text:
Amazon's Prime Move May Be Just Fine With Customers and Investors
Carol Kopp
What's the worst that could happen if "free shipping" gets a bit pricier?
(NASDAQ:AMZN) introduced its Amazon Prime two-day free shipping program for $79 per year back in 2005, many investors and analysts thought the idea was plain bonkers.
A year of unlimited free shipping for $79? With no limits on product weight or ordering frequency, and no minimum price?
Way to sink that ship!
Nine years later, Amazon has built its vast retail empire largely around the Amazon Prime program and its power to convert occasional shoppers into hardcore Amazon addicts.
Hard numbers are tough to come by since the company never releases specifics when it can avoid it. But best estimates are that close to 20 million consumers have Prime memberships, and they spend about twice as much in a year as non-Prime customers.
By late 2010,
Bloomberg Businessweek
would describe Amazon Prime as "the most ingenious and effective customer loyalty program in all of e-commerce, if not retail in general." It estimated that the program broke even three months after it was introduced.
Now, Amazon's admission that it is considering increasing the membership fee by $20 or $40 a year, to $99 or $119, has been greeted with trepidation if not outright panic by investors.
Customers are alarmed, too. The
results of a poll
by the
Wall Street Journal
suggest that 47% of Prime members might quit if the price is increased.
Keep in mind that this is a self-selecting poll of
readers, not a random sampling of the general public. Remember also that saying you might do something isn't the same as doing it.
Finally, consider the alternatives, or lack of them, to a free-shipping offer that covers approximately 19 million products, from toothpaste to power drills, with free streaming videos and some cloud storage thrown in.
So, that price increase is the equivalent of maybe two small deliveries in a year, or four if the increase is doubled to $40. Still going to quit Prime?
Amazon has in fact added some business-like sanity to the program over the years. Customers need to bundle small purchases to get free shipping. Some heavyweight Prime items clearly have hidden shipping costs built in. The Prime selection of "free" video is pretty limited in quality, if not in quantity.
But the real reason that Amazon announced that it is considering increasing its Prime pricing is that it needed to change the subject during its quarterly earnings call last Thursday, preferably to one with a dollar sign in front of it.
Wall Street was not at all happy with Amazon's latest earnings, which came in at $25.6 billion, a 20% increase from a year earlier, but still about $400 million less than analysts' expectations for the quarter.
Net income was $239 million for the quarter.
On the current quarter, the company said it might see an operating loss of as much as $200 million, with the upside estimate of $200 million in profit.
Investors have waited patiently for massive expansion to translate into respectable profits. They have watched as Amazon steamrollered the competition in one category after another, with its low prices and fast free shipping thrown in.
At least for that moment, they got impatient after that earnings call. The stock fell 10% in after-hours trading Thursday and, in a bad market, has dropped a couple of more percentage points since, to 346.14 at Monday's close of regular trading.
Raising the Prime price could bring in $400 million to $800 million, if the membership estimates are correct and if a modest number of dropouts are offset by a modest number of new enrollees.
At worst, Prime dropouts might re-think their shopping strategy on Amazon, making sure that their orders top the $35 threshold to score free shipping anyway, through the site's separate "Super Saver" offer.
Or, they might compare shipping prices on various sites and reach the conclusion that Amazon's shipping fees are relatively reasonable.
None of these sound like a losing scenario for Amazon.
Related stories:
Did Apple Inc. Just Reveal Its Next Big Thing?
Nintendo Doesn't Care What We Think, Let's Get Over It
Apple Exploring Solar and Wireless Charging for Its iWatch, Sources Say
No positions in stocks mentioned.
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These are real Czech streets! Czech girls are ready to do absolutely anything for money. They're amazing, but they're not exactly well off. A low standard of living is probably the main reason why local girls are famous for doing unbelievable things in public... If you don't believe us, come and see for yourselves.
Holiday, hot weather and half-naked girls everywhere. Who would stay at home? I went into the streets and headed directly to the swimming pool in Podoli. But then something happened that I have never experienced before. I met an incredibly tall and pretty eighteen-year girl at the bus stop. I had big problems to address this beauty, as she completely drove me out of my mind. I immediately pulled out my trick with the modeling agent looking for new faces. It worked in out perfectly and I got a chance for further persuading in a nearby restaurant.
But she was relentless that I had to do something I had never done before. I begged her to fuck with me. I promissed her 26 000 cash and that I will manage her to be a famous model. I admit that now that I have a bit of bad conscience. Check out this extremely beautiful catch.
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A blog with
czech girls

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Gadgets and accessories adorn the cockpit of this IBA participants Gold Wing (Bryan McCrary photo)
I must confess before we go any further that I secretly yearn to be an Iron Butt Rider. One of those small numbers of motorcyclist that the Iron Butt Association has certified to having had completed a minimum one thousand mile ride in twenty four hours, or less. I read recently where less than 1% of the riders here in the U.S. have done this and received their coveted IBA number. For me it would be a milestone, a notch in the 'ol belt.
You'll know these riders when you see the black license plate frame that reads "IRON BUTT RIDERS" across the top and "WORLDS TOUGHEST RIDERS" along the bottom on the rear of their motorcycle. They will be mounted to a variety of bikes but most will be touring and sport touring machines or the larger adventure class bike built in Europe. Sometimes they'll be mostly stock appearing but more often they're adorned with farkles and gadgetry galore. From specially built custom seats to all sorts of radios and communication devices, to radios, GPS's and even extra capacity auxiliary fuel tanks and lap top computers mounted on the fuel tanks these can be some extraordinary machines. The riders, even more so.
The small compass looks out of place with dual GPS units (Bryan McCrary photo)
The IBA certifies 107 different challenges that the LD, or Long Distance rider can choose from, the one my son and I are interested in doing is the Saddle Sore 1000. This is the one thousand mile ride done in less than twenty four hours mentioned earlier and is considered the 'entry' level ride for them. Some of these challenges are mileage and time based like the SS1000 each of them getting more difficult in progression, others are 'tours' like the National Park Tour where the participant must have proof of visiting 50 US National Parks from 24 different states in less than a year.
There are rallies too, but not in the more traditional sense. These rallies will have the riders competing to get as many miles as possible in a given amount of time, passing through controlled check points and obscure locations that are off the most direct route to them, gaining needed bonuses for scoring. The premiere event for the IBA, the Iron Butt Rally, is held every other year and is one the ultimate tests of the LD rider lasting for eleven days with the best finishers covering over eleven thousand miles. One participant joked it took "Eleven days, eleven thousand miles and eleven thousand dollars to do!"
An auxiliary fuel tank and car tire are mounted on this FJR (Bryan McCrary photo)
Safety is the number one rule with the IBA and LD riding. The bikes are meticulously maintained and not riding past the individual limits of the riders is stressed at every opportunity. Rider fatigue is the biggest obstacle and can take many attempts for a rider to attain the goals they set out for themselves.
My son and I had planned on attempting our first SS1000 in 2009. The Motorcycle Tourers Forum or MTF, was hosting an organized event that started and ended in Charlotte, North Carolina. A route was laid out that took the participants into Virginia and West Virginia and back, provided them with witnesses and notified merchants at various fuel stops along the way alerting employees that riders would be needing time stamps and signatures on receipts for documentation. Sadly something came up and we weren't able to be there on the scheduled day. But wish us luck in our attempt this year!


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We'll start shortly a partial virtualization of our infrastructure and consolidate a dozen servers into virtuals instances. We'll also add some client application virtualization into the mix for good measure. Two HP DL 380 with the new xeons 56xx and 96 GB of memory each running xenserver + xenapp will then take charge of most of our IT needs.
So far, so good.
One element that is missing from the picture is the storage part. We need some sort of shared storage to enable live motion and other HA features. We have an IBM DS 4300 SAN that we can use for that. But since it's in production since 2005, I'm not sure about such a critical role for a 5yr old part. So my question is: What is the reliability of this kind of equipment after 5 yr ? Can it last 10 yr with no or few problems ? Since our budjet is tight, not buying another SAN will be a big plus.
This lead me to another question: FC disks cost an arm and a leg from IBM. When I type the replacement # in google (for example IBM 300GB 15K 4GBPS FC HDD 42D0410), I can find it at a fraction of the price at various sites. So am I stupid to buy from IBM or naive to trust 3rd party reseller ??


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Tyler gives an awkward/funny interview on the Grammy's red carpet, speaking on the success of Frank Ocean, and other topics.
Well, the Outkast reunion might not be happening anytime soon, but Big Boi's taking it upon himself to remix Andre 3000′s recent collabos with Frank Ocean and T.I. Here's the Outkast remix of "Pink Matter".
Frank decided to let this track go via his Tumblr today, after it was turned down for the Django Unchained soundtrack.
New rap solo cut from Frank Ocean, released today via his Tumblr.
Lots of Odd Future this afternoon. Frank Ocean delivers another video from Channel Orange, in this Nabil directed, NSFW clip. Spoiler: Frank visits a strip club.
Frank Ocean – Thinkin Bout You – SNL 9-15-12 by IdolxMuzic Frank Ocean – Pyramids – SNL 9-15-12 by IdolxMuzic Ocean performs both "Thinkin' Bout You" and "Pyramids" on SNL last night, and midway through the peformance, stops to play Galaga. Hey, why not?
The producer behind "Ni**as In Paris" speaks with the Femme Fatale mixshow (bitch!). Among other topics, he explains how he "lost" the master for Nas and Frank Ocean's collaboration meant for Life Is Good. The lost tapes, indeed.
Rising Roc Nation artist Rita Ora covers Frank Ocean's "Swim Good" for BBC Radio 1′s Xtra Live Lounge.
This is interesting. The recently reunited Afghan Whigs cover Frank Ocean's "Love Crime".
It's 1:00AM and I'm thinking about the love of my life. Only problem is I'm not the love of his. Ingeniously, Frank Ocean has provided mood music for my pining. If someone decided to create a soundtrack centered on Lauryn Hill's "Ex-Factor" line, "tell me who I have to be to get some reciprocity" it [cont.]
In a cover story with The Guardian, Frank Ocean finally opens up about his letter addressing his sexuality, which he hasn't spoken on since it's release a few weeks back. "I won't touch on risky, because that's subjective. People are just afraid of things too much. Afraid of things that don't necessarily merit fear. Me [cont.]
BBC Radio 1′s Zane Lowe about dropping Channel Orange early, his creative process, and more.
Slaughterhouse speak out in support of Frank Ocean's decision to be open about his bisexuality, and praise his new album Channel Orange.
This bonus cut will appear on the physical CD releases of Frank Ocean's Channel Orange, due out this Tuesday.
Frank Ocean rides his massive buzz all the way to the bank, releasing his hotly anticipated Channel Orange LP one week early on Itunes. Listen to the whole thing above, right now.
Frank Ocean makes his debut television appearance tonight on Jimmy Fallon, performing "Bad Religion" from Channel: Orange, which is out on Itunes now.
B. Rhymes speaks on Frank Ocean's recent revelation. Meanwhile, Busta's next LP has been titled Year Of The Dragon, pushing aside E.L.E. 2.
Channel Orange in stores July 17th. Produced by Pharrell.
After Frank's second LP, and first official Def Jam full-length, Channel Orange leaked, rumors about the Odd Future singer's sexuality began to swirl, as the album contains three songs where the "love interest" is a male. Frank tweeted earlier this evening, "we're all a bunch of golden million dollar babies. my hope is that the [cont.]
The Odd Future singer will deliver his Def Jam debut on July 17th. Guest shots from Andre 3000, John Mayer, and Earl Sweatshirt.
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"Homelessness is the number one risk factor for companion animals in the United States. These animals die for no other reason than the mere fact that they, for whatever reason, lack a home," says ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres in an April 2010 statement.
American house pets are unforeseen casualties in the wake of the worst depression since 1930 with 1.6 million foreclosures currently pending (http://www.foreclosurepets.org/about-us/). When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, Americans were furious when distressed homeowners were told they couldn't take their pets with them during the mandatory evacuation. As a result of the ensuing news coverage and public outrage over pet owners being forced to leave their pets behind, Congress enacted the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006, requiring state and local agencies to ensure pet welfare before, during and after a major disaster or emergency.
Unfortunately, no laws are currently in place to protect pets abandoned or relinquished to shelters when owners lose their homes to foreclosure or eviction. So it's left to grassroots efforts by local shelters and rescue organizations to take in the influx of strays.
"On any given night, approximately 750,000 men, women, and children are homeless in the US," the National Alliance to End Homelessness reported in 2007 and over 13 percent are families. 44 percent, or 330,000 people, have no shelter.http://www.thechicagoalliance.org/homelessstats.aspx In Illinois, "While the overall homeless population has decreased, the percentage of individuals identified as the "chronic homeless" … has increased to 26%", indicates Chicago 2007 Point-in-time Count Report.
The Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Housing Action Illinois, and the Supportive Housing Providers Association stated in a March 24, 2010 report "that unless the State of Illinois passes comprehensive tax reform, even more people will lose their housing and become homeless. The state budget crisis has reduced funding for homeless programs by nearly $10.7 million or 23%. These cuts impact over 15,000 adults, teens, and children annually."
People who become homeless and have pets are in a bind with few resources for their pets. The Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency, Inc. (NEMCSA) reports from their 10-year study on homelessness in northeastern Michigan that many homeless people do not want to give up their pets. Some families face eviction from rental housing when a landlord discovers they have pets, NEMCSA reports.
Pets are so important. Sometimes it is the only thing these people have to love," a homeless motel operator reported to to NEMCSA. "There is probably not a lot of societal sympathy for this dilemma, but it should be brought to the forefront and looked at because it IS an issue."
Pet owners facing foreclosure or eviction frequently are unable to take their pets with them when relocating since apartments or other rental units do not allow pets. And if they do, there is often a restriction against dogs over a certain weight. What options does a caring pet owner have when they are faced with imminent homelessness?
Dr. Boris Levinson, Professor of Psychology at Yeshiva University and a clinical psychotherapist, stated in his 1997 book Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy: "In this very busy twentieth century, man is a lonely creature. There are too many alienated individuals who lack human companionship. They lack purpose and productivity. A simple addition to these lonely lives can sometimes accomplish major changes. The possession of a pet, who eagerly awaits one and responds to one's care and attention, may mean the difference between maintaining contact with reality or almost total withdrawal into fantasy. Literally, a pet can occasionally represent the difference between life and death."
Illinois does not appear to have any shelters that allow pets, nor is there evidence of a plan to establish shelters that allow pets. Lazarus House, a St. Charles shelter for people, does not permit pets and says there is no way they could accommodate pets due to legal restrictions. The Lazarus House representative was unable to identify one shelter that allowed pets and offered no alternatives.
PAWS Chicago (Pets are Worth Saving) Executive Director, Rochelle Michalek, relates similar findings which is why PAWS established Crisis Care Programs in the wake of the foreclosure crisis. Michalek says they will take pets into their Foreclosure and Eviction Program for temporary housing with one of their over 100 volunteer foster families where they will be spayed/neutered, micro-chipped and made current on their vaccinations if necessary. "We put these animals into foster (care) until the owners can find a new place to live that will allow them to be reunited with their pets. … We've supported people from as little as one week and up to four to five months depending on the situation … and the owner was able to collect their pet," Michalek says. Though some owners choose to relinquish their pets to PAWS knowing that PAWS will take good care of them, Michalek adds.
As part of PAWS Chicago's mission to make Chicago a "no-kill" city and address the economic crisis, PAWS has joined forced with PetCo where their Pet Food Bank provides three-months worth of food and supplies for people who need assistance, Michalek says. In 2009, Michalek says they donated over 29,000 pounds of food and helped 745 animals. Engaging the community and local businesses ultimately is what is going to offer solutions and help, Michalek says.
S. Elgin's Anderson Animal Shelter's Director of Humane Education, Anna Friedman, says the number of animals being dumped has actually declined as "it was more so the case a year ago … There seems to be a decrease in animals being dumped … I think there are more programs now … to help with the transition (from losing a home to foreclosure)." However, Friedman adds there are still high incidents where an animal is being given up due to foreclosed homeowners having to make a choice between feeding themselves or their pets.
Although Anderson doesn't operate any formal transition programs for foreclosed pet owners, Anderson does donate food that it can't use for one reason or another. Friedman says some human food banks are now providing pet food and cat litter.
Michalek agrees that while relinquishments due to eviction or foreclosure seem to have eased, PAWS is still seeing a lot of cats being relinquished, often due to the mistaken belief that cats are better equipped to fend for themselves. Right now, Michalek says, "we have well over 200 animals in foster care." Michalek says when dogs do come in, "we have seen significantly more dogs with heartworm than we have historically … people are no longer providing heartworm medication—it's expensive."
Kane County Animal Control Administrator, Mary J. Lawrie, says she too saw more pets being surrendered due to foreclosure two years ago, though the pet owners were vague about the reasons for surrendering the animal. In retrospect, Lawrie surmises they were too embarrassed to reveal their bad financial circumstances, whereas today, pet owners who must surrender a pet are more forthcoming about their circumstances. "Within the last year we've had more individuals calling us and asking for help," Lawrie says.
Owners of animals that are old or with behavioral or medical problems face difficult choices because these animals are not good adoption candidates. With shelters frequently full, it's particularly hard to find homes for elderly pets, says Lawrie. And even if euthanasia seems the more humane choice, often owners can't afford the cost, which ranges from $100 to $500, depending upon burial/crematory options.
Lawrie says, despite the poor economy, "We have been fortunate in that we have a good network in place … We have had tremendous response from the Kane County community … to adopt animals—even some older animals that we determine are medically sound enough to be placed for adoption. We have had people come in to say they saw the two 10-year old cats on the web site, and because they were a bonded pair, they wanted to be able to give them the opportunity for maybe another 10 years of life."
Friedman says Anderson also saw an increase in people relinquishing pets with medical needs, like one dog that was relinquished because the owner could not afford a $2,000 surgery to repair an injured leg.
Unfortunately, says Friedman, treatment in such cases is oven delayed, causing the animal to suffer more. Friedman says, "I think the medical care outside of spay/neutering and vaccination is a huge area that's lacking … We would love to see some low cost vet program created."
St. Charles area shelters, Anderson Animal Shelter and Kane County Animal control, encourage qualifying pet owners to seek PAWS Chicago's assistance: (773) 935-PAWS.
Lawrie also recommends the following to people facing foreclosure or eviction who have pets:
1. Well in advance of the eviction date, talk to family and friends to see if they might provide temporary shelter.
2. Contact a licensed shelter to get on a waiting list.
3. Place an ad in your local newspaper, but remember to indicate a cost, so dog fighters or animal researchers aren't interested.
4. Contact your vet, especially if he is familiar with your pet, since he might know of someone willing to adopt the animal.
5. Contact kennels and boarders where they can be boarded temporarily.
6. Contact your mortgage company to see if they can offer assistance.
7. Last resort—consider that euthanasia may be the kindest option for your pet if the animal is not a good adoption candidate.
Photo: By Ana Muller, courtesy of Pets of the Homeless
Other useful resources:
National Alliance to End Homelessness


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Motorola Shadow specs; details on Motorola Droid 2 for Verizon
Just a few hours ago, we were telling you that the Motorola Shadow might be the Moto MB810, which recently received a Wi-Fi certification.
We now have more news on the Shadow. According to this post at Mobile-review, the Shadow doesn't have a QWERTY keyboard, and the QWERTY device that we've presented as being the Shadow is actually called Motorola Droid 2.
The Shadow and the Droid 2 will both have 4.3 inch full WVGA (854 x 480) touchscreen displays.
Reportedly, the specs of the Motorola Shadow (which could be similar to the ones of Droid 2) include:
- Android 2.1 with MotoBlur and "7 homescreens"
- HDMI and USB ports
- FM radio
- 8MP camera with dual LED flash and 720p video recording
- TI OMAP 3630 CPU (at 800MHz?)
- PowerVR SGX530 GPU
"If everything goes well," the Motorola Shadow could be released by Verizon in June. I assume the Droid 2 will be out at about the same time.
Keep in mind that none of the details above are confirmed. Let's hope those specs are accurate, though.


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The Federal Government will Become America's Model Employer for the 21st Century.
Recruit, Retain and Honor a World-Class Workforce to Serve the American People.
Human Resources and Security Specialists should use this tool to determine the correct investigation level for any covered position within the U.S. Federal Government.
OPM's Human Resources Solutions organization can help your agency answer this critically important question.
Developing senior leaders in the U.S. Government through Leadership for a Democratic Society, Custom Programs and Interagency Courses.
Two-Grade Interval Archives Specialist Positions
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Use the Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Administrative and Management Positions for this series in conjunction with the Individual Occupational Requirements described below.


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Woodies: Are They Making A Comeback?
Have you noticed more woodies on the road lately? I don't mean vintage collector's items like a 1940 Ford wagon or a '46 Chrysler Town and Country with flanks clad in mahogany and framed in white ash.
I'm talking about cars whose bodies are decorated with the kind of fake-wood applique we used to mock for being oh-so 1970s. Only now the stuff is turning up on modern cars. I was recently in line at a parking garage behind a Honda Element with faux-wood panels. I have also seen Chevrolet Traverses, Chrysler PT Cruisers and Ford Flexes with wood-trimmed sides and rear ends.
Speaking of the 1970s (and even the 1980s), woodies of that era are becoming classics and seem to be turning up everywhere. A Ford Country Squire station wagon was the backdrop for a recent L.L. Bean Signature catalog cover and a faux-wood-sided Jeep Grand Wagoneer stars in a Tommy Hilfiger ad. The cars appear to be part of a broad marketing strategy at a number of companies aimed at nostalgic 30- and 40-somethings who grew up with such preppy vehicles before the SUV era of the 1990s.
So far car makers aren't building wood-tone production vehicles, but there is a growing supply of simulated woodgrain in the automotive aftermarket. The woody panels are essentially decals, often with raised plastic borders. Sometimes they look a lot like the real thing found on cars — station wagons in particular – in the 1930s and 1940s. But they can also look pretty awful, especially on the wrong vehicle. The Honda Element I saw seemed wrong. The Smart car — totally wrong. The silver Ford Flex with warm wood trim? Let's talk.


text:
Charles Lee Henley Jr.
Position: RB
Height: 5-10 Weight: 226 lbs.
Born: September 4, 1975 in Columbus, OH
High School: Brookhaven
College: Kansas (school history) (Henley college stats)
Drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 5th round (163rd overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft.
Weighted Career AV (100-95-...): 4 (9949th overall since 1950)
Other SR Links: College Football at Sports-Reference.com
Promote your website or business by sponsoring this page for $5 on Pro-Football-Reference.com. Your message will replace this ad.
|0 Accepted Penalty


text:
Kindly asking how to prove that $F(x)=\sum_{n=1}^\infty \sin(nx)/\sinh(n\pi)$ is differentiable for all $x$ and of any order? I am really stcuk to treat this function. Please make me a right path. Thank you.
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Differentiating the series term by term leads to a reasonable guess that $$F'(x)=\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac{n\cos(nx)}{\sinh(n\pi)}.$$ Notice that the $n$th term is no greater than $n/\sinh(n\pi)$, and the sum of these bounds converges. So the series converges uniformly. Now, I hope the fact that uniformly convergent series can be integrated termwise is part of your knowledge base! Use the fundamental theorem of calculus to finish up.


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JWC TO THOMAS CARLYLE ; 30 July 1857; DOI: 10.1215/lt-18570730-JWC-TC-01; CL 32: 209-211
Auchtertool / Thursday [30 July 1857]
Here I am Dear, "hoisted on to the toother ane"1!— The sea was tolerably smooth after all, and I was only mildly sick. Old John2 was waiting with the dog-cart—(Walter is still in Liverpool with Jack3 who has been having a dreadful attack of "rheumatic gout"!) My portmanteau, by dint of furious exertions of my own, was not carried on to "the North." And I reached the Manse about four o'clock, "all there," and "this side up"; but horridly jumbled thro' o'ther, and with a touch of "real mental agony in my own inside"!4 Little Mary is much plumped out since last year; but looks to me still in a nervous weakish way, that any imprudence might aggravate into incurable illness. Maggie is the same little golden-haired impersonation of good-humour and "Practical Endeavour"—And the place is all over roses and knots of ribbon as usual. They seem heartily glad to have me with them; and I had new occasion to admire their hospitable politeness when I found that only a fortnight ago there had been the downbreak of a Cook— and a new one to be sought up. Which fact neither Maggie nor Mary nor Walter made the least allusion to, in the different letters I had at Sunny-Bank from all three of them about my coming! They have a new cook now and hope to "make her do"—Hope springing "eternal in the human mind"5 But when Walter returns (he is expected on Saturday) and recommences with his little improvised dinners ("to thirteen") I look forward to a new Pronunciamento in the kitchen.
The last cook was a very Free church woman.6 She "came in to Prayers" one Sunday night in her morning gown, with bare arms, and "flopped down on her chair disdainfully" (Maggie said)—Afterwards Maggie mildly remarked to her on her dress and said "you know I like to see you tidy on Sundays"— "Oh," says Mrs Free Church, "for the matter of that; there is so little difference made in this house between Sunday and the other days of the week, that I quite forgot it was Sunday"!! Whereupon Maggie proposed to her to leave and she cheerfully acceded.
My Aunt Grace came from Morningside in the omnibus with me to see me off— After having settled myself on the omnibus and looked out a little at the lovely Braid Hills;7 my eyes unconsciously fixed on the broad plaid-waistcoated belly of the gentleman opposite me, and next to whom Grace had taken her seat— What a big man, I thought—and glanced from his belly to his face; it was rather handsome—at least very goodhumoured and gentlemanly—or rather gentlemanfarmerly—and with its light brown hair and whiskers, looked younger than the ample belly—which was not however a pot-belly—only a broad stout one— Suddenly Grace having looked at his face also, commenced a hearty shaking of hands with him, and said, "there is Jeanie—Mrs Carlyle—don't you know her?" He held out his hand with a smile and blush in which I recognized Robert MacTurk!8 It was very uncomfortable to have been staring at his belly for five minutes and then to find in him an old lover9— I wished I had sat down any where but just exactly opposite to him— The situation as contrasted with our last interview was so absurd!
He behaved very nicely considering—expressed much "disappointment" felt last summer when he found I had been at Thornhill without his seeing me—and gave me a pressing invitation to visit his wife and him, now or at any time "Poor fellow after all"!
On leaving the omnibus I stumbled on Colonel Hamilton Veitch10—whom I had seen already at Haddington— He is the one nice sane Veitch—of the lot. He had just read the Indian news and said People generally would think it bad, "because Delhi was not already taken and the mutineers already put down— The English being so conceited that they always thought they had nothing to do but walk up to a thing and it would fly before them—"11 But those who knew the country, he said would be only too thankful that Bombay and Madrass were still quiet— All the old Indian officers here abouts have been predicting this outbreak for years and years back.12
I found here a charming letter from Lady Sandwich forwarded from Sunny Bank I will answer it soon—but today I am not up to more writing—having lost my whole sleep last night—
I wonder if you have got the comb and like it— Lady S says you are going with her for a week—13 I am glad to hear it, for I am sure you are overworking yourself— But it will be a capital Book—


text:
Performance-and-bonus-driven managers manipulating data seem to be at the heart of the unfolding scandal at the Department of Veterans' Affairs according to various reports, but after five years in the driver's seat of the agency, President Barack Obama accepted the resignation of Secretary Eric K. Shinseki yesterday.
Those cash rewards apparently went to the worst performing hospitals, reports Stephen Moore for InvestorsBusinessDaily. Moore writes:
"As far as mismanagement, the problem of 'performance' bonuses at the VA appears to have been systemic. An Open the Books investigation has found that 'one in five employees at the Phoenix VA received bonuses in 2013, with some receiving extra pay of $5,000 or more. The total bonus payouts were $337,885.'"
Leaving numerous American veterans to suffer without care, sometimes alone and in incredible agony, managers and their various "scheduling schemes" (the phrase used officially) are identified in the official interim report of the Inspector General.
In fact, four "scheduling schemes" have been identified in the report. To quote:
Scheme One:
"Schedulers go into the scheduling program, find an open appointment, ask the veteran if that appointment would be acceptable, back out of the scheduling program, and enter the open appointment date as the veteran's desired date of care. This makes the wait time of an established patient 0 days."
Scheme Two:
"Schedulers at several locations described a process using the Clinic Appointment Availability Report (or similar report) to identify individual schedulers whose appointments exceeded the 14-day goal. Scheduling supervisors told schedulers to review these reports and 'fix' any appointments greater than 14 days. Schedulers say they were instructed to reschedule the appointments for less than 14 days. Atone location, a scheduler told us each supervisor was provided a list of schedulers who exceeded the 14-day goal. To keep their names off the supervisor's list, schedulers automatically changed the desired date to the next available appointment, thereby, showing no wait time."
Scheme Three:
"Staff at two VA medical facilities deleted consults without full consideration of impact to patients. The first facility deleted pending consults in excess of 90 days without adequate reviews by clinical staff. Schedulers working at the second facility cancelled provider consults without review by clinical staff."
Scheme Four:
"Multiple schedulers described to us a process they use that essentially 'overwrites' appointments to reduce the reported waiting times. Schedulers make a new appointment on top of an existing appointment of the same date and time. This cancels the existing appointment but does not record a cancelled appointment. This action allows the scheduler to overwrite the prior Desired Date and appointment Create Date with a new Desired Date. This adjusts the Create Date to the current date of entry and the Desired Date to the date of the appointment, thus reducing the reported wait time."
A previous plea was made to President Obama by Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, as seen in the Examiner, to "safeguard evidence of possible wrongdoing at local VA facilities so VA employees who may have allowed patients to fall through the cracks will be properly held to account."
Miller said then that he believes this is "the biggest health care scandal" in the VA's history, adding that "... by the department's own count at least 23 veterans are dead due to recent delays in VA care."
Multiple media outlets carried the apologies from Shinseki for the scandal in which VA employees are reported to have conspired to hide the months-long wait times that American veterans faced when seeking care throughout the veteran's hospital system. The newly-resigned Secretary led the department for five years, and at least two writers for the WashingtonPost described him as seeming "dumbfounded." The writers also quote President Barack Obama as going "out of his way" to define Shinseki, a former Army general who lost half of his right foot to an exploding mine in Vietnam, as "a person of integrity."
Nevertheless, many may find the IG's interim report released this week to be eye-opening:
"To date, we have ongoing or scheduled work at 42 VA medical facilities and have identified instances of manipulation of VA data that distort the legitimacy of reported waiting times."
The IG report also included this bit of help:
"We will provide VA with the list of the 1,700 veterans we identified as not being on any wait list so that VA can mitigate any further access delays to health care services, and deliver higher quality of health care."


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Did I wreck my flash?
Started May 13, 2013 | Discussions thread
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Barrie Davis • Forum Pro • Posts: 21,460
Re: Did I wreck my flash?
HansN46 wrote:
No it doesn't. It's a simple straight forward flash (Nikon-dedicated in my case) with only a test button. But yesterday I read about a possible reset of a Nikon SB600 on Ken Rockwell's site, by putting the batteries in while the power switch is ON.
I tried that and I made some test shots in my room (low light) and they all were perfect and the flash behaved as it should, also synchronizing the camera properly. So I will do some more tests the next days and report here.
Good luck with that... (my fingers are crossed for you.)
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Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians
Dameron, Tadd (Tadley Ewing Peake)
Called the "romanticist" of bebop by Dexter Gordon, pianist Tadd Dameron was known for the substance and depth of his songs. He was one of the first to use bebop harmonies in his arrangements for both large and small ensembles, and his keen ear added form and structure to bebop's compositional palette.
Tadd Dameron was born Tadley Ewing Peake on February 21, 1917 in Cleveland, Ohio to Isaiah and Ruth Peake. Both of his parents were musicians and played the piano. Isaiah was also a singer, and other musical members of the family often joined the family in playing music.
Tadley, named after a grandfather, was regularly known as "Tad" to family and friends until 1947. Tad became "Tadd" after a numerologist advised him, "To be lucky, you really need to put another letter in your name."
Ruth and Isaiah split up while their sons were in their teens, and Ruth married a man named Adolphus Dameron, a local chef who owned his own restaurant. Because of this, Tadd and his older brother Caesar adopted their stepfather's surname.
Both Tadd and Caesar showed a great interest in music from an early age. Caesar, who became a saxophonist and composer, got his brother interested in jazz by playing the records of the big bands of the 1930s such as Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, and the Casa Loma Orchestra, which featured some of the most sophisticated arrangements from the first golden age of jazz. Caesar also set up impromptu jam sessions at their house featuring local musicians, who gave further advice and encouragement to the boys.
Tadd quickly learned to read music, and studied as many musical theory books he could get his hands on. He quickly developed sophisticated musical ideas, and became bored with his music lessons at Cleveland's Central High School.
While Tadd was still a teenager, Caesar sneaked him into the Columbus nightclub and asked the members of the Snake White band if his brother could sit in with them for a song. Although members of the band had known he had been studying piano, Dameron played things that the older professionals were not accustomed to hearing. According to saxophonist Andy Anderson, "He's got ten fingers and all of them went down on different notes! He'd been studying!"
Dameron had his first experience at arranging at the age of twenty-one, arranging for a big band formed in Cleveland by James Jeter and Hayes Pillars. The song was entitled "'I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart' and according to Dameron, "Everything was wrong with it. Good ideas, but no voicings or anything like that."
In 1940, Dameron traveled to New York with Vito Musso's band. When Musso's band disbanded, Dameron ventured to Kansas City where he was a composer and arranger for Harlan Leonard's Rockets. Dameron wrote several tunes for Leon, including "400 Swing," "A La Bridges," and "Rock And Ride." Dameron went on to work as an arranger and composer for Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie and Babs Gonzales, for whom he arranged the original version of "Oop-Pop-A-Da" in 1947.
In 1942, trombonist Trummy Young introduced Dameron to Dizzy Gillespie, which began a fruitful working relationship, when enabled Dameron to bring his composing and arranging skills into the bebop arena. Dameron went on to compose Soulphony for Gillespie's big band, which premiered at Carnegie Hall in 1948. Among the bebop classics that resulted from Gillespie and Dameron's collaboration are Hot House, Good Bait and Our Delight.
In 1946, singer Sarah Vaughan recorded one of Dameron's trademark songs, "If You Could See Me Now." The recording became a favorite of among jazz enthusiasts and critics, and was inducted into the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
Jazz fans began to notice Dameron's work, and in 1947 he was honored by Esquire magazine as "Best New Jazz Arranger." Dameron soon formed a sextet for an extended gig at the Royal Roost nightclub on Broadway. The band became a favorite of many of the era's top musicians, who could often be found in the audience. Those who played in the band included a pair of up and coming trumpeters, Fats Navarro and, Miles Davis, who then brought Dameron to Europe to appear with him at the Paris Jazz Festival in 1949.
That same year, he formed his own small group that included Navarro, with whom he recorded "Nostalgia" and other sides for Blue Note and Capitol, including "Lady Bird," "The Chase," and "Dameronia."
On "Dameronia" Dameron illustrates absolute sophistication in accompaniment by changing his style to fit the soloist. For the trumpet solo, Dameron plays with a firm attack in the middle register of the piano, while during the bass solo he plays with a light touch on the upper register of the piano. Because of this method, Dameron truly brings the sound of the soloist to the forefront.
After Navarro died at age 26 in 1950, Dameron recruited another young trumpet player for his group, Clifford Brown. On June 11, 1953, they went into the recording studio in New York City. Though a relative unknown at the time, Clifford Brown's trumpet sounds brilliant and cuts through the nine-piece ensemble. Three years after this recording session, Clifford Brown had earned acclaim as one of the most innovative soloists in jazz.
In 1956, Dameron recorded the album Mating Call. Recorded in November 1956, the record is best known for featuring tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, thirty years old at the time. On "Romas," Dameron's introduction slowly builds anticipation towards the start of the melody to ensure an exciting effect when the rest of the instrumentation joins him. On his solo, Dameron revisits some of the techniques he used in the introduction, but embellishes them to add more color to the contour of his solo.
Unfortunately, Dameron's career was overwhelmed by his addiction to drugs. Dameron was arrested for possession of narcotics on January 17, 1958 and he was sentenced on February 19 to the Federal Prison at Lexington, Kentucky. After he was released in 1961, Dameron contributed arrangements for bandleader Benny Goodman's tour of the Soviet Union as well as compositions for Milt Jackson, Blue Mitchell and Sonny Stitt.
Dameron's last recording session was The Magic Touch of Tadd Dameron. Dameron recorded this album with several noted musicians including pianist Bill Evans, tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, trumpeters Charlie Shavers, Joe Wilder, and Clark Terry; and drummer Philly Joe Jones.
The record features, "On a Misty Night," "Fontainebleau," and "If You Could See Me Now." On "Fountainebleau," Dameron best utilizes his arranging skills by creating an introspective and complex arrangement. "Fontainebleau" contains bebop motifs at particular sections; Dameron brilliantly gives the horns and woodwinds an orchestral feel that truly brings out the storytelling element of the arrangement.
Sadly, Dameron's health remained poor following his release from prison. Dameron endured cancer and suffered from several heart attacks in his later years. On March 8, 1965, Dameron succumbed to cancer in New York City at the age of forty-eight. Dameron was survived by his wife Mia and he did not have children.
Though his life was cut short, Dameron's influence endures through his compositions and arrangements, which remain part of the standard jazz repertoire to this day.
Select Discography As Tadd Dameron
As Tadd Dameron
The Dameron Band (1948)
Anthropology (1949)
A Study in Dameronia (1953)
Fontainebleau (1956)
Mating Call (1956)
The Magic Touch of Tadd Dameron (1962)
Contributor: Eric Wendell


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9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Might need a powered USB hub
Jan 10, 2010
By Jonathan Key
I had initially given this device a semi-poor review, however after hooking it up through a powered USB hub (I was desperate, trying everything) it works beautifully.
If you are having sound quality issues (mine was a fluttery distortion) try a powered USB hub. My board is a brand new ASUS P5N-T Deluxe so I was very surprised that the USB ports are underpowered.
As for the headset, it is everything I wanted and more. I am a reasonably small guy and I have had many headsets that did not adjust down far enough to be comfortable. This one's smallest setting is perfect, however I wonder if the larger-headed folk out there would like it. It's width is not adjustable.
Sound quality is above reproach, with a surprisingly accurate 3D sound emulation. Now that it works I really can't say enough about it. Not overly thrilled with my new motherboard now, but that is another review :)
15 of 18 found the following review helpful:
Not comfortable for me.
Dec 28, 2009
By Victor Vuong "Victor"
My model had a problem with the USB cable that would cause it to reinstall itself whenever I moved, but ignoring that problem...
The sounds from the headphones are great. The quality of the microphone is also great. I have no complaints on using it to play my games or voice communication. My complaint comes from the comfort and the build quality of the headphones.
1. The cloth padding on the headphones are pretty soft which is good. The problem is after the cloth padding, the actual thing that the sound comes out of is rock hard. So if your ears are touching/rubbing on them, it hurts.
2. The headphones were REALLY tight on my head. It hurt my head after a while. It might loosen up over a lot of usage, but I didn't want to go through that much pain.
3. The microphone will bend, and is good at angling toward your mouth, but it doesn't swivel up like other headsets. So if you're doing things like drinking/eating in front of your computer, the microphone will get in the way. That sucks. I know it's detachable, but if you're doing things on the fly, you don't want to be pulling out the microphone, then taking off the headset, and plugging it back in.
Another thing to note is that these are USB headphones. If you're a laptop gamer, then I think these would suit you very well. I game on my desktop. When you plug in USB headphones, they are now a new sound device. You can only choose to have windows output to one sound device. So it's going to be headphones or speakers. Having to configure games and applications everytime I decided to switch from speakers to headphones really sucked.
If you're a desktop gamer, then I'd recommend just getting the normal analog plugs (headphone/microphone) to have more versatility and easier use if you're switching from speakers to headphones a lot. If you're an always headphones guy, then sure the USB would be fine. I also recommend going to the slightly more expensive version which has the swivel microphone.
One last thing to note, the cloth doesn't do any sound isolation. So that can be good or bad. It was good for me because I could hear my wife when she was calling for me, but it's bad because it won't cancel out the sound of her vacuuming.
I would recommend to anyone looking at headsets to get the Turtle Beach Earforce X1. These are a lot more comfortable, and they can work on the PC or the Xbox 360.. and they're the same price.
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Great Product!
Dec 02, 2009
By J. Crooks "Jeff"
The shipping was speedy and when I saw that box on my doorstep I immediately took that to my computer and opened the box. I took out the software disc and put it in my cd drive but the cd drive was making all kinds of grinding noises, so I took out the disc, and found out that it was bent slightly. Luckily I was able to pull of the data from it and able to make a whole new software cd.
As for the comfort, I do have glasses and the last headset I had which were Creative's Wrap around really hurt my ears because of the glasses. This headset did not hurt at all, in fact you hardly even notice it! Its lightweight and comfy.
As for the quality of sound, excellent, the software gives you so many options of settings, eq, and etc.
The construction quality is great and the muff contour to your ears and are easily adjusted to fit anyone's comfort need. I did not even have to adjust anything right from that box!
10 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Most comfortable headset I have found. No complaints
Apr 08, 2009
By Lovin' retirement
Lets get this over with first, I have a large head and wear glasses (translation: TALL NERD). Most headsets are really annoying because they are so tight and cause pressure on my glasses making the headset really uncomfortable to wear. I have tried many headsets over the years and in reality this is the only headset that I have found that I can honestly say is comfortable even after wearing them for an hour or two.
They deliver on the sound and the mic is can be removed with just a tug if you are not using it. I should also mention that the cable for the mic is flexible so you can bend any direction you want and it stays there.
all in all, a nice headset for everyone, even us fatheads.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Great Purchase!
Dec 12, 2009
By R. Clarke
I bought this headset after my old Plantronics one broke, trusting the positive reviews I saw. They were right. This is a great gaming headset and a good headset overall for other uses as well.
very comfortable - even during my longer gaming sessions, it has never hurt my ears.
USB connection - my computer, frustratingly, does not provide power to its mic/line in port. Almost all headset mics are powered from the jack, meaning USB was a necessity
Great sound - my mic is always the clearest one on vent, and I enjoy the surround speakers even when i'm not gaming
the foam padding over the microphone broke off and was lost. mic static is still unnoticeable, but that particular element was poorly made.
(possibly) the detachable mic - a swivel mount may have been better, as I have almost lost the mic before. however, if you can keep up with it (as i have so far and hope to continue doing) it IS nice when just listening to have the mic gone completely. I have gotten great use out of this headset as merely a set of surround headphones.
Overall, this headset it definitely worth its price.
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Foreigners must report agricultural holdings
Published: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 10:58 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 10:58 a.m.
Robin B. Hudson, executive director of the Davidson-Davie USDA Farm Service Agency, reminds foreign people with an interest in agricultural lands in the United States that they are required to report their holdings and any transactions to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
"Any foreign person who acquires, transfers or holds any interest, other than a security interest, including leaseholds of 10 years or more, in agricultural land in the United States is required by law to report the transaction no later than 90 days after the date of the transaction," Hudson said.
Foreign investors must file Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act reports with the FSA county office that maintains reports for the county where the land is located.
"Failure to file a report, filing a late report or filing an inaccurate report can result in a penalty with fines up to 25 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land," Hudson said.
For AFIDA purposes, agricultural land is defined as any land used for farming, ranching or timber production, if the tracts total 10 acres or more.
Disclosure reports are also required when there are changes in land use. Foreign investors must also file a report when there is a change in the status of ownership such as the owner changes from foreign to non-foreign, from non-foreign to foreign or from foreign to foreign.
For more information regarding AFIDA and FSA programs, contact the Davidson-Davie FSA office at 301 E. Center St., Lexington, NC 27292, call 248-2687, ext. 2 or visit the USDA website at www.usda.gov.
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.


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Two new logos were unveiled for Super Bowl 50 on Wednesday afternoon. Rather than having Roman numerals like in the past, the Super Bowl will be known as "Super Bowl 50" rather than "Super Bowl L."
It will be the golden anniversary of the Super Bowl as Levi's Stadium won the bid to host last year. The primary logo has the Lombardi Trophy with a golden "50" in the background without Roman numerals.
The regional logo of Super Bowl 50 features a backdrop of scenic landmarks from San Francisco which includes the Golden Gate Bridge, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, San Francisco Ferry Building, Coit Tower, Transamerica Pyramid and redwood trees from the Muir Woods National Monument within a golden "50". The front of the logo has the same generic template since Super Bowl XLV where there is a Lombardi trophy and an outline of the host's stadium in silver sans the roman numerals. In this case, Levi's Stadium is shown behind the Lombardi Trophy.
When Super Bowl 50 occurs, it will be the second full season of Levi's Stadium as the 49ers home. Super Bowl 50 will be played on February 7, 2016. Super Bowl XLIX will be in Glendale, Arizona for the 2014 NFL Season.


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Whether you're lounging at cool pools or sizzling beaches, Coco Rave™ provides you with flirty, fitted swimwear to help you look your very best. Their unique Perfection Fit™ system utilizes your bra size to determine the perfect swimsuit cup size for you. Coco Rave is fashionista friendly, as you can mix and match their versatile tops and bottoms to create your very own swim wardrobe. Instead of covering up your curves, flatter them with style, comfort, support and fit. See you on the sand!
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What Is Instructional Design
What is instructional design? This is the question we will focus on this week as we continue in our journey to understand how librarians can make us of the instructional design process to enhance their design of library instruction. The following site provides a good definition of instructional design (http://www.umich.edu/~ed626/define.html). Now that we have a common framework, we can move on to gaining a better understanding of the discipline. The following materials are a very condensed listing of resources that can provide a basic self-study to help librarians understand the basics of instructional design.
A good site to learn more about basic instructional design principles is the IDD workbook created by graduate students at the University of Southern Alabama (http://www.southalabama.edu/coe/idbook/home.html).
- Also, the following audio files provide a nice overview of instructional design (http://www.ltgreenroom.org/episodes/22) & (http://www.archive.org/details/tonywhiteDesignforPodcasts).
- Finally, the following multimedia recording from CIDDIE @ the University of Pittsburg provides a good overview of a basic instructional design model (http://mediasite.cidde.pitt.edu/MediaSite/Viewer/?peid=87fe9bdc-9d61-44a0-917b-5398ab903319)
- To learn more about instructional design models Martin Ryder's site is quite useful (http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itc_data/idmodels.html).
Once you have immersed yourself in the above materials you should have a better understanding of what instructional design is. In the next blog we will look at what basic instructional technology is.Â
Posted: 4 March, 2007 in Instructional Design & Technology.
Pingback from lauren's library blog » links for 2007-03-08
Posted: March 8, 2007 at 5:43 am
[…] Designing Better Libraries » What Is Instructional Design Another "todo." I love blended librarianship and instructional design. Here are a list of links (to multimedia!) explaining exactly what Instructional Design *is*. (tags: todo instructional.design instruction design) […]


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adoration of the new magi, devotion to hot men. direct. unmediated. authentic.
Baldin's one of the greats from this source, but as this portrait shows, there can be exceptions. His series on an austere bed in a tropical cottage, involving one of his feet, is very magical. He is just very, very wonderfully pretty.
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Outgoing Bay County School Superintendent James McCalister knows what his new assignment will be when he leaves office in a week.
Superintendent-elect Bill Husfelt has asked McCalister to become the principal at Jinks Middle School. That's the job he had when he became School Superintendent in 2000.
Husfelt defeated McCalister for the Superintendent's job last week.
Superintendent-elect Bill Husfelt told NewsChannel 7, Anna McClain, the present Jinks principal will move over to Callaway as acting principal and then in December she will go to Bay High as acting principal.
Husfelt says Mrs. McClain will fill principal vacancies as they occurred as some administrators are taking advantage of the drop program. After that she will be assigned as a permanent principal at a still-to-be-named school.
Husfelt also says Peggy Bunch will become the interim Principal at Boseman replacing Sandy Harrison who moved to Mosley last week.
All of the moves become effective with school board approval on November 19th, the day after Husfelt takes office as superintendent.


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A New Year calls for new beats! And new labels, too. Kaveh Soroush and Kalle Ronngardh, the boys better known as Pleasurekraft, have recently re-launched their label, Kraftek. Known for blending strange, distorted vocals into fun and house basslines, Pleasurekraft is sure to cultivate and promote some inventive sounds on this new platform.
Bontan's Hit it From The Back EP is the first release from Kraftek. It's Bontan's first proper release, too, other than his remix of Skeleton Key (which is fantastic, despite how painfully overplayed the original was all summer). This pair of songs–plus a remix from Umek–is tight and well-crafted. All three fit the bill for Kraftek perfectly, especially the A-side. It's a tiny bit on the electro-pop side, but the reverberating bass is energetic and hard to ignore. Hit it From The Back is dizzying. It's danceable. It's a solid start from a new producer like Bontan.
Up next on the EP is The Revolution, which is like Hit it From The Back's younger but tougher little sibling. Harder and darker than the title track, this interesiting beat should be saved for late nights. The vocal is too repetitive for my taste, but it is a nice change from the barely-recognizable speech in the first track that is so often associated with Pleasurekraft. The Revolution remix is a much techno echo of the original. It takes a while to heat up, but once it does, I remember why I love Umek's style: it makes everything sound sexier.
Overall, Kraftek deserves a round of applause for this first release (or maybe just some appreciative two-stepping). I can't wait to hear more from them in the future.


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There is nothing in this product that will instantly lift even one skin cell on your face. Countless cosmetics companies echo this claim for thousands of products all over the world—none of them work as they purport, although women fall for the promise time and time again.
There are some good ingredients in this lightweight serum-textured moisturizer, including soybean protein, which can help stimulate the repair of skin's collagen. Although that's good news, lots of ingredients can benefit skin in a similar manner. Besides, the best skin care is never about one star ingredient; rather, it's about a blend of ingredients working synergistically to help your skin look and act younger, just like the best diet is a good mixture of different food types, not just one type.
Beyond the soybean protein, this serum has little else to mention. The film-forming agents will make your skin feel temporarily tighter (think hairspray for your face), but that's not going to lift your skin anywhere, instantly or over the long term. Bottom line: This serum is mediocre and doesn't come close to making our Best Serums list.
Time Freeze Instant Lift Serum is formulated for all skin types to instantly hydrate and firm while preserving youthful freshness. Lifting, firming and line-plumping ingredients immediately and progressively smooth fine lines and wrinkles for an overall younger-looking complexion. Time Freeze Instant Lift Serum is your solution for preserving a youthful appearance.
Water, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Protein, Hydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata Extract, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Silica, Butylene Glycol, Calluna Vulgaris Extract, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Methylparaben, Propylene Glycol, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Ethylhexyl Cocoate, Peat Extract, Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine, Xanthan Gum, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Cellulose Gum, Disodium Edta, Benzyl Benzoate, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Linalool, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Alpha Methyl Ionone, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Fragrance
Lumene At-A-Glance
Strengths: Relatively inexpensive; a handful of good options for sensitive skin; one good eye cream, though you don't need an eye cream—you can use any well-formulated moisturizer around the eye area; every SPF-rated product provides reliable UVA protection; Blueberry Curl Mascara has a well-deserved reputation as an outstanding way to enhance lashes.
Weaknesses: Jar packaging is pervasive; the Excellent Future products and most of the Time Freeze products aren't helpful for antiaging or wrinkles; several products contain more preservative or film-forming agent than the ingredients your skin really needs to look younger and healthier; no products for acne or effective products for those struggling with uneven skin tone or discolorations; no exfoliants.
The Cosmetics Cop Team strongly suspects that the interest in this product line from Finland is its prestige packaging, coupled with a relatively attractive price point. This is an eye-catching brand that really stands out on drugstore shelves; however, these products aren't really all that inexpensive, especially in comparison to products from Olay, Neutrogena, or RoC. In the United States, you'll find Lumene products at most CVS drugstores as well as at Ulta, Target, and Walgreens. Although the Cosmetics Cop Team loves to find and recommend inspired skin-care and makeup products at reasonable prices, this line isn't one of them.
Two major shortcomings are: (1), the jar packaging, which means any state-of-the-art ingredients in those products won't remain stable once the jar is opened because they deteriorate in the presence of air, and (2), most of Lumene's formulas contain only a dusting of the superstar ingredients they brag about. Vitamin C, ceramides, antioxidants, peptides, and the like are all essential, brilliant ingredients for skin, but when only minute amounts are included, your skin isn't getting much of the good stuff.
What it comes down to is this: Shopping Lumene shortchanges your skin, leaving it needing, and deserving, far better. A bargain isn't a bargain if it isn't the best possible care for your skin. What good is saving money on skin care if your skin is left wanting and, in fact, needing more?
Aside from the jar packaging and the paltry amount of important skin-care ingredients, there are other limitations, adding to this line's woes. If you have acne, skin discolorations, or uneven skin tone, you need to look elsewhere.
From a marketing point of view, Lumene capitalizes on the erroneous notion that age is a skin type, so they group their products according to decades. Complete nonsense! Age is not a skin type, nor is race, height, weight, or ethnic background. Regardless of your age, if you have acne, rosacea, dry skin, oily skin, sun damage, or blackheads, the same ingredients that work for someone in their 30s will work for someone in their 40s, 50s, or 60s. There isn't a single piece of research showing that any specific ingredients or formulations are better for skin depending on your age.
Like a vast number of cosmetics companies, Lumene leads you to believe their products are all natural and loaded with beneficial plant extracts, in this case, from the remote wilderness of Finland. Nothing could be further from the truth. These products are loaded with synthetic ingredients. That doesn't make them inherently bad, it just makes the marketing claims obnoxious and misleading.
For those intent on exploring what this Finnish line has to offer, despite the fact there isn't much here worth your attention, your best bet is to stick with the products for sensitive skin, which are truly fragrance-free, and the cleansers. Oh, and if you want to find out if the cult classic status of Lumene's Blueberry Curl mascara is deserved, look no further: It most certainly is!
One more comment: Many Lumene products contain an extract or oil from the Arctic cloudberry plant. Although there is research proving this plant has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, it is far from the only one, and isn't even close to being the best for skin. The fact that Lumene chooses to highlight this plant is about marketing nonsense, because stories sell better than reality. Whether it is from the Amazon, the Swiss Alps, or the Himalayas, geographic location is not what makes a plant extract of any kind superior for skin.
For more information about Lumene, call (888) 253-8916 or visit www.lumeneusa.com.
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Freightliner > Freightliner Locations in California
Bakersfield Truck Center, 8140 Golden State Highway, On north side of Bakersfield from Hwy 99, take 7th Standard Road off-ramp. Dealership is south of 7th Standard Road and west of Hwy 99., Bakersfield CA 93308
Western Star, Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR) (D)
661-393-6950View MapNavigationStreetView
Southbay Truck Center, 21107 Chico Street, (1) From Hwy 405 N. take the Avalon Blvd. North exit. Merge onto Avalon Blvd., turn right onto E. Dominguez St., and then turn right onto Chico St. (2) From Hwy 405 S. take the Avalon Blvd. exit toward Carson. Keep right at the fork and go on Avalon Blvd. Turn left onto E. 213th St. and then turn left onto Chico St., Carson CA 90745
Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR)
310-984-3950View MapNavigationStreetView
Durham Pentz Truck Center, 22 Pepsi Way, Located 7 miles South of Chico, CA. Take the Durham/Butte College exit. Go West on Durham Pentz for 500 yards. Take a right on Pepsi Way (50 yards). First building on your right., Durham CA 95938
Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR)
530-893-8617View MapNavigationStreetView
Los Angeles Freightliner - Western Star, 13800 Valley Blvd., (1) From I-10 West, take Cherry Ave. Exit. Go north on Cherry, then turn left on Valley Blvd., then turn right on Calabash, entrance to dealership is on Calabash. (2) From I-10 east, take Etiwanda/Valley Blvd. Exit. Follow signs for Valley Blvd. Turn right on Valley Blvd. Turn left on Calabash (first intersection). Entrance to dealership is on Calabash., Fontana CA 92335
Western Star, Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR) (D)
909-510-4000View MapNavigationStreetView
Transwest Truck Center, 10150 Cherry Avenue, From I-10 West Take Cherry Avenue Exit. Turn Right To Dealership., Fontana CA 92335
Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR)
909-428-3435View MapNavigationStreetView
Delta Truck Center, 10182 South Harlan Road, ship on the right. Enter on Transportation Ct., French Camp CA 95231
Western Star, Chassis repair, Freightliner (D) (SR)
209-983-2400View MapNavigationStreetView
Fresno Truck Center, 2727 E. Central Avenue, From CA-99 S, take the Central Avenue exit, Exit 127. Turn Left onto E. Central Avenue. Location is on the right., Fresno CA 93725
Western Star, Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR) (D)
559-486-4310View MapNavigationStreetView
General Equipment, 50 Enterprise Court, From Hwy . 221 (or Napa Valley Hwy .) turn west onto Kaiser Road. Turn right onto Enterprise Way, and then turn right onto Enterprise Court. Dealership is at the end of the street., Napa CA 94558
Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR)
707-226-7681View MapNavigationStreetView
High Desert Truck And Trailer, 8995 Three Flags Ave., From I-15, take Exit 395, Joshua. Turn right on Three Flags Ave., Oak Hills CA 92344
Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR)
760-948-6077View MapNavigationStreetView
Golden Gate Truck Center, 8200 Baldwin Street, From Hwy . 880, exit at Hegenberger Rd. Turn east on Hegenberger Rd. two blocks to Baldwin Street. Turn south on Baldwin to the dealership., Oakland CA 94621
Chassis repair, Freightliner, Western Star (SR)
510-632-3535View MapNavigationStreetView
Big Ts Ftl, Stl & Wst Of Ventura County, Inc., 2501 Camino Del Sol, (1) From Hwy 101 take Rice Ave. Turn south for one mile. Dealership is on the left hand corner of Rice Ave. and Camino Del Sol. (2) From Hwy 101 take Del Norte Ave. Turn south one mile, turn right on Camino Del Sol. Drive 1/2 mile to the corner of Camino Del Sol and Rice Ave. Dealership is on the right hand side., Oxnard CA 93030
Western Star, Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR) (D)
805-983-2408View MapNavigationStreetView
Redding Freightliner, 4991 Caterpillar Rd., From I-5, take Twin View Blvd. off-ramp. Go west to Caterpillar Rd. and turn right. Dealership is 1/4 mile past Market St. intersection., Redding CA 96003
Western Star, Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR) (D)
530-241-4412View MapNavigationStreetView
Sacramento Truck Center, 100 Opportunity Street, From I-80, take the Norwood Exit south to Harris Ave. (first traffic light). Turn west on Harris Ave. and follow to Opportunity Street. Turn right on Opportunity Street to the dealership., Sacramento CA 95838
Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR)
916-286-2000View MapNavigationStreetView
Rincon Truck Center, Inc., 114 Rincon Court, Located in South Orange County between LA & San Diego, along I-5. From the Interstate travel west on Pico two blocks, then turn south on Calle de Los Molinos for one block, then turn west on Rincon Court (at end of the street)., San Clemente CA 92672
Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR)
949-492-3520View MapNavigationStreetView
San Diego Freightliner, 6006 Miramar Rd., 1) From the north, take the I-5 freeway south. Merge onto I-805 south. Take the La Jolla Village Dr / Miramar Rd exit. Merge onto Miramar Rd. Dealership is on the left. 2) From the south, take I-805 north towards Los Angeles to the Miramar Road exit. Merge onto Miramar Rd. Dealership is on the left., San Diego CA 92121
Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR)
877-454-5456View MapNavigationStreetView
Santa Maria Diesel Service, Inc., 365 West Betteravia Road, Exit Hwy 101 at W. Betteravia Rd. and go west 4 miles., Santa Maria CA 93455
Western Star, Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR) (D)
805-922-5778View MapNavigationStreetView
Los Angeles Freightliner - Western Star, 2429 Peck Road, (1) From Pomona Fwy (I-60), exit at Peck Rd. Follow Peck Rd. south to dealership. (2) From San Gabriel Fwy. (I-605) southbound, exit at Peck Rd. (3) From San Gabriel Fwy. (I-605) northbound, exit at Peck Rd. Right on Pellissier Place. Right on Peck Rd. North to dealership., Whittier CA 90601
Western Star, Chassis repair, Freightliner (SR) (D)
562-447-1200View MapNavigationStreetView
|Indie Truck Stops
|CAT Scales
|AM Best
|Flying J Travel Plazas
|Thermo King
|Loves Travel Stops
|Utility Dealers
|Pacific Pride Commercial
|Truck Dealers
|Petro Center
|Truck Wash
|Pilot Travel Centers
|Tank Wash
|TA Travel Centers
|Weigh Station Scales
For those that can't do apps, this is by request and is a indexed PDF file. Look up a city and find all of the Truck Stops with map links. Download it and take it with you. $6.97 Truck Stop PDF.


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Your mindset in and out of the classroom can affect more people than you think.
Filed Under Dealing With Stress, SOS for Teachers, Teacher Support, Well being
Your mindset in and out of the classroom affects more people than you think. Monique Valcour argues people's mindsets at work not only impact their coworkers but also impact people's partners, their family members, their networks and even the larger community. She explains people take work related stress home and it negatively impacts the well being of family members, and it can even affect children's school performance. Valcour illustrates this point by giving us the following example: Individuals with a distrustful mindset who are very competitive at work and try to get ahead by taking credit, withholding or distorting information, assigning blame, or shifting allegiances undermine the organization's effectiveness by driving up stress and burnout in others.
I totally agree with Valcour. I've worked with educators who've had negative mindsets and their negativity did affect me negatively at work and at home. I'm sure you can think of instances when you've been affected negatively by a colleagues negative mindset. On the other hand, I've worked with educators who've had positive mindsets such as the mindsets of openness, trust and generosity. These mindsets affected me positively at work and affected my family positively at home. I'm sure you can think of times when you've been affected positively by colleagues' positive mindsets. I can also think of times when I might of had a less than positive mindset and affected others negatively. I regret those instances but what can I say except I'm not perfect.
I just thought of an example when I changed my mindset about something felt much better about my situation at work and went home happy and much less stressed. Bruce (not his real name) and I taught the same subject for years. When we first started working together, I had hoped we could work together and create materials to use in our classes. I'd worked with a colleague before in just this way and absolutely loved co-creating or creating and sharing lessons, handouts, etc. Unfortunately, Bruce and I didn't have this type of working relationship. Bruce would simply take the lessons, handouts etc. I'd created and use them but not give me any in return. I thought that was so unfair and developed the mindset that Bruce was exploiting me. I became very stressed by this. I talked about "the Bruce situation" all the time. My husband (bless him) finally told me he didn't want to hear any more about Bruce- so you get the picture. One day, for some reason, I decided I would just share everything with Bruce that I created and not expect anything in return. I felt so great after I'd made that decision. I don't know why I felt that way but the stress and resentment was gone. It was so easy once I changed my mindset about "the Bruce situation" from resentment to generosity. I still don't quite understand it, but being generous brought me well being.
It is astonishing how important the positive mindsets of our coworkers are to our well being. Valcour, citing Adam Grant , shares data from a 20-year longitudinal study of healthy people that reported people with social support from co-workers were two and a half times less likely to die prematurely than individuals who didn't have positive co-worker support. I'd come to realize over the years that positive support from my colleagues was psychologically beneficial , but I had no idea positive support from colleagues was that important for my physical well being.
Obviously a positive mindset is better for us and everyone around us. My question is how do you recognize your negative mindsets and how do you go about changing them? Any suggestions?
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Inflation is not how many dollars it takes to buy gold,
but how much gold it takes to buy technology.
(This is the short summary of an 8 page essay. Link to it at bottom.)
Technology is an effective offset against inflation and often, far more so then Fed (capital) policies. Technology can leapfrog ahead inflation and does so regularly. In the case of gas, hybrids are doing this now.
Hybrids outperform inflation by double (maybe triple). In other words, if gas prices doubled tomorrow, a hybrid would leave you paying less per mile than Grandma did (as compared to her income in the 1930's). Put simply, technology is the overriding variable to inflation rather than the cost of gold alone. Welcome to America's real minting press: US Innovation and technology.
Commodities will eventual hit upon a phase of escalating prices. It's the nature of any finite resource against rising consumption. Technology is just the opposite. Prices fall in direct relation to technologies expansion.
This recast technology from one of indulgence, performance or utility and into the official answer to a world of fast diminishing resources. A commodity's utility is multiplied by technology. Greater the technology, greater multiple of a commodity's utility.
This creates a direct and symbiotic relationship between the commodity and its tech counterpart. The real value of a commodity is not simply in how many dollars it takes to buy it, but also in how much more utility technology provides it. It's therefore accurate to measure the commodity by our cost to purchase that Tech Utility. The 'REAL' measure of inflation is not solely in how many dollars it takes to buy gold, but rather, how much gold it takes to buy its corresponding technology.
How much gold did it take to purchase that same 1 mile with Grandma's income as compared for us to buy a mile from a hybrid today? That's where you find the true measure of inflation and the actual price of gold to the dollar. Our dollar can purchase a whole lot more miles (via hybrid technology) than Grandma could. Calling this the Grandma Index maybe a fitting name. Welcome to the Grandma Index. We call it the Tech Affordability Index: Tai.
Technology has hit that tipping point wherein each successive oil spike is now countered with the next wave of re-investment. This loops into lowering the cost of tech and so giving us broader market utilization. Higher the price = greater the investment for the next generation jobs and innovation.
A mere 1% the cost of the Gulf Wars could allow hybrids triple the impact to American drivers. Rather than 'cheaper' gas, hybrids hand us a whole lot more miles per gallon.
Compare (other) policies to our simple prescription for more hybrid investment. Nationalizing the fed, reverting to gold or further militarization of foreign policy would have a much smaller impact then hybrids.
Take milk as an example. Say the dollar lost 50% of its value. Let's also say diary production doubled (and so its cost also fell by half). The cost of milk to us would be the same though the dollar itself was half its original value.
This happened to food prices once we left the gold standard after Nixon. America's ag-tech dramatically expanded food production and so lowering food prices just as the dollar began to spike. The same would be true again if wages doubled. In either case, the affordability is not defined solely by the dollars rate of 'inflation.'
In this example, the falling dollar would only be the first variable. Rising milk production would be the second and a counter balance to it. This production off-set is not accounted for in today's inflation model though it is often the larger factor of a tech based world.
This gives us a duel track for indexing inflation. On the one side, we have inflation eating away at the 'purchasing power' of the dollar. On the other, we have technology that keeps allowing us greater utilization of that very same dollar.
Tech utility may represent one of history's greatest power shifts of the modern era, if not millennia. It may recast tech as the official replacement to colonialism. A story not yet recognized.
Colonialism was built upon ever greater access to global resources. In this old paradigm, prosperity was largely decided upon by a nation's access to commodities. It was a commodity based world; primarily won and secured through military might. Hence, the ever expanding military budgets and focus to weaponry and standing armies.
A market based, tech driven system replaces the role of military conquest with market gains won with hot, new products. Consumer and industrial tech are the guns of choice in this new paradigm for that is how territory is lost or won in the power struggles of the modern day. Meanwhile, commodities are measured more by ones utility of them rather than ones access to them. Put simply: Those with commodity riches or larger militaries are losing out to those winning over market share and building the latest gadgets and cutting edge tech.
A commodity rich country with a powerful army like we see of both Russia and Iran will lag those that are more tech and product proficient - like Japan and S Korea. It's the dawn of a new era. Commodity utility will reign over its producers. Market reach offers greater prosperity over those of military might. It's a new paradigm the US has not yet fully comprehended. Yes, our military budget is based upon an outdated paradigm.
Behold the 21st Century where guns and gold are no longer the baseline to power and prosperity. In this new world, commercial reach, tech savvy and marketing brawn are increasingly the deciding factor to wealth and influence. The Tech Affordability Index brings this new world into focus for the first time.
(This is the 2 page summary. For the complete article go to:
High Gas Prices Are Great for the Economy. New Inflation Index: TAI
The link below:


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James Herbert Sears
Position: DB-HB
Height: 5-11 Weight: 183 lbs.
Born: March 20, 1931 in Los Angeles, CA
Died: January 4, 2002 in Woodland Hills, CA
High School: Inglewood
College: USC (school history)
Drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the 6th round (62nd overall) of the 1953 NFL Draft.
Weighted Career AV (100-95-...): 5 (9377th overall since 1950)
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The research for this page was done by Scott Kacsmar.
Read his extensive three-part article (Part I - Part II -
Part III) for full details.
View complete leaderboards for game-winning drives and comebacks.


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Hi and welcome from Fort Worth TX!
This is a discussion on Hello from Mississippi within the New Members Introduce Yourself forums, part of the DefensiveCarry.com Forum Office category; Welcome!...
Hi and welcome from Fort Worth TX!
- - - - -
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho Marx
Welcome from Las Vegas, Nevada!
"Gun control is being able to hit your target."
Glock 26
Welcome from Montana.
When youre wounded and left on Afghanistans plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Just roll to your rifle and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier.
Rudyard Kipling
Welcome from Alabama.
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. Albert Einstein
Welcome from central Mississippi.
Glock 27
Welcome from Tennessee!
I'm too young to be this old!
Getting old isn't good for you!
welcome from michigan
NRA sence 2003 Colt defender Taurus .357 mag
Taurus tcp x box gamer tag mathewsman
Greetings and Welcome from Fayetteville, NC!!!
"Without fear there can be no Courage!"
Welcome to DC from Utah
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
Thomas Jefferson
Welcome from Mass.
While people are saying "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, ... and they will not escape. 1Th 5:3
welcome from the panhandle of Texas
Certified Glock Armorer
"I got a touch of hangover bureaucrat, don't push me"
--G.W. McClintock
Independence is declared; it must be maintained. Sam Houston-3/2/1836
If loose gun laws are good for criminals why do criminals support gun control?


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This is volume 5 & 6 of …….AND THEN THERE WERE FIVE a photographic journey through the years of our grandchildren growing up…way too fast. It is a labor of love by their Nana. :-)
I have loved taking photos for many years and after retirement 11 years ago I began to spend more time with my cameras. I live on a beautiful lake in northern Mn so have a canvas right out my door to inspire me. I have traveled a bit and love both Italy and Oaxaca, Mexico. In addition to photography I love cooking and best of all spending time with my family which includes 5 incredible grandchildren. I have three books that are devoted to that family.
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JAMES ROY DESIGNER/GOLDSMITH Published February 08, 2013
.....and Then There Were Five Published February 03, 2012
.....AND THEN THERE WERE FIVE Published February 13, 2011
......AND THEN THERE WERE FIVE Published October 31, 2009
summer fun 2009 Published September 04, 2009
summer fun 2009 Published August 27, 2009
ITALY: ROME AND TUSCANY Published March 05, 2009
.....AND THEN THERE WERE FIVE ! Published November 14, 2008


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Sources of marine litter based on The Ocean Conservancy's marine litter data, 2012. Data represent the percentage of litter collected by volunteers during the 2012 ocean cleanup.
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So you love the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, but you're wondering if there's a way to expand your horizons beyond the park. If you're visiting Halloween weekend, you need look no further than the Swan and Dolphin resort, which is just a quick stroll or boat ride away. The resort is hosting its annual Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic, a culinary event where delicious cuisine abounds and potables flow freely.
Click the slideshow accompanying this article for scenes from last year's Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic. You can get individual tickets to use at the food and drink booths, but you're much better off buying an all-inclusive wristband. That allows you to graze freely and enjoy as much food, wine, and beer as you can possibly consume in one evening. Some fans of the festival even buy admission for both nights to double their fun.
You can come over to Walt Disney World for the evening or book a special hotel package at the Swan and Dolphin. The official website has full details and prices. There's live entertainment, too, so it's a complete night of fun. Even if you're not staying at the Swan and Dolphin, it's easy to get to the resort via boat or bus. If you stay at Boardwalk or Yacht and Beach Club, you can walk right over.
If you want to kick things off early, sign up for one of the seminars on topics like wine, beer, pasta making, or cheese pairing. The pasta and cheese seminars are new, as is a debut offering on sushi and sake. As someone who's been to the wine seminars, I highly recommend booking one as the perfect way to start your evening. The libations flow freely at the seminar, so you'll be in a perfect mellow mood to enjoy the rest of the night.
Go to this article for a new way to enjoy the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival into the wee hours of the night this year with a special hard-ticketed after hours event.