text:
Clone of 0509 Enwisen
Plum Creek
Leveraging Enwisen's AnswerSource On-boarding, Benefits Communications and Employee/Manager Work/Life Events solutions
At the leading edge of the timber management industry, Plum Creek implemented innovative HR/Benefits communications solutions that save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, free HR resources, improve service to employees while reducing costs and empower its 2500 employees and line managers to efficiently handle day-to-day work/life events such as hiring, on-boarding and enrollment.
An Immediate $300,000 Savings in On-boarding Costs
When Kayleen Rash, Plum Creek's HR manager, wanted to replace their paper-based HR/Benefits communications with employee and manager self-service, she calculated how a new platform would pay for itself immediately while increasing its return on investment year-after-year. Plum Creek executives were intrigued but skeptical – especially since they had an existing HR intranet and many hourly employees without computer access.
An acquisition that resulted in a logistical nightmare, however, quickly paid for the project many times over. "The acquisition created 450 new employees in 100 locations spread across 19 states that needed to be oriented to our company and integrated into our benefit plans. With an average cost of $3,000 per orientation trip – which was 10 times our investment to get Enwisen's AnswerSource Knowledge Center up and running – we had an immediate savings of $300,000 resulting in a first year ROI of almost 1000% in on-boarding costs alone. That turned even our most skeptical executives around," Rash explained. Additionally, according to Enwisen research, studies show that while many blue collar employees do not have internet access at work, the large majority have access at home or from a spouse.
On an ongoing basis, Hitachi's additional savings from the On-boarding module include:
- Approximately $20K per year in manager time and paper costs for on-going new hire orientations.
- $75K per year via eliminating the need for remote HR site visits.
Improved Employee Service at a Reduced Cost—Up and Running in Just Six Weeks
The only challenge was the deadline: six weeks. According to Rash, "Enwisen gave us exactly what we needed when we needed it. They delivered a first-class self-service platform, with an on-boarding tour that met our exact needs – and they met our challenging timeline with a minimum impact on our internal resources. As a result, we avoided almost all orientation costs and smoothly integrated our new employees into our company and plans. Now our remote employees get a far better level of service at a fraction of the cost."
Phase II – Enabling Employee, Manager and eBenefits Self-Service
The success of the on-boarding project led Plum Creek to work with Enwisen to provide an "always up-to-date" HR Intranet to serve the ongoing work/life event needs of the entire workforce. In Phase II of their project, Plum Creek integrated Enwisen's AnswerSource Benefits Communications, Work/Life Events and AnswerSource Manager components into their HRMS. The goal of this phase was to facilitate self-service initiatives for both employees and managers – including online benefits communications, recruiting, compensation reviews, career planning and more.
Because all information is personalized in Enwisen solutions, employees and managers get only the information that is relevant to them – up-to-date and delivered directly to their desktops.
Phase II resulted in:
- Improved data accuracy and reduced verification time for enrollment
- Increased employee awareness of benefits and streamlined communication
And, Plum Creek was able to eliminate their old HR intranet with Enwisen – saving maintenance time and money. "Our goal is to make employees as effective as possible in their careers at Plum Creek," said Rash. "Enwisen's solutions have allowed us to empower employees, deliver better HR service, and reduce costs. I expect our relationship to continue to grow."
Hitachi Data Systems
Leveraging Enwisen's AnswerSource Total Compensation Statement solution
As a leading supplier of storage hardware, software, solutions and services, Hitachi Data Systems – with more 2,600 employees and a customer base that includes more than 50% of the Fortune 100 – deployed Enwisen's web-based Total Rewards Statement solution to increase employee awareness, understanding and satisfaction of/with their total compensation packages.
The Challenge: Continuously Increasing Benefits Costs and Heavy Competition for Top-Tier Employees
In this era of ballooning benefits costs and heavy competition for top-tier employees, Hitachi wanted to ensure that their workforce understood the full value of their benefit plans in addition to their paycheck. Assembling total rewards data in a succinct and accurate way – from multiple data sources – was no trivial task, however.
That's why Hitachi chose Enwisen's AnswerSource Total Compensation Statement solution to deliver personalized, online total rewards statements to their employees. In evaluating printed personalized statements – or building a web-based solution in-house – Hitachi recognized that the Enwisen solution could do it faster, better and at a lower cost.
Showing Total Rewards vs. "Just What Shows" on the Paycheck
TIn addition to cash compensation, Hitachi wanted their statements to include the value of all non-cash compensation, including benefit elections, paid time off, retirement / pension contributions, and the impact of pre-tax contributions to flexible spending, dependent care, commuter, and 401(k) programs.
As an employee retention tool, the statement also needed to provide employees with a projection of their future retirement balances, including social security.
The Enwisen Total Compensation Statement was able to populate data from multiple internal and external sources, including retirement plan vendors, social security and Hitachi's HR system.
A Big Win for HR Resulting in High Usage and Lower Costs
Last year in 2004, employee benefits and rewards became the second largest corporate line item – exceeded only by paid time off. And studies show that most employees do not fully understand their total rewards. To attract and retain a top-tier workforce, it therefore becomes critical that companies ensure employees are comparing "apples-to-apples" when considering "raised-based" job changes – and that recruits have a true understanding of the total comp packages being offered by various job opportunities.
According to Stan Kenyon, Practice Leader at Craford, Hitachi's benefits consultant, "Each year the percentage of non-cash compensation increases, making the 'hidden paycheck' more important to communicate to employees. Enwisen has a very powerful solution for communicating this hidden paycheck. Their ability to deliver web-based, personalized compensation statements quickly and cost-effectively is unmatched in the market."
The results for Hitachi?
- Online Total Rewards Statements – with integrated data from six sources – were delivered in under 12 weeks from start-to-finish.
- The initial web-based statements, including start-up costs, still represented a savings of more than 17% compared to traditional paper statements – which are usually out-of-date at delivery, especially if data such as live stock option values are included. Updates of the statement can be completed in four weeks for 50% less than a paper statement.
- Because the statement are online, Hitachi is able to determine how many people viewed their statements, and how often they returned to them. At the project kickoff, more than 75% of employees viewed their statements within the first five days they were available.
"In my opinion, the Hitachi Data Systems Total Compensation Statement is one of the most tangible wins that we have had in HR. Now that employees know the full value of their benefits, our investment in great compensation and benefit programs is producing its full payback!" commented Susan Ramirez, Hitachi's Senior Director for Global Benefits and Administration.
recent case study with Yahoo!, Loree Farrar, Yahoo!'s VP Global Rewards, commented, "Upon implementing Enwisen's Total Rewards Statement solution, we saw a measurable reduction in turnover from the same period the previous year. And, we also realized a spike in 401(k) participation when our Yahoos! realized how much they were losing by not contributing. Another advantage of the Enwisen solution is the ability to refresh the data - which includes real-time Yahoo! stock values - on a pay-period basis vs. just once a year on a printed statement, making the solution a year-round retention tool."


text:
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls
The staff of Ability Services receive a lot of gratification from working with college students. We invite you to contact us with any questions, comments, or concerns. However, even though we are arranging their accommodations, it's rare that we meet in-person with students. These are reasons:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
GROW (Getting Ready for Ouachita's World)
High school juniors and seniors are invited to experience life as a Ouachita student by attending classes, spending the night in a residence hall and visiting with current students and faculty members. Call Ouachita admissions at (800) DIAL-OBU or visit obu.edu/grow for registration information.
Chris Adams- guest speaker


text:
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Another sign that the housing market is on the rebound.
Foreclosure rates reached a five year low in September.
And that means fewer families were forced to leave their homes.
RealtyTrac reports it is the second straight month of declines in foreclosure filings.
The number of homes entering foreclosure are at the lowest level since late 2007.


text:
Do you have a favourite Christmas aroma? Mine has to be the sweet and comforting tentacles of curling smoke that waft from a brazier of roasted chestnuts, a smell that acts as a nostalgic trigger, bringing back all sorts of childhood memories.
Yesterday in Palma, staggering back to the car with a mountain of bags stuffed with Christmas fare, the unmistakably delicious fragrance of roasted chestnuts suddenly enveloped me. Two elderly Majorcan men were warming their hands in front of a brazier, the emblazoned wood glinting under a cool and pale sun. They beckoned me over. How could I refuse? We stood and chatted for a while as one of the men energetically shunted the nuts around an enormous chestnut pan. The brown shells had already split open, their fluffy, cream bellies peeking out of the chasm. As his companion jiggled the pan, the other old… Read more


text:
Saturday Night
Gone are the days of nightclubs and 4:00am arrivals home. I now welcome a good night in with friends and wine. To help decide which wines to serve at our wedding, George and I shared a few bottles with friends, direct from Kunde Family Estate.
Of course, what cozy wine tasting would be complete without some tasty treats and Fall flowers. I hope some of my photos encourage you all to host your own tasting, even if just for fun!
Posted in Event, Food, Weddings Tagged Autumn, Fall, Flowers, Friends, Kunde Family Estate, Milk Glass, Vintage, Wedding, Wine, Wine Tasting 1 Comment


text:
Bad things happen when bowl tie-ins aren't satisfied
Published: Wednesday, January 1, 2014 at 6:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, January 1, 2014 at 12:28 a.m.
There are 10 Southeastern Conference football programs participating during this wild and wonderful bowl season. I can only imagine how badly the people of Shreveport, La., wish that number was 11 ... and that their Independence Bowl, or whatever it's called now, was the recipient of that 11th team. If you happened to stumble across Tuesday's contest, you were treated to a game featuring not one but both of the first-team AP All-America running backs — Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey and Boston College's Heisman finalist Andre Williams — on a mild, sunny day that seemed perfect when attending fans factored in the amount of leg room they enjoyed and the availability of parking spaces. Like so many of the bowl games these days, the trickle-down economics of the game was more like an occasional drip. Never have two teams traveled from two longer distances to participate in a bowl game at Independence Stadium. Arizona was 1,000 miles from campus, Boston College even farther. Every Boy Scout and middle school honor student in Shreveport was offered free tickets for this one, but so few bit. For the record, Arizona beat down Boston College 42-19 and somewhere in the ether, the late, great Paul Lynde was heard saying "you two held a bowl game ... and had a winner?" That's what happens when the college football postseason schedule swells to 35 games and 70 teams — with more on the horizon — and organizations wanting a piece of the SEC will gladly accept the league's No. 10. Suddenly, Auburn emerges as an opponent for Florida State in the national championship game and the Sugar Bowl scoops up No. 3 Alabama to put against Oklahoma in another BCS game. The domino effect leaves 10 qualified teams, but only eight bowls with tie-ins, and Shreveport was left out of the loop and looking elsewhere. For the first time in decades, Florida didn't do its part. More crucial, Tennessee and Arkansas appear to be getting more and more comfortable at the bottom of the SEC after Texas A&M and Missouri jumped into their new league with flash and purpose. Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Ole Miss started the SEC off on a good foot and churning toward its normal six bowl wins. But one question still burns. Isn't there any way the three SEC vs. Big Ten bowls that unfold in today's noon to 4 p.m. window — all played within two hours of here — can be spread out more effectively over the bowl season? It seems sad to have a night exclusively for East Carolina vs. Ohio while wedging Nebraska-Georgia, Iowa-LSU and Wisconsin-South Carolina into the same crowded time slot. There once was amazing pride that went with being in a New Year's Day game. Ask yourself today when UNLV and North Texas play if that's still the case? It would be so simple to spread these games out just a little bit further. RANDOM THOUGHTS: I think if the NBA doesn't necessarily work out for Florida's Patric Young, he could train for a couple of years as a boxer and earn $100 million in the ring. Have you seen his quickness and those pipes? And, at 6-foot-9, who could possibly reach him consistently? The wingspan that will be a minus in his pre-draft evaluation would be a big plus as a heavyweight. ... I had suspected Texas has been mailing it in for a while, but never thought I would see such an anemic performance as the Longhorns' ugly 30-7 loss against Oregon in Mack Brown's coaching finale. Jim Bowie wasn't shown up so badly in San Antonio. -----
Dwight Collins can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Dwight Collins can be reached at email@example.com.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


text:
It sound very strange but ... I have indeed 2 accounts ( even more) with the same e-mail address; 1 on the production server and 1 on the development server.
The 2 email addresses are exactly the same, only the mail server is different.
Zimbra desktop says ... Can't do, address already exists.
It would be great when this is possible.
Thanks in advance


text:
I need your help, scenario is:
1) Exchnage 2007 environment is present with domain and SMTP address as abc.com and which is authorative.
2. I have setup zimbra with same domain name.
3. As it is authorative I cannot have a Accepted domain created as abc.com is already authorative.
4. Created SMTP connector to new Zimbra host from Hub transport.
No mail routing is working, need your help I need to deliver it ASAP, read all blogs and how exacly split domian will work with exchange 2007


text:
The Second Season
Whether you count the All-Star break as the halfway point or you're technical about it and measure the year in 81 game halves, the season is past its halfway point.
The Royals have 96 games in the bag. Tonight is 97 and the start of a short three game trip to Chicago. Trey Hillman said it yesterday when he noted that we have a tough stretch ahead.
To look a little further at what's to come and where we've been, let's go Around the Horn…
General Manager Dayton Moore and manager Trey Hillman addressed the media yesterday before the team's workout at Kauffman. The biggest thing they stressed is more consistency from the bats and the arms. To get started off right, Zack Greinke will get the ball tonight. Greinke earned the No. 1 slot with consistent pitching. They want him pitching to both divisional foes, throwing tonight in Chicago and again on Wednesday in the last game of the series against Detroit.
He's been nasty to hitters, striking out 104 so far this season and becoming the first K.C. pitcher to record 100+ punch outs before the All-Star break since 1997. Greinke also holds a .188 batting average against when there are men in scoring position, which is second in the A.L.
Trey said that pitching coach Bob McClure and the starters worked throughout the All-Star break at the Stadium. Trey cited a reason for the streaks the team has rattled off – both good and bad – has been because of the pitching, specifically the starting rotation which holds a 31-39 record. Last season the starters were 28-39 through 96 games.
Consistency is the motto and there is improvement. The biggest difference between 2007 and 2008, however is that seven pitchers have started games this year. 13 pitchers started at least one game last season.
The state of the position players was also addressed by General Manager Dayton Moore. He said the organization is looking for Billy Butler to continue to improve, Alex Gordon to become more consistent and Mark Teahen to build upon the improvements he's shown over the last month. Moore also mentioned David DeJesus and acknowledged the outfielder's continuing success.
DeJesus is among the elite in the game right now. He entered the break with a .460 batting average with men in scoring position, which leads the Majors and is 41 points higher than Rangers' All-Star Ian Kinsler who is second. In fact DeJesus' mark is the eighth best entering the All-Star break since 1974 when RISP became a stat. Among those higher than DeJesus at the Midsummer Classic, Tony Gwyn's .500 in 1997, Barry Bonds' .500 in 1990 and Rod Carew's .467 in 1975. Needless to say, DeJesus established a Royals record, topping Mike Sweeney's .438 in 2000 and Hal McRae's .427 in 1982.
It should be noted that John Buck is 10th in the Majors with a .361 RISP average, the highest catcher in the Majors.
And as we wrap position players, Jose Guillen has to be mentioned. He's had an outstanding season at the plate. So far: he's tied a single game RBI record with seven in June 7, eclipsed last year's RBI season high with 65 this year (tied for fourth in the A.L.), belted 13 homers (seven of which have given the Royals the lead) and he's ranked in several other offensive categories.
As a team, the Royals have four players at 10 or more home runs with another sitting on nine. In 2007, only two players hit 10 or more and four hit 10 or more in 2006.
Dayton Moore mentioned that the team is always looking to improve itself through trades or signings but does not want to compromise the current core of young players for a few months of service time or even a year of service unless the team felt it absolutely necessary…The team hired Sports Psychologist Andrew Jacobs, who was introduced to the team before yesterday's workout…Leo Nunez was moved to Double-A Northwest Arkansas for rehab, because of Triple-A Omaha's All-Star break. He pitched two innings of relief last night, recording a pair of strikeouts.
The Royals return home for seven games on Monday. Plenty of promotions are in the works for the home stand including Frank White powder blue T-shirts Dan Quisenberry bobbleheads an Emerson Drive concert and the return of Girl's Night Out.
Tonight marks the first of 28 straight games against opponents with winning records, 16 of which are at Kauffman. The combined record for the seven teams is 368-297 for a .553 winning percentage.
Hope you didn't miss the All-Star game coverage here from our man Swanee who was in New York on Monday and Tuesday for the festivities and in the dugout during the game.
Extra Innnings
The Royals are working on a number of things for Military Appreciation Day, which is August 2. Around the Horn would like to request some help from our faithful here at mlblogs.com. If you have pictures of loved ones overseas wearing Royals gear, you can send them to firstname.lastname@example.com and we might be able to use them for a presentation during that day's events. If not, Around the Horn is also working on a special post for that day and may post some of these photos right here. Please include the name of the person, hometown, where they are stationed and what branch they are in.
Thanks for your help.
Tonight's Lineup:
DeJesus 8
Aviles 6
Teahen 9
Butler DH
Grud 4
Gordon 5
Gload 3
Buck 2
German 7
Here's today's Official Game Notes.


text:
If I bring down the vmware image, should I be able to immediately send emails to and from users that I have created from the zimbraAdmin? Or do I need to do more configuration?
I have created two users, and try to send a email from one to the another. I can log in successfully on both accounts and can see the email in the sent folder, but no mail arrivesin the other inbox.
I can see no errors in any of the logs in /opt/zimbra/log
where else should I be looking?
PS: Posted this on an old thread, so posting it again


text:
WOW! That is a monster buck! I would say he has to be over 200". He has a beautiful cape too, he's going to look awesome on your wall. Congrats!
I was able to harvest this divine buck on the last weekend of general season! I spend from snowmelt to snowfall in the WA state wilderness areas; for the beauty of God's country, and for the bucks! This deer is unlike any Ive seen. His mass is absolutely unbelievable! The pictures show it, but honestly don't do him any justice! I was wondering what you guys on here think he will score at? I put a green tape on him before I took him to the taxidermist, and Im no expert, but wanted to see what you all thought? i can get more into the story if the post gets some interest! Godspeed all!
WOW! That is a monster buck! I would say he has to be over 200". He has a beautiful cape too, he's going to look awesome on your wall. Congrats!
I'd say 190ish though I'm no expert. None the less, great buck! Congrats!
Wow, what an exceptional buck. I love the mass he has! I'm the least experienced guy on this forum but I would guess close to 200.
Damn, that's a fine animal right there. I'm sayin 192", and yes, im no expert either.
Stud of a buck! Congratulations, it sounds like a well earned trophy.
My guess 182
He has incredible mass like you mentioned! INCREDIBLE however that is just one part of a bc buck. Just my opinion but make sure you post up numbers to prove me wrong and everybody right
Holy mass that is a great buck. Congrats man!
First off, congrats on a great buck.
I think he would gross right at 185.
I'm no expert scorer, but I'm no idiot either...I got a green score on him, but I'm waiting for my taxidermist to confirm before releasing the results...he scores big though
I agree with BB mid 180's A nice buck!


text:
Seal of the National Museum of Wales
JOHN, Sir William Goscombe (1860 - 1952)
(Amgueddfa Cymru regrets that we are not able to provide an image for this item at this time. This is either due to copyright restrictions, or the item is awaiting digitisation. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.)
Media: wax
Size: 7.2 cm
Acquired: 1928; Gift; Sir William Goscombe John
Accession Number: NMW A 2582


text: I am newbie in Zimbra. I just installed ZCS 8.0 on Ubuntu 12.04 and was trying to learn the configurations. I got stuck up while tried to setup System-wide Signatures. I found "zimbraDomainMandatoryMailSignatureEnabled (TRUE/FALSE)" and some other commands to enable this feature. But when I run this command on Ubuntu (switch user to zimbra) it is saying "command not found". Can someone help me with this. What am I doing wrong? Thanks.


text:
Many people with a LOT of backpack hunting experience consider Kifaru and Stone Glacier packs to be the best hunting packs available.
Kuiu is another pack that gets some very good reviews, especially from their later versions. It is my understanding that Kuiu is a new player in the hunting pack game.
These 3 are light weight (SG is lightest weight) and can haul heavy loads as per reviews on various forums, I personally have no experience with any of these.
These 3 packs will cost $550-$750+, depending on accessories and custom modifications. Each one will have its own advantages.
Just remember, everyone has their own favorite pack and will have valid reasons why they think it is best. I sort of compare it to the "best rifle caliber discussion", there is no right or wrong answer, you have to find what works best for your application within a given price range.
Hopefully some of the guys on this forum that have a lot of experience with packs and back pack hunting will give some input.
Good Luck on your research


text:
Set amidst the beautiful plum orchards and overlooking the vineyards and the majestic Stellenbosch mountains, Café Blanc de Noir offers a rustic chic dining space and a warm, welcoming atmosphere. and the friendly staff create the perfect atmosphere for happy and relaxed dining. Enjoy great hearty gourmet breakfasts, rustic wood-fired pizzas, and desserts stemming from secret family recipes.
CinCin is truly a must-visit for the connoisseur and discerning diner. Walk into a world of elegance and chic style with double-storey windows that allow views of the breathtaking Cape Town and Table Mountain.
Start your day with a feast of a breakfast and enjoy the hot and cold buffet; the selection offered is not easily matched anywhere else. Alternatively enjoy an impressive business lunch or the ultimate romantic night out.
An impressive array of options are available, from a really cool gourmet burger menu to elegant, upmarket a la carte cuisine. CinCin even offers a great bar snack menu that will keep you satisfied on your night out. The cocktail bar's look and feel is uber modern and it is filled to the brim with everyone's favourite beverages, from the best champagne to a down-to-earth draught.
Top all this off with great, personalized service, a bustling but warm ambience and, of course, the three-metre Swarovski chandelier that is the centrepiece of this establishment, and you will have an experience fit for royalty.
CinCin is open from 6.30 am to 10.30 am for breakfast, 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm for lunch and 6 pm until 10 pm for dinner. Booking in advance is recommended.
On the beachfront, Doodles is landmark in the Table View area. Open for nearly twenty years, it affords patrons some of the best views in Cape Town – Table Mountain, the city, the fabulous new FIFA 2010 world cup soccer stadium, Robben Island and the mighty Atlantic Ocean. Its relaxed, beach bar vibe and history make it a favourite for locals.
The outside deck is the perfect place to chill, whatever the weather. On those perfect balmy Cape Town days sit under the warm African sun and feast on seafood or a selection from the grill. Alternatively, on those blustery days, when the outside deck is protected by the awnings diners can watch the wild sea while feasting on a variety of the fabulous fare on offer.
With a varied menu, including breakfast, fresh seafood, gourmet grill items and pizzas, there is something for everyone at Doodles. There is live music on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, making Doodles a lively place to enjoy a fabulous meal, while taking in the wonders of Cape Town.
This beautiful, elegant yet relaxed restaurant is situated on the picturesque and popular Laborie Wine Estate. The décor is modern and sleek, but does not lose its warmth in the contemporary feel.
Guests can choose to sit inside or outside; the terrace boasts spectacular views of the vineyards. Harvest is a place to relax with family and friends and also serves as a beautiful function venue for weddings, corporate functions and other special occasions. The menu is extensive and caters for all tastes. They even offer a kiddies menu with more than just the usual burger and chips.
Harvest serves lunch seven days a week, and breakfast on Saturday mornings. Dinner is available on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday evenings.
The cuisine is an imaginative mix between South African and European delights. Quality food can be enjoyed in a tranquil, elegant setting without breaking the bank.
Right on the water's edge as the waves break Tabago's Restaurant, Bar and Terrace in Cape Town offers patrons one of the finest dining experiences in the city. There is no better way to enjoy Cape Town that looking out over the Atlantic Ocean, eating some of the finest foods, drinking some of the finest South Africa wines while basking in the glorious African sun at Tabago's in the Radisson Hotel.
The Mediterranean twist to the menu adds to the experience. Emphasis is placed on the use of the finest local ingredients combined delicately with exotic elements from the Mediterranean and around the world. Dishes such as Fresh Saldanha mussels in a delightful light white wine, red onion and chive tomato concasse, accompanied by a healthy portion of crunchy bread are the perfect example of the exquisite food on offer from executive chef Andrew Lee.
The menu offers a delicious choice of snacks and starters to share while sipping cocktails on the Terrace gazing out towards the ocean in the warm South African sun. Dishes include a perfect round of rich Camembert cheese skewered with rosemary sprigs, accompanied by wild fig compote and crunchy bread, which serves two. The chef's award winning starter of Crimson Venison Carpaccio comes highly recommended. The whole menu is offers some of the finest dining in Cape Town, and the lunch time buffet is a popular choice for businessmen and revellers alike.
One of Sun International's top hotels, The Table Bay in Cape Town's V & A Waterfront, is the home of The Conservatory. Patronised by locals and foreigners, this restaurant offers guests an eating experience that is simple, yet sophisticated. With the emphasis on Tapas and light meals, as well as a sublime sushi bar, there really is something for every palate.
The Tapas menu is contemporary, taking its influences from a range of cuisines from around the world, including South Africa, Spain, Portugal and Asia. Ideal for sharing diners can feast on delicacies such as fresh Namibian oysters, steamed fresh black mussels, grilled Portuguese sardines, Katafi wrapped prawns with pimento coulis and duck rillette with prunes, Armagnac, pickles served with crusty bread. For those looking for something a little more filling there is an a la carte menu that includes Cape Malay curries, items from the grill and fresh fish.
Light pours in to the restaurant, and the experience is one of simple style and understated elegance in a very relaxed setting. The service is excellent, and to add to this dining experience guests with reservations can take advantage of the hotel's valet parking service at no extra charge.
*Distances are shown as the crow flies and are not necessarily the actual travelling
Perlman's House Restaurant & Pub is located in the main road of Sutherland. True Karoo hospitality, great service and great country cuisine is on offer. Owners Riaan and Carla strive to give their guests the best the Karoo has to offer. Try delicious Carpaccio, traditional South African 'potjiekos'. steaks, pizzas and a range of dishes for the little ones. Variety and quality is the order of the day. Dinner is from 6 pm daily except for Thursdays and lunch can be pre-arranged.
Cluster d'Hote serves quality cuisine that is mainly traditional with a hint of the exotic. Karoo-style dishes make their way out the kitchen and specialities include the lamb shank, lamb chops and the beef fillet. The menu changes according to the ingredients available, and the locally sourced produce ensures flavours not easily matched. Treat yourself in Sutherland, viit Cluster d'Hote.
This historic hotel building is situated in the railway town of Matjiesfontein, amidst tranquil Karoo gardens. Here you can enjoy traditional South African favourites, all well prepared and nicely presented. The menu is varied and offers fillet steak, stews, lamb chops and much more. A good wine list is also available. Choose to enjoy your meal in the atmospheric dining room, or outside in the beautiful courtyard.
WCape Restaurants,
WesternCape Restaurants,
Weskaap Restaurants,
Wes Kaap Restaurants,
West Cape Restaurants,
WesternCape Restaurants,


text:
¡Más de 50,000 descargas cada día!
This is a very helpful site for us as we are working with Hewlett Packard as Tech Support and it actually helps reduces the chance of doing a complete system recovery for desktops if a dll file is missing. Overall its a great site for us.


text:
Commenting as a Guest. Sign in or Join.
On her lap in the front seat of her car. She's not looking to happy that the paparazzi have caught her. The need for attention bites ya in the ass sometimes doesn't it Brit?
More photos from the incident are after the jump.


text:
*licks chops*
*falls into chocolate Rafood coma*
(via Tennis Trash)
Labels: Rafael Nadal, tennis, video
Good gracious - which part to eat first? :-)
Yummy indeed.ReplyDelete
I love that newscaster and his sexy glasses...
I wish chocolate Rafa would still be up when I get there! I want to lick him toooo!
I'm wondering why there were four balls there. Something we should know about Rafa??ReplyDelete
yuck, gross...what's wrong with you people, he is ugly!ReplyDelete
Anonymous 5:47, you should know looks are subjective. God only knows how the person/player you find to be most attractive looks like...ReplyDelete
The face of the chocolate Rafa doesn't look anything like him, but who cares?
I'm licking someplace else anyway, hrhr. :P
Wait a minute, shouldn't HE be melting??
Ooh! I never saw it at the time but thanks for the shout out! I love shout outs. *feels special*ReplyDelete


text:
Testimony :: His Excellency Antonio Martins da Cruz
Portuguese Foreign Minister - Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE
(I. Opening Remarks)
I would like to express my satisfaction for being here today to meet such a distinguished Commission.
The Portuguese Chairmanship of the OSCE attaches particular importance to a close co-operation with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation. I consider that the Parliamentary Assembly is a very important institution of the OSCE, which plays an irreplaceable role in the promotion and consolidation of democratic values and institutions throughout the OSCE region.
The Parliamentary Assembly contributes also to bring the OSCE closer to our constituencies and citizens, thus enhancing the visibility of our Organisation.
(II. OSCE's role in the fight against terrorism)
I commend the Parliamentary Assembly for its decision to dedicate this year's Annual Session (Berlin next July) to the fight against terrorism. I look forward to joining you in Berlin to discuss OSCE's strategy on anti-terrorism which is as you know a top priority for our Chairmanship.
Let me remind you the initiatives of our Chairmanship regarding the fight against terrorism:
we have appointed a Personal Representative, Mr. Jan Troejborg, who came to Washington in March. His role is to support the Chair and to work closely with the Secretariat and the whole OSCE in the implementation of the Bucharest Plan of Action and of the Bishkek Programme of Action. Four strategic areas have been identified: policing, border control, trafficking and money laundering. We welcome the setting-up in the Secretariat of the anti-terrorism unit which will certainly contribute to speeding up the development of concrete projects in those areas.
We are presently involved in the preparations for the 12th of June meeting in Lisbon among the Secretaries General and High Representatives of relevant international and regional organisations. We hope that the conclusions of this meeting will contribute to enhance collaboration and optimise synergies in the international strategy led by the United Nations. We count on the participation of Ambassador Francis Taylor in this meeting.
We are also working towards the elaboration of an OSCE Charter on the Prevention and Fight against Terrorism. It is a political document based on the OSCE´s norms and values and which will encompass the assessment of the implementation of the lines of action approved in Bucharest and Bishkek. We also believe that such Charter will allow the adoption of new measures for preventing and fighting terrorism, namely in the field of the financing of terrorism. We are willing to continue working in close co-operation with the US on this project.
(III. Legal capacity of the OSCE)
Another important aspect for which I would like to ask your collaboration is the need to solve the issue of the legal capacity of the OSCE. What is at stake is not the revision of the political nature of OSCE decisions nor the attempt to transform the OSCE into a career organisation. The objective is to come to terms with the serious problems jeopardising the efficient management and the functioning of the OSCE, in particular of its institutions and missions.
(IV. Strengthening of the co-operation with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly)
As I referred earlier, the Portuguese Chairmanship is committed to strengthening the co-operation with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
Transparency is a central aspect of our Organisation. I welcome therefore the fact that the Parliamentary Assembly has set up a Committee on Transparency and Accountability, chaired by Congressman Steny Hoyer.
We consider that the Parliamentary Assembly should be informed about the important decisions of the OSCE, namely on the adoption of the budget. Let me stress however the following: the enhancement of OSCE's Parliamentary Dimension should not be an objective to be pursued by attempting to transform the Parliamentary Assembly into a bureaucratic and executive structure. This institution has been entrusted with an ambitious and fundamental role which it should seek to fully perform: I mean the contribution to the development of parliamentary culture in the OSCE area, namely in those regions where democracy is trying to take root.
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Mr Adrian Severin, has put forward the proposal of a Memorandum of Understanding. I am willing to discuss such a Memorandum with all the parties involved with a view to adopting it as soon as possible. We support notably the proposal of setting up in Vienna a liaison office of the Parliamentary Assembly. We believe that such office will allow the Assembly to have a better access to the information needed for the normal development of its activities.
(V. Other issues: regional aspects)
In Belarus, we are currently facing the issue of the appointment of the Head of the Advisory and Monitoring Group (Ambassador Eberhard Heyken). The Chairmanship has, since the beginning of its tenure endeavoured all efforts to pursue a fruitful dialogue with the Belarusian Government and, to this effect, contacts have been maintained at various levels. We regret that such a co-operative spirit has not been reciprocated and that extreme positions have been preferred so far.
In Moldova we are confident of resuming dialogue between the parts and the mediators soon, as set by the latter in the road map approved last November in Prague and within the structure proposed by them in Bratislava last February. We have been urging Moldovan and Transnistrian to work together on the main issue at the table, the definition of Transnistria's political status within a unified Moldova. The resolution of the customs question would be an important step on this direction. We continue to pay great attention to the ammunition disposal in the framework of the Istanbul commitments. In this context we have been calling on the Russian Federation to ensure their complete and timely fulfilment. We highly praise the USA for their support to the voluntary fund.
In South East Europe, the OSCE will continue to assist the various countries in their difficult reforms through its institutional and capacity building instruments and will continue to invest in confidence building measures aimed at pacifying tense and dangerous situations. Naturally, one can not refer to South East Europe without mentioning the heavy election calendar scheduled for 2002. Allow me a special reference to the October 5th elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where for the first time since Dayton the authorities are faced with the historic task of organising elections. The OSCE is fully committed to assisting the country in making a success story of these elections.
In the Caucasus, we pay particular attention to the situation in Chechnya, Georgia and Nagorno Karabakh.
Regarding Central Asia, our strategy aims at reinforcing the Economic and Environmental Dimension, which is a priority for the Chairmanship, as well as the Politico-Military Dimension, reaffirming simultaneously the importance of the Human Dimension commitments. Furthermore, the Chairmanship attaches particular importance to the implementation of several of the objectives established under the Bishkek Conference Action Plan. Among these, we would like to highlight the decisions concerning the training of police and border guard forces, where several projects are already under study.
(VI. Concluding remarks)
I would like to conclude by underlining my willingness to closely work with all the members of the Parliamentary Assembly in further promoting the role of the OSCE in the Euro-Atlantic security Architecture.


text:
Chevy C10 Mar-K Tailgate Install - Flipped & Shaved C10 TailgateWritten by on December 1, 2009 Done The Mar-K Way
What's the ugliest part of your truck's body? Some say the nose, and some say how it tows, but we say it's your tailgate. OK, so we used a weak parody of a Frank Zappa song to hook this story, but necessity truly is the mother of invention. The first thing to take a beating on any truck ever made is the tailgate. When it comes to customizing a classic truck, the problem is compounded by primitive designs that not only are clumsy; they don't lend themselves to clean looks. Never mind the funky appearance of the chain and hook arraignment Chevrolet and GMC used to latch both the Stepside and Fleetside tailgates, the darn things are notorious for scratching paint, and consequently causing rust.
These were the problems we faced when we decided it was time to pretty up the looks of our '66 Chevy shortbed Fleetside, and increase its functionality. Weighing our options and seeing what was available, it looked like firing off an order to the folks at Mar-K Quality Parts in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was a good way to go. The tailgate we chose is a beefy replacement for the original Chevy gate, and thanks to some built-in upgrades it cures all of the flaws inherent to a stock tailgate. At the top of our list, the Mar-K custom-fabricated tailgate eliminates the hook and chains with a super-clean flipped center-pull handle to open the tailgate. Not only does this save time and cut way down on chewing up the paint and bodywork, the flipped handle is as clean as it gets when it comes to customizing a tailgate.
More Photos From This Article View Slideshow
We're going to miss that KFROG county-western radio station sticker, but good riddance to those danged old chains and hooks.After opening these latches for the last time, the next step was to measure the tailgate opening from corner-to-corner to establish that the bed is square.Loyal CCT readers know I'm a fan of Royal Purple's Maxfilm, or Maxifilm as I call it. Whether you use Maxfilm or another penetrating oil product, pre-soaking all of the hardware is a great way to save time.The tailgate is held on by four bolts. To remove it we undid the bottom bolts below the tailgate and then the top two bolts that are accessible with the tailgate open.Mar-K includes these slugs which we will weld in at another time to shave the tailgate latch-pin holes.There's one thing for sure, always expect the unexpected when it comes to working on your truck. Having to repair parts broken from years of wear didn't stop us in our tracks, but it cost us some time. The moral is to take a close look at your truck and try to determine if any additional parts should be ordered before you start.
The Mar-K installation kit includes pins that are welded in place of the guides we just drilled out. Here we see Steve Bentley preparing the area for welding.The best way to prepare this area would have been sandblasting, but we didn't have a portable sandblaster handy, so a wire-wheel sufficed.We can't stress enough how important it is to tack things together and ensure a good fit before completing the welding. Steve used a hammer handle to press the Mar-K pins flat into position while tack-welding.Here's the secret to the Mar-K tailgate's clean looks, a trick little latch that bolts right into place with the hardware Mar-K includes in the kit.With the same principle in mind as tack-welding, Steve assembled the tailgate hardware for a test-fit.The Mar-K retaining straps have a real nice cad-plated finish, and easily bolt into place with the included hardware. Because our '66's bed opening was distorted from a major hit to the driver-side rear, the tailgate straps didn't quite fully extend on one side.Realizing the fit was as good as we could get it without repairing the bedside, Steve used our trusty Miller 252 to lay down a bead. People often blame the new parts as the source of a bad fit, but it almost always turns out to be a bad original part causing a fitment problem.There it is, a perfectly good, gas-free weld with our Miller 252 sitting smack in the middle of blowing Santa Ana winds. See the July '09 issue of CCT for more about gas-free MIG welding in harsh outdoor conditions.


text:
May 29, 2016
DeKalb police say they're working leads in the hold-up of Cash King Monday. It happened about 11 a.m.
"As of this time right now we still are under investigation, trying to get as much leads as we can on it. Right now we can't say who it was," said Maj. Charles Barrett.
Officials say the man was wearing a dark gray hoodie with red writing, blue jeans, and a black knit cap. He got away with a large amount of cash. And police say he had an accomplice.
DeKalb police say they are investigating new leads at this time. Officials with Cash King did not want to comment.
Anyone who has information about the robbery may report it to the DeKalb Police Department at 601-743-9197.
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Loving the windows.
Here is a encounter map for a quest in a small campaign I am hosting for my friends. All the textures are from cgtextures, the trees, bodies, and chest are from dundjinni. A thanks from Bogie for helping me track down the bodies.. I plan on adding some more details to the house.. I would prefer Goblin skins for the encounter instead of the text markers, but the markers are not going to be printed on the map itself. They will be setup with miniatures.. Let me know what you think of it so far..
Loving the windows.
For a map called "Burning Farm House" I expected more fire. Especially on, you know, the HOUSE. Otherwise its really cool though. You mention goblins, but what specifically to "C" "K" and "S" stand for?
the C stand for Goblin Cutters, S - is Goblin Sharpshooters, and the K - is Kids.. The kids are going to be kid napped and taken away.. I know there should be more fire, but I was writing up the encounter and decided to be more smoldering, than actually burning.. I had the post ready to post, with all the stuff in and all I was lacking was the web version of the map, hit submit before I looked at the title.. lol.. Also went back and added a lot of detail also, like tables, beds, chest, and various other things.. I haven't quite got the map finished yet.. Still looking for some basic objects like; pots and pans, shelving, and odds and ins.. I should be doing a post here soon with a update.. I appreciate the comments..
I like it. It adds intensity.
Wow, that's really a good map, man! I actually like the fire really well! Hard to pull that off.
Did you use GIMP?


text:
This weekend, there are several opportunities to get your family's outdoorsy fill: from outdoor movies, nature hikes, and scavenger hunts.
Upcoming Events
Event Finder
Most Read Stories
- Best of Louisville 2016 Finalists Announced
- Where to Go and What to Do in Louisville This Weekend (May 20-22)
- Noosh Nosh is Open: Here's What to Order
- Southside Quarry: the Best Place to Spend Your Louisville Summer
- Louisville's Ultimate Guide to Celebrating National Pizza Party Day
- So much weekend, so much to do: Where to go this Memorial Day holiday
- Live in Lou: Louisville Music May 23-29
- New Life (and Old) in Germantown
- This Week, In Louisville, On Craigslist: May 16-20
- Where to Go and What to Do Memorial Day Weekend in Louisville (May 26-30)
Ep. 2 I Love You So, So, So, Much
Play Pause 00:00 00:00 Mute/Unmute


text:
The campaign itself is nearing the end of construction. It is a fantasy campaign set in the fiefdom of Pheirum. What I'm looking for at the moment is a map of the entire fiefdom. I have some key points that I need to be included, cities, ports, mountains, etc., but aside from that the design is up to the artist. I've linked below a map from this site in the style I would like to see, but if you have your own personal style that you think would look good an be cohesive with a fantasy setting, then I'd love to see it.
The copyright will, of course remain with the artist though I would like written consent to reproduce and distribute privately, just to the players of the game.
I do not have a definitive time frame, this is far from a pressing matter. The campaign has been a pet project of mine for a while, so I would like to be able to communicate with the artist along the way.
Pricing is negotiable, though the budget is not huge.
Reply here or email me at email@example.com
On a side note, this campaign will be conducted online, and the artist is more than welcome to join any of my campaigns at any time. It may not be much, but its a chance to explore the world you helped create.
Picture 1 of 27 from Max's maps


text:
Consultant, IBM Center for Applied Insights
The IBM CAI blog has moved - please bookmark and follow the new blog at http://www.ibmcai.com
If you're not familiar with our State of Smart work, an overview of our research and findings can be found in our Executive Report. We surveyed over 1100 executives worldwide across 9 industries to determine their organizations' information and analytics capabilities (we refer to these capabilities as "listen" and "anticipate"). We found that organizations with these capabilities significantly outperformed their peers: 1.6x revenue growth, 2x EBITDA growth, and 2.5x stock price appreciation over a five year period. Not bad, huh?
But this only tells part of the story. We also asked these enterprises about where they realize value from analytics and how they deploy "listen" and "anticipate" capabilities. So let's dig into the retail data a bit deeper.
For our purposes, we're going to refer to retailers in the top right quadrant as "Outperformers" and everybody else as "Others". Only 29% of retailers are Outperformers. About 62% of retailers have a high level of "listen" capabilities while only 38% of retailers have a high level of "anticipate" capabilities.
What this tells us is that retailers are pretty good at "Listening" – i.e. capturing data. By and large, most retailers have done a good job of laying down an information foundation. However, a much smaller proportion of those retailers are then translating that data into actionable insights.
So we know that retailers have room to improve when it comes to leveraging the data that they capture. What other interesting insights did we uncover?
For starters, as you might expect from the high "listen" capabilities, retail Outperformers are very good at capturing different types of data. Specifically, 84% of Outperformers capture data at every customer interaction (this was the highest % across any industry we surveyed). The 'data at every customer interaction' spread between outperformers and others is 2.2x, the second highest gap among the nine industry categories.
Additionally, the 56% of the Outperformers captured unstructured data versus 35% of the Others. Essentially the Outperformers are looking beyond individual transaction data and are mining social media, weather patterns, etc to drive more robust information for applied decision making.
The Outperformers then leverage this information to drive actionable insights about their customers. For example, 84% of Outperformers (vs 38% of Others) use their information and analytics capabilities to recommend actions to customers. This can take the form of both customer facing recommendations, such as cross-selling or up-selling opportunities, or internal actions such as identifying next best actions to convert abandoned baskets or reactivate a dormant customer.
The holy grail of retailers has long been to develop deep insights about customers from a variety of data sources and then use these insights to drive actions that positively impact the customer experience and consequently improve their top and bottom line. Our data shows that the Outperformers are doing just that.
What we've talked about so far is fairly intuitive. However in the course of analyzing the State of Smart data we saw several things that intrigued us. For instance, found that only 36% of Outperformers vs 31% of Others realized value from customer relationship management. We expected the overall percentages to be higher and gap to be wider. The data suggest several things. First, the true value of CRM has likely not yet been realized by most retailers. Second, the outperformers haven't yet found a way to drive the additional insights they've been generating into their CRM practices.
Hopefully you found this deep dive into our State of Smart retail industry data to be interesting and useful. If you're interested in calculating the potential impact that developing your "listen" and "anticipate" capabilities can have on your business, I suggest you take a quick look at our Smarter Merchandising and Smarter Shopping Experience toolsets. We've developed online calculators that let you quickly and easily get an idea of the potential economic benefits that leveraging analytics can have for your organization.
I'll be posting more deep dive articles over the next few months. Check back next next week for a deep dive into the banking industry data. If you have any questions about this article or requests for future articles, please feel free to let me know.


text:
These little cupcakes might be super sweet, but they're not to eat! The Cupcake Erasers come shaped like cupcakes and look like cupcakes of all different colors, with sprinkles on top. Add them to favor bags for an extra thoughtful gift.
Not yet rated. Be the first to Write a Review


text:
Worked With:
Elle MacPherson
Home > Supermodels > M > MacPherson, Elle
Birth Name: Elle MacPherson
Born: 03/29/1963
Birth Place: Australia
Born: 03/29/1963
Birth Place: Australia
Eleanor Nancy Gow was born on March 29, 1964 in Sydney, Australia to Peter Gow, an entrepreneur and sound engineer, and Frances Gow, a nurse. Before she found fame as a model, the statuesque beauty was already living a glamorous life. She was in her early teens when her parents divorced, and her mother remarried Neil Macpherson, a multimillionaire who owned a chain of stereo equipment stores in Australia. After briefly attending Sydney University to study law, the statuesque Macpherson was discovered while on a ski vacation in Colorado in 1982, and was immediately signed to the Click modeling agency. One of her earliest jobs was appearing in a television commercial for Tab Cola; by 1984, Mac... Continue Bio >>
Popular Movies:
More Credits >>


text:
- A vision of hope
A new Oklahoman for a new Oklahoma
Many of you have been with us for years, and you've seen our transformation through the decades. We've added colors and sections. We've even dropped the word 'Daily' from our name. But this
- Fingerpointing continues in U.S. House on bailout failure
- Bush, Iraqi leader thank a dwindling coalition
- Okies in the NFL notebook
- Sheriff's deputies in Louisiana helping with Hurricane Ike preparations
- Analysis: Conservatives hyped over Palin
- Obama campaign doesn't fear loss of Clinton voters
- From Konawa to Beijing: Olympic Chad Vaughn proud of blue-collar roots
- Book briefs | Sunday August 3, 2008
- Campaign Briefs
- Hamilton, 3 other Rangers make team
- Extreme option
- 19-year-old OU student elected mayor of Muskogee
- Are you considering alternative ways to travel?
- Blown from his daddy's arms
- Backbone of the family, shoulder to lean on
- Rookie marathoners Adams, Graef break the tape on a blustery day
- Family remembers loved one during relay
The runner's lifeline
Pacesetters do much more than their name implies
- A vision of hope
- OKC Memorial Marathon notebook
- OKC Memorial Marathon Results
- After sleeping on OSU's offer, Self stays at KU
- State squads face important Big 12 games this weekend
Prices are soaring
Motorists say if gas reaches $4 a gallon, they will start making significant changes


text:
Donors Help Provide Life-Saving, State-of-the-Art Equipment
When the flu hit the Mills household in Watertown during Christmas last year, Mike and Jana Mills assumed their three children would heal on their own. But the youngest son, Dallin, hadn't shown any signs of improvements after a week. On Jan. 3, Dallin lay on the couch unresponsive when they called his name.
"His eyes were glazed over and I thought something was not right," Jana said. Emergency room doctors confirmed Dallin was having a seizure and needed to get to Sanford Children's Hospital. Sanford AirMed transported Jana and Dallin to Sioux Falls and he was admitted into the Miller Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
"You are in shock at this point," Jana said. "It's kind of surreal. You think, 'This is not happening.'"
The next day, doctors confirmed Dallin had HSP, or Henoch-Schönlein Purpura, an immune-mediated vasculitic disease, or inflammation of small blood vessels, that causes a bruise-like rash and can affect multiple organ systems with the kidneys most likely affected. Several specialists examined Dallin and performed tests to determine if the HSP affected his other bodily functions, and it had. In addition to kidney malfunction, excessive fluid and inflammation in his abdomen and lungs affected his breathing to cause Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, an extreme rarity for HSP. Plus, he was diagnosed with cardiomyophathy, a heart condition, doctors said is also uncommon.
"Every time doctors would say, 'Well, this could happen, but not likely,' it would happen," Mike said.
But all the while, the Mills felt fortunate to be at Sanford Children's with the compassionate, intelligent and proactive medical team. "We have not had just one doctor who cares about our child, but a wonderful team who meets and plans daily, if not more than one time a day, to discuss the care and treatment plan to help our sweet little boy," Jana said.
They are also thankful for the extra resources. Generous donors make life a little easier for families, like the Mills, with meal vouchers, mileage reimbursement and support from the pediatric social work team which, along with Child Life programs, are paid for by Children's Miracle Network.
Dallin returned home on March 7 – after 57 days at Sanford Children's. Today, Mike and Jana make sure Dallin takes his daily medication, attends speech and physical therapy sessions and gets to follow-up doctor appointments. "Every day is a gift," Jana said. "I try to cherish every moment with my kids even more now."
To learn more about Children's Miracle Network or to make a gift, visit foundation.sanfordhealth.org or call the Sanford Health Foundation at (605) 328-5700.
Posted Date: August 2013


text:
No. 17 Iowa State Hosts No. 23 Iowa Friday
AMES, Iowa - No. 17 Iowa State hosts No. 23 Iowa in an Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series showdown at Hilton Coliseum Friday night. The game will be a Color It Cardinal game so fans are encouraged to wear their favorite cardinal apparel.
Where: Ames, Iowa - Hilton Coliseum (14,384)
When: Friday, Dec. 13, 8:30 p.m. CST
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield
Talent: John Walters (PxP), Eric Heft (Color)
Talent: Mike Couzens (PxP), Reid Gettys (Color)
Webcast: WatchESPN/ESPN3
Live Stats: Live stats will be available at cyclones.com.
Live Blog: Patrick Tarbox, assistant director of athletics communications, will be holding a live blog during the game at Cyclones.com. Fans are encouraged to participate in the blog by asking questions.
Promotions: Color it Cardinal - Fans are encouraged to wear cardinal to the game.
Cyclone Notebook
- Iowa State (7-0, 0-0) is 7-0 for the first time since the 2003-04 season following a come-from-behind win against UNI last Saturday at the Hy-Vee Big Four Classic in Des Moines. The Cyclones' last 8-0 start was in 1996-97 (10-0).
- ISU is the only undefeated Big 12 team and one of just 14 nationally. This is just the ninth time that ISU has faced Iowa while unbeaten. The Cyclones are 5-3 in those games.
- The Cyclones are ranked No. 17 in The Associated Press poll for the third week in a row. ISU comes in at No. 16 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
- Iowa State and Iowa are meeting as ranked teams for just the second time in series history. The only other meeting was in 1987, when Iowa State entered the game No. 20 and Iowa was ranked No. 7. ISU won that game, which was played at Hilton Coliseum, 102-100 in overtime behind a 54-point performance by LaFester Rhodes.
- The Cyclones' season average of 91.7 points per game leads the nation. ISU is averaging 97.5 points in the last four games.
- Iowa State has five different players averaging double figures. The Cyclones have had five players tally 20+ points in a game this season, the latest being sophomore Georges Niang. Niang scored a career-high 22 points vs. UNI.
- Dustin Hogue became the third different Iowa State player to earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors after averaging 19.5 points and 15 rebounds in wins against Auburn and UNI. Hogue, who shot 70.6 percent from the field last week, had a 22-point, 16-rebound performance against Auburn. He was also named national player of the week by the USBWA.
- Since 1998, only six Division I players have averaged 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Senior guard DeAndre Kane is currently averaging 15.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
- Melvin Ejim has been a force since returning from injury (knee). He is leading the Cyclones averaging 18 points per game to go along with 7.8 boards. Ejim, who is shooting 52.3 percent from the field, has been in double figures in all five games since his return, including three games with 20+ points.
- The Cyclones are second nationally averaging 19.9 assists per game. ISU is assisting on 61.8 percent of its field goals (139 assts/225 fg).
Iowa State vs. UNI Recap
- Iowa State erased an 18-point second-half deficit, which ties for the third-largest overcome in school history, to defeat Northern Iowa, 91-82 in overtime, Saturday in the Hy-Vee Big Four Classic at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
- Georges Niang kept Iowa State within striking distance early in the game and finished with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting despite fouling out with 1:42 left in regulation. Niang also had career-highs of four steals and three blocks.
- Melvin Ejim scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half. Ejim hit a career-high four threes, including two on back-to-back possessions in overtime to put the Cyclones up seven.
- Dustin Hogue (17 pts/14 rbs) and DeAndre Kane (18 pts/11 rbs) recorded double figures for the Cyclones. Hogue and Kane have three double-doubles each this season.
- Iowa State outrebounded UNI 44-41.
- ISU had just three assists in the first half, but finished the game with 16 dimes.
- Naz Long connected on a 3-pointer for the seventh time in as many games this season.
Series Notes vs. Iowa
- Iowa leads the all-time series vs. Iowa State at 43-23, but 16 of ISU's 23 wins in the series have occurred since 1984.
- Since 1984, Iowa State leads the series at 16-15.
- Iowa State leads the series in games played in Ames, 17-16. At Hilton Coliseum, ISU leads 14-8.
- Iowa State has won the last five meetings in Ames by an average of 9.8 points per game.
- The home team has won nine of the last 10 meetings. ISU's 2010 win (75-72) in Iowa City is the lone exception.
- Iowa forced 19 turnovers and Aaron White scored a game-high 18 points as the Hawkeyes won 80-71 in Iowa City. The Cyclone had five players in double figures, including 13 points from Georges Niang.
- Melvin Ejim averages 11 points and 5.0 rebounds in three career games vs. the Hawkeyes. He is 13-of-18 from the field (72.2) against Iowa.
- Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg is 5-2 all-time against Iowa as a player (3-1) and head coach (2-1) for the Cyclones.
- Hoiberg was 3-1 vs. Iowa during his playing career (1992-95) with the Cyclones. He averaged 11.5 pts., 5.8 reb., and 5.3 asst., in his four-game career vs. the Hawkeyes.
- Hoiberg had 19 points (6-12 FG, 4-7 3FG), 7 assists and 6 rebounds in ISU's 86-79 win over Iowa in Ames on Dec. 11, 1993.
- Iowa State Director of Operations Micah Byars served for five seasons in the same position at UCF under head coach Kirk Speraw. Speraw is now in his fourth season as an assistant coach with Iowa.
- Iowa State guard Monté Morris is a cousin of Iowa guard Roy Devyn Marble.
Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series
- This is the 10th season of the head-to-head all sports series between Iowa State and Iowa. The school that excels in competition- athletic and academic- will be crowned champion of the head-to-head series between the Cyclones and Hawkeyes.
- Iowa holds an early 7-6 lead, earning points in soccer (2), football (3) and wrestling (2). The Cyclones earned points in volleyball (2) and men's and women's cross country (4). Six more points will be awarded this week with women's basketball (2) on Thursday and men's basketball (2) and women's swimming (2) on Friday.
- Iowa leads the overall all-time series at 5-4.
Follow Iowa State men's basketball on Facebook and Twitter (@CycloneMBB).


text:
You are posting a comment about...
New Books: June
Looking for something new to read, watch, or listen to? Take a look at our list of new teen materials purchased in the month of May. We have two lists:
We post a list of new items on the first day of each month, so check back for more reading suggestions.


text:
|Irrigation water management field day set for July 22 near Wray
|Written by Holyoke Enterprise
Yuma County Conservation District in Wray invites area irrigators to an Irrigation Water Management Field Day, five miles south of Wray on Hwy 385. The field day will be held on Wednesday, July 22, beginning at 9 a.m. No registration is required. Contact the Yuma County CD at 970-332-3173 ext. 3 with questions.
The field day will feature demonstrations of five different soil water monitoring systems. Irrigators will be able to see the systems side by side and ask questions of the product representatives. The purpose of the field day is to provide a short overview of each product—not to promote one system over the other. The plan is to be finished by noon.
The following are short descriptions of the systems that have been installed at the field day location:
—The ECH2O probe was installed and will be represented by Jerome Haaland from Simplot. It is an electrical resistance type sensor that also measures soil temperature and electrical conductivity. This sensor can be pushed directly into undisturbed soil. Depending on the type of monitor attached, the system returns minute average data.
—Chris Arnold of T-Tape Inc. will describe the CropSense system. An electrical resistance type sensor, CropSense transmits soil moisture data via satellite every 30 minutes. The probes are electrical resistance type sensors placed at multiple depths within the root zone. Sensors may also be placed below the root systems to show movement of water through the soil profile or the height of the water table.
—John Lovell with Y-W Well Testing Association will discuss gypsum blocks. The gypsum block has been around since the 1940s, making it one of the oldest methods of soil moisture measurements. Gyp blocks are read by a hand held meter which measures the electrical resistance between the electrodes in the block.
—The Watermark system, sold by the Yuma County Conservation District, will be explained by Joel Schneekloth from the Akron ARS Station. It is an electrical resistance type sensor, read by data logging equipment or a Soil Moisture Meter. The meter converts the electrical resistance reading to a calibrated reading of Centibars of soil water tension. This system records the soil moisture every eight hours.
—OnTrac by Reinke will be described by Jim Williams of J&J Irrigation. OnTrac is a product that allows for remote monitoring and control anywhere. An OnTrac device communicates directly with low earth orbiting satellites. The data passed between the OnTrac device and satellite is transmitted to a ground station. There the user can monitor and control the device in many ways including interactive voice recognition with a telephone, text messaging, e-mail, or over the internet.


text:
Graduates of North Central College earn more income over their lifetimes than peers who graduate from most comparable schools, a new survey finds.
North Central College ranks among the top 15 percent of private, nonprofit schools in the 2011-2012 survey by Payscale.com. The mid-career median salary for North Central College graduates is $81,300, ranking No. 39 out of 303 schools in the private, nonprofit category.


text:
The children's librarians finished out their fourth year of telling stories at Tilley Pond Park on Thursday, August 9th. There were stories about dogs who swallowed various animals and bossy chickens who just wanted to read some books. The real crowd pleaser was the children's librarians' version of Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons. If you missed out on the fun the first time or you just want to relive all of the fun, check out the children's librarians in action.
Stories by the Pond from Darien Library on Vimeo.


text:
I've been around this site as a lurker for years I think, but got my old username back anyways.
I love maps and always have ever since reading Tolkien at a young age. Been fooling around with little maps for years for games and such and even ended up taking a year of Geography in University because of it (I don't remember anything I learned though).
I am about to start a large project involving lots of maps for a game I am developing and figured I'd say hi before starting WIP threads.


text: Summary Files ★ Add a Review 0 Downloads (This Week) Last Update: 2014-06-09 Description RBNS openwebztreem Web Site Categories KEEP ME UPDATED Get project updates, sponsored content from our select partners, and more. By clicking on "Follow" below, you are agreeing to the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy. Invalid email address. Please try again. Sent to None. Follow You seem to have CSS turned off. Please don't fill out this field. You seem to have CSS turned off. Please don't fill out this field. Write a Review User Reviews Be the first to post a review of RBNS openwebztreem! Additional Project Details Registered 2011-06-13 This is a BerliOS project. Check out the BerliOS project page for more information. Report inappropriate content


text:
This post has been removed.
Notice: All Boston.com forums will be retired as of May 31st, 2016 and will not be archived. Thank you for your participation in this community, and we hope you continue to enjoy other content at Boston.com.
Tween Girls
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/20/2013 5:23 PM EDT
There's a place in the Legacy Mall in Dedham called Make Meaning, it's sort of a cool, crafting place. A cool environment for that age group, and a wide variety of projects to choose from.
This post has been removed.
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/21/2013 9:46 AM EDT
Hey, JC, you could get her addicted to Spell Tower (ahem) and then you'd never have to worry about entertaining her, LOL! :) I'm up to 9000+ in Rush Mode, thank you.
Sorry, no real suggestion, just a shout out to say hi. :)
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/21/2013 3:57 PM EDT
The toy stores seem to have all these cute crafting kits for girls that age. Making friendship bracelets, beading, etc. I think they look great and can't wait until my DD is old enough for them. Maybe give some of those things a try.
I also loved to cook at that age. Making cookies, or bread from scratch was always fun.
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/21/2013 4:21 PM EDT
Definitely, cooking! Not only do you have a fun togetherness thing to do, but dinner (or dessert) to boot. :)
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/21/2013 4:45 PM EDT
I'm not a mom....but I had two tween (they are now teens - a whole different animal) girl cousins who I spent a lot of time with and it's definitely an interesting age. They start to act a bit like teens, but when all is said and done, they are still kids at heart. So they still love kid humor & kid movies (Diary of a Wimpy Kid was a huge hit with them) and like others have suggested, they also enjoyed hands on things like arts & crafts plus baking. I also noticed that they love groups of people at that age possibly more than one-on-one. It doesn't even matter who is in the group, they just like to surround themselves with people.
But at that age they LOVE story telling, and dancing, and acting out stuff, and laughing over silly hair do's and food stuck in their teeth. They are still really willing to learn & play at the beach or the museum (but make it fun) or on a walk (with a dog?) in the woods. Hide & Go seek at night in the house with all of the lights off, or even scary(ish) films with mattresses on the living room floor and lots of pillows to cover their faces were all favorites. Imagination based on reality is huge at this age, and they like to construct things themselves, like invent their own plays or movies or situations. For instance pretending to be a lawyer, or having a "tea" party, but not with stuffed animals - with other people, all dressed up and ladies in brimmed hats. Greek mythology, or Egyptian history could all bring out some fun play ideas. They love to dress up! And those I know also loved animals, so playing with animals at an adoption clinic or having them help at one is also an idea (if they won't beg you to take them home).
They also enjoy cards and board games, a lot! Again, things that involve as many people as possible has always been the theme I've noticed with tween girls.
They are terribly fun at this age, even when they get moody (well maybe not then).
But it sounds like you are doing all the right things. I'm sure she's happy - you'd know it if she wasn't!
Oh and they LOVE root beer floats out of swirly straws, or at least those I know did!
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/21/2013 9:31 PM EDT
Tweens are a bit old for the kiddie crafting kits (and be careful, you can end up spending $20 for two tablespoons of beads and some string).
An art or beading class might be better, or to do it at home get a basic but "real" art kit.
As for cooking, how about looking up something interesting on line and shopping and cooking something new?
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/22/2013 8:07 AM EDT
Purple, some tweens are more childlike, others more adult. Heck, when I was 6 I asked how many more years of childhood I had to live through before being considered an adult. My mom said 12. I counted down in earnest to "adulthood" every year following. So, as you can imagine, when I was a tween I was going on 30. But, some of my peers were still playing with dolls. I didn't get it, LOL.
Oh, I know what I liked to do! My mom scoured the local community college offerings for kids my age. I took a pottery class, and she still uses the bowl I made for jewelry on her vanity. It's not even that ugly. :) And, I also took a candle-making class, but those are long since burned. I remember doing them and how they looked, though. I was very proud of them.
Anything I could learn that was just like what adults really do (not a watered down kid version) was tons of fun for me.
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/22/2013 9:22 AM EDT
She sounds like me at that age, too, not into sports, but not the princess-y kind of girly.
I did love craft stuff a lot at that age - if the kits don't seem "old" enough, you could hit up the internet (Martha Stewart?) or magazines for ideas and then the craft stores like Michael's or AC Moore for supplies. Picking out the project and the supplies could definitely be part of the fun.
I also love the planning/shopping/cooking idea, and piggybacking on what fakinbacon said, you could do theme dinners and make decorating the table (and maybe "dressing for dinner") part of the theme.
Also wondering if there is anything you like to do (or would like to learn to do!) that you could bring her into. Sewing? Gardening (as the weather gets warmer)? Charity work like playground clean ups or painting? Also, although I had my nose in a book and needed a little push to get outside sometimes, I loved and remember fondly when we would try stuff like walks in the woods and whatnot. Good luck with whatever you decide! Just the fact that you want to do things with her is nice and she will appreciate it in the long run - even if you start to get teenage pushback. :)
This post has been removed.
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/22/2013 10:43 AM EDT
Would she enjoy visiting an animal sanctuary?
Maybe she's too old for that... but you did mention she loves animals.
Sunday, May 19th - NVHS Annual Walk for Animals at Borderland State Park, North Easton http://www.neponsethumane.org/news-events.php
This post has been removed.
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/22/2013 11:43 AM EDT
This place is interesting, experience a different culture!
Eta: Does she like the theater? I would recommend a matinee at ART.
I saw my first play at around that age, fond memories.
North Shore Music Theater was a fun place also, not sure what's going on there now.
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/22/2013 12:26 PM EDT
I like your gardening idea, too. My nephews grew up in the garden with their mom, and I am sure that when they have their own homes they will have gardens (they are late teens, now). It's definitely a good bet she'll enjoy learning and getting dirty with you out there and eating the produce! I'm not the gardener in the family, but DH said something about starting the spinach seeds next week (in pots inside, of course). That's one of the earliest crops, and you can keep planting more all the way through Fall.
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/22/2013 2:41 PM EDT
If kits are bad (what do I know...my kids are 3 1/2) then I'd hit Michael's for some inspiration. I have a friend with tweens and they even like the "soap making" kits there. You melt glycerine soap in the microwave - color it with dyes and/or glitter and pour it into cute molds. More fun than candles since they can use the soap!
I always go to Michaels thinking i'll spend $20 and end up spending $80 - mostly on stickers!Lots of books there too with crafting ideas. There is one called "Upcycling" about reusing old things and crafting them into new stuff that I read about in Parent's magazine. (Maybe check on Amazon for reviews)
There are also some really cute cookbooks aimed at kids. I got one at Magic Beans that i'm saving for when my kids are older. Step by step instructions with lots of pictures. Healthy and fun foods.
Get some freezepops and make your own popsicles! I just bought Weelicious cookbook and it had lots of popsicle ideas - I'm sure you can find some recipes online.
My nieces loved knitting for a while - maybe age 10 or so?
I learned to needlepoint and loved to hook rugs at that age - again kits - but perhaps more sucessful than the ones in the toy dept. Available at Joann Fabric and probably Michaels.
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/22/2013 4:05 PM EDT
Omg, the happy memories you just brought back, misslily. I did all that and it just wasn't coming to mind. I crocheted, did needlepoint, and hooked rugs at 10. In fact, I bought a hooked rug kit for my niece last year...never heard if she liked it, though. I still crochet avidly so it could end up being a lifetime hobby.
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/22/2013 4:56 PM EDT
Here's a tutorial for making beads which I want to go try now, I just don't know what I'd do with the beads!
And yes, MissLily and Kar...I also did that stuff around that age too which brought back great memories. Totally forgot, and I was a very athletic tomboy type and still enjoyed it. Also, friendship bracelets were a hit for me made with embroidery thread or gimp!! Gimp!! It's been a while! You could even help her create her own "website" (weebly has a super simple template) and try to sell some of her crafts. Create a budget and time how long it takes her to make things and then see what they should be priced for. Or - you could donate them to a Children's hospital once they are complete.
And I still love coloring eggs. And you are totally going about it the right way by finding a more complex Easter Egg coloring method than just the dip method. Also - hiding eggs for my little sister was also a lot of fun around this time, perhaps she could help hide eggs somewhere too?
And as for the animal thing, I would have been the type begging to take them all home with me. But some places do have interesting programs for tweens. One of my favorite shelters (though it may be far) is the MSPCA in Methuen. I'm almost certain they have tween programs available.
Good luck!
This post has been removed.
Re: Tween Girls
posted at 3/23/2013 6:09 PM EDT
I just went to Winslow farm this morning for their easter egg hunt. It's a really quaint, small animal sanctuary. You can get really close to the animals, which was pretty unique and fun.
I mention it because it seems to be staffed by tweenish kids, so that might be a good activity or volunteer opportunity if you live in the area.
Also, if you're planning to get a dog, you should consider fostering. Most breeds have rescue programs and it's a great way to get a feel for dog ownership, and see what sort of dog you might like to own someday.
If you're interested in any local charities, consider participating or hosting a fundraiser. That can be a lot of fun.
This post has been removed.


text:
$util.date("MMMM d, yyyy",$topLevel.timeZone)
The search is on for a man who walked into a Washington County bank at closing time and robbed it.
Chief deputy Brian Hardison tells WITN that the man walked into the East Carolina Bank in Creswell at 5:58 Friday afternoon as the last customer was leaving. Hardison says the man was armed with a silver revolver and demanded cash.
The suspect left the bank with an undetermined amount of money.
The SBI has been called in to aid in the investigation.
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
You Choose the Winner: 7x7 and St-Germain's Valentine Dinner, Drinks and Dreamtime
It's the next and final phase of our inaugural search for the best story celebrating the love of friendship—and our online team has chosen the top three contenders for a fantastic group date night in San Francisco! And now it's up to you to choose the best from the entries below.
The story with the most votes earns its writer and up to six comrades a special night involving our fun and faithful friends, which includes:
A happy hour with specialty St-Germain cocktails in a reserved area at the award-winning Americano Restaurant on the Embarcadero, followed by dinner in the private dining room; A night out at the stunningly designed hotspot Chambers—recently voted Best Newcomer in 7x7's Eat+Drink Awards—with table service featuring a selection of bar bites from Executive Chef Trevor Ogden's seasonal menu, and St-Germain cocktails curated by bar program director Neyah White; An in-room nightcap at Hotel Vitale, finished with an overnight stay in a Deluxe City View room with two queen beds for the winner and one guest!
7x7 will also have a photographer on-hand to capture the fun from happy hour to nightcap, to be included in a special promotional feature revealed later in the year!
Deadline for voting for the finalists: February 3, 2012 Winner will be revealed on February 6, 2012
The San Francisco Valentine's Adventure will take place on Friday, February 10, 2012.
So whip out those tablets and read on!
Entry #1: "Love Is." by Abigail B.
One of my best friends Rach approached me one day asking, "What is love?" It was for a project she was doing, and for a very rare moment in life I had nothing to say. I've been single for years, and seemed to have forgotten. So instead, she tweaked the question for me, what a pal.
"Thank God," I said. "Because if you were to ask me what love is, I'd say it was us yesterday at Nikko's house."
The day before, three girls got in their Sunday's best (basketball shorts, tanks, sweats, and tees) and dragged themselves over to our girl Nikko's house. Some of us still drunk from the night before. OK fine, that was just me. At any rate, we all collapsed onto the bed makeup-less, and hair in messy buns. Through the wonders of technology we gathered around a Macbook and witnessed our friend get married all the way in New York, and through the wonders of Chinese delivery we grubbed on walnut prawns, garlic noodles, fried rice, mixed vegetables, and sweet and sour pork chops. The rest of the afternoon consisted of ice-cream, napping, chocolate, making it thunder-clap, Mary-Jane, chips and dip, me pretending to watch football, and even more chocolate.
We had just seen each other two nights before, yet there we were again. Doing absolutely nothing – and having a grand old time doing it. We didn't wait until the next day to text each other because we didn't want to clingy, and we didn't hesitate to make plans so soon for fear of smothering anyone. The laughs were bottomless, the conversation was natural, and no one hesitated to be too silly, or too weird, or too anything but be themselves. Now tell me that isn't love.
Not the most conventional answer, but it's my answer right now. And lately, it's all the love I've been getting. The love shared between friends will never be the same as that among lovers, but it doesn't make it any less important or real. In one of my darkest days my girl Rach said, "Even though I can't give you the love you want right now, I can give you the love I have, I hope for now, that's enough."
Well it's not. It's even more. And if it's this good now, I can't even imagine how great it will soon be.
Entry #2: "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" by Amy C.
I'm pretty sure that all men have a "charming quota"–a finite amount of game. Some men have a higher amount and are good at spreading it out over a lifetime or at least long enough to get a girl to marry them, while others seem to use up the charm by bar close. The latter group are the guys that go to great efforts to come across as engaging and dynamic up until the time it becomes clear you are not going to sleep with them. Without immediate satisfaction awaiting a boozy walk home from the bar, the game seems to be kicked like a keg at a high school party and they return to being the bland individuals they probably were all along, only now exhausted by their attempts at being interesting.
Does the charm re-charge while sleeping? Or does it require filling up like at a gas station? Are there any guys out there that are just genuinely witty, not just as a means to an end? These are the questions that keep me up at night.
My favorite wing woman, Katie, and I were at Lush Lounge when a pair of guys started chatting us up. They were dynamic, witty–a great flirting pair. A regular Maverick and Goose. These guys struck the perfect flirting balance between cocky and confidence, sweetness mixed with playful insults, jokes mixed with substance. They declared everything Katie and I were wearing "Man-repelling," but followed it up with that they still thought we were cute despite our guy-repulsing sartorial choices.
Drinks at Lush turned into more drinks at Night Cap in the 'Loin. The whole time Katie and I laughed, chatted up our respective guys, and privately congratulated ourselves for being such a dynamic duo. Toward the end of the night, my guy (I forget his name so let's call him Steve), started going with the more conventional flirting route, which for me, is the beginning of the end. I'd much rather someone make me laugh than gaze into my face and call me beautiful. Generally that makes me nauseous. Plus Steve just did it all wrong:
Steve: You're so beautiful.
Me: (Squirmy) Oh, you think so?
Steve: Of course I do. I wouldn't be talking to you if I didn't.
Douche alert! Well thanks for deeming me worthy of your attention. He seemed to be congratulating himself more than complimenting me and I seriously have issues with guys who don't give someone the time of day unless they find her attractive. But I convinced myself I was being too critical. Only I would dissect and take issue with how a compliment was paid. So despite my gag reflex beginning to activate, Katie and I agreed to go back to Steve's apartment for more drinks after Night Cap's last call.
So we walk the couple blocks to Steve's apartment, the guys thinking that they were probably going to get it in, and Katie and I thinking we would probably get some wine out of the trip and maybe a number. When we get there, Steve turns on Pandora and the four of us sit on the couch while Whitney Houston sings softly from the computer speakers. They don't offer us drinks or turn on the TV. They just sit there looking at us while Katie and I awkwardly look ahead (at a weird anime poster on the wall I might add) and attempt to make small chat. No more conversation. No more game. The charm had been drained. All these robots had energy to do was to rub our shoulders in circular motions and blow on our hair. Did they learn the art of seduction from an 1980s teen flick? I think they thought Katie and I would mount them in unison so they could high-five in the middle.
You know how teen movies always have that classic scene in which everyone is making out in front of each other on shag carpeting in some basement then afterward the two male buddies high-five and congratulate each other for finally finding girls who would touch them? Well these ADULT guys had somehow turned our night of semi-sophisticated flirting into a Judd Apatow movie. They went from Maverick and Goose to Seth and Evan from Superbad. Shockingly, Katie and I aren't into horny boys whose ideas of seduction is a clammy-hand neck-rub, so we mumbled some equally lame excuse about needing to find our drunk girlfriend. (That's also a convention of the teen flick, I think.)
Disappointed and drained of their charm juice, the guys turn into straight up blue-balled dicks. They barely walk us to the door let alone offer to call us a cab even though this apartment was on the corner of Gang Rape Alley and Crack Cocaine Avenue.
Katie and I fall out into the dingy hallway and immediately burst into laughter. Being the six-foot firecracker that she is, Katie decides to get to the bottom of this. Before we're even down the hallway, she turns around and knocks on the door of Steve's apartment, mere moments after we were all but kicked out for not putting out.
Katie: Excuse me…what the f*ck was that?!
These guys were so depleted from the couple hours they spent being normal, functioning humans that they weren't able to respond in any coherent way.
Katie: So like…I'm just so confused. What was that?
Steve: Uh well…..it just got sort of awkward. I don't know….
Katie: No numbers are exchanged? You just sort of sit there? What were you thinking was going to go down?
Seth/Evan: (dumb looks)
Katie: Ok have a nice night!
This exchange is exactly why Katie is the ultimate wing woman. The Romy to my Michelle, the Mary to my Rhoda. If our nights were turned into a movie it'd be the ultimate female version of the buddy flick, which, by the way, there really should be more of.
Entry #3: "Untitled." by Samantha H.
I started last year with a breakup, and a move – in that order. Come January 1st, I was surrounded by boxes in a new apartment, and for the first time since I was fifteen, I was single. The freedom and opportunity was inspiring, causing my new roommate and I to quickly coin those first few months "LaLa Land". The city allowed me to live out my Carrie Bradshaw fantasies, and I was lucky to have my own Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha. Soon enough I was ready to start dating, and quickly realized I needed to establish boundaries if I was to begin these methods of courtship. I decided against getting involved with anyone I worked with or in my major, as well as my close guy friends, to avoid messiness.
The solution: Online Dating.
Luckily for me, the online dating site provided a catalogue of single men to choose from with the same ease as ordering sushi from a picture menu. Within a few days of setting up my profile, this online dating project became game changing. It was brilliant – I could quickly judge the character, intelligence, and appearance of a man - before entering the same room as him. I was screening dozens of messages a day, juggling four or five dates a week, and meeting men I would have never before encountered. I was drunk with power. Dating was becoming a game of complete control, zero commitment, and multiple back-up options. LaLa Land was quickly becoming the most exciting time of my life.
Flash-forward a few months, exciting was becoming exhausting. To keep track of our dates, my friends and I started using nicknames to keep track of men, and they became very telling of our experiences. It was not uncommon for us to get "DouchebagFriday" mixed up with " PuppyBoy" and "TheHipster". Suddenly, four new men a week felt less appealing than it used to, and not getting an offer for a second date felt less like freedom, and more like failure. And it was wasn't just me that was becoming disenchanted – my girlfriends started dropping off the dating site as well, losing faith in men in the process. We started to learn the meaning of the term "jaded", afraid to talk about a new suitor for fear that it might be short lived. Refusing to get excited when a date went well. Where once we shouted "on to the next one" at the top of our lungs rivaling Jay-Z, we now spent mornings dissecting dates looking for what we did wrong.
The solution: We signed off. And focused on each other.
We replaced meeting strangers, with nights with each other. We exchanged going to bars to get "quick drink", for poetry readings in the Mission, and oysters at the Embarcadero. We started exploring different yoga studios, paying less attention to the hot instructor, and more attention to what he was actually teaching us. I introduced them to my passions: bikram, hiking, gallery openings, wine bars. They introduced me to theirs: cooking, brunch in the Marina, angsty teen television dramas. We began to find something that didn't exist on a dating site. We found ourselves again – and how to enjoy the city as it's meant to be experienced - alongside excellent friends.
Since then a few of us have trickled back into online dating, myself included, with renewed hope and clearer intentions. And for some of us, it's yielded promising results. My roommate has met the man of her dreams, all thanks to a lucky quickmatch. While I would like to say this City is my boyfriend, I know it's my platonic love affairs with my close friends that give me my strength. Single is no longer debauchery with a different stranger a night. Single is the gift of having the time to really find yourself. Single is the pleasure of spending those open nights with brilliant, beautiful, strong company.
Single is finding out that LaLa Land, wouldn't be possible, without girlfriends.
The Big Eat 2012: 100 Things to Try Before You Die
The Big Eat 2011: 100 Things to Try Before You Die
The Big Veg 2011: 50 Vegetarian (Or Vegan) Things to Eat Before You Die
Four Ways To Escape the Cold in Mexico
Jams We Love: Our Weekly Playlists
10 Best Dishes $10 in the Inner Sunset
Rise and Dine: A Guide to Brunch at SF's Best Restaurants
The Best Cheese in SF (Recommendations from Local Cheese Shops)
Refreshingly Unhip: The Best Vanilla Ice Cream in SF
The 20 Best Dishes Under $10 in the Tenderloin & Tendernob
Community Gardens Around the City
Horseback Riding Within 1.5 Hours of SF
Four Awesome Northern California Hot Springs
Refreshingly Unhip: SF's Old-School Pastrami Sandwiches
The 7 Best Carne Asada Burritos in San Francisco
The 10 Best Dishes Under $10 in the Outer Sunset
The 20 Best Dishes Under $10 in the Mission
The 10 Best Dishes Under $10 in Bernal Heights
The 10 Best Dishes Under $10 in the Lower Haight
The 10 Best Lunches in Union Square Under $10
Refreshingly Unhip: The Best Glazed Dougnuts in SF
Expert Advice on Parking in The City
5 Ways to Get the Wine You Want in Restaurants