her. Thanks again, Paradigm Interiors for doing an excellent job with my home and I'm excited to work with you again in the future! "- Kelly H.


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Malaysia has shown a great acceptance towards e-commerce. CouponBelanja analyzed the various statistics and created an infographic showing the critical aspects of Malaysian online market. With 1.2 devices per person, Malaysia has 140% mobile penetration, higher than US. This infographic will give all online marketers a good view of the market and the necessary steps to get customers.
Infographic Source :- www.couponbelanja.com


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February's over already? Damn. I still haven't finished what I've started last December. Maybe I'm not the right kind of gamer to even do this challenge.
One thing I've changed is that I don't read the RSS feeds from GOG, Humble or GamingOnLinux anymore. Why read about new games if you're not buying them anyway? I did hear that the Humble Indie Bundle 16 came out this month, but I just don't care! So liberating. If you don't know what RSS is, I wrote up a short description later in this very article.
But before I launch into that interlude, I have a confession to make.
A sordid confession
My friends, please be with me in this hour of pain. I must confess to you. I did not buy any new PC games, if that's what you think. No, I remained stalwart in that regard. But my sin is worse, much worse than that. I started playing… mobile games.
I can't say what drove me to this madness. One evening I was looking for some app, and there were colorful beautiful delicious exciting lickable glowing game icons in the app store, as they always are. I have been ignoring these icons for what feels like a decade. The only mobile game I'd ever played beforehand was Pixel Dungeon, something I really enjoyed, but I treated mobile gaming in general the same way that any member of the PC Master Race would: With derision and contempt.
The only way I can explain my lusting after a quick mobile fix is that my brain is struggling so much from playing huge 50+ hour heavyweights like Pillars of Eternity that it was lured right into the trap by those little free-to-play (with expensive in-app purchases) time killers. But there is more behind it, maybe a desire for new impulses in gaming in general. I've been playing with keyboard, mouse and controllers for about 32 years now. Maybe it's time to find other avenues.
I am well aware that 99.96% of the mobile gaming market is utter shite and dumbed-down moneygrabbing. We PC gamers are not wrong when we have prejudices there. But on the other hand, the mobile gaming industry is a branch of what I already know, but that deals with different developer challenges than what I'm used to:
- Controls that can be very imprecise. For example something that needs a D-pad and 4 buttons. You'd have to know by touch exactly which button(s) your finger rests on to make high-adrenaline play possible, to make games where every little mistake counts. You can't really have that on mobile, and this led to some interesting single-finger controls or game designs that deal with imprecision.
- Controls that can be very precise. In some cases dragging your finger over a greasy flat surface is actually more precise than using a joystick, I've found that by playing Strikers 1945-II, one of my arcade favorites. I put a good hundred hours into the arcade version and I own an X-Arcade stick, so I know exactly what it's supposed to feel like. The precision of the touchscreen controls is nothing short of astounding, even though I think they cheated and made the hitboxes smaller as well.
- Low-powered hardware with little RAM. You have three options:
- Squeeze it for everything it's got, like in flashy games such as Xenowerk, Sky Force 2014, Asphalt.
- Turn to minimalist pixel graphics, like in Devious Dungeon or Downwell.
- Create vector graphics and animate them programmatically, saving system resources, like in Prune.
- A wild mix of all these, like in Reaper.
- Battery-powered devices. Your users will love you if you save some battery.
The human mind sometimes works most creatively under restrictions, and I guess that's also true in the mobile gaming world. There might be sixty thousand Candy Crush clones, but there are also truly innovative concepts like the mentioned Prune, FRAMED or Circa Infinity.
I must confess to a lot of prejudice in this regard. I didn't see the gems for all the turds, so I thought only turds exists. I used opinions from the AndroidGaming subreddit and AppSpy's reviews to guide me along, and in an obsessive afternoon turned up more than two dozen games I might really like.
Of course you still have to be careful where you step. If there's a free-to-play game with a big in-app-purchase section and a tendency to be pay-to-win, you better leave. Normally these are shit games. But you're a gamer, you will know a shit game when you smell it. The best ones seem to be complete and pay-to-play from the beginning (something the mobile gamer crowd calls "premium", haha), but there are some games where the free-to-play version serves as a sort of demo and you pay to unlock further progress.
Or the ones where you just have to be a good player and you won't need any of the items offered in-app, such as Strikers 1945-II. Look, Mom! I'm good at airplane-shooty game! Look! I'm so good! Mom! Mom! The highscore! I beat the highscore, Mom!
Where to go from here?
What this means for my challenge isn't sure yet. I haven't bought any premium games on mobile, but I have a list of about a dozen that I'm interested in. If I buy one before January 28, 2017, that would mean prolonging the challenge. Who knows, I might get off this mobile gaming binge and back to "real" games on the PC before anything bad happens.
The evilness of Google
I am aware that buying games through a privacy-invading company like Google is not a good move. The bad thing is that game developers don't offer these games outside Google's universe, and they often need the Google Games service for cloud saves, achievements and the like.
There are some alternative sources for premium mobile games. The Humble Store has an Android section, and so does GamersGate. I know that Humble's Android games can be downloaded using the Humble Bundle Android app and don't need Google Play, but I'm not sure how GamersGate works in this regard. Does anyone know? Some of the biggest hits are missing from those catalogs, probably because they are intimately linked to Google's systems. And ad revenue machine. And privacy invasion.
It seems to resist mobile gaming when it uses Google's systems would be the right thing to do, but oh, those shiny Google Play game icons!
What is RSS
Now here's a historico-technological (I just made up that word) interlude for younger readers who might not know RSS. Everyone else just skip to the next section.
RSS is fucking fantastic. It's technology from before the time when Facebook and Google wanted to build psychological profiles about you by spying on you while you read the news.
RSS is a free and open standard for publishing and subscribing to things on websites, for example news items or blog posts. You can use dedicated RSS clients, mail clients or web-based software like NewsBlur, FeedReader or Feedly to subscribe, so you don't have to manually visit every single web page that you want to read news from. Very efficient! I read about 150 web sites in 20 minutes every morning like that.
If you get your news primarily from a single, closed source like Facebook, Google News, Yahoo News or the like, it might be a good idea to check out RSS instead. Many web sites still have RSS feeds, even though the big players don't like that. Go for RSS if you want to take your privacy back a little bit. You can even host your own web-based news reader if you have your own web server, but if you run your own web server I'm probably not telling you anything new when I talk about RSS.
I put XCOM 2 on my wishlist, but removed it again after seeing The Linux Gamer's review. The points he highlights are all things that I particularly dislike about games as well, so it's probably safer to skip this one.
The first real struggle came on February 21, when V4nKw15h announced on Reddit that NeonXSZ is nearing completion. The discussion right there on Reddit is heartwarming and I was always a big fan of 6DoF games and Quake, so having both systems combined in what looks like a very slick game is intriguing. Plus, a GNU/Linux version from day one. I'd love to give this person my money.
The other thing is of course Superhot. In February 2016, the one game everyone was talking about, that was Superhot. Wow. I'm looking forward to January 2017 when I can buy this. I do hope I'm still alive then!
Discarded games
I guess this was the month of mobile game binging. I'm only half-proud that I didn't actually buy any games, I just played some free-to-play ones with in-app purchases. That only makes me feel dirtier. Here's what I tried:
- Dark Slash: Hero. Feels random. I can't see through my finger. Erk.
- Smash Hit. Looks beautiful, feels atmospheric, but when the levels start rotating I get seasick.
- Alto's Adventure. The random level design makes it hard to practice a level to get good scores, and the one-finger-tap-only controls don't give a lot of depth.
- Skiing Yeti Mountain. Very pretty pixels, but way too hard for me. I'm an old man. I don't have sub-50ms reaction times.
- Strikers 1945-2 and Strikers 1945-3. It was lovely to revisit these games on mobile and they're really well done. I don't find anything to nag about except the (to me) opaque IAPs with rubies and wings and whatnot. But I've played these games for years already in the arcade, so I'm discarding them here.
- Retro Shot. Camera problems. I can't see anything unless I zoom out, and even then my finger blocks a lot of what I'd like to see. Also, the flipper mechanics might make an interesting game but add too much randomness for my taste. Plus, Facebook? Why?
- Eternity Warriors IV. Played for 5 minutes, saw exactly where this would be leading, uninstalled. Borefest.
- Xenowerk. It's not a bad game, it looks pretty, but I've done twin-stick shooters before, and better. Would be nice if the levels didn't feel so bland and repetitive.
- Reaper. Played up to the free maximum of level 10. It was reasonably enjoyable and the controls make it seem like skill really matters. The quest text is well-written, the sprites look beautiful. But ultimately it's too reptitive for me.
- Only One. Mechanics didn't feel right, especially the shoving. Uninstalled.
- Heroes of Loot. From an old Humble Bundle. Sluggish, bad controls.
- Quest of Dungeons. Seen it better in Pixel Dungeon.
- Pocket RPG. Like Torchlight, only not good.
Now playing
Games: Pillars of Eternity. 16 hours in. It's nice, the fantasy world is pleasant, the characters are sometimes deep and the interactions are well thought-out. But it doesn't click as much with me as did the original Infinity Engine games. Then again, that was in 1998, so I was perhaps more easily impressed. Maybe it's because PoE takes itself so very seriously?
I've heard good things about Divinity: Original Sin in that regard. That's on my list too and already bought, so I get to play it this year, if I can slog through PoE.
Mobile: Knights of Pen and Paper +1. I know this is a premium game, but I didn't cheat! I didn't buy it now! I had it left over from some old purchases many months back. I'm quite digging this; while the battles are super-repetitive, the graphics, pop culture references and settings save it for me. Very nice to play on a commute so you suffer the illusion that you actually got something done in the game.
Now reading
- The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah.
- Black Man by Richard Morgan.
Enjoyed this? Read the other posts in this series.


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Internal hemorrhoids are found inside your rectum, and external hemorrhoids are located near the anus, below what is known as the dentate line. The discomfort of external hemorrhoids is more substantial, though each variation is treatable. This article provides many ways to cope with hemorrhoids and make it so they do not have that big of an effect on your daily life.
If you are coping with the unpleasantness of hemorrhoids, do not be worried because there is relief out there for you. Sitz baths are very helpful. You can sit in one many times each day for several minutes each time. You can also apply a cold compress to the affected area to get relief.
Try taking Rutin for hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids can be caused by weak blood vessels. Rutin, a flavonoid, helps Vitamin C get absorbed, and it also makes the blood vessels stronger. It is normally found in citrus foods and vegetables like broccoli and onions. If taking a supplement, the optimal dose is 500mg once per day.
When it comes to relieving the discomfort of hemorrhoids, combined hot-and-cold therapy is one of your best bets. Switching between the heat and the ice will help shrink your hemorrhoid and help heal it. Apply ice to the area affected for about ten minutes every day, and follow it with moist heat for twenty minutes.
If you suffer from hemorrhoids, prevent further aggravation of the condition by keeping substances that contain scents, dyes, and essential oils away from the inflamed area. These substances could cause a burning, stinging or itching sensation on those already sensitive areas.
If you experience hemorrhoids often, you should ensure you're consuming an adequate amount of water. Drinking plenty of water each day softens your stool naturally. You're also going to want to limit and gauge how much caffeine and alcohol you consume as this can hurt you.
One risk factor for hemorrhoids is pushing too hard when defecating. Increase the amount of water you drink and eliminate refined sugar from your diet to soften your stool. Squatting could also aid in quickly passing bowel movements. To achieve this, place your feet on a short stool whenever you sit down to go. Interestingly, hemorrhoids are not very common in places where squatting is the more traditional way of evacuating the bowels.
Adding a little lemon to your water will help ease the hemorrhoid problems that you have. Lemon's soothing qualities can decrease the pain and itchiness of hemorrhoids. Drinking lemon water will help improve the way you are feeling every day!
Before you can treat hemorrhoids effectively, you need to know exactly what they are. Obtain as much knowledge as you can so that you can help yourself, or a loved one, if faced with this affliction. Hemorrhoids are technically a form of varicose veins that specifically appear in the anal region.
Bowel Movement
Try home remedies for your hemorrhoids before wasting money on expensive treatments and medications. Spend about fifteen minutes relaxing in a sitz bath. This is especially helpful following a bowel movement. As itchy as hemorrhoids can be, do not scratch them, as it could make them worse. Dampen some pads or cotton balls with witch hazel, instead, then apply to the area for some temporary relief. Fill your diet with plenty of fiber, and be sure to drink lots of water, at least eight glasses a day. The water and fiber ensure a soft, easy to pass bowel movement.
The introduction of this article started with the two different kinds of hemorrhoids people can have. While external hemorrhoids supposedly cause a greater amount of pain, both require that you get treatment to heal them. Use the information in this article and you will be more educated about hemorrhoids.


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I beg to argue with the person who labels me as having obsessive compulsive disorder, otherwise known as OCD. Even before H1N1 and others were brought into the media spotlight, I saw the world as a germy place. My tireless efforts to keep my person, my home, my family as germ free as possible have made me the subject of ridicule by many. However, I believe that scientific research has proven my efforts, or quirks as some call them, are effective at preventing the flu and other germ transmission cases. Follow along with me:
Step 1: Wash your hands thoroughly with plain soap and water including wrists, palms, back of hands, fingers and under your fingernails for at LEAST twenty seconds. Shut the faucet off with a paper towel, and dry your hands completely with a clean hand towel or paper towel. If a towel is not available, air dry your hands…do not wipe them on your clothing.
Ask any doctor on how to prevent the flu or other illness, they will tell you this is the best defense. Sounds easy, but how many times have you been in the bathroom stall, heard the toilet flush next to you, and then heard the door open and close five seconds later? Not even a half-hearted attempt at washing without soap before leaving the restroom was made. That same person will touch the same surfaces your freshly washed hands will. If that is not proof enough to assume that there are germs on every surface...that door knob, the computer keyboard, the vending machine, the tongs at the All You Can Eat Buffet, the container of open forks or straws in the cafeteria... just think how dirty that money is that you exchanged for that snack you are about to eat?
Simply stated keep your hands away from your mouth, eyes and nose unless you have washed properly and assume all surfaces are contaminated. Keep an eye on your kids, and coach them at an early age to keep their hands away from their face. In many cases, simple habits such as chewing your nails, or one of my personal pet peeves – "licking-your-finger-to-turn-the-page", can and will perpetuate the problem.
Step 2: Cough into the crook of your arm. That person next to you who is hacking up a lung? Well, if he is not covering, you might as well be kissing him. You are swapping bodily fluids right now by inhaling liquid particles. And the person that is coughing into their hand? Would you lick your hand after shaking hands with him? Then why wouldn't you wash before eating your lunch? Because even if you didn't shake, he just touched all the same surfaces you are about to touch before you eat... like that chair you are about to pull out and sit in while you munch. When you cough, do "the Dracula" and you'll keep others from getting sick even before you exhibit any symptoms.
Step 3: Stay home if you are sick. I know that you were most likely infectious before you showed any symptoms but at least you can keep some of those sick germs in your house and not on surfaces I have to share with you. Your immune system is already compromised. Why risk being in public and exposing yourself to other illnesses when you are still battling the current one?
Step 4: Get plenty of rest. A tired, run down body cannot fight off germs. Why do children bounce back so quickly after falling ill? Because they get lots of rest, that's why. Nap time really should be added back into the day, I believe.
So you can now see that it is not OCD and there is reason to run for the hand sanitizer...nothing less than 62% ethyl alcohol and applied for 15 seconds or longer, of course. The world is a germy place! And you can imagine what I have to say about chips and dips at parties...let's just consider the phrase "double dipping" for a moment. Gross! The canapé tray is much safer if you have to ask. Better yet, save the calories for a sealed beer.
When should you wash your hands?
• Before eating or preparing food.
• After handling uncooked foods, especially raw meats, poultry, or fish.
• After you have used the washroom, or you have cleaned up an infant or child who has done their business.
• Before and after caring for someone ill.
• After any contact with blood or bodily fluids (e.g. saliva, nasal secretions, vomit).
• Before and after treating a cut or a wound.
• After touching or handling an animal, their leash, toys or waste.
• Any other high-use items or items subject to contamination such as a shopping cart, ATM, money, and trash receptacles.


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CHE Lesson Plan Development
Volunteers Needed
- Writers
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If you would like to be part of the CHE Lesson Plan development team, contact Jody here!
Our goal is to provide the best and most comprehensive library of lesson plans for transformational development available to the church. On this page you will find ways you can help contribute to that goal.
Help Build the CHE Library
CHE material is open source. It is not copyrighted so that you can freely modify it for use in your specific context.
When you do update or translate lesson material, please send copies of your work to firstname.lastname@example.com, so that it can be shared with others in the network.
Contribute your Expertise
Needs and opportunities in the field are always changing, and there is always need for new lesson plan material. If you have experience in a particular field of study and are willing to write lesson plans, please contact Jody at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Some of our current projects include:
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Keep the Participatory Format
We ask you to follow the CHE lesson plan template so that our CHE lessons may be uniform in style and easy to use. Here is some information to get you started.


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There's no substitute for experience. In addition to impressive academic credentials, members of our program faculty have had professional careers before they joined academia, and many are still called upon to provide consulting services in their areas of professional specialization. There are no textbooks that can provide you with the real-world insights that our faculty members bring into the classroom.
Josh Buck
Associate Professor of Game Art and Animation
Joshua Buck, Associate Professor of Game Art and Animation, is a veteran of the entertainment game industry with 10+ years of experience. He has worked as a production artist and lead animator at Stainless Steel Studios in Boston as well as a freelance artist and animator. Currently Josh leads the development of the Game Art and Animation curriculum and teaches an array of 3D art classes from animation to environments.
Josh has designed, created and animated hundreds of characters, buildings and vehicles for award-winning, AAA-rated personal computer game titles and real-time gaming environments. Among the game titles he's worked on are Empire Earth, the winner of a Gamespy Award for PC Game of the Year, Empires: Dawn of the Modern World, one of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' Top 5 Computer Strategy Games of the Year, Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War and Empire Earth III. Josh has produced art-work for games published by Sierra, Activision, Midway and Vivendi Universal Games. Josh continues to contribute to the AAA game sector as well as to numerous side projects.
Josh holds a BFA from the University of Rhode Island and an MFA in Computer Art & Animation from Savannah College of Art & Design.
How does the Champlain Game Development "cohort" differ from the student culture at other schools?
Champlain College being a smaller school, the students really get to know each other and their faculty, and those two things alone really makes the culture a little bit different than at other schools. It's a very tightly knit community. Students tend not to fall through the cracks here either with their peer group or with the faculty and their professional programs.
In the game development cohort it's an especially tightly knit community. They know from their first year here that at some point they're going to be working with these people in close proximity for, a significant amount of time to build projects together. So we rely a lot on the game development cohort community to support that process — they take each other under, under their wings and into the fold. It's a learning process, and without the community and the way it functions right now, we'd have a lot more work to do as faculty.
Amanda Crispel
Program Director of Game Design, Game Art and Animation, Assistant Professor of Game Design
Amanda has 21 years of experience in the electronic entertainment industry, specializing in products for children and families. She's been on development teams at Mattel, Leap Frog, Lego, Brøderbund Software, The Learning Co., Animated Speech Corporation, Digital Chocolate and Plan B Enterprises. She has designed numerous popular CD-ROM titles in favorite family lines such as Carmen Sandiego, Kidpix, Lego Mindstorm, Rugrats, Leapfrog, and Dr. Seuss. Several of her software titles have earned consumer software awards for excellence, including the Family PC Recommended award for her first title, Math Workshop. Other projects include designs for the web, mobile phones, console platforms, and traditional board and card games. Crispel joined the faculty at Champlain College in 2005 and is currently teaching courses in game design and development. She is also the program director of Game Design and Game Art and Animation degrees and is responsible for developing curriculum for the program as well as establishing contacts with industry leaders. She is also the President and CEO of Hoozinga Game Media.
What is it about Champlain's Game Studio that sets it apart?
The key to our success at Champlain is that we believe in a balance between professional preparation in the degrees, and collaboration in the studio space. This means a student is prepared to do the tasks asked them at a professional quality level from the start of their first job, and they can quickly integrate into the team, communicate well, manage their own workflow, and have the confidence to make decisions and be successful.
The Wii and the Kinect opened up the world of gaming well beyond the traditional demographics. What in your opinion will be the next big "revolution" in gaming?
What excites me about the future of game media is that it is becoming an integrated component of the communications media landscape. Games have a great deal to offer. As well as being entertaining, they are great at teaching and delivering messages. Because they are active, not passive, the engagement factor is much, much higher. This gives them great potential as communication tools. If I look into my crystal ball of the future, I think we will see game media come of age. The entertainment space will continue to wow us with fabulous, mind-bending technological experiences for all manner of audiences, and we will see games and game technology used in new and exciting ways we haven't even imagined yet.
John Pile
Assistant Professor, Division of Information Technology & Sciences
John has over a decade of software development experience in the public and private sectors. His most recent game industry employment was with Proper Games in Dundee, Scotland where he was a multi-platform engineer on the team that developed the 2009 BAFTA Scotland Game Of The Year, "Flock!", the 2010 release of "Final Fight: Double Impact", downloadable content for "Crackdown 2", and the iOS game "Moving Day".
He received an undergraduate degree in Mathematics, a Master's degree in Computer Game Technology, and has a background in relational databases, 3D graphics and physics. When not teaching, he continues to develop games as an Indie Developer.
What is it about Champlain's Game Studio that sets it apart?
At Champlain College, you don't just acquire a set of skills; you gain practical experience actually developing games. You learn to work with artists, designers, and other programmers in an environment that mimics the real world, while allowing you the time to grow your own software engineering skills.
Also, in addition to having their own advanced degrees, our faculty comes from the game Industry with multiple published titles to their credit. This creates instruction that is not only academically challenging, but to quote a recent graduate, "surprisingly relevant." Now, combine that diverse experience with the strong desire to student success. Champlain College is known for having faculty that go above and beyond their normal teaching duties to ensure that the students are successful and that the knowledge is relevant.
The Wii and the Kinect opened up the world of gaming well beyond the traditional demographics. What in your opinion will be the next big "revolution" in gaming?
I suspect we have only seen the beginning of the Indi-revolution. The democratization of game development, the increase in social media, as well as the portability and affordability of hardware will all continue to play roles in making games an even greater part of our life.
Faculty List and Areas of Specialization
Game Design and Production
Greg Bemis – Production, and Narrative Design
Amanda Crispel – Program Director, Production, and Game System Design
Jonathan Ferguson – Production, Level Design, Open Source Technology
Dev Jana – Production, Game System and Level Design, Scripting, and Audio
Joe Manley – Production, Scripting, Flash Development, Mobile Development
Vivek Patel – Scripting
Peter Wehr – Production
Game Art and Animation
Josh Buck – 3D Modeling, Texturing, Animation, Environments and Characters
Nick Malutama – 3D Modeling, Texturing
JoAnn Patel – 3D Modeling, Texturing, Environment Lighting and Special Effects
Bob Selby – Concept Art, Illustration, and Painting
Game Programming
Wei Kian Chen – Division Chair, C++, Linux, and Operating Systems
Dean Lawson – C++, Game Architecture, Artificial Intelligence
John Pile – 2D and 3D Graphics, Game Engines, Online Networking
Ali Rafieymehr – Dean of Information Technology & Science, C++, Linux, and Operating Systems
Game Production Management
Elaine Young – Assistant Dean of Business, Marketing, Social Media