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BRANDON, TEXAS. Brandon is at the intersection of State Highway 22 and Farm Road 1243, ten miles east of Hillsboro in eastern Hill County. In 1840–41 a road was surveyed on the banks of Pecan Creek several miles from the site of Brandon. Elisha S. and Martha Wyman settled on this road in 1846. In 1851 a voting box was placed across the road in a grove of trees near Wyman Spring, when the area was still in Navarro County. All seventeen men in what would become Hill County voted there in the election. In 1852 a post office known as White Rock was established on White Rock Creek in the home of Henry Harlos (or Hollis) in Navarro County. In 1853, when Hill County was established, the Brandon area was in the new county. Joseph M. Martin built White Rock Mill on the creek before 1855, and by 1861 the Woods home in the community was used as an overnight stagecoach stop; it hosted such famous guests as Cynthia Ann Parker. In 1868 the name of the post office was changed to Jackson, probably to avoid confusion between the numerous White Rock communities in Texas. It had a post office only five months before it was withdrawn. The community received a post office in 1873 and was named Brandon. Dr. J. R. Harrington, a dentist, named the settlement and served as its first postmaster. The community was known as a health resort, and people camped near its several sulfur springs. Brandon was a prosperous community on the major road from Corsicana to Hillsboro. At one time it had a hotel, three churches, a school, a blacksmith shop, a cotton gin, and grocery, hardware, and drug stores.
In 1888 the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railway of Texas, which became the St. Louis Southwestern of Texas in 1891 and was known as the "Cotton Belt," was constructed through the county but missed Brandon. The citizens decided to move the community one mile northeast to be on the railroad. The new location was on the Calvin Parker and James McGee surveys, and the community was originally to be called Ferguson, for R. A. (Bob) Ferguson, who donated much of the townsite, but instead it took the name of the old townsite, Brandon. The town was laid out in 1888 and by 1890 had a population of seventy-five. By 1892 it was incorporated with W. N. Harris as mayor. Later that year a new school was built. In 1905 it had two teachers and ninety-three students. By 1914 Brandon had a population of 450 and two banks. In 1934 the population was 260, and State Highway 22 had been constructed through the community. With the removal of the railroad in 1936, the business population declined still further. In 1980, 1990, and 2000 the population was eighty. The community still had several active churches, a grocery store, a gas station, a cotton gin, and a grain elevator. "Old Brandon" still had a cemetery.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:Hill County Historical Commission, A History of Hill County, Texas, 1853–1980 (Waco: Texian, 1980).
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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.Handbook of Texas Online, Lisa C. Maxwell, "BRANDON, TX," accessed August 24, 2019, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hnb73.
Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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I had a surreal experience yesterday; or perhaps, a recognition of where I am in life, and the natural progression of things. It was my (older) cousin's fortieth birthday party. We gathered with my mom, a couple of her sisters, and a couple of my cousins and my sisters. I visited with my Aunts, then moved outside with my cousins and sisters to take some fun photos. After we talked about my "silver highlights" our conversation veered toward the past. Then we decided to make a photo recreation of a reoccurring event in which my older cousin would sit on me, and my older sister would defend me. We talked about things we did as kids, and I mentioned how we were at the same point in our lives that our parents were when we were our kids' ages.
The feeling I had wasn't really what I expected. It wasn't sadness or dread that we are inching closer towards the issues of old age. Turning thirty hadn't bothered me, and I don't anticipate turning 40 in 3 years will bother me either. It's part of the reason I don't color my hair. There is a certain amount of wisdom and maturity that comes with getting older; and aren't "silver highlights" just a natural indication of that? It's basically what I said to the (albeit not so tactful, but nice) guy at church who asked if my "silver highlights" were natural, or if I put them in. I just quoted what the Bible says about them. They are a crown of splendor. Proverbs 16:31 reads that "The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness." I told him I am getting my crown.
I wouldn't go back for anything. Every year that passes, I learn more. I become more secure in myself and in my relationships; perhaps most importantly, my identity in Christ. I have recently, in the last year, begun to pray regularly that God would help me to see people through His eyes, and a bonus of that is that He has begun showing me how He sees me.
I looked around yesterday at all of the awesome women. The idea of getting older gave me feelings of joy and satisfaction. My sisters, cousins and I have turned out pretty well; and if my mom and aunts are any indication of where we are headed, I'd say that's something to look forward to.

subset: commoncrawl


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Lina's AFH #3
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With the New Year upon us, many companies will be looking to source a fresh challenge or an opportunity that offers advancement. Marketing specialists AJG Direct reveal their secrets to maintaining their top talent.
AJG Direct is an established and growing firm looking to boost their market share in 2018; they are committed to maintaining their competitive and encouraging culture as they expand. The company has managed to develop quickly and guarantee results due to the inner core values of the contractors. As a frequent guest speaker at industry events, AJG Direct's Managing Director, is often called to share his secrets on locking in crucial team members and attracting up and coming talent.
During a recent interview Mr Gillett shared his top tips on how his organisation retains their top performers:
1) Provide the necessary training – Committed to continual learning the firm offers free workshops structured around skills needed to advance within the industry and boost knowledge.
2) No seniority – By providing advancement on merit, motivation is enhanced, allowing those who have a genuine interest to take control of their professional development.
3) Be the Hardest Worker – Joining the frontline enables the CEO to demonstrate success, making it easier for everyone to manage expectations and replicate actions, regardless of the business model.
4) Invest in them – A good leader is in tune with their team, demonstrating appreciation through training, team nights and bonuses.
5) Promote your own goals and how they will have a positive impact on the team – People like to know the direction in which their efforts are taking them. Professionals tend to also value transparency it comes to communicating how their actions contributed to a positive outcome.
6) Demonstrate Passion/Desire/Fire – Influencers can use their passion to drive results for others, compelling demonstration of commitment can boost accountability and productivity in others.
8) Always have a positive attitude – where possible share success stories of tackling obstacles head-on, share strategies for sourcing solutions.
9) Be the problem solver – Inspire creativity and assist during times where answers aren't being easily sourced, lead from the front to boost rapport throughout the organisation.
10) Ensure team relationships are positive – Promoting successes and raising individual images makes for a better culture surrounding success and mutual respect.
AJG Direct are confident in their ability to retain and attract top talent, with many projects in the pipeline this year there will be opportunities in abundance for the firm to offer event marketing solutions to some of the UK's most prominent brands.


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Tarryn and Leigh // Constantia, Cape Town
If there's one thing that I've learned in my 36 years on this earth so far it's this - 'dog people' are always cool. When I asked Tarryn what shots were most important to her on her wedding day, she said without hesitation: 'Definitely some of Leigh and the dogs at home.'
I think these guys are some of the nicest people I've had the priviledge of meeting and I loved their winter wedding which started at The Christ Church in Constantia and ended at The Club House close by.
Beautifully captured special moments of this lovely couple! So relaxed & natural. Excellent xx
Dearest Jules - what an absolutely beautiful album..you are the most gentle, patient and creative photographer I have met, albeit that the wedding was all about the bridal couple - When viewing these pictures "Isn't she lovely?" still plays in my mind. Thanks for capturing this precious day and may you stay Blessed in all you do. From Laura - the aunty in the leopard print :-)


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why it had to be
this way
and not as you'd have liked
that way
this way or that way
doesn't matter
or maybe it does
you try to figure it out
like you figure which shirt
to wear
for the dinner party
and some of us hide it in the mind
like the moon
hides behind the clouds
and shows up when you least expected
they say much about his poems
and he's T.S. Eliot
the initials reprimand his full name
so why then it's not W. Shakespeare
instead of William Shakespeare
or E. Dickinson for Emily Dickinson
or G. Chaucer for Geoffrey Chaucer
somehow the rendition is lackluster
if we say his name is Thomas Stearn Eliot
so we exude delight saying his name
is T.S. Eliot
I like the full name better
than initials.


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Violet and Wren - Wedding Style
When one of our very first Violet and Wren Brides, the gorgeous Hetty Jones kindly sent the images of her wedding through to us to see, we felt we had to feature her on the blog! The images, courtesy of Paul White weddings, were just to beautiful too keep to ourselves!!!
Hetty chose a playful and feminine mix and match style for the morning of her wedding, wearing our Jena Pyjama Shirt in Violet Haze with our cute Orla Short in Glasshouse Palm - and we think she looks sensational!
"I was really excited about getting ready with my bridesmaids and wanted to wear something special for the morning. I liked that Violet and Wren is a British brand and I'm a sucker for silk. Also, I couldn't resist powdery lilac and botanical prints together – so beautiful."
Hetty's stunning wedding gown was a bespoke design created by Clinton Lotter.
"His designs are so beautifully flattering and elegant, I can't believe he's not better known. I knew I wanted spaghetti straps, a low back and some lace and we worked on a bespoke design together, His silk crepe creation was perfection - I absolutely adored wearing it" www.clintonlotter.com
Having had their legal ceremony the week before at Islington Town Hall, followed by lunch at The Quality Chop House, Hetty and Daniels 'Big Day' was held at Hetty's parents beautiful garden in Hertfordshire in a marquee.
"We wanted it to feel personal and relaxed, a big family party. Daniel game me full creative control over the look of the wedding- country garden flowers with lots of green foliage, hand stamped name cards, hanging hops and home-made rhubarb vodka. I loved how my wedding coordinator Sama ( Utterlywow.co.uk) summed it up: 'Mediterranean elegance meets rustic luxe'"
Hetty put a fun and modern spin on a classic tradition with her "something blue" blue manicure, to die for blue shoes by Rupert Sanderson, and blue hydrangeas as decor.
We adored Hetty's style, and were dying to find out how she would be wearing her Violet & Wren pieces after the wedding, where she likes to shop, and her favourite designers - and luckily for us she was willing to share!
How have you worn and styled your Violet & Wren pieces -"I took my pyjamas on honeymoon to Bali and wore my Jenna top with skinny jeans and heels to a friends engagement party"
Favourite places to shop - "Whistles and J Crew"
Favourite Fashion designers - "Stella McCartney and Erdem"
Pyjama Dressing as daywear, Love or Loathe? - "I love it! Who wouldn't want to wear pyjamas all day every day? I always have a set on my Christmas wish list!"
Thank you to Hetty for allowing us to share her wedding with you, and to Paul for sharing the photos. As it's a Wednesday and therefore almost the weekend, we are off to treat ourselves to a Hettini - Rhubarb Vodka and Champagne, how could you possibly resist?! x
View the full gallery below...


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Dream Monstar Autumn has hit the racks. Filled with pops of glitter and colour, tie dye and autumnal hues, the American Dreamer collection should be the newest addition to your Autumn wardrobe.
xox DM
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For Immediate Release
Contact Info
Anaheim, CA 01-20-2005
WINTER NAMM SESSION Audio-Technica is introducing the AT892 MicroSet subminiature omnidirectional condenser headworn microphone that delivers accurate sound in a tiny package. Representing the latest in miniaturization technology, the MicroSet utilizes a condenser capsule with a diameter of a mere 2.5 mm, making it ideal for applications requiring minimum visibility. In addition, the MicroSet offers an ergonomic, flexible, ultra-lightweight, under-ear design that is both comfortable to wear and highly secure. The MicroSet hooks behind the ear and can be worn for hours without fatigue. Its contoured earpiece stays in place even on the most animated performer/presenter and does not interfere with the users eyeglasses. Plus, the MicroSet features the industry-standard Audio-Technica sound that professionals have come to rely on for over 40 years.
Intended for high-quality, low-profile inconspicuous operation, the MicroSet is available in either a non-reflective black or theater-beige finish. It provides maximum intelligibility and clean, accurate reproduction for the most demanding church/house of worship user, lecturer, broadcaster or theater performer. Available in a multitude of terminations to work with A-T and other manufacturers' wireless systems, the MicroSet includes two windscreens, two element covers, a cable clip, and a protective carrying case.
The Audio-Technica AT892 MicroSet omnidirectional condenser headworn microphone will be available beginning in February 2005 with suggested list pricing as follows:
AT892cW Terminated for Audio-Technica UniPak wireless systems $439
AT892cW-TH Beige version of AT892cW $439
AT892c Unterminated version of AT892 $419
AT892c-TH Beige version of AT892c $419
AT892cL4 Terminated for Sennheiser wireless systems using Lemo connector $499
AT892cL4-TH Beige version of AT892cL4 $499
AT892cLM3 Terminated for Sennheiser wireless systems using 3.5 mm locking mini plug $439
AT892cLM3-TH Beige version of AT892cLM3 $439
AT892cT4 Terminated for Shure wireless systems $439
AT892cT4-TH Beige version of AT892cT4 $439
AT892cT5 Terminated for ATW-U101 and Lectrosonics wireless systems using TA5F connector $439
AT892cT5-TH Beige version of AT892cT5 $439
Celebrating over 40 years of audio excellence worldwide, Audio-Technica is a leading innovator in transducer technology, renowned for the design and manufacture of microphones, wireless microphones, headphones, mixers, and electronics for the audio industry.
For more information on the complete range of Audio-Technica products, contact Karen Emerson, Audio-Technica U.S., Inc., 1221 Commerce Drive, Stow, OH 44224. Tel: (330) 686-2600; Fax: (330) 688-3752; Web: www.audio-technica.com
For further information regarding product availability and pricing in Europe, please contact Denise Turner, marketing, Audio-Technica Ltd., Old Lane, Leeds LS11 8AG England. Tel: +44 (0) 113 277 1441,
Fax: +44 (0) 113 270 4836


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The worldwide phenomenon that is the Meeting of Styles returned to London this weekend for what is now it's fifth year.
Curated by End of the Line, the Rockwell House based artistic outfit managed to assemble a huge array of artistic talent and a whole array of walls from around the Shoreditch area of the city.
Taking place over the weekend of 5th and 6th June 2014, the main focus of activity was around the Brick Lane area with Pedley Street, Sclater Street, Braithwaite Street, Whitby Street, Chance Street, Hewett Street and New Inn Yard all receiving makeovers.
The event was an outdoor art extravaganza with artists from all kinds of backgrounds just doing what they do best. Highlights for me included the Lost Souls crew combining on a typically fun mural on Sclater Street; Louis Masai painting an Orangutan on Pedley; Gent, Vibes and a whole host of others sharing a cherry picker to paint a huge mural close to the railway; Zina going blue on Chance Street; Dan Kitchener going big next to Inkie on New Inn Yard, an epic mural on Whitby Street and of course being able to discover a whole host of new artistic talent.
So for this post I've pounded the streets of Shoreditch over the past couple of days and visited all the spots picking out some of my favourites. Be warned there's a lot of pics but then there were a lot of walls and a lot of artists on this the biggest street art weekend of the year so far.
Louis Masai paints an Orangutan on Pedley Street
Vibes, Gent and others paint a huge wall further down on Pedley Street
In a waste bit of ground close to Allen Gardens on Pedley Street
The Lost Souls Crew bust some moves on Scalter Street
Ryan Kai and Roes on Scalter Street
Paint Jam in the Sclater Street car park
Zina paints on Chance Street
Ed Hicks, Elph and AR paint on Whitby Street
Braithwaite Street Gallery
Dan Kitchener, Inkie and Sepr paint New Inn Yard
Hewett Street Gallery


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Why the In-Memory Column Store is not used (I)
Now finally after a long period of waiting - and looking presentations and reading blogs I was able to do In-Memory databasing on my own. Having sampled some theoretical background how a a pure In-Memory Db works with SAP HANA; my expectations on the Oracle In-Memory Option were high. Also because Oracle promised it would work without code change, out of the box.
The setup
The Oracle database is located on Sun Solaris Machine with enough memory and 32 Xeon-Cores; The Memory Pool is sized 64G, compared to the rest of the SGA , buffer cache , shared_pool ... 4G, and 300G of data.
Then I started to put tables to be populated to memory with the ALTER TABLE ... INMEMORY statement. I had in mind immediatelly to test one of our ugly long running problem statements with a lot of unions and counting and grouping by , joining a lot of tables; which could last > 25sec dependent on size of the customers structure/number transactions;
So simply I put all tables which I identified in the execution plan into memory. I wanted to see how it dramatically improves! I checked the single table access - all full table scans with filters were done on 2nd call in memory (ExecutionPlan step TABLE ACCESS INMEMORY FULL) for every singe table/segment. Fine!!
You also can check the state - populate_status should be 'COMPLETED'
And now the complete orchestra; :)
The big disappointment!
Nothing! Nada! Niente ! ничто́ ! Negativ ! - not one single In-Memory column was accessed by the execution of the SQL - it was just the old style plan (Nested Loops, Hahs Jooin) using all the PKs to join with other tables or other fitting indexes. I tried a lot - Hints, SQL rewrite (did some feature of my SQL hinder the optimizer to do an In-Memory access?), different In-Memory compression levels but no in-memory access! All the 'IM scan%' stat values were zero except the 'IM scan segments disk' state value which was 3 for some reason on every execution;
Instead oracle generated the old style - uuuaaah ;) - plan with nested loops hash joins and a lot access was traditionally based on indexes; Not that indexes are useless now; It's a lot less work for a CPU to access a low number of rows via an index in the buffer cache then scanning the tables column full in-memory.
So my first impression was - yes In-Memory works but only for single tables - Ok it's more some OLAP feature and not usable for data stored in real complex relationships.
It seemd to me that the optimizer was not able to translate the index access into an equivalent In-Memory Column Store access; Maybe the column store is not able to deliver an index like behavior; And hence Oracle seems still to rely still on traditional indexes even full columnar copies of the table to memory is in place.
Maybe the Oracle structure the Column Store very different to the SAP HANA one; in SAP HANA every Colums Store is sorted ( this guarantees also that a bunch of column values can loaded with one CPU command as they are located together in RAM ) - and to avoid resort on every insert an unsorted differential buffer takes a bunch of fresh inserted data which is flushed in an interval to the sorted/indexed SAP HANA column store;
Maybe we are on basic starting point for Oracle In-Memory and additional features wil enrich execution plans of unchanged SQL;
Ok to sum it up if your problem SQL has this kind of execution plan (see below) it may be not touched by the new In-Memory DB feature at all;
This is not the End!
Ok in the next Blog I will tell you about how I did overcome the described situation; maybe you already know about; Or may you tell your experiences with Oracle In-Memory Option?
PS.: I am aware probably to be more clever if I had read the manuals - I did - but I wanted just to test the promise - it's just works - no - in my ( maybe special ) case it did not - and now cu it's stays exciting!


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PS.R2 series balances represent a new standard of precision balances. They feature a new, readable LCD display which allows a clearer presentation of the weighing result. Besides, the display has a new text information line allowing to show additional messages and data, e.g. product name or tare value. New PS.R2 balances, like previously designed PS series balances, have pans in two possible dimensions: 128x128 mm or 195x195 mm. balances with a smaller pan have a draft shield. The balance precision and the measurement accuracy is assured by automatic internal adjustment, which takes into consideration temperature changes and time flow. PS.R2 balances feature several communication interfaces: 2 x RS 232, type A USB, type B USB and optional WiFi. The housing is made of plastic, and the pan is made of stainless steel. The balances have a possibility to weigh products out of the pan (under hook weighing) – the load hangs under the pan.
The information system is based on 5 databases, which allows for several users to work with several products databases, and the registered weighing results can be subject to further analysis.
The data is registered in 5 databases:
- users (up to 10 users),
- products (up to 1000 products),
- weighments (up to 5000 weighments),
- tares (up to 100 tares),
- ALIBI memory (up to 100 000 weighments).
There is two directions data exchange within the system thanks to a quick USB interface. New balances allow to import and export databases using USB pen drives.
|Parts counting, Density determination, Checkweighing, Percentage, Under-hook weighing, GLP procedures
|LCD (with backlight)
|Power Requirements
|Mains Adapter - 12 ÷ 16 V DC (Included)
Customer Reviews
Replacement balance Review by Sandra Worthing
Fast delivery, wasn't expecting them so quickly and with a free certificate, that was appreciated by my quality team! Glad I called ahead before ordering.


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Festive 500 By Jeremy Dunn
Stay Wild
At this point, I'm deep into the plan.
Too deep to back out effectively. The fog rolls over the two riders in front of me and for a moment I think that maybe this is all a figment of my imagination−some sort of fucked up Matrix meets the world of sporty bicycle riding.
Then a car whizzes by me over my left shoulder, and I'm shaken back into the reality of the situation.
Every year I tell myself that I am going to complete the Festive 500 Challenge. But this is going to be the year where I don't back out. The Challenge happens during the holidays, so it is the perfect excuse for a couple of things. One, escape! Two, eat! (Or at least keep eating without turning into a fat shit.) Three, excuses! The challenge comes at the weirdest time as well. The cyclocross season is pretty much over and the long, slow road to spring riding and racing is stretched out in front of you. So, during this time, when I am trying to ride a few hundred miles, I find myself pondering the same question: "What's my motivation here?"
The challenge is to ride 500km between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day. Seems like a pretty easy proposition, right? Let's break that down, just so that we are clear about what it means. 500 km = 310 miles. That times out to roughly eight days. If we are still in math mode that translates to roughly 39 miles per day. Which, when you put it that way, seems like a pretty easy prospect.
It became quickly apparent that it wasn't. But with a little help from my friends, anything is possible.
Day One:
With Max, CD, Julie and Tim 25 Miles
We start late. Later than we thought we would start. We're waiting for each other and it's like we have forgotten how to do long rides on a bike. Someone forgets a glove. It's colder than anyone anticipated and the shining sun has tricked a few of us into wearing less clothes than we might have otherwise. Now we're on a bike path and the usual game of dodging riders becomes amplified by dodging homeless that are setting up their Christmas decorations.
Day Two:
Christmas Day 0 Miles Spouses kept happy : 1
The second day proves to be the hardest. Because my wife is also a cyclist I think she won't mind that I sneak out in the morning for a ride, before we open presents.This doesn't go over well. At all.
Day Three:
With Patrick & Julie 35 Miles
I convince Patrick and my wife Julie to skip work for the day and go out with me. What could really happen the day after Christmas anyway? I stop by the office to refill my bottles and suddenly feel guilty. That guilt burns away quickly as the hill turns upwards and the fog settles in. There is an eerie stillness to the West Hills as we pedal up, then down, then back up, a move I later regret when I realize that I shouldn't be wasting time going up and down when the point of all of this is to get to that 500km. What felt like at least 50 turned out to be just 35.
Day Four:
With Simon
70 Miles
I cannot stop eating. I have dragged my friend Simon with me. The holidays have given him time off. We ride out past the airport and into Troutdale where we stop for coffees as the day is deceptively cold. However, the sun is out, and as we talk of his upcoming fatherhood, we are thankful.
Day Five:
With Steven, Joel, Simon, Leah 50 Miles
Good company helps. Good weather helps even more. Steven is up for a road ride instead of his usual mountain biking tendency. His lady is in town from SF and we decide to take her up and over Wildcat Mountain. We laugh and eat salty chips while riding our bikes and suddenly the prospect of having to do this every day doesn't sound so bad. This high feeling is tempered by the realization that I haven't done enough riding per day to help it even out in the long run.
Day Six:
Moving day for Eric, post-moving ride with Tim 35 Miles
Somehow, I volunteered to help Eric move during the Festive 500. I was thinking of camaraderie and brotherhood when I decided on this course of action. But my legs are tired. They remind me constantly, and I console myself by thinking "these are not even long days on the bike." After we blast through the move – roughly 15 people make short work of it – Tim and I somehow rally ourselves and ride out to Sauvie Island. Out at Sauvie we spot our friend Michael, and he takes a picture of us. I have to continue to remind myself to take pictures and to look around, as my views are becoming increasingly inward and vision-narrowing. Tim and I have a hard conversation on the way home. We realize that tomorrow will have to be a big day to make this happen, to finish in time.
Day Seven:
With Patrick and Tim
103 miles
The prospect of a 100-mile day in the heart of December is not one that looks good. In the middle of the summer, when chamois time is tanning time, when the mere thought of being on the bike all day long brings slight patters to one's heart, that's when riding 100 miles is fun. When your bike is weighted down with fenders and covered in grit, it is not that fun. Tim and I eschew extra jackets for extra food (thank you – dear wife, for Nutella filled crepes) and head out along The Gorge. Patrick takes us to Crowne Point, where we bid him adieu and start down the winding road to the falls. We make it all the way out to Charburger, the diner cum tourist trap that sits on the Oregon side of the Bridge of the Gods. We spend a few minutes stuffing too sweet cookies into our mouths before we try to head back out into the cold. I overhear the electric hand dryer in the men's bathroom and get an idea; I remove my wool baselayer and stand there drying it. It takes nearly five cycles, but there is nothing like putting on a toasty warm baselayer for a 50-mile return trip in the cold.
This action proves to be my best idea of the week as the rain starts sputtering down on us the moment we leave the safety of the Charburger awning. I look down at Tim's bike and then back at mine. He is not using fenders and that means that either I remain in the front of our little group of two — taking in all the rain and wind for both of us — or I get a mouthful of gritty dark water off the spray of his wheel for the next 50 miles. I choose the former and start thinking about Crowne Point and that beautiful 20-mile downhill on the other side of it.
As we start out, I curse Tim and his ineffective choice of bicycle, but this feeling quickly subsides as I console myself with the thought that I would rather have him there, even if back there, than not at all. As we navigate the tight turns below each of the falls, I'm considering everyone along the week that helped me get there. Like Ira standing atop a pile of rocks shooting photos while Leah pumps air into her tire. And Julie making food in the mornings to eat and to pack along. There's an image of Steven jamming a bag of chips into his face, grinning the whole time. And Simon laughing as I tried to rid us of an unknown cyclist that had latched onto our wheel. Was he real? No matter what I did, I could not shake him. Even the chance meeting with Michael on his own vision quest of sorts had given another little nudge toward the finish line.
But where is that finish line?
As we rolled back into town that last day – altering our route slightly to make sure that we hit the 100-mile mark for the day – the light faded to nothing, and Tim's rear light was the only thing preventing me from lying down for a nap on the side of the road. I had lost ten pounds, gained a nagging cough, traversed roads I'd never seen before and some that I will probably never see again. What again is my motivation? Just to finish, I guess.


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Get your thinking caps on! Next week we are coming up with creative and fun ways to put all our remnant fabric scraps to use. Because all the projects center on our leftovers nearly all of them are free, or pretty darn close.
I am most excited about Friday the 15th because that day I will share our last scrap fabric project, as well as open the floor up to you in a link party where we can all see what everyone else has created! It is a great way to not only think green by working with what you have, but introduce your blog to us if you are new around here. Simple, creative, extravagant or useful, all projects are welcome.
What do you think? Will you be joining in?


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Exploring Camp Carnivalby Luisa Frey Gaynor, CruiseMates Family Editor | June 6, 2005
Our recent Carnival Victory cruise marked the first time my three-year-old son Ethan was old enough to participate in a youth program at sea, and I was glad we were aboard a Carnival ship to mark that event. Carnival, which carries more children at sea than any other line, goes the extra mile in accommodating its littlest cruisers. I was anticipating possible tears each time we left Ethan off at Camp Carnival, but instead he happily joined his fellow two-to-five-year-old cruisers in an array of fun activities.
Camp Carnival Details
Camp Carnival hours for the two to 11 year olds are: 9 a.m. to noon (note that on port days, the youth program opens earlier to accommodate parents going on shore excursions without children); 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. is family library time, when a child must be accompanied by an adult to participate; and regular Camp Carnival activities start again from 2-5 p.m.
Each night, youth counselors take kids to the buffet dinner at 5:45 p.m. Camp Carnival then re-opens from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. From 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., group babysitting is available for those under nine years old in the youth room, at an hourly fee of $6 per child ($4 for the second child in a family). Those nine to 11 years old have Inters After Hours activities in the aerobics studio, which includes Game Boys and other games; the same hourly fee as above applies.
Lots for Little Ones
This youngest age group made the Camp Carnival youth room their home base while the older age groups usually met in various clubs throughout the ship. The brightly colored room featured a tot-sized bathroom, video wall, sand art machines, and Space Maze, a padded climbing apparatus. There was also a splash pool one deck above the youth room for parents to take their children to and watch independently (I was amazed, however, at how some parents left their little ones there unattended). My son Ethan loved the splash pool on sea days -- which was a relief since the large pools were extremely crowded.
Some of the activities that Ethan enjoyed during his time at Camp Carnival include painting (literally!) the counselor, painting the windows, Space Maze story time, music and movement activities, and the Blues Clues-themed activities (which included adorable face painting).
Little ones under two years are welcome at Camp Carnival on mornings when the ship is in port as well as during the group babysitting time frame from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. For $6 per hour during this time, the counselors would pull out strollers, mats and other baby necessities to accommodate infants and toddlers. Other than Disney Cruise Line's nursery, only a few lines offer only private babysitting; most cruise lines do not offer any services for this age group. Carnival's minimum age to sail is four months old.
Kid Fun
The nine to 11 year olds seemed less enthusiastic about the group activities offered them. A few times I stopped in to see some of Carnival's newest themed activities under the banner of EduCruise, but on two occasions they were a bit disappointing. For example, the EduCruise theme on the Maya (which tied in with our call in Mexico) never materialized because the kids weren't interested in doing it. Another time there was a science themed activity in which the kids were learning about rockets and then decorated cylinders. However the youth counselor didn't have the correct supplies to attach to the cylinders to make them shoot up like rockets.
This nine to 11 year old age group, which included my daughter, seemed more interested in active programming either under the heading of ExerSeas – such as making "Survivor" teams and dueling it out with deck games – or old faithfuls like a pool party, scavenger hunt, and dress-the-contestant competition. My 11-year-old daughter Alex was chosen to dress up for the competition, so she and her teammates had to find various funny objects in their cabins to put on Alex. This was a big hit since it was both active and entertaining. Alex and the friends she made on the ship would have liked more activities of that nature.
Teen Time
The programming for the 12 to 14 year olds starts and ends a bit later than for the younger kids. Most activities don't begin until about 10 or 10:30 a.m., then break at noon for lunch before resuming from two to five or six p.m. Evening activities start much later at about 8:30 p.m. and continue until 1 a.m. Unlike the younger groups, there is no fee for the late evening activities. Some of the group activities this age group enjoyed include teen discos; competitions such as Dog Eat Dog eating contest; and musical jeopardy, which is a SeaNotes activity. SeaNotes, ExerSeas, EduCruise, and H2Ocean integrate music, exercise, geography and science, respectively, into hands-on activities. All of this newer programming is available for all age groups at various times throughout the fleet.
The 15 to 17 year olds, however, did have a gathering spot called Club O2 where they met in the afternoon and evenings on sea days and only in the evenings on port days. ClubO2 overlooks the fitness center and did not afford the privacy of a dedicated teen disco/teen hang out. Some of the activities for the older teens include a Teen Mocktail party on formal night, Battle of the Sexes competitions, and a teens-only shore excursion offered once per cruise.
Next Page: Shore Excursions
|Copyright © 2009, Cruisemates. All rights reserved.


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In God's providence, a group of ministry leaders were part of the Strategy Sessions at the Billy Graham Conference on Evangelism in Amsterdam in the fall of 2000. As they strategized about how to reach Unreached People Groups, they asked one another what they could do to help finish reaching all the remaining Unreached People Groups (UPG's).
In the course of their conversations, they realized that they could achieve some goals more effectively by working together more closely. They agreed to begin working to that end immediately. This group has become known as "Table 71," after the table number where the partners held their original discussions.
The organizations that have agreed to work together as "Table 71" are totally and deeply committed to evangelism and world missions. As Paul proclaimed, "We are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because it is the power of God unto salvation." (Romans 1) The goal is to establish a strong and viable church within each of the Unreached People Groups (UPGs), so that the number of UPGs is reduced to ZERO.


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Looking for an incredible location for your perfect beach destination wedding?
Our white sand beach is a fabulous setting for a romantic and intimate wedding. Invite your friends and family for a long weekend and ask about our group rates for your wedding party.
Los Porticos Villas offers full wedding planning services and the staff can arrange for everything from the minister, to cake and champagne, to flowers, to tents and catering, to expediting all of the necessary paperwork for a legal wedding in the country of Belize.
Getting married in Belize is an easy process and the marriage is legally recognized internationally. The possibilities are endless…. Let your love bloom and blossom like the tropical flowers in our beautiful landscaped gardens. And let Los Porticos staff assist in making your special day one to remember forever.
Marriage License Requirements for Belize are as follows:
- Application for a Special License must be signed by both parties, verified by an affidavit, and accompanied by the applicants' identity documents (i.e. certified copies of passports, birth certificates, etc.). Applications can be expedited through the wedding coordinator.
- There are no residency requirements or blood test requirements.
- Applications can be obtained through the wedding planner or directly from the Belize General Registry, Supreme Court Building, Belize City. Tel. 011-501-227-7377.
- Required documents can either be original or certified copies.
- Divorced persons must present original or certified copies of their divorce certificates. If you are widowed, a copy of your spouses's death certificate needs to be submitted.
- A fee of $250.00 USD must accompany the application.
- You will need two witnesses, and these can be staff.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information and start planning the Caribbean wedding of your dreams here at Los Porticos!
Email: email@example.com for reservations or more information.
Phone: 011-501-523-3227
Reservations office hours: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Mon-Fri (Belize time)
Managed by Snowden Consulting Limited


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Debt is a killer. But if you're in debt, you're already feeling horribly about it.
Being in debt goes well beyond being limited in what you're prevented from buying – whether you can take a vacation or even enjoy a simple hobby.
Debt is a strain on your family and your emotions personally. It can cause you to get ill. Furthermore, unless you take steps to deal with it, your situation will only worsen on all fronts.
It becomes a very heavy anchor. So get busy.
Here are nine top strategies:
1. Rank your debt according to importance
Pay off your highest debt as soon as possible. More than likely, it's credit card debt with painful interest rates. So focus on the largest amount first.
But if you have many debts, it might be easier on your emotions to pay the smallest ones first. Work your way up the financial ladder.
As you succeed, you will feel better and become enthusiastic about paying off your bills.
If you have student debt, tackle it head on. If you're only making minimum payments, you won't make any headway.
Because your cars are depreciating assets – they decrease in value – pay off your car loans.
2. Live frugally as possible
You might be already living frugally, but keep looking for ways to save. Start by keeping a record of every penny you spend.
When you think about buying anything, ask if you really need to buy it.
Read consumer articles every chance you get. You might be surprised to learn new tricks.
For instance, if you're hooked on coffee, only drink it at home. Avoid the exotic drinks at coffee houses.
Even if you only buy a simple cup at a Starbucks, stay away. You'll save a minimum of $2 a day or about $60 a month.
3. Learn how to negotiate
Everything is negotiable. Talk with your creditors. Discuss repayment options for lower interest and debt reduction.
That's right. No matter what you need to negotiate, there are easy strategies to get anything you want. But you must first remember it's important to reach a fair compromise – with win-win negotiating skills. There are 22 Dos and Don'ts for successful negotiations.
4. Regularly monitor your finances
Keep track on how much money you owe. Set short-term and long term goals. Don't allow discouragement to rear its ugly head.
Each time you succeed, find a simple way to celebrate. Hug your partner. Spend extra time with your kids. Or take a walk.
5. Don't even think about debt-settlement companies
Debt-settlement firms would get wealthier off you, but they will not help you. In the end, they will hurt your credit, too.
Don't trust them.
6. Apply newly found money to your debt
When you get a windfall, don't think you can celebrate and go out and spend it. Pay your debts instead.
7. Look for ways to earn extra money
Your strategies shouldn't just be about cutting your expenses. Consider ways to put your talents to use by moonlighting.
Even if you only make a little bit of money, it counts. The more you work at making extra money, bigger opportunities will appear. It will snowball for you.
8. Become great at self-promotion
Learn how to better marlet yourself. Look for opportunities inside your company. Hone your interview strategies for a promotion.
9. Keep prospecting for ways to make money and cut expenses
Don't stand pat. Continually invest in yourself by discovering new ways to increase your income and cut expenses to pay off your debt faster.
Finally, once you get out of debt, always remember debt is the catalyst for financial woes. Learn the six values for your financial protection.
From the Coach's Corner, here are links to related articles:
Drowning in Student-Loan Debt? How to Pay it Off in 1 Year — You're not alone if you're drowning in student-loan debt. The average college graduate in 2015 was saddled with student loans totaling $35,000, which takes 10 to 20 years to pay off. Here's what you can do to stay afloat.
5 Solutions to Ease the Pain of Your Student Loan Debt — If you've had a student loan, chances are you know the pain of trying to repay it. If you're struggling to pay it off, here are five options.
Debt Consolidation Will Sink You without These 6 Tips — If you're not careful in your debt-consolidation plan to bundle your debts for a lower interest rate and minimum payments, you might get into more financial problems. Here are six precautions.
8 Financial Vows for a Young Couple's Successful Marriage — Young people have starry eyes when they plan to marry. Certainly, they look forward to a lifelong bliss together. Unfortunately, about half of first marriages end in divorce. Often, it's over money disagreements.
Money – Your Net Worth Matters More than What You Earn — When it comes to finance, most business owners and other individuals strive to increase their wealth to have more opportunities. The trouble with some, however, is that they focus on income and not their net worth. That means, of course, spending less than they earn.
"You can't be in debt and win. It doesn't work."
-Dave Ramsey


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CANADA: Motor parts industry calls for government help to attract investment - report
The Canadian motor industry will face plant closures and lost business over the next few years unless the government and industry work together to attract investment, a spokesman for country's automotive parts industry warned on Wednesday, according to a news agency report.
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What they don't do - and would never get away with, this nation being somewhat more democratic than the odious mafia racket in Brussels - is to spend millions of tax money on a fleet of chauffeur driven limos on permanent call to ferry them about. The story is detailed in the Mail this morning. For this is exactly what MEPs are getting.
I can only assume, given the level of expenses for food and drink spent by MEPs, that they need carrying about everywhere because they're forever too drunk to drive themselves.
Daesh / ISIS Human Resources Department
Leaks from Daesh / ISIS HR department include an official application form that asks "Do you want to be deployed as (a) a suicide bomber or (b) a member of the storm assault martyrs' brigades?".
So an interview that includes the question " ..and where do you see yourself in five years?" is not wholly relevant, then.
Breedlove blindness
The improbably named General Breedlove, NATO's current boss, whose failures to talk-up Russia as the new enemy are legend, is trying again by accusing Putin of 'weaponising' economic migration by allowing migrants across the Russian-Finnish border.
Currently around 20 migrants a day cross from Russia into Finland. Compared to 1,500 a day from Turkey into Greece. But then Breedlove wouldn't dare accuse his NATO member Turkey of 'weaponising' migration, would he? Even though that is exactly what Turkey is doing, obvious to many in Europe.
I think it's time Breedlove went back to a nice retirement posting in Texas.


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Kim Jong-Nam, the half-brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, was killed on February 13.
A few days later, the first North Korean to be arrested in connection with the case was a man carrying Malaysian documentation issued to foreign workers, which identified him as 46-year-old North Korean citizen Ri Jong Chol.
Malaysian detectives have also detained a 25-year-old Indonesian woman named Siti Aishah, her Malaysian boyfriend, and a woman carrying a Vietnamese passport identifying her as Doan Thi Huong, 28.
Kim Jong-Nam, the eldest son of Kim Jong Il, was once the favourite to assume the leadership of the hermit-state North Korea.
These are the key events in his life that led to his exile from North Korea and his death:


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Bay Qasoor
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There is only one person on this earth who can sacrifice her own life for you; and she is your mother. But can any mother take away the life of her own daughter? The first husband of Sadaf who left her alone in the battle of this cruel life right after she gave birth to his daughter. Since then she is in the quest of her real father. The second husband of Sadaf who accepted her as his wife but failed to accept Hira as her daughter. Seher never accepted Sadaf as her mother and living together does not make you a family. She never accepted her as sister and always stood against her in every walk of life. But what will happen when Seher will fall in love with Shehryar? And what will make Sadaf kill her own daughter?
Bay Qasoor Cast:
Type: Pakistani Drama
Channel: ARY Digital
Release Date: 2015
Seasons: 1
Channel: ARY Digital
Release Date: 2015
Seasons: 1
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Steve Slavin, Coldwell Banker Lunsford, 3601 W Bethel Ave Muncie, IN 47304
Dear Steve,
The Indiana Association of REALTORS® (IAR) and the Real Estate Certification Program (RECP) is pleased to award to you a Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI) designation for completing the rigorous GRI curriculum mandated by the National Association of REALTORS®.
The GRI designation signifies your commitment to the highest level of customer service and industry knowledge. You can now be counted among an elite group of Indiana REALTORS® proudly displaying the GRI designation on their business cards and promotional materials.
You will be receiving your GRI lapel pin and certificate in the near future. Please check the NAR website at www.realtor.org to capture electronic GRI logo files.
The GRI Advisory Council and fellow GRI grads congratulate you on your successful completion of the GRI program.
Kathy Harbaugh
Vice President of Professional Development


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Managing the digital transformation journey
Digital transformation is all the rage these days. Those two words are on the tongues of CEOs, CIOs, academics, and even bloggers who may know nothing about the topic. Organizations seem to understand they should do it, and some may even have a vague understanding of the benefits of doing so. However, many don't know where or how to start, or – even worse – focus solely on implementing technology. Below, Michael shares his perspective on what a true digital transformation really entails.
The Idea
A true digital transformation is about people and processes, not just fancy new tech. Applying basic change management principles and taking a holistic organizational viewpoint will help ease the digital transformation journey.
What is "Digital Transformation?"
A lot of people are talking about it, but what do we mean when we talk about digital transformation? On the surface it is about implementing a series of technologies to create a digital-first organization: cloud infrastructure, mobile devices, big data and business intelligence, enterprise social and collaboration platforms, and any number of other digital technologies fall under this umbrella term. Digital transformation is about using technology to make more accurate decisions based on larger amounts of seemingly unrelated data in near real-time. It's about automating manual, mundane processes and removing the human margin for error so people can focus on innovation, creativity, strategy, and decision-making.
Underlying the technology, however, is a more fundamental transformation that is often overlooked: changing the way people think and approach their daily work. More than putting a tablet in someone's hands, employees must learn to work differently, whether it's by sharing data and being more collaborative on a global scale, working from their home or the local coffee shop, or analyzing large amounts of data to determine future strategies and even justify every decision. The very nature of the way people work is fundamentally changed in a true digital transformation.
Digital transformation goes far beyond simply implementing new technology; it is a change to the entire organizational culture and way of doing business. It is disruptive, difficult, and often painful, especially for organizations that have not yet shifted to some of the modern corporate values of collaboration, transparency, and experimentation (with the required tolerance for failure). So, why would any organization want to go through this?
What is driving Digital Transformation?
There are several factors driving this push for digital transformation. Our world is changing faster than it ever has before, partially driven by the very technology organizations are trying to adopt. A tech-savvy, digital native generation of Millennials have become the dominant section of the workforce. Digital technologies are part of their daily lives and they expect it in the workplace. They communicate through social networks and instant messaging or texts, not through antiquated email. Most of their education has been about teamwork and collaboration, so they are surprised when they enter the workforce and are expected to work in silos and measured on individual contribution rather than team performance. Technology allows them to work flexibly from anywhere in the world, yet many organizations still expect "asses in seats" regardless of the type of work. Millennials are the bulk of the workforce now, but work is still geared towards Boomers. A digital transformation can help energize the new workforce.
Alongside demographic and cultural shifts we are seeing a new ultra-competitive economy with little to no growth. Disruptive challengers are coming from all over the globe and the average lifespan of a company has dropped dramatically. Between technological innovations, globalization, and short-term focused investors, survival for even the largest, most prosperous companies is no longer guaranteed, if it ever was. Survival in this new economic paradigm depends on an organization's ability to adapt to changes which will come from flexible, non-hierarchical organizational structures, a well-rounded workforce comfortable with change and continuous learning, and yes… technology. Business decisions must be driven by real-time data, silos must be broken down, innovation and experimentation must be encouraged, and old ways of thinking and doing business must be tossed out the window. The world is different today than it was yesterday. Those organizations that recognize and accept this fact are focusing on undertaking a massive change to help ensure their survival.
Managing Your Digital Transformation
All of this can sound overwhelming, especially if you're organization doesn't already value flatter structures, collaboration, innovation, and modern technology, but it doesn't have to be if it's approached methodically and holistically. It's important to remember that digital transformations start and end with people. Technology is constantly changing, but people will always be there. And implementing new technology is really much easier than getting people to change. After all, your technology is not likely to resist, even though it may seem that way at times.
So, how does someone go about getting an organization to change? There are a lot of very good change management frameworks and methodologies available to guide organizations through the process, but change management is more art than science. Every organization will have to figure out what works best based on its culture and industry. Regardless of specific change management models or specific leadership styles, there are three things organizations must consider to ensure a successful digital transformation.
1. Prepare the Workforce
Launching a digital transformation initiative begins with culture change. This is a slow, tedious process that requires examining the entire organization and getting buy-in top to bottom. Effective leadership and organizational change management are key. Leaders must not only understand the reasons for needing to change but be able to tell a compelling story to the rest of the organization. They shouldn't hide the fact that their industry is undergoing a drastic transition or that the survival of the company is at stake. If this is the case, then leaders must turn it into a story of survival and be well versed in telling that story.
Now that the workforce is convinced that there's actually a problem and a need for change, leaders can't just leave people quaking in fear that everything is about to go to hell. They need to outline a vision for the future. There is a way to survive and thrive, but it's going to require a lot of tough decisions, difficult changes, and – most importantly – everyone working together to build the new company. Leaders often want to detail the plan themselves and push it down the ranks to execute, but in the 21st century organization and in effective change management, the tactics should be left to the rest of the organization with senior leaders serving as shepherds along the journey, outlining a vision and guiding as needed but mostly staying out of the way.
The ultimate goal in any change initiative is to create a desire to change and to empower the workforce to own the initiative themselves, not to just dictate the change and force people to do it. In my experience, they can't be made to change and will find ways to sabotage any initiative they don't believe in. It's worth the effort to convince everyone in the organization that this change is necessary. There will always be dissenters, but an effective leader will have ways to deal with those people and shouldn't be afraid to do so if they are putting the change in jeopardy.
2. Prepare the Organization
Holistic digital transformation and organizational change doesn't stop at getting buy-in from people. The organization itself must be prepared and willing to change. Policies, processes, procedures, and organizational mores must be challenged as well, and this can't be left as a mere afterthought to the change. Proactively addressing the way business and administration is done is a key factor in any organizational change. Beyond the fact that implementing new technology will force your business processes to change, it's important to examine the full impact a focus on new technologies will have on your organization.
Recognize that implementing big data and collaboration solutions isn't just about architecting infrastructure, setting up servers, and putting all of your data in one place. Taking advantage of these solutions requires breaking down silos in order to get to all of that valuable data in your organization and encouraging communication and collaboration on that slick new enterprise social platform. Teams and departments can be protective of their data and reluctant to share information. Organizations that are plagued by silos will have to break them down before proceeding on their digital transformation journey. The art of breaking down silos is worthy of a book in itself, so here's one to get you started.
Once those silos are down and you have a world-class big data solution in place, you can start using all that information to become a more agile and responsive organization. By now you know that a "but" is coming, so here it is: real-time data is useless if the people closest to the data don't have the ability to immediately act on it. A rigid command-and-control structure where every little decision must flow up and back down the chain-of-command slows everything down and limits the value of real-time information. Decision-making authority must be pushed as close to the source of data as possible to truly become an agile organization. If leadership can't trust employees with the most immediate access to the data to make decisions, then it's time to rethink hiring practices and the organizational structure.
Ultimately, the organization itself must develop a culture of agility, innovation, collaboration, and transparency to realize the full potential value of a digital transformation. Every industry is different and the extent to which an organization can adopt these values depends on things like the regulatory environment and the organization itself, but these values are necessary to making this transformation. Companies like GE prove that even large, industrial companies can successfully adopt them.
3. Prepare for Side Effects
You've prepared your organization and your workforce for your major digital transformation and you're ready to take advantage of this newfound agility and productivity gains. Right? Well, the impacts from your digital transformation won't all be positive and can actually be detrimental. Introducing new channels for information, collaboration, and communication means introducing new channels for distractions. Technology hasn't really improved productivity in the United States and may actually be making it worse. Email, smartphones, and Wi-Fi in hotels and coffee shops create an overload of information to deal with and endless possibilities for distractions. However, there are some things that can be done to ensure that worker productivity doesn't take a hit.
The simplest thing to do is create new policies around the use of technology, regardless of whether or not you're undergoing a digital transformation. This doesn't mean restricting access to social media or personal email. Doing so can actually hamper productivity and lower morale and employee engagement. Technology policies should instead be focused on ensuring a healthy work-life integration for employees. For example, policies limiting after-work emails prevent work from intruding on employees' personal time which will increase productivity and engagement. People need to have space to turn off work completely. Some companies have even gone as far as shutting down email servers after 5 p.m. to ensure people disconnect. Policies obviously must take into account customer service hours and getting work done, but I seriously question anyone who thinks customers must have 24×7 access to employees and can't wait a few hours for a response. Having more productive and engaged employees is better than having one that is angry and actively looking for a new job while interfacing with customers on a daily basis.
Even if you have sound policies around technology in place, they won't do any good if managers and leaders set unspoken expectations through their actions. Having a policy restricting after-work emails will be useless if managers send emails over the weekend. Even if they don't expect employees to respond right away, walking in on Monday morning and seeing that email timestamp from Saturday night gives the impression that an employee is already late responding. It won't be long before that employee is checking email from home all weekend, losing that valuable time away from work. Leaders must set an example for the etiquette and limits on the use of technology as it encroaches more and more into our homes and workplaces.
But what about the technology?
I've spent a lot of time on organizational culture and worker behavior – mostly because these are overlooked in many technology implementations – but the technology itself certainly matters as well. I'm not here to walk through best practices for technology project management or argue for the benefits of Waterfall versus Agile, but I will say that digital transformations don't happen overnight. They take time and must be approached methodically. The only piece of advice I will give on selecting or implementing technology is to find integrated solutions and try not to customize them very much.
I've personally dealt with several organizations that have patched together solutions from dozens of different providers and written tens of thousands of lines of codes to make them all work exactly the way they wanted. This leads to future integration issues, millions of dollars spent year after year on development, and the inability to adopt the latest technology in a timely manner. If the technology doesn't perfectly fit business processes but is the best-in-class solution for you, then you should focus on changing the processes to fit the solution rather than writing code to fit the process. What's the point of adopting new technology if business processes are not being streamlined? One of the key tenants to digital transformation is agility, and that is lost the moment you start hacking existing solutions.
Ease your journey
Digital transformations are difficult by their very nature. It is a "transformation" after all and if an organization isn't already digitally focused it will be that much harder. However, by focusing on people, culture change, and change management first – before even a single new server is put in – and taking a holistic view, organizations can ensure a less turbulent digital transformation journey.


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National Security
It's official: U.S. will build new Syrian rebel force to battle Islamic State
John Allen, the retired Marine general in charge of coordinating the U.S.-led coalition's response to the Islamic State, confirmed Wednesday what Syrian rebel commanders have complained about for months – that the United States is ditching the old Free Syrian Army and building its own local ground force to use primarily in the fight against the Islamist extremists.
"At this point, there is not formal coordination with the FSA," Allen told reporters at the State Department.
That was perhaps the bluntest answer yet to the question of how existing Syrian rebel forces might fit into the U.S. strategy to fight the Islamic State. Allen said the United States' intent is to start from scratch in creating a home-grown, moderate counterweight to the Islamic State.
For most of the three years of the Syrian conflict, the U.S. ground game hinged on rebel militias that are loosely affiliated under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, or FSA. Their problems were no secret: a lack of cohesion, uneven fighting skills and frequent battlefield coordination with the al Qaida loyalists of the Nusra Front.
This time, Allen said, the United States and its allies will work to strengthen the political opposition and make sure it's tied to "a credible field force" that will have undergone an intense vetting process.
"It's not going to happen immediately," Allen said. "We're working to establish the training sites now, and we'll ultimately go through a vetting process and beginning to bring the trainers and the fighters in to begin to build that force out."
The Syrian arena is important, Allen said, but to the U.S., "the emergency in Iraq right now is foremost in our thinking." There will be a simultaneous training-and-equipping campaign for Iraq, where the U.S.-trained military collapsed during the Islamic State's summer offensive.
Allen said the new training program is "for those elements of the Iraqi national security forces that will have to be refurbished and then put back into the field," with the ultimate goal of reclaiming Iraqi territories seized by the Islamic State.
Allen sounded confident that the United States and its allies could juggle two massive training efforts even as the Islamic State has shown itself to be resilient under weeks of coalition airstrikes.
"We have the capacity to do both, and there is significant coalition interest in participating in both," Allen said of the twin force-building efforts in Iraq and Syria.
But, as he stressed repeatedly in his remarks, "it's going to take a while."
Ahmad Tomeh, who was just re-elected prime minister of the Syrian opposition's interim government, told McClatchy that Allen met six leaders of the political opposition during his trip to Istanbul last week, but had no talks with any of the ground commanders, including the vetted, trained commanders the U.S. has been supporting. They asked for increased help, Tomeh said, but got no commitment.
Roy Gutman in Istanbul contributed to this report.


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On August 20 the United States launched Tomahawk missile attacks against training camps allegedly operated by Usama Bin Laden in the Khowst region of Afghanistan and against a pharmaceutical factory in North Khartoum which the United States claims had been making precursor chemicals for nerve gas. These attacks were touted by the United States as the opening salvo in a new war against international terrorism, with Bin Laden portrayed as the mastermind.
The Tomahawk raids provoked widespread criticism in the Middle East, including among friendly countries with no love for Bin Laden, and were also widely dismissed as an effort by U.S. President Bill Clinton to divert attention from his domestic scandal. That is almost certainly unfair to the U.S. military commanders and intelligence officers who chose the targets, though the timing may have been dictated by political considerations. The wisdom of the choice of targets is debatable, however; the actual nature of the challenge posed by Bin Laden may have been oversimplified and misrepresented in the heat of the initial response to the embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam. An understanding of the nature of the challenge is essential, both to develop a legitimate campaign against terrorism and to avoid heavy-handed actions which will alienate friendly countries in the Middle East and southwest Asia.
First, the issue of the choice of targets: there has been widespread criticism of the attack on the pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum, and many have questioned whether in fact it had any connection with nerve-gas production. The official U.S. version has shifted several times, adding to the sense that the evidence may not be as solid as initially claimed. But even if the factory had done everything it is accused of doing. its connection with Bin Laden seems somewhat tenuous at best, and therefore its selection as a target may be questionable. For one thing, the Sudanese government has, in a limited way, cooperated with Western countries in the fight against terrorism. It evicted Bin Laden from Sudan, as a result of some combination of U.S. pressure and Saudi Arabian money, and it allowed France to take custody of "Carlos," who had been living in Sudan. While these two actions certainly did not transform the Khartoum government into a pro-Western ally, they did indicate that, with the proper motivation, Khartoum could work with the West. Such cooperation is less likely in the wake of the bombing of the factory.
The attack on the training camps' in the Khowst region of Paktia province along the Afghan-Pakistani border has come in for less criticism, since there is little doubt that the camps were in fact used for training fighters belonging to various Islamist groups loosely allied with Bin Laden. The effectiveness of this sort of attack, however, remains in question. Most of the training involves small arms weapons and tactics and can easily be moved elsewhere; the unmanned Tomahawk, while effective against certain hard targets, has a more dubious effect against camps like these, which consist largely of tents, shacks, caves and tunnels. Though the camps were destroyed, such camps are easy enough to rebuild, and Bin Laden can afford to rebuild them. In addition, the attack on the camps helped to reinforce the determination of the Afghan Taliban to protect Bin Laden. A fundamental principle of the pushtunwali or Pushtun code of hospitality and honor is the protection of one who has sought refuge among your tribe, even if he is a former enemy. The Taliban might have been open to negotiation about Bin Laden, but bombing him while under their protection has merely reinforced their determination to shelter him. (Reports that he is under some sort of house arrest do suggest that they plan to keep a close eye on his activities.)
This brings us to the question of the nature of the challenge posed by Bin Laden. He is a different sort of guerrilla leader from those who flourished in the Cold War era. He lacks the protection and support of a major power, and he is not himself so much a tactical planner as a financier. Unlike Carlos, always a shadowy figure, or Abu Nidal, who may actually have been more than one man at different times, Bin Laden relishes publicity. Carlos never gave interviews to CNN, ABC News, British newspapers and the like; Bin Laden has done all of these things. Rather than a reclusive mystery man, Bin Laden has been almost a media star.
When a "terrorist mastermind" appears also to be a master of manipulating the media, a certain amount of caution in analysis is called for. Some press reports, for example, spoke of Bin Laden as a billionaire, even as having a net worth of $5 billion, or $7 billion, or other huge sums. But in fact these numbers seem to refer to the wealth of the Bin Laden family of Saudi Arabia, of which Usama Bin Laden was a junior member, now disavowed by his brothers and kin. (In fact, since Usama Bin Laden became a declared enemy of the Saudi royal family, the Bin Ladens in Saudi Arabia have been at pains to demonstrate their loyalty to the kingdom.) Usama Bin Laden's personal wealth has been more credibly put in the $20 million to $30 million range. A wealthy man, yes, but no billionaire.
There is no question that Bin Laden has, as charged, funded a number of terrorist operations, as well as helped train Islamist insurgent movements from a number of countries. Whether he had operational control over these activities is another question; to at least some observers he seems more to fill the role of financier and spokesman. This neither exculpates Bin Laden from the responsibility for other's acts nor suggests he is innocent of the charges against him. It does, however, suggest that we should not credit him with even greater influence than he actually has.
To some extent Bin Laden's "network" appears to be less than meets the eye. Let us take one example. The U.S. press initially made much of the so called "World Islamic Front for Jihad against Jews and Crusaders," a movement announced in a fatwa sent to the Londonbased newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi in February 1998. This fatwa was signed by Bin Laden, who was referred to as "sheikh," thus asserting the right to issue a fatwa as a religious scholar. (Actually, the 41-year-old Bin Laden's higher education was in management and economics; his right to claim to be a religious scholar is highly questionable.) The other signatories were Ayman al-Zawahiri, "amir" of the Jihad group of Egypt; "Abu Yasir" Rifaai Ahmad Taha, a key leader of the Egyptian al-Gamaa al-Islamiyya or Islamic Group; Sheikh Mir Hamza, secretary of the Jamiat-ul-Ulama-iPakistan; and Fazlul Rahman, described as amir of the Jihad movement of Bangladesh. Some later claims have suggested another Pakistani movement and perhaps a Somali movement are members of the "Front."
The real news in the announcement of the front was not that minor, marginal groups in Pakistan, Bangladesh and perhaps Somalia had signed on, but that the two main Egyptian groups appeared to have been united under the leadership of Bin Laden. Both Jihad and al-Gamaa are key elements in challenging the Egyptian government. Although both Egyptian movements have links to Sheikh Umar Abd al-Rahman, now in a U.S. prison, they have followed rather different tactics, are based in different parts of Egypt and have not always agreed on their approach. Their coming together under Bin Laden's auspices would be the main thing that is new in the World Islamic Front for Jihad against Jews and Crusaders.
Jihad's connection is not new. Its amir, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is a longtime associate of Bin Laden and is believed to be with him in Afghanistan. Recently, a Swiss newspaper, Sonntags Blick, claimed that Zawahiri had a Swiss passport and had been given asylum in Switzerland. Only days before, journalists were reporting that Zawahiri had called them in Peshawar, Pakistan, presumably from Afghanistan, to relay threats from Bin Laden. He may have been in Switzerland in the past and certainly has many false passports, but he seems to be in Afghanistan now.
So Zawahiri's adherence to the front is no surprise. But the other Egyptian signatory, Sheikh Rifaai Ahmad Taha Musa, known by the nom de guerre Abu Yasir, though he is listed as a lieutenant of Bin Laden's in Clinton's order, has lately been denying that al-Gamaa is a member. Although he is no innocent either - he may be the overall head in exile of al-Gamaa and served five years for a role in the Sadat assassination plot - he has denied that he (or at least al-Gamaa) was a member of Bin Laden's front before the East African bombings. The European based World Wide Web page maintained by al-Gamaa and its magazine, alMurabeton, posted the "important discussion" with Sheikh Taha even before publishing it (www.almurabeton.org/home.htm). This may have been an attempt to dissociate al-Gamaa from Bin Laden early (though he explicitly said that the group "as a group" does not belong to the front, perhaps not ruling himself out of the membership).
Of course, underground movements often deny that they have links with certain groups; Hizbollah always denied links to the various fronts it used to hold hostages in Lebanon. Denial does not mean non-membership. But Taha's denial is a change from the alleged public unity of many groups in the front, and the fact that the statement was posted on the World Wide Web as a major headline and an "important" announcement, before the bombings, may suggest that Taha and alGamaa, who have been talking about a cease-fire in Egypt, do not want to be linked. The point is not that Bin Laden has no links to these groups, but that they may not be the enthusiastic allies the fatwa suggested and some foreign sources assume.
The World Islamic Front for Jihad against Jews and Crusaders is not the only movement linked with Bin Laden. President Clinton's order blocking dealings with Bin Laden's network barred dealings with Bin Laden, with the Islamic Army, the Islamic Salvation Foundation, the Islamic Army for the Liberation of the Holy Places, the World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders, and the Group for the Preservation of the Holy Sites, as well as his alleged lieutenants Abu Hafs al-Masri and Rifaai Ahmad Taha Musa, who, as already noted, has disclaimed a connection. A U.S. Defense Department profile of Bin Laden's organization tended to emphasize the role of al-Qaida, the "base," founded by Bin Laden in 1988.
A variety of movements and fronts is of course typical of any underground movement; names change frequently to give the illusion of greater numbers than may really exist and to confuse those seeking to trace connections. At least some of these may be little more than "fax fronts," issuing press releases (or even fatwas), but with little other visible evidence of their independent existence. Certainly the February fatwa did not suggest a very comprehensive membership: the two main Egyptian radical Islamist groups, but only relatively small movements elsewhere. Major groups sometimes linked with Bin Laden, such as the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) in Algeria, were not listed as members.
This is not to deny that Bin Laden has contacts with many national groups fighting to bring down their governments or that he has financed operations by several of them. The common thread always seems to be the legacy of Afghanistan. The core leaders of GIA, of the Egyptian radical groups, of some of the anti-Saudi underground and radicals in Pakistan are veterans of the war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Those of Arab origin are usually referred to as "Arab Afghanis," men who learned the use of small arms and explosives fighting the Soviets, then returned to their own countries eager to impose a new Islamic order on their own society by the same means. (A younger generation has learned to fight in Bosnia, and there are said to be some young volunteers hoping to fight in Kosovo.)
The problem of the "Afghanis" is a familiar one. Like the Greek legend of Cadmus, in which the hero sows the dragons teeth and armed fighting men spring from the ground, attacking him until they begin to fight with each other, the "Afghanis" were to some extent created and trained by the very governments they now seek to topple. Egyptian officials have sometimes charged that the United States "created" Sheikh Umar Abd al-Rahman. Though an exaggeration, this reflects the fact that Abd al-Rahman, and Bin Laden, learned their techniques when they were trained to fight the Soviets. Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence was the direct channel for the aid and training, but with U.S. support and Saudi funding. Some of the camps now used by Bin Laden date from the war against the Soviets.
In fact, Bin Laden has been known to say that Islamists, having brought down one superpower, destroying the Soviet Union by their victory in Afghanistan, will next bring down the other superpower. That this perception is grossly oversimplified, exaggerates the role of Afghanistan in the fall of the USSR, and ignores the vast differences between the United States and the Soviet Union hardly needs stating. It is quite possible that Bin Laden and his followers believe it, however.
The nature of Bin Laden's network, then, seems to be a loose linkage among several "Afghani" groups in the Arab world and South Asia with a few adjuncts farther afield, held together in part by Bin Laden's funding. He probably does not have any operational control. Reports that he has offered a "bounty" for killing Americans suggests that he simply pays for what others carry out. Though his followers praise him for his personal leadership in fighting against the Soviets in Afghanistan, his particular contribution today seems to be more as a source of funds than as a tactical planner.
The question then is, how does one combat the challenge of this sort of terrorism? The answer is, probably not by raining cruise missiles down on remote training camps, reinforcing the determination of Bin Laden's hosts to protect him. Actually, the policies which the United States and Saudi Arabia had been pursuing for years have had some successes. Saudi Arabia revoked Bin Laden's citizenship, blocked his funds there, and helped provide the incentives for Sudan's expelling him; the United States added diplomatic pressure. Efforts by Bin Laden to base himself in Yemen have been frustrated by Yemen's recognition that its friends in the West would hold it responsible. At the moment Bin Laden is living among the Taliban and (as in his previous stay in Sudan) probably providing considerable financial largesse to his hosts. But, as seems to have happened in Sudan, it may be possible for others to outbid him.
The horror of what happened in Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam outrages civilized people of any culture; but many were outraged as well by the nature of the American retaliation. The desire to strike at Bin Laden is an understandable one, but the response delivered seems to have alienated some U.S. friends without doing any permanent damage to Bin Laden. Whether that is the best means to preventing future terrorist attacks is debatable.
If, as argued here, Bin Laden is primarily a financier, not a tactical planner, then continuing efforts to trace, block and seize his funds may do more to constrain his activities than air attacks could. Any attempt to gain Sudanese cooperation in moving against assets he owns in Sudan may have been thwarted by the attack on the al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory. His wealth is not so vast as to be invulnerable; and little of it is likely to be invested in Afghanistan. Though there are other sources of financing for radical movements besides Bin Laden, limiting his financial abilities would certainly help. Other approaches - assassination for example- might remove the immediate problem, but would merely lead to the emergence of other leaders while creating a martyr for the movement. Bin Laden is skilled at self-promotion and publicity, but there is little evidence that he has any particular genius except as a banker to various movements. Treating him as the devil incarnate and focusing on him to the exclusion of others merely enhances the legend he has created about himself. And of course there is also the old cliche, still true: if one removes the grievances which allow terrorist groups to recruit new members, these violent movements will be isolated and gradually wither away.


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Instructor Resources Download
Tides and Currents
Articles and resources specifically related to tides and currents.
Note from the author: As part of training for my 5-star I felt that I should fairly accurately know, without a lot of involved mathematics, how long it would take to paddle a certain distance in a variety of tidal conditions.
These are a series of crib notes or cheat sheets for various calculations relating to tide, currents and speed made good.
This indispensable reference tool lists and defines more than 400 terms and concepts concerned with the tidal phenomena and its measurement.
By: Ralph Keller - Coast Mountain Expeditions
A nice primer for anybody looking to plan a trip that takes you through potential tidal currents or tidal overfalls.
You will also find information on how to read Canadian Tide charts as well as a good explanation on the Rule of Thirds.
The word "tides" is a generic term used to define the alternating rise and fall in sea level with respect to the land, produced by the gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun. This article explains these relationships and how tides work. Probably the most in-depth article that I have ever come upon.


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Q Since my late teens I've worn red lipstick. But now I'm getting older, I think it's becoming a bit harsh. Should I change colour? I hate the idea of losing my trademark.
A You can still wear red, but for summer I'd mix your lipstick with lipgloss to make it sheer and lighter. Apply lip pencil lightly to make a soft line to create a good shape and stop the gloss bleeding around your lips. Also, try the new make-up tones. Peach can be uplifting and give you a fresh look. I think the three new items for anyone's summer make-up kit are Blushcreme by Mac in 'Blossoming', Chanel's Rouge Allure lipstick in 'Evocation' and new mascara in 'Noir brun'. It'll lengthen lashes and add subtle colour.
Q I love nude and peach colours, but I'm not a girly girl who looks good in chiffon and flouncy dresses. I like classic clothes such as blazers, knitwear etc. Is there anything out there for me in these tones?
A You'll be spoilt for choice at Miu Miu. The knitwear for spring is stunning and in the perfect powder-puff palette. The shapes are classic: V-neck jumpers with raw, exposed seams and sleeveless cashmere cardigans with chiffon-panelled backs. There are also short blazers and a cropped, belted mac in peachy tones, and the most beautiful seam-detailed nude dress. I have tried it on and it looks great with an oversized, long cardigan and a ribbon belt. Vanessa Bruno is a good label for unusual but classic garments. It always has a good selection of neutral tones, and this season's sheer vest in pale peach (right) and zip V-neck detail jumper are particularly nice. Lastly, invest in a pair of neutral trousers which you can wear with a simple white T-shirt, and your summer wardrobe is complete.
· If you have a wardrobe question for Jo Jones, email her at email@example.com


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This week for my class, we were asked to write of a situation from our early schooling experience. This came to me immediately:
I am a reader. I don't remember a time when I haven't been a reader. I don't remember much from before I started Kindergarten, but I do remember going to the public library and coming home with BAGS of books to read. I lived in Southern Alberta at that time. Halfway through my year in Kindergarten, we moved to Northern Alberta. I remember going to my new school and being just enthralled with my new school library. I was so excited at the prospect of all these "new" books I could read.
As I moved into First grade, I had moved on from picture books and couldn't get enough beginning chapter books. My teacher recognized both my interest AND the fact that I was quite capable of reading them. By Second grade, I had moved on from beginning chapter books to full-fledged chapter books. However, I had also moved on to a teacher who didn't (wouldn't) believe that I could read them. I remember that when our class went to the library, my teacher would not let any of the students venture outside the "Easy" section of the library. I was absolutely devastated. I would cry every time we went to the library. The librarian just sat, seemingly helpless, watching this situation. Now, as a teacher, I can see that she likely didn't want to challenge this teacher while the students were around, but she was obviously scheming…
Finally, after watching this situation for a couple of months, I guess my librarian couldn't handle it anymore. She finally asked me to be a "library helper" during the morning recess each day. I was ecstatic to help! If I couldn't take out the books I wanted, at least I could look at them, hold them, smell them… (book lovers will get that) However, when I got there, I learned that not only would I be able to help, but the "payment" for helping was that I would be able to sign out whatever books I wished during my working time.
Unfortunately, I do not remember the name of this librarian. I moved away from that school at the end of fifth grade, but that situation has affected me for life. Thank you to all the librarians (and teachers) who work tirelessly to get (the right) books into the hands of the students they work with.