text:
Performance reviews can often be a source of anxiety for employees and managers alike. Employees want to make sure they are getting direct feedback from a variety of people they work with on a day-to-day basis. Managers want to make sure feedback is fair, comprehensive, and actionable. Adding to the strain is the often cumbersome process of sending out forms, following up to make sure feedback comes in, collating all the input, and trying to put it all together in a meaningful fashion.
We've seen customers turn to SurveyMonkey to simplify feedback gathering, follow-up, and analysis so they can spend more time on the most important part of the review: focusing in on the key things an employee is doing well and the critical areas for improvement.
Embedded below is the 360 Employee Feedback template, which is available on our site. You can quickly customize it per employee, edit it to focus on your organization's key success factors, send it out using our email collector (so you can follow up with those stragglers who don't complete it in time!), and easily see aggregated results per employee. By asking for the respondent's working relationship with the employee, you also have the option to filter feedback per employee based on peers or people who report to him or her, to see if there are any differences in responses. Feel free to click through to see how you might use this for your next performance review cycle.
There you have it. Spend less time shuffling paper, more time making your employees more successful, and earn yourself that well-deserved "Boss of the Year" award.
Have good questions you like to use for gathering performance feedback? Please do share.
Tags: 360 feedback, embedded survey, example survey, performance feedback, sample survey, survey example, template


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Kenneth Libo, an award-winning American historian of the Jewish immigrant experience and a former editor at the Forward in the early 1980s, died in Manhattan on March 29 of complications from a fall following a period of ill health. He was 74.
Born in Norwich, Conn., Libo, grew up on a chicken farm, his Jewish family living largely in isolation. A Navy veteran, he graduated Dartmouth College and held a doctorate in English literature from the City University of New York. Most recently, he taught American Jewish history at Hunter College and lectured widely.
Libo co-authored the landmark 1976 volume, "World of Our Fathers," a gripping, readable narrative of the secular immigrant Jewish experience in New York City, for which he shared a National Book Award with Irving Howe, the noted literary critic, editor of Dissent magazine and leading New York intellectual. Libo's vast archival research and knowledge contributed to the book's acclaimed scope and range. Both authors, as Howe later wryly reflected, achieved popular fame by affording their audience the chance to "cast an affectionate backward glance at the world of their fathers before turning their backs upon it forever and moving on, as they had to, to a world their fathers would neither have accepted or understood." Together with Irving Howe, Libo also wrote "How We Lived," a documentary history of the Lower East Side. He later went on to author "We Lived There Too," a companion piece of Jews in the American West.
In the last 25 years, Libo, a deliciously witty observer and conversationalist, authored a number of documentary family biographies, including "All In A Lifetime," an oral memoir of John and Frances Lehman Loeb, a journey into the realm of business, culture, politics, philanthropy and education; "The Obermayers," a history of a Jewish family in Germany and America from 1618-1909; and "Lots of Lehmans," an anecdotal history of the Lehmans of Lehman Brothers. At the time of his death, he was at work on a family biography of Robert Goldwater, pioneer scholar of tribal art and Louise Bourgeois, his French-born wife and leading sculptor.
Articles by Libo appeared in the New York Times, American Jewish History, and Midstream. Formerly first English editor of the Jewish Forward from 1981 to '82, he curated exhibitions at the Jewish Museum and the Center of Jewish History in New York, the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadephia and Beth Hatefutsotin Tel-Aviv.
Michael Skakun
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
We offer a full range of surgery options, including same-day and inpatient surgery, for patients of all ages. Perhaps most impressive is our qualified staff consisting of experienced surgeons, an anesthesiologist, several nurse anesthetists and a team of highly skilled nurses.
Family is important at Margaret Mary. And our 11 private, pre-operative and recovery rooms are large enough for your loved ones to be with you during your pre- and post-operative stay. Additionally, we have three surgery suites, as well as endoscopy and urology suites.
For more information, call (812) 933-5120 or email Melanie Fullenkamp.


text:
As of July 1, the inspection, compliance and enforcement functions from several provincial government departments will come together under Nova Scotia Environment.
Departments involved in this consolidation include the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Health and Wellness, the Department of Agriculture, Nova Scotia Environment, and the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
For more information, visit novascotia.ca/nse/inspection-compliance-enforcement/
There are about 5,000 restaurants, grocery stores and food service facilities in Nova Scotia. Inspectors conduct inspections and audits on food service establishments using risk based assessments.
The inspection report disclosure website provides information on the results of these inspections. The website confirms compliance with food safety regulations or required corrective action.
The reports that are located on this site are only for inspections completed after July 10, 2008. As more inspection reports are added, they will be available for a three-year period. Inspection reports are usually posted within three days of an inspection being completed.
Disclaimer: Although the information is thought to be accurate, the Province of Nova Scotia implies absolutely no warranty for its accuracy, completeness or use. The province shall not be held liable for any losses or damages, including lost profits, for the use of information within this website or information that can be accessed through this website.
All data is guaranteed from the time as listed above. Not all inspection information is available online at this time.


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P.L. 111-311, The CALM Act (6 comments ↓ | 8 wiki edits )
- This item is from the 111th Congress (2009-2010) and is no longer current. Comments, voting, and wiki editing have been disabled, and the cost/savings estimate has been frozen.
S. 2847 would regulate the volume of audio on commercials.
[35 views]
Learn More
There was no up-or-down vote in the House.
There was no up-or-down vote in the Senate.
From the Blog
WashingtonWatch.com Digest – July 6, 2010This is the WashingtonWatch.com email newsletter for the week of July 5, 2010. Subscribe here. email newsletter | tell a friend | wiki | about | home | log in On the Blog: Congress' Non-Budget Budget As we noted last week, Congress ...
War in Iraq and Afghanistan, Debt Piling Up… and yesterday the House passed a bill to regulate the volume of TV commercials. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "", url: "" });...
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Visitor Comments
Al MitchellDecember 12, 2009, 3:54pm (report abuse)
This bill should be extended not only concerning the audio of commercials but also how broadcasters, cable & satellite, transmit the audion of individual channels. There is no reason, for example, that the audio for TNT should be transmitted to a home at half the level of the Bravo Channel. It would be of no undue burden to go through all the stations and set levels that are transmitted for each. It would most likely be a one time effort that could be maintained.
Les MacLeodAugust 8, 2010, 7:42pm (report abuse)
It's simply a matter of viewer respect versus crass commercialism.
Ryan44zDecember 5, 2010, 11:45am (report abuse)
This shows that our government truly has no idea what is important. Its the economy stupid. Who gives a dam about this enough to pass a bill. Government is broken and it is up to the average joe to fix it. no matter what political affiliation you are the time to have your voice heard is now. Write your elected representative and let them know who they work for!
JonathanArouet(logged-in user) December 5, 2010, 1:43pm (report abuse)
It is laws such as this that receive publicity and are meant to act as "pleasers" for the voters. Virtually everyone can agree on this bill, and therefore, it is made to seem as if Congress is actually fulfilling the will of the people.
ZacharyDecember 6, 2010, 2:57am (report abuse)
At least there is something America can agree on, commercials are too damn loud.
CorrineDecember 10, 2010, 1:42pm (report abuse)
With all the "IMPORTANT" things to decided and and we have our congressmen and women trying to pass legislation so the you don't have to get off your butt and get the remote to turn your television down.
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I would have looked hard at King Felix tonight anyway, but add in the fact that Tor just had to fly from the east coast to the west coast after outlasting Det in a 19 inning win, going late into the time they would have already been on a plane and flying, would seem like an auto play. However the overnight line barely bleeped. Going from 189 to 195-200 in most places. So is there any value left in a Seattle play? All thoughts on this welcome.
Tonight I have Seattle parlayed with the OVER 7 in the Dodger/Atlanta game. Good luck ! $$$
just play seattle rl only value out there and that aint much
lets go vikings superbowl or bust.
Money is coming in on Seattle this line may get worse if you wait any longer if your looking to make this play.. BOL hope u cash today.
**32-19** (61%) All-Time GOY
Follow Me On Twitter : @SleepyJ_Pregame
Click Here - Today's Premium Play
Thanks Professor, I was also looking at playing the other team of that late inning game and maybe parlaying Seatt with Det as a small fav.
Thanks iceman, playing the r\l is an option and its still at +$.
Thanks sleepyj and congrats on your move into pro status. I will most likely play this - 1/2 1st 5 straight and parlay the game with another.
I wouldn't play Tigers. Bullpen is a mess.
Avatar challenge with sleepyj 3-0
The Mariners are 7-5 on the RL this season when Felix starts at home. +41.0 ROI.
5 Year NHL Record
503-421-26 (+81.18)
Thanks steve, this would be of those times Verlander puts the tigers on his back and off they go.


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so good i love it too!!
hey i'm jojo and i realyyy love nicki minaj!! I am barb for 3 years and i'm proud for this plzz nicki come in Greece!!!
Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 4:41 AM
Someone Else!!!
waiting for nicki's new videoo!! eciting! OMG.. i't going to be amazing!! Bye Bye barbz and kenz!!


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yeah but Flex is for geniuses
Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.
Thomas Alva Edison
That's why so many engineers smell so bad.
I won't comment on the joke (I don't want people knowing I like potty humorI will – I don't think the joke was funny.
I will too, I thought it was great.
Signed, good luck!
Great tip MSFX ! Cheers
I love it too. Here's my media monster: http://www.verbatim.jp/senshuken/?id=855923
I'd say that that is something different and stylish at the same time.
Looks good, thanks fo the tip.
Everyone has different tastes, let's just leave it at that..Cheers
Now that's what I call politically correct!
please stop posting threads like is everything slowed down?
is activeden dead?
is sun brighter then usual today?
do you wear stockings
do you like hamburger
bla bla bla…
Is it ok if I start another Happy New Year thread?
You're right, people sometimes don't check to see whether a same thread hasn't been started yet. And we can all figure out that holiday seasons tend to slow down working life a bit. Yes even the people at Envato have a holiday (...every now and then.)
- Real Name: Yvo Tieleman
- Age: 32
- Country: City The Netherlands : Rotterdam
- Mac, PC or Linux: PC
- Freelance, Hired, or Both: Both
- Favorite color: Brown and blue
- Favorite Dish: Sushi
- Catch Phrase: It's better to ask a dumb question, then to not ask it and stay dumb.
- Favorite Website (besides my own): http://www.activeden.net
- My Website: Under construction
- My Blog: Don't have one.
- If I could do nothing else I would: Play with my son the whole day.
- My favorite Program i have installed is: Flash of course
- I really want: For my son to be healthy and succesful in life
- Add something extra: I hope all of you will have what your hearts desire in 2010!


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A never-before-seen video shows the moment Barack Obama reunited with his half-brother Mark Obama Ndesandjo after two decades apart.
Video: WATCH Obama's Face As He Embraces His Half-Brother
Oh, I could see why Obama would look uncomfortable and worried. His brother is another loose end that he'd have to keep track of. See, when he tells a lie, he has to make sure everybody else he knows gets the same memo or there could be a slip up. There's always somebody in the mix that didn't get the memo and they either have to be silenced, discredited, or removed. For someone like Obama's brother, being removed from existence might be too obvious. Somebody would no doubt miss him and start asking questions. Then a cover up operation has to be launched and that's costly. Therefor, it's far easier to keep that loose end in check, either by silencing or discrediting. But, if Mark winds up dead via-heart attack, then that's a red flag right there. In the game of politics, if too many people are dead in connection to the politician in question, accident becomes less and less likely the more it happens. See, one death might be covered up as an unfortunate accident. Two, would be a little harder to dismiss right away. Three, and the questions start to pile up. Right now, Obama has too many suspicious deaths connected to him. He isn't a dictator yet, so he can't just have people killed for looking at him funny. Still, Obama's closest relatives are not what I would consider safe.
His half brother should watch his back it isn't safe hanging around Obozo after all Obozo have away with making people disappeared


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The first of three presidential debates between US President Barack Obama and Republican contender Mitt Romney has generated a staggering 10.3 million tweets.
That is 10.3 million messages in 140-characters or less sent out over a 1.5-hour period.
The popular social micro blogging website said it is the most tweeted event in recent US political history, beating out any of the 2012 convention speeches, the 'ABC News' reported.
Twitter has also released a graph, which shows the most popular moments in the debate, according to the number of tweets per minute, or TPM.
According to the report, beyond the sheer volume of information and humour, there was genuine discussion happening on the social platform.
While some voiced their frustration with a particular candidate, others remarked on the style of the debate, the report said.
As the debate amounted to more than 10 million tweets, each on its own represents the impact of social media on this election: Every one of those tweets gave someone a public voice, it said.


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Blockades to halt farm 4x4 gangs
Reporter: KEN BENNETT
Date online: 23 July 2014
BELEAGUERED farmers have been advised to set up blockades to stop valuable vehicles being stolen off their land.
The drastic measures have been mooted after a spate of 4x4 thefts across Saddleworth communities.
And the National Farmers Union (NFU) is working closely with Greater Manchester Police in a concerted effort to foil gangs who are damaging livelihoods.
The local NFU branch, part of newly-formed Farm Watch, already has a text-round system to alert members to suspicious activities to help to protect their property.
And in the wake of recent thefts, police are recommending extra security devices including trackers, window etching and Smart Water.
Mike Billing, who represents the NFU's 40-strong Saddleworth branch, said: "We are being advised to blockade these vehicles at our businesses to prevent thefts.
"These are drastic measures for drastic times. The Land Rovers, particularly in Saddleworth's terrain, are vital to our businesses. They are workhorses and essential for moving equipment and stock around.
"But blocking vehicles in yards with other farm machinery — trailers and the like — on a daily basis will extend working days even more."
If you spot anyone acting suspiciously call police on 101.
To read the full version of this story see the Chronicle's E-chron digital edition or buy the newspaper.
Hmm, do farmers have the right to protect their property with licensed guns?
Unfortunately we live near a poor town where everyone has to sell weed or steal to make a buck, Saddleworth does not deserve to be so close to such low lives, we should have barriers & police at every Saddleworth border & there should be security checks..lol ok seriously its so annoying living up here all the crime comes from Oldham what a dump, my Range Rover was vandalized the other day by some scumbag not from here of course, just some petty thief probably being sanctioned by this government.
You certainly are Saddleworth's Finest something.. Have you been to Lees recently? A part of your beloved Saddleworth - a crime hotspot, and quite frankly no better than most areas in Oldham itself. You also have no data to back up your ridiculous claim that all crime is committed by those who live in Oldham. If your contempt for those who live on your doorstep translates to your social personality, quite frankly your Range Rover deserves to be vanadalised.
@Saddleworth's Finest Now if only you would have parked your Range Rover in the garage at your Ivory Tower, it wouldn't get damaged.What a pathetic statement about Oldham too. I live in Oldham and though I agree it's not the best place in the world, it's our town. You don't like Oldham but you constantly read the Chron and post silly comments like above. P.S I work for a living in a legitimate job, not selling drugs or stealing. Ok, you can get back to your brandy now.
laticslad at least gets your facts straight, Lees is not in Saddleworth, They do not pay the Saddleworth Parish Council tax, Lees is near Springhead & Austerlands those areas are in Saddleworth & are signposted as part of the Saddleworth borough Lees is in Oldham.
lgwatcher i would put it in the garage but i have my 1980 Rolls Royce Phantom in there, there is no way that is being parked on the street its my pride & joy that i only really take out to car shows or maybe drive every once in a while.
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text:
I was just curious as to what happened to the Scare Fair thing Pleasanton use to have in the back of the fairgrounds. I was watching some lame Halloween movie last night that had a hay ride and it sparked memories of when I was in middle school and would go to the one we use to have; the haunted house, hay ride, etc. It was totally fun and they should bring it back!!! Anybody remember it or have found memories?
Happy Halloween
Town Square
Does Anybody remember the Scare Fair???
Original post made by Rob, Walnut Grove Elementary School, on Oct 28, 2007
Like this commentPosted by raven
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Nov 10, 2007 at 8:11 pm
They didn't make enough SSSS to return and the people attending were put off by the $6 fee(at that time) to park and then pay the fee of the scare. Another less scary option if you are kids but they do a GREAT haunted house run by the City of Pleasanton Park and Recreation Youth Division. If you already found this scare!


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Spittal an der Drau - a charming and bustling town with a Mediterranean lifestyle
Located at the heart of Upper Carinthia, the charming town of Spittal an der Drau represents a harmonious blend of long-standing tradition and modern aspects. It is its awareness of culture and traditions and the easy-going lifestyle combined with innumerable dining and shopping facilities that make Spittal a fabulous destination for tourists.
Take a leisurely walk through the Old Town, past Stadtpark and Schloss Porcia, Spittal's most famous landmark. With its three-storey arcades it ranks among the most precious Renaissance buildings north of the Alps. Built by Gabriel v. Salamanca in 1533, the castle was the seat of the Counts of Porcia for many centuries. Today, the courtyard hosts international, cultural events, including the International Choir Competition and the Komödienspiele Porcia theater festival.
Lake Millstatt on the doorstep... Impressive mountain scenery thanks to the Hohe Tauern and Nockberge ranges
The picturesque town of Spittal nestles at the foot of Goldeck Mountain (2,000 m), the famous viewpoint, and in the immediate vicinity of Lake Millstatt, which is renowned for its crystal-clear water. Sports and outdoor enthusiasts will have the time of their lives, as the region boasts a variety of sports and leisure facilities and activities including walking (way-marked trails), scenic (mountain) roads, cycling along the River Drau or the lakeshores, and mountain biking.
Tourismusverband Spittal an der Drau
Burgplatz 1
A-9800 Spittal an der Drau
Tel.: +43(0)4762/33900-37
Fax: 33900-4
Mobil: +43(0)664/4237804
E-Mail: email@example.com


text:
Williston, Buchholz Baseball Earn Wins On Senior Night
Published April 20th, 2012
Loading Video...
Max White may be headed to play baseball at Florida in the fall, but the Williston High senior is hoping there's still a few more games before he trades the red and white for orange and blue. The Red Devils beat Chiefland 6-4 Thursday night on senior night, and the Buchholz Bobcats beat Gainesville High 1-0.
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- The Splendid Spiker: Mann Efficient as Always in Gator's Senior Night Win over LSU


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Get an overview of this hotelLuxury resort with full-service spa and free breakfast
Collect 200 Nectar points!
Simply enter your Nectar card number when you check out. Your points will be credited 35 days after you return from your trip.*Offers may apply
Popular property highlights
Situated in Jodhpur, this luxury resort is within 3 mi (5 km) of Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur Polo and Equestrian Institute, and Umed Garden. Mata Temple and Shri Ganesh Temple are also within 3 mi (5 km).
Along with a full-service spa, this resort has a restaurant and an outdoor pool. Free WiFi in public areas and free valet parking are also provided. Additionally, a fitness center, a bar/lounge, and a coffee shop/café are onsite.
Resort Features
All 88 soundproofed rooms feature free WiFi and 24-hour room service. LED TVs with digital channels and DVD players provide a bit of entertainment, and guests will also appreciate thoughtful touches like bathrobes and slippers.
Room AmenitiesInformation missing or incorrect? Tell us!Opens in a new window
Indana Palace Jodhpur
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
In addition to a full-service spa, Indana Palace Jodhpur features an outdoor pool and a fitness center. The resort offers a restaurant and a coffee shop/café. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. Guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast. Wireless Internet access is complimentary.
This 4.5-star property offers access to a business center and a meeting room. Event facilities measure 10000 square feet (900 square meters). This luxury resort also offers a children's pool, tour/ticket assistance, and a garden. Onsite self parking and valet parking are complimentary.
- 24-hour front desk
- Total number of rooms - 88
- Bar/lounge
- Business center
- Coffee shop or café
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Free breakfast
- Concierge services
- Elevator/lift
- Fitness facilities
- Full-service spa
- Hair salon
- Billiards or pool table
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Free WiFi
- Laundry facilities
- One meeting room
- Free valet parking
- Garden
- Luggage storage
- Restaurant
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Conference space size (feet) - 10000
- Conference space size (meters) - 900
- Number of meeting rooms - 3
- Free self parking
- Shopping on site
- Children's pool
- Outdoor pool
- Wedding services
Family Friendly Amenities
- Family Hotel
- Outdoor pool
- Children's pool
- Free Wi-Fi
- Soundproofed rooms
- Laundry facilities
- DVD player
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free self parking, Free valet parking
Room Amenities
- Premium TV channels
- DVD player
- Balcony
- Ceiling fan
- Air conditioning
- Free newspaper
- Access via exterior corridors
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Soundproofed rooms
- Free bottled water
- Minibar
- Coffee/tea maker
- Daily housekeeping
- Turndown service
- Slippers
- Bathrobes
- Free toiletries
- Hair dryer
- Rainfall showerhead
- Iron/ironing board
- In-room safe
- Desk
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Digital TV service
- Free WiFi
- Dial-up Internet access (surcharge)
- Room service (24 hours)
- Individually furnished
- Individually decorated
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
Where to Eat
A complimentary breakfast is offered.
Lotus Cafe - This café serves light fare only.
I Bar - This bar serves light fare only.
24-hour room service is available.
Anghiti - This restaurant specializes in international cuisine.
Nearby Things to Do
An outdoor pool and a children's pool are on site. Other recreational amenities include a fitness center.
Spa Services
Guests can indulge in a pampering treatment at the resort's full-service spa, Spa by SVA. Services include massages. The spa is equipped with a sauna.
- Sauna in spa
- Massages
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please note them at check-out when you book your room.
- Accessible bathroom
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 2 PM
Check-in time ends at 6 PM
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Rollaway/extra beds are available for INR 1500 per night.
- Pets not allowed
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
No cribs (infant beds) available
Optional extras
- Rollaway bed fee: INR 1500 per night
Hotel Name
- Indana Jodhpur
- Indana Palace
- Indana Palace Hotel
- Indana Palace Hotel Jodhpur
- Indana Palace Jodhpur
- Jodhpur Indana Palace
- Palace Jodhpur
We should mention
The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation.


text:
While this website provides general information, it does not constitute legal advice. The best way to get guidance on your specific legal issue is to contact a lawyer. To schedule a meeting with an attorney, please call or complete the intake form below.
Bold labels and indicate required information.
Simpson Delmore Greene LLP
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Phone: 619-908-1954
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11858 Bernardo Plaza Court, Suite 110
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Phone: 619-908-1954
Toll Free: 800-701-4208
Fax: 619-515-1196
Map and Directions


text:
Town Square
More reason to believe a parcel tax is not needed?
Original post made by Diana, Harvest Park Middle School, on Apr 18, 2009
In addition PUSD is eligible to receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that is intended to avert layoffs of teachers and other personnel. Web Link
State Fiscal Stabilization Fund
Due: Monday, May 04, 2009
Web Link
The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) is intended to avert layoffs of teachers, professors, and other personnel and to further education reform in the key areas of teacher quality, standards and assessments.
Program Questions: Justin Salenik, e-mail: email@example.com, tel. 916-319-0654
Comments (28)
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on Apr 18, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Could you please provide a link that shows where PUSD confirmed that they will receive an unanticipated 2.1 million in funding? I couldn't find it on those links that you provided (maybe I'm looking in the wrong place).
a resident of Harvest Park Middle School
on Apr 19, 2009 at 8:05 am
Luz discussed it at the April 7th budget meeting. It would probably be easiest to call her. Emily West was also at that meeting perhaps she could report about the large amounts of money the district will be receiving.
It is not certain how much over the 2.1 million PUSD will receive but it will be significant, it is intended to relieve the cuts from the state.
This discussion is at least two hours into the meeting.
Web Link
Web Link
This money makes the parcel tax unnecessary.
a resident of Valley View Elementary School
on Apr 20, 2009 at 9:38 am
Can the PW report on this funding?
a resident of Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on Apr 20, 2009 at 11:59 am
Stacey is a registered user.
For those unclear on the ARRA funds, the State is receiving three different pots of money to use for education.
1) State Fiscal Stabilization Fund
2) Title I low-income funds
3) IDEA special education funds
PUSD's $2.1MM is coming from the IDEA funds. PUSD is receiving zero Title I funds.
Still unknown and what's worse, unadvertised, by PUSD is the amount they will get from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund in order to avoid teacher layoffs as mentioned by the initiator of this thread.
PUSD has been playing up the idea that all of these funds might be diverted by the State for other uses, yet the Governor and numerous legislators have rejected that since late March.
a resident of Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on Apr 20, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Stacey is a registered user.
I want to know if PUSD has sent in their application yet for the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund money. Don't wait until the May 4th deadline! The early birds get the worm.
a resident of Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on Apr 20, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Stacey is a registered user.
Here's an interesting condition placed upon SFSF monies:
"The local educational agency will provide reasonable opportunities for the participation by teachers, parents, and other interested agencies, organizations, and individuals in the planning for and operation of each program;"
a resident of Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on Apr 20, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Stacey is a registered user.
Maybe I should add this from late March: "Schwarzenegger Administration: Federal Money Enough to Offset Public School Budget Cuts" Web Link
Who wants to guess that the money PUSD could get from the SFSF could be enough to completely offset the budget cuts. We're not talking about the $2.1MM to Special Ed, we're talking about $10MM. These funds are supposedly available for two to three years. What does that mean? It means PUSD could get it's fiscal house in order without a parcel tax if they start clamping down now on their wasteful spending.
a resident of Foothill High School
on Apr 20, 2009 at 12:27 pm
The money from the Fed offsets the shortfall from the State...crisis averted.
$300K on a special election and $80k for the campaign, what a waste of money!
$380,000 would pay for 9.3 starting teachers in Pleasanton.
a resident of Foothill High School
on Apr 20, 2009 at 1:27 pm
"$380,000 would pay for 9.3 starting teachers in Pleasanton."
Oops, my bad......
I used the amount paid to the average California teacher. Pleasanton teachers are paid much better.
$380,000 would pay for 6.8 starting teachers in Pleasanton.
a resident of Ironwood
on Apr 20, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Conservative here, and I will vote for the parcel...and since 75% of Pleasanton is Democrat, I expect you as well... so no money wasted here...pass the parcel and we are set short term....and with your philosophy..tax more later..lol..as for this round..i am ok...heck.."it is for the children"
a resident of Pleasanton Meadows
on Apr 20, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Correct me if I am wrong here but shouldn't the people with the biggest homes, parcels, and income pay more for their share of the parcel tax if passed? Afterall they are in a much better financial condition to be able to afford this than those of us with less money on a one person income? If they are older they were able to send their children to school for free because of the health of the California economy and now I believe they need to shoulder the cost rather than us with less.
a resident of Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on Apr 20, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Stacey is a registered user.
That would require a progressive tax, which I'd be for. A flat parcel tax like Measure G is highly regressive. Structuring it as a per square footage tax (which some Districts have) could turn it into a progressive tax, but it would take more time and effort on the District's part to figure out the rate for such a tax (although it punishes owners of large parcels with low value).
Incidentally, a square footage parcel tax would also help restore some of the subsidy to homeowners from non-residential parcels that used to exist pre-Prop 13. Why do businesses like flat parcel taxes? It's not much skin off their teeth to look like education champs!
a resident of Downtown
on Apr 20, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Don't be disappointed but 75% of PTown is not Dem. Go to the Alameda County Website/Registrar and you will see that PTown is roughly 50-50 dem/rep not counting idies. Besides Dems. don't like taxes either.
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on Apr 20, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Not trying to nit pick but how does "75% of PTown is not Dem" square with "PTown is roughly 50-50 dem/rep not counting idies"? Is it 50-50 or 75-25?
a resident of Del Prado
on Apr 21, 2009 at 9:22 am
Dominic Di Blasio is a registered user.
If Dems don't like taxes than why do they keep proposing and voting for them. Seemingly equality has replaced freedom and individual responsibility as the top values for the democartic party. Voting for the parcel tax is a big mistake. Besides being a bandaid fix that doesn't address the root problem, it is simply not needed as other have mentioned here.
a resident of Pleasanton Meadows
on Apr 21, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Hi Stacy and thanks for the info but maybe after thinking about it might be more fair for all if they homeowners in Pleasanton who have children in school or children who will attend school pay their portion of the amount needed. It could not be more than say $1,000 per family.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Apr 21, 2009 at 8:12 pm
If we are going to finally discuss what is fair, then to be fair, only home owners should be eligible to vote for this - and maybe only homeowners with current children in the schools. Why should renters get to vote for this, if they don't have to pay? Or am I misunderstanding the process?? And to be clear, I think only those participating in the vote should have to pay. Homeowners without children shouldn't have to vote or pay. Hope that clarifies my understanding...
a resident of Alisal Elementary School
on Apr 22, 2009 at 12:02 pm
hmmm.................To be fair, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood
.......that makes no sense at all
The rest of the homeowners benefit from high home values as a result of high quality schools.........it affects everyone, not just people with kids in schools and BENEFITS everyone.
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on Apr 22, 2009 at 12:20 pm
"The rest of the homeowners benefit from high home values as a result of high quality schools.........it affects everyone, not just people with kids in schools and BENEFITS everyone."
That's the way I see it too. People with school age children or people even considering having children in the future will pay more to live in a better school district. We chose Pleasanton over surrounding cities because of the schools. Home buyers pay attention to things like this.
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on Apr 22, 2009 at 1:02 pm
No on G!
a resident of Amberwood/Wood Meadows
on Apr 22, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Stacey is a registered user.
Sandy and Russell,
True, homeowners benefit from quality schools. So how again does Measure G improve school quality? See Web Link This related item also came across my Inbox this morning: "It seems that parent education is a strong predictor of school ratings" Web Link
a resident of Pleasanton Meadows
on Apr 22, 2009 at 1:06 pm
I see your points but on the other hand I do not know how fair it is to make people who children have already graduated from the school system here in Pleasanton pay again because of lack of fiscal accountability. I have no children and did not move here because of the schools otherwise I would have stayed in San Ramon but for ease of commute. The more I speak with people like my neighbors who have been here for longer than my two years the more I think we planning to have children and the ones with children in the schools should pay for it.
a resident of Pleasanton Meadows
on Apr 22, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Posted by sandy, a member of the Alisal Elementary School community
"The rest of the homeowners benefit from high home values as a result of high quality schools.........it affects everyone, not just people with kids in schools and BENEFITS everyone. "
That would suggest that teachers that own homes in Pleasanton would also benefit from this correct?
So for those stating that asking the teachers to forfeit their step and column increases is a "double whammy" to teachers living in Pleasanton because they'll be paying the parcel tax as well, how is this so? How is the parcel tax both a negative hit to teachers that are homeowners, but a positive hit to homeowners that are not teachers?
Measure G is fundamentally wrong.
a resident of Pleasanton Meadows
on Apr 22, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Sandy, to your point I have checked with most of my neighbors and if their opinion is consistent with the rest of the voters then measure "G" has no chance of passing as not one of them are voting for it. Based on this does anyone know what the next plan being considered is?
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on Apr 22, 2009 at 1:59 pm
"...because of lack of fiscal accountability"
I haven't seen evidence of that. There was something about cell phones, car allowances, and solar panels. None of those things add up to the amount of decrease revenue from this once in a lifetime recession. I don't see how anyone could have planned for that.
We all benefit from good schools. It is more than just higher property values.
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on Apr 22, 2009 at 2:02 pm
" have checked with most of my neighbors "
I'm not sure that is a very "scientific" poll. ;-)
a resident of Pleasanton Meadows
on Apr 22, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Russell, if your revenue source dries up then you must look at meaningful ways of reducing cost. Private businesses cannot just pass on higher prices for the same commodity and hope to stay in business. Lack of funding and revenue is going to be the way of the future and they will need to find out ways of operating in this environment otherwise very difficult times. The teachers are probably not the issue but I suspect that there are so pretty high priced salaries at the district office and maybe they should consider a workshare program for the district or better yet maybe Pleasanton and Livermore could combine into one office and reduce cost by reduction of redundancy........many ways of reducing cost.
Maybe not the most scientific but when you ask and they all say "no" before you can finish your sentence then it may be an indicator.
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on Apr 22, 2009 at 9:38 pm
"Russell, if your revenue source dries up then you must look at meaningful ways of reducing cost."
Or you can look for other sources of revenue. As I said in another post on these forums, I'd rather see my taxes dollars keeping the quality of education high in Pleasanton than bailing out failed companies like AIG.
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Craft Expo 2011 - Expired Event
|Guilford Art Center, 411 Church Street
Guilford, CT 06437
|Craft Expo 2011: Brings America\'s Finest Crafts Back to the Guilford Green
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday,
July 14, 15, 16, 17, 2011
In celebration of its 54th year, the Guilford Art Center\'s annual Craft Expo returns once again to the scenic and historic Guilford Green, celebrating the arts with its extensive array of handmade crafts by American artists. This year, for the first time, Craft Expo will be held for an additional day, Sunday, July 17, 1-5pm.
Craft Expo 2011 will bring more than 170 artists to Guilford--a mix of first-time and returning exhibitors, whose exquisite-quality handmade crafts consistently help rank this event as one of the top craft shows in New England and the country. The Guilford Green becomes a gorgeous, temporary display space for the one-of-a-kind works made by nationally recognized craft artists. As a celebration of the arts and a signature happening for the town of Guilford and the Connecticut shoreline, Craft Expo is an always highly anticipated summer event.
|Contact name
|Event Website
Search for more info on this event:
Google for: Guilford Craft Expo 2011
|Maps and Directions (from Google Maps)
For ended craft show, fairs and festivals, please go to our archive page.


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According to reports from the Chicago Tribune and from Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs have agreed to a 1-year deal with Jon Lieber. The report in the Tribune indicated early on Wednesday morning that the deal was close but Ken Rosenthal cited sources have told him the Cubs have signed Lieber.
Updated – 12:23pm C.T. – It's Official…. The Cubs have announced the signing of Lieber to a 1-year, $3.5 million dollar deal.
Lieber was the last Cubs' pitcher to post a 20-win season.
Will update if more information becomes available.


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Bentley gunning for Arsenal
David Bentley insists he will enjoy abuse from Arsenal fans when he faces his former club as a Tottenham Hotspur player - and he is counting down the days until his first derby showdown in October.
The 23-year-old winger is no stranger to jeers after England fans rounded on him for opting out of Under-21 duty, with a hostile reception predicted at the Emirates Stadium following his move to the club he supported as a boy.
Not only has Bentley been outspoken about his lack of opportunities under Arsene Wenger before leaving for Blackburn, he has now joined Arsenal's bitter rivals and wants to emulate Paul Gascoigne as the entertainer of White Hart Lane.
Gascoigne famously sank Arsenal in 1991 in a north London derby and Bentley, who played alongside his hero at Martin Keown's testimonial four years ago, is relishing his chance to do the same.
'I can't wait,' he said after being unveiled as Spurs' £17million signing. 'I've not been sleeping at the moment thinking about running out there. I've always wanted to play in a north London derby, it will brilliant.
'Hopefully they want to see characters. They don't always go just to watch the football, they'll come to abuse me. I'll get the banter but I'll enjoy that. You don't to have a boring life as a footballer.
'If you don't get a buzz off that's probably where you fail.
'There is nothing quite like running out for your country but it's probably going to be the best moment in my career, one of them anyway.'
Bentley and his friends idolised Gazza but the chance for a trial at Spurs never arose, and it was Wenger who polished Bentley's talent before he shone at Ewood Park as a right midfielder or support striker.
'You know how it works, life isn't perfect at the time. I played for the Arse, as you call it,' he added. 'That was a time in my career, a good time to grow up playing with a lot of talented kids.
'All the Tottenham boys who are my friends have Spurs tattoos and are mad fans. They kept telling me 'you've got to come to Tottenham' and I said 'I want to but they don't want me'. Now they do so my mates are buzzing now.'
Spurs have closed the gap with their spending since then and last season ended their nine-year trophy drought, which Bentley hopes is a sign that the two clubs will soon be competing at the same level.
He added: 'Hopefully it's looking that way but only time will tell. I want to be a part of that. Only time will tell and only performances on the football pitch will do that.'
Bentley is also hoping his efforts will put him in the frame for a regular England place and a chance to qualify for the World Cup after missing out on Euro 2008.
'We owe the country, don't we?' he said. 'It was not nice missing out on it and it would be nice to put that right.'
Meanwhile, head coach Juande Ramos is not giving special treatment to Dimitar Berbatov despite the striker wanting a move and chairman Daniel Levy being wary of the negative influence the Bulgaria international could have on the dressing room.
Ramos said: 'He is a Tottenham player and we are happy that he is here. As one of our players, of course we would expect him to line up (on the first day of the season).'
Spurs are still working on other transfer targets, with the priority being a striker to step in for Robbie Keane, and Berbatov if he leaves for Manchester United.
Russia forward Andrei Arshavin will accept a move to Spurs if a fee is agreed with Zenit St Petersburg, and despite positive sounds coming from his advisor the 27-year-old is understood to be just one on a list of possibilities sporting director Damien Comolli is working on with Levy.
Real Zaragoza striker Diego Milito is unlikely to be one of those players, according to the 29-year-old's agent. Fernando Hidalgo told Diario Equipo.'Tottenham was an option until today, but they are not anymore.'
Meanwhile, Derby goalkeeper Stephen Bywater is set to join Spurs as deputy for Heurelho Gomes.
Rams boss Paul Jewell told the Derby Evening Telegraph: 'Tottenham came in with a bid for Stephen and the player is very keen to go, which is fully understandable.
'I would like to have kept him but it is a move which appeals to him and we wish him well.'
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Storm dumps 6 inches over Rye
Greenhorn Creek reaches crest, floods basements
RYE, Colo. - It took just one big storm for floodwaters to reach the crest of Greenhorn Creek, sending boulders and a collapsed trail bridge into the water.
A heavy storm dumped more than 6 inches of rain in Rye overnight, covering basements in mud and water. The rain many people had been hoping for finally came but much quicker than the creek could handle.
"We hope it quits raining and the water recedes and we can start looking if there is any damage and we can get the mud out of some people's houses," said Terry Mabrey, mayor of Rye.
The storm woke up sisters Emily and Kaily Smith, who spent much of Monday afternoon cleaning up the debris from their front yard. "We were also woken up by police officers who were coming to our door to make sure that we were OK," Emily said.
Terry Hill lives beside Greenhorn Creek. He woke up to the sound of boulders crashing onto the water. It's a sight he said he's never seen.
"This is the worst one we've had in over 40 years here so we keep that in mind that it's a pretty rare thing so we're not gonna worry about it too much in the future," Hill said.
The storm destroyed Hill's patio. Thankfully, floodwaters never reached his home.
Aside from a trail bridge between two homes, no other major damage was reported.


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At a time of rising food prices, the 8,000-plus residents of Monroe County who rely on food stamps to put meals on the table will have less to eat because of cuts to the program.
Beginning Friday, recipients of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) began absorbing a $5 billion reduction in the program, the result of the expiration of the fiscal stimulus legislation passed in 2009. The amount cut from each recipient depends on a number of variables, but a ballpark estimate is the cuts will amount to the equivalent of taking away about 21 meals per month for a family of four.
Nationally, the Department of Agriculture places the number of people on food stamps at 47 million, including 22 million children and 9 million people with a serious disability.
Locally, professionals who work with the needy are bracing for the worst.
"It's not really going to affect the health department directly, but it will probably affect the school system," said Wendy Holifield, a registered dietician with the Florida Department of Health in Monroe County. "I can see these cuts putting more demand on the school lunch program. They may need to look at who qualifies for school meals, and relax those rules somewhat."
Food Service Supervisor Deb Stecklein doesn't think the SNAP cuts will have a huge effect on school lunches, however, as not everyone who qualifies for free or reduced price lunches is actually participating in the program.
"Presently, all students who are eligible to participate do not," said Stecklein, who is also a registered dietician. "As a result, we could see a slight increase in the number of participants but I don't expect it to be high."
As far as changing the eligibility requirements, that's out of her hands, Stecklein said.
"They're set by the federal government, not by us," she said. "People tell us their income, and we tell you if you're eligible based on federal guidelines. People on welfare are automatically eligible."
Lori Rittel, who serves as the county coordinator for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) sees tough times ahead for SNAP recipients.
"For low income people in the county these cuts are going to be fairly negative," Rittel said. "We're talking about people who already have to choose between food and medicine sometimes. Some of our WIC clients are also on food stamps, but I expect we're also going to see an influx of people coming into WIC. The problem of hunger isn't going to go away, simply because the government cuts the SNAP budget. People still have to eat, and will do what they have to do to find food."
Like Stecklein, Rittel said her program, which provides subsidized food to pregnant women and mothers with young children, has a little wiggle room to pick up some of the slack from the SNAP cuts.
"We're only at a 66.6 percent participation rate," Rittel said, "but I'm pretty sure we'll see that rate rising."
Another local who expects to feel the effects of the SNAP cuts at her organization is Stephanie Kaple, the supportive services director of the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition (FKOC) which operates the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry.
"We would definitely expect to see an increase in demand for foods from our pantry," Kaple said, "As so many are already on a fixed budget, especially our elderly, who must also manage the needs of medication and health costs, and families with small children who need to put together nutritious meals. But pantry foods only have a certain amount of nutritional value. We can't store fresh vegetables or meats."
The pantry also dispenses hygiene and personal care items, as well as nutritional drinks for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
"These are expensive items," Kaple said. "Ww're finding that most of the people using our pantry these days are working people who just don't have enough money to go shopping."


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Special report: 2008 Olympic
Games BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Gourmets with a
special predilection for dog meat will be disappointed if they come to the
Chinese capital in the coming two months, according to a Beijing Tourism Bureau
official on Friday. Xiong Yumei, the bureau's vice director, said if a
customer ordered dog meat restaurant staff should "patiently" suggest another
entree. "Conflicts should be avoided," she stressed. Earlier, the
Beijing Catering Trade Association (BETA) issued a circular that forbade all
112-designated restaurants to provide dog meat dishes during the August
Olympics. It added, as for other establishments, they were strongly advised to
suspend serving dog until September. As for dog meat for medicinal
purposes, the circular said the ingredient should be listed clearly. The meat is
believed by many Chinese to be an effective element to lower high blood
pressure. Any restaurant found violating the ban would be blacklisted by
the association, though the exact punishment was not specified.


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Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, California
Winemaker's Notes
Textbook Cabernet Sauvignon aromas and flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cedar and forest floor get a boost of complexity from hints of rosemary, gentle fresh herbs, baking spice and vanilla caramel. The wine is deep, dark and intense, yet also signature Stag's Leap Wine Cellars: medium-full-bodied, firmly structured, powerful yet elegant, and with a long, succulent finish. Enjoy it with steak au poivre or grilled duck breast with braised escarole.
Critical Acclaim
Wine Enthusiast - "Here's a Cab to put in the cellar. It's big and rich and frankly sensational, just massive in blackberries, currants and sweet dark chocolate. The tannins are fierce, but very fine, and the overall balance is impeccable. Too astringent now, even with decanting, but should easily improve in the bottle throughout the next decade.Cellar Selection."
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Winery
Considered one of the "first growths" of Napa Valley, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars produces renowned Cabernet Sauvignon from its historic Stags Leap District estate vineyards. Founded in 1970, the winery brought international recognition to California winemaking and the Napa Valley when the 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon won the now famout 1976 Paris Tasting, also known as the "Judgement of Paris." Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' three estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignons - CASK 23, S.L.V. and Fay - are among the most highly regarded and collected Cabernet Sauvignons worldwide. The wines are fashioned to express richness balanced by elegant restraint, an approach often described as "an iron fist in a velvet glove." View all Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Wines
About Napa ValleyView a map of Napa Valley wineries
It's hard not to think of Napa Valley when thinking of California wines. The region is, after all, the one that brought world recognition to California wine making. The area was settled by a few choice wine families in the 1960's who bet that the wines of the area would grow and flourish. They were right. The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980's, when vineyard lands were scooped up and vines were planted throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, from large conglomerates to small boutiques to cult classics. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux Blends. Whites are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Notable FactsWithin the Napa Valley lie smaller sub-AVAs that lend even more character specifics to the wines. Furthest south is Carneros, followed by Yountville, Oakville & Rutherford. Above those two is St.-Helena and finally, just granted an AVA, Calistoga. These areas are situated on the valley floor and are known for creating rich, smooth Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. There are a few mountain regions as well, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs. Those include Howell Mountain, Stags Leap and Mount Veeder. Wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from more time in the bottle to evolve and soften.
About CaliforniaIt's not rare to see a wine's country of origin listed as "California." A country into itself in the wine world, California makes enough varieties and styles to match many European wine countries. It produces a diverse range of wines that span the quality spectrum.
The most famous of the California wine regions is Napa Valley, and these wines are certainly outstanding – but it's not as broad and diverse as its larger neighbor, Sonoma County. Down south, Santa Barbara's Santa Maria Valley is well-known for its Rhône blends, as well as cool-climate varieties like Pinot and Chardonnay. The Central Coast, the largest California AVA, has many different microclimates that lead to a wide range of wines with many sub-AVAs.
Customer ReviewsSign In to Add Your Review44 out of 5 stars
33 ratings, 5 with reviewsDustin Harkins - Hopkins, MN42/6/2011If you want BIG and BOLD try the cask 23.adjust88 - Huntington Station, NY33/18/2012William Lau - Jersey City, NJ52/2/2012Randy Blanton - Kyle, TX31/27/201251/10/2012rick brennan - Fairfax, VA51/7/201251/6/201251/3/2012
Fabulous. Fruit forward, Smooth , and delicious. My guests loved it. I ordered another case the night of my party, as did 2 of my guests.512/29/2011Robert Simpson - Jackson Heights, NY412/22/2011
- Style
- Smooth & Supple
I did let this decant for several hours before tasting it. And, as another reviewer said, this can be put in the cellar for years and it will only get better. However, this wine is more than drinkable today. This is not the first Stag's Leap Cab vintage that I have tried. Frankly, I am a fan of this winery. The Stag's Leap 2007 Cab trumps other wines in this price range and many that are more expensive. It has DARK fruit tastes, bold rich flavor, and a slightly earthy experience. The bouquet is wonderful and fills your head like the aroma of baking bread, enticing you sample its subtle complexities. Your mouth waters. It dissipates on the palate like a snowflake slowly melting on a windowsill;lingering just long enough. This wine is a masterpiece to be enjoyed and savored. PS. 2008 was almost as good...give it another year.Providence76 - San Diego, CA312/11/2011BN - Mason, OH36/9/2011
- Style
- Big & Bold
I enjoyed the 2007 very much and would buy several more if it were available. Especially at the 40 dollar price I got it for. Dusty is the strongest descriptor for this cab.Jeremy Hill - Haverhill, MA510/26/2011brock mittry - Visalia, CA210/3/201159/6/2011Preman - Richardson, TX48/16/2011sfarrington - Torrington, CT47/12/2011Red w/Attitude - Miami, FL46/29/2011hypemnd - Dallas, TX46/14/2011SteveY - Willoughby, OH35/28/2011good, but not great. Was expecting more from a wine rated 94pts. Plenty of fruit, tannins, oak, and enough acid to give it some weight. balanced, with medium finish. There are better 07 napa cabs for the money.Christy C - San Francisco, CA55/13/2011ting lu - Medford, MA54/7/2011wolfmagic2012 - Juneau, AK43/25/2011
- Style
- Big & Bold


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Fireworks – Willow
July 1
Event Navigation
Fireworks at the Metroparks is a five county celebration that has been a tradition for years that provides a safe and exciting way for the community to celebrate our nation's birthday, while enjoying the natural beauty of the Metroparks. Each Fireworks display begins at dusk and lasts approximately 90 minutes. Joining us again in 2017 will be the Greenwood Farms Clydesdale Horses and multiple hospitality vendors.
The fireworks shows are the crown jewel of events for our parks and are very popular for all ages. In 2017, the Metroparks will also be celebrating its 75th year!
A Metroparks vehicle entry permit is required to enter any Metropark and is only $35 annually for regular admission, $21 annually for seniors or $10 daily (after 5 p.m. the daily entrance fee will be $15 for this special event).
Where and When:
Seven Metroparks will each host Fireworks events in 2017. The 2017 Fireworks at the Metroparks will be held on the following dates and locations:
- Friday, June 23 – Stony Creek Metropark, Shelby Township
- Saturday, June 24 – Kensington Metropark, Milford
- Sunday, June 25 – Lake Erie Metropark, Brownstown
- Wednesday, June 28 – Hudson Mills Metropark, Dexter
- Thursday, June 29 – Indian Springs Metropark, White Lake
- Friday, June 30 – Lake St. Clair Metropark, Harrison Township
- Saturday, July 1 – Willow Metropark, New Boston
Sponsorship Opportunities
The Metroparks provide many opportunities for you to share information about your products and services while showcasing your support for underserved populations, environmental literacy, and healthy lifestyles.


text:
Behind the buzz and beyond the hype:
Our Nanowerk-exclusive feature articles
Subscribe to our Nanotechnology Spotlight feed
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) being highly electrically conductive along the tube axis, have gained great research interests in recent years for connecting two conducting electrodes at the nanoscale - where the CNTs can be integrated into a micro- or nanoelectronic system. Therefore, the orientational control of CNTs has drawn a great deal of research interest in nanotechnology. Researchers now have developed a technique to bridge two electrical conductors by assembling CNTs guided by liquid crystals.Posted: Nov 1st, 2016
Researchers have created a new method to print high-performance electronics by combining the extremely mature CMOS fabrication processes and recently developed additive manufacturing techniques. For the first time, an affordable and reliable manufacturing process for the integration and packaging of fully flexible high-performance electronics has been developed for future Internet-of-Everything (IoE) applications. Such decal electronic systems could be used like RFID tags are today but with much more functionality and performance.Posted: Oct 17th, 2016
Researchers have developed a highly manufacturable integration strategy for making 3D flexible sensor arrays and connecting them to control electronics based on the widely popular phrase, 'Two sides of the same coin'. Sensor arrays and control elements for flexible electronics devices are usually placed on the same plane, unnecessary requiring additional area, and causing problems of heat dissipation. These challenges motivated researchers to come up with an area-efficient solution for the problem of connecting sensors and electronics together in such a way that electronics can be kept away from the sensed surface. This is the first time ever the concept of double sided flexible 3D electronics has been introduced in the flexible and wearable electronics industry.Posted: Jul 26th, 2016
Using multilayer graphene as an electrically reconfigurable optical medium, researchers have demonstrated an optoelectronic framework compatible with conventional printing paper. The device consist of two multilayer graphene layers transfer-printed on both sides of the paper. In this configuration, multilayer graphene simultaneously operates as the electrically reconfigurable optical medium and electrically conductive electrodes. In addition, the paper substrate yields a flexible and foldable mechanical support for the graphene layers and it holds the electrolyte in the network of hydrophilic cellulose fibers.Posted: Jun 8th, 2016
Not all electrocapacitive materials are intrinsically stretchable and various modified structures and electron/ion-inactive stretchable substrates have been utilized to introduce stretchability into conventionally rigid supercapacitors. Now, researchers have developed a multifunctional polyelectrolyte, achieving an electrochemically complete self-healability and 600% stretchability of supercapacitors. This work can be applied to other energy conversion and storage devices such as batteries, fuel cells, etc.Posted: Feb 22nd, 2016
Resistive random access memory (RRAM) is envisioned as a next generation non-volatile memory because of the simple device geometry, ease of fabrication and operation. The necessity of high-density information storage and its relevance in neuromorphic circuitry has gained much attention and led to the development of multilevel resistive switching (MRS) for multiple memory states. In a recent study, researchers have defined a new figure-of-merit to identify the efficiency of resistive switching devices with multiple memory states. This will assist researches as well as technologist in classifying and deciding the true merit of their memory devices.Posted: Feb 1st, 2016
The future Internet of Things (IoT), with its intuitive applications, will operate based on an broad stream of data supplied by sensors placed everywhere. These will be sensors that are many times smarter and more sensitive than the ones we have today. They will also be produced and installed in far greater numbers and be much cheaper than they are now. For example, researchers envisage a radar that is capable of distinguishing pedestrians from cyclists. That technology might even allow to identify individuals from the way they walk.Posted: Jan 18th, 2016
In the past, the performance of synthesized MoS2 had been poor, especially when integrated on flexible substrates. A new study have now yielded the highest performance for CVD-grown monolayer MoS2 device properties on flexible substrates to date. MoS2 exhibits unique physical, optical and electrical properties correlated with its single-layer atomic layer structure. Important for electronics applications, and in contrast to graphene, MoS2 has a bandgap.Posted: Jan 6th, 2016


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Just finished version 0.1 of what my be my most arbitrary open source project yet: a static blogging engine called Agiluf, written in Haskell. It's meant to be bare-bones but supports:
- html templating
- tagging
- multiple authors
It's built on top of the awesome Pandoc library. You just write your blog entries in RST, add a little metadata to the top, and let Agiluf do the rest. Templating uses Hastache, a Haskell implementation of Mustache templates, although I will likely switch this over to Blaze soon becuase it seems better-maintained. Why the weird name? There were a couple of historical figures who bore this sobriquet. However, I took the name from Italo Calvino's wonderful novel The Nonexistent Knight. It's something of a nod to the challenges of learning Haskell. If I ever have some spare time, I'd like to convert this site over to it.
Paper Protoyping
I'm doing some good, old-fashined paper prototyping for an app I'm developing. As you can see, I'm doing mobile-first design. The app has an big smartphone component and it's almost more important for that part to be right than the regular non-mobile version, so I'm starting there. I'm also looking forward to making my first foray into responsive design. This should be a fun project.
A little guide to the big bands: part 1
Swing isn't usually the kind of jazz I listen to, but a friend aked me to put together a playlist on spotify. I thought I'd throw in a few comments on what's in there. Like I said, I'm not a huge expert in this genre, so take this stuff as a layman's intro. This playlist covers the big band era, which effectively spaned the 20s, 30s and 40s. By the end of WWII, big bands were starting to die out. I'll try to cover some fo the more transitional folks (e.g. Stan Kenton) and the Big Band revival figures in the next post.
Django-scaffold hits 1.0
Scaffold is a little open-source Django app I built to provide a, "[r]eusable application for a generic section/subsection hierarchy in Django. It aims to solve a common problem: you're building a site that needs sections and subsections and you not only need to be able to manage that hierarchy, but also hang other content off of it." Today, I've decided to bump it up to version 1.0. You can grab it from github or install it with pip/easy_install.
Scaffold is now in use in a couple of production sites, has a full test suite, and an API that is more-or-less stable; taken together all of this seemed to warrant giving it a 1.0 release. I owe special thanks to my colleague, Chuck Harmston for updating Scaffold to maintain Django 3.1 compatibility while I was off exploring the beaches of the Phillipines.
Scenes from a presentation
Here are a couple of slides from a presentation I'm preparing to give to developers at work. It's on the topic of functional programming and right now I'm struggling through how to wrap it up. It took me a couple of years to finally get my head around functional programming, so even though I'm fortunate enough to be speaking to a bunch of folks who are smarter than me, it's still a rather mindbending topic to grasp in a one hour presentation. Getting into the declarative mindset is tough, particularly when your mental mapping of human/computer interaction is warped by the lens of imperative programming. (And whoops, putting that collage together made me realize my examples of a fold are not consistent about direction.)
Making space on the camera
Just in time for my trip to Peru, I finally got the last batch of photos from my trip to the Southwest off my camera and up on Flickr.
I'll try to post pictures from Peru as I go, but I've only got a netbook with me. So unless the photos are coming out of the camera near-perfect, I might have to wait until I get back.
Flickr Latency
Soba Noodle Soup
I made a pretty good soba noodle soup the other day. It was simple, light, and easy to make. The first step is to make a Japanese seafood stock, a pretty traditional recipe:
Just throw in some carrots, onions, green onions, ginger, konbu (kelp) and hijiki (another kind of seaweed). Simmer that for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are soft:
Then strain the stock and try to squeeze as much liquid out of the vegetables as possible. Once that's done, put the stock back in the pot and bring it to a simmer. Now you're ready to finish the stock with a few other ingredients:
You add a little dashi to taste (the tan-colored granules on the left). It's a kind of fish stock and you can make your own, but most Japanese just use the granules; that's what I did. Then add a few tablespoons of a 50/50 mixture of shoyu (soy sauce) and mirin (rice wine), which is the dark colored liquid in the center. Finally add some sliced carrots and spring onions. Keep those over a very low heat, and boil the soba noodles (bottom) in another pot of water. When they're all done, just combine the ingredients and enjoy.
Quo vadis, classical music?
An interesting, disheartening blog post by Anne Midgette in the WP. The key graf:
Many of us who love music share a vague idea that audiences should be open to new things, and that they should be convinced to give them a try. But is this true? I've observed before that classical music, particularly opera companies and orchestras, are unusual in that they repeatedly try to force things on its audience that its audience doesn't necessarily want. Someone who comes to the movie theater to see "Avatar" is not necessarily going to be thrilled if I show him "Pan's Labyrinth" instead, even if I'm convinced that he would really love it if only he would watch it. And yet this is what's going on in classical music, all the time: audiences are being asked to pay lots of money in order to be taken out of their comfort zone.
I think it's worth unpacking this statement. I'm troubled for instance by the way in which she talks about the audience for classical music as though it's a monolithic entity; it's not. In fact, one of the biggest challenges classical music faces is that there is a substantial rift running right down the middle of it's listeners. Go to the symphony on any given night and it's easy enough to see: on the one hand you have the older, wealthier segment of the audience. These are the folks who occupy the box seats, the folks who can afford to shell out for season tickets, the folks who show up on the donors list in the program. And by and large, they want to hear the operas and symphonies and concertos they've always heard: the classical warhorses. For them, Ravel and Debussy are as adventurous as they like to get. Because these audiences financial influence is high, one often finds their impact on programming is frequently disproportionate to their numbers.
The other audience for classical music is just as likely to show up at a matinee concert: they're younger, more open to new music, but don't wield the purse strings of the organization. And keeping them coming—in fact, attracting more like them—is the only hope classical music has if it wants to survive, at least in the US. The older audience might be supplying the bread and butter now, but they are dying off and no one is replacing them. This issue is somewhat orthogonal to the old vs. new music debate, but the fact is, new music can spectacularly engage younger, new-to-the-scene audiences; I've seen it happen. For these audiences, new music doesn't have to be an occasional event, leavened with heavy doses of Beethoven and Brahms to make it go down. It can be a vital part of how they define classical music.
It's also worth looking at this statement: "audiences are being asked to pay lots of money in order to be taken out of their comfort zone" because wittingly or not, it gets at a huge problem in the classical industry. Symphony and especially opera tickets are insanely expensive. If I want to get even halfway-decent seats at a WNO performance, I can expect to pay $100 - $250 per ticket. Big organizations spending lots of money on top-flight talent are going to tend to be risk-averse, but this is happening precisely at a time when the industry needs to take some risks to survive. That's a likely reason why smaller venues, chamber and solo concerts tend to be more welcoming of new music. But orchestras can do it too. Right here in Baltimore, Marin Alsop and the BSO are a good example.
Update: Alex Ross has more on the state of current classcal audiences, with breakdowns by generation. Good read, albeit depressing.


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The CSEC Math Chamber was designed to be the one stop online resource for preparation for the CSEC mathematics exams. Over the years in the Caribbean, the CSEC mathematics exam has recorded low level of passes and this prompted the math chamber team to create a resource we feel will improve the possibility of passing the exams by giving users 24/7 access to various tools including Study Notes, Past Papers, Mock Exams, Ability to ask Questions and tutors.
User name
To Pass Mathematics, one needs to practice as much as possible. Only by learning from your mistakes, will you get better.
Passing CXC CSEC Mathematics is vital to career advancement. Dont get left behind! Sign up now to increase your chances of passing


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Originally posted on FOX Sports | Last updated 12/15/12
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs is a married man. Suggs posted the announcement with a photograph of himself and longtime girlfriend Candace Williams on his Facebook page, The Baltimore Sun reported. "Last night I married my best friend and the love of my life," Suggs wrote. "Our son gave her away and our daughter looked like a miniature version of my beautiful bride as she stood next to her. I'm a lucky, lucky man. Thank you God for all of your blessings and for showing me such amazing favor." Suggs' publicist confirmed the couple got married in a small ceremony of about 30 people. Suggs and Williams applied for a marriage license in Maryland recently while resolving issues related to Williams filing for a temporary protective order on Nov. 20. She had alleged a domestic violence incident in early September, but filed no charges, the paper reported. Williams voluntarily withdrew the filing, which alleged the former Pro Bowler punched her in the neck and dragged her a...
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Latest Weather Blog
1 shot, 1 arrested in Lafourche pit bull argument
THIBODAUX- The Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office says an argument over whose pit bull was better ended in bloodshed after one man went home to get a shotgun and fired into the other man's car.
29-year-old Nicholas Queen was booked Monday with attempted first-degree murder. He's being held in lieu of $250,000 bond.
A 25-year-old man was hit in the thigh. His vehicle then crashed into a pickup truck. The truck's three occupants suffered minor injuries.
It was unclear whether Queen has an attorney.


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Notice: On March 31, it was announced that Statalist is moving from an email list to a forum. The old list will shut down on April 23, and its replacement, statalist.org is already up and running.
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
st: component order for fmm
yannan shen <email@example.com>
st: component order for fmm
Mon, 20 Aug 2012 20:15:10 -0400
Hi all,
I am working on some panel data (stocks by month)
Every year, I am using the fmm package to identify stocks return into
groups. And then I am using the fmmlc, savec savep command to save up
the result.
My code looks like this
keep if obs==67 *obs 67 =06/1998
fmm ro_cons, components(2) mix(normal)
fmmlc, savec savep
fmm ro_cons, components(3) mix(normal)
fmmlc, savec savep
what I care is _b[_cons] the coefficient for the intercept.
However, I noticed that for some years _b[_cons group1]>_b[_cons
group2], and sometimes, it's the other way around.
It there anyway I can put a constraint to this command and make sure
the intercept term for group 1 is always greater than intercept for
* For searches and help try:
* http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
* http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
* http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/


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Vote for your favorite game in the Psychsoftpc PC Game of the Year Poll
Irrational Games is the award winning developer of System Shock II and Freedom Force. Irrational Games has studios in Quincy, MA and Canberra, Australia comprised of dedicated designers, programmers, artists and business facilitators.Blue Fang Games is an independent game developer dedicated to creating compelling, emotionally engaging games focused on the animal kingdom that set the benchmark for broad-based family entertainment. Blue Fangs Zoo Tycoon franchise has established itself as one of the most popular PC gaming franchises and has sold over 5 million units worldwide.
HARMONIX is a videogame development company based in Cambridge, MA. The company specializes in music-based games, and we are renowned for groundbreaking design innovation. The company's newest series, Guitar Hero, published by RedOctane, is a shrine to the glory of rock guitar and a fiendishly addictive fusion of music and gameplay.
Turbine Inc., headquartered in Westwood, MA, is a leading producer and publisher of online subscription entertainment. Turbine has established a position at the forefront of the massively multiplayer online games (MMOG) space with its ability to create living worlds and empower players to drive the game play experience. Turbine is currently developing the first Lord of the Rings online role playing game, The Lord of the Rings Online": Shadows of Angmar" while developing and self- funding Dungeons & Dragons Online" with publishing partner Atari. Both break-through titles will join Turbine's memorable games Asheron's Call® and Asheron's Call: Dark Majesty®.Iron Lore Entertainment was founded in October 2000 by veteran game developer Brian Sullivan and successful
Tilted Mill Entertainment, creators of Caesar IV and Children of the Nile.
vote for us @ Top Gamer Sites.com
GameZone Online - The Gamer Connection!
Gamers Hell
GamePro.com Where gamers go first.
Gameworld Network PC Game News
GamesRadar GamesRadar is all about gaming. It's all about playing games and shouting about games and reviewing games and saying they're brilliant or trash and everything in between.
Creative Uncut
GameBanshee is a site devoted to providing consistent information about current and soon-to-be-released role-playing games. They provide news, reviews, previews, and interviews for a variety of RPG titles and provide additional information for our "featured" games.
Videogame Cheats - Get the latest game news, reviews, previews and cheats.
The Elder Scrolls Source The source for Elder Scrolls Mods. While you're there, check out our Mod for Oblivion. See, I told you we were gamers, too.
LucasFiles.com Mods for every Star Wars game out there.
Modern Warfare 2 Board Modern Warfare 2 Board | Preorder Modern Warfare 2 for xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Discuss all aspects of the new Call of Duty
Sim Racing Links
GamesWalks Video walkthroughs of recent games
Game Freelancing Directory
Big Video Game Directory
surclaro.com Flight Sim Site
aviation portal
VideoGameDesignSchools.net This website was created by our friend Sara to give students an unbiased forum where they can gather information about obtaining a video game design degree from a neutral, non-profit resource. It has active links to the actual college or university game design pages, not some 3rd party click for cash site, so you go direct to the source. And if it doesn't list every college or university, it comes pretty close. We like this approach.
Click Psychsoftpc for quality high end PCs to go to the main page. For our high end gamer PC go to the Psyborg Extreme Gamer PC (gamer computer, gamer pc, gaming pc) page, for our business class PC go to Psyborg Business Class PC, for our 64 bit Graphics Workstation go to the Psyborg Extreme 64 bit Graphics Workstation SUSE Linux Workstation or XP Workstation Page, for our Digital Signage Solution go to the Psyches Genie Digital Signage Media PC Page, for our In-store signage (point of purchase signage) solution go to the Psyne Creation Station In-store Signage (point of purchase signage) Printing Solution Page and for our SUSE Linux based Cluster Supercomputers go to the Psychlone Cluster SUSE Linux Cluster HPC Supercomputer Page. Our resources pages are: Gamer, Linux Graphics, Retail, Vista resources, what is a high performance computer


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2005: Did not see any action.
HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Hewitt-Trussville High School and was a three-year letterman ... had outstanding senior season as he recorded 78 receptions for 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns ... was team captain as senior ... earned first-team all-metro honors and was honorable mention all-state selection by The Birmingham News ... as a junior, he had 39 catches for 450 yards and four TDs ... also participated in basketball and track during prep career.
PERSONAL: Born Dec. 2, 1986 at Birmingham, Ala. ... son of Dianne & Mike Carraway (father, Dennis Bobo deceased) ... major is bio-medical engineering.


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Creative Eye WorkshopsTM
Digital Camera & Photography Classes in Chicago Area
Follow Me for Photography Tips and Updates!
Digital Photography Made Simple
Learn To Photograph the Things You Love Most!
Creative Eye Workshops offers fun and rewarding photography classes in the Chicago area for those who wish to improve their photographic skills.
Our philosophy is to teach you the fundamentals of photography so you can think for yourself. We build your confidence and knowledge so that you can take control of your camera. With no more fuss and worry, you'll experience greater enjoyment along with a newfound freedom to photograph the things you love most! Ultimately, we give you the tools and guidance to help you discover and express your creative eye.
Don't Just Take Our Word For It
Sarah from Naperville wrote, "With his wonderful sense of humor and comfortable way about him, Mike lightens the classes up whenever needed and makes sure that everyone 'gets it.' Mike cares about his students and his concern and follow through with each person is truly impressive."
Nancy from Glen Ellyn wrote, "I thoroughly enjoyed your class and look forward to further learning. Your energy and depth of knowledge are inspiring! Thanks for a great experience."
Classes for All Photographers & Subject Matter
We offer a wide range of photography classes, targeted for different levels of photographers. No matter what subject matter you like to photograph, both beginners and advanced photographers can be benefit by improving their technical and artistic aptitude. We provide digital camera classes, courses in photo composition and exposure, Photoshop Elements courses, and landscape and nature photography workshops. We even offer private photography lessons and help you save money with workshop package coupons.
We Focus on the Fundamentals
Our photography classes focus on the fundamentals so that you can take your knowledge and apply it to any type of subject matter you'd like, whether that means photographing your children, becoming a great nature photographer, or starting a business in portrait photography. You'll learn the technical and creative aspects of photography, including many advanced photographic techniques.
If you're a more advanced photographer (or a just smarty pants), we have workshops designed for you, too, including courses in exposure, Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, digital printmaking, and landscape and nature photography.
Gain Confidence & Knowledge!
Our goal for the beginner photographer is to help the student feel confident and unafraid of her digital camera. We say "her" because the majority of our students are women. If you're a beginner, start with a course in photographic composition or a digital camera class to learn how to use your DSLR camera, free from the restrictions of the "AUTO" and "point-and-shoot" modes. Learn more about which classes to take first.
Amy from Aurora wrote after starting her own children's portrait photography business, "I have been meaning to touch base with you just to say thanks! You were my kick start to doing exactly what I love. Your classes and work inspired me to take a leap of faith and I again thank you."
Once you've completed our basic photography curriculum, you'll have the confidence and knowledge to apply these fundamentals to whatever subject matter you wish to photograph. If you decide to pursue portrait photography or studio photography, you'll already have the skills understanding to pick it up more easily. If you take up nature photography or landscape photography, you'll be ready for that, too, plus we offer several classes and outings designed to make you a much better nature photographer.
Classes Keenly Focused on Your Needs
Our focus is on learning by providing you with practical training that concentrates on the most essential information. We teach you what you need to know, when you need to know it, rather than confusing you with loads of irrelevant topics. And, because each class addresses the fundamentals, you learn the information once and for all, saving you time and money in the long run, and freeing your mind to focus on being creative and having fun!
Visual Presentations & Hands-on Learning
Photography is visual and so is learning. That's why we offer hands-on classes and visual presentations that include insightful graphics and computer animations to show you how things work. Shutter and aperture, flash sync, depth-of-field and field of view, polarizer and split grad filters, the exposure triad of shutter speed/f-stop/ISO, crop factor and focal length, everything is taught in a visual way so you learn with less effort.
"I have read half dozen books on photography, and none were able to explain the fundamentals of proper exposure like you were. Now I have a much clearer understanding of correct exposure and how to achieve it." Chris from Lisle, IL
With each class, we provide you with a set of comprehensive notes that comprise a virtual repeat of the class. This way, you can re-read the information between sessions or refresh your memory well after taking the course. And, during the class, you'll often receive supplemental emails containing valuable information to help clarify or summarize the material presented during the previous session(s).
Photography Classes Designed for Busy People
We have thoughtfully planned our curriculum to accommodate busy people, with courses that are targeted and efficient. For example, instead of offering one long course that requires an extended commitment, we break down our curriculum into several short classes to better fit your busy life. Learn which classes are right for you.
Photography Classes Conveniently Located in Chicago Area
We hold our photography courses in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove, one minute from I-355 Tollway (northeast of Naperville), with many class dates to help with your busy schedule. Photographers of all levels travel far and wide to take our classes: From nearby Naperville & Bolingbrook, Aurora & Bolingbrook, Joliet & Plainfield, Oak Brook & Hinsdale, Wheaton and Glen Ellyn, Lisle & Woodridge, Elmhurst & Lombard, and Brookfield & La Grange to as far away as Chicago, Orland Park, Schaumburg, even Barrington, Evanston, Woodstock, Manhattan, and Valparaiso, Indiana. See locations served for driving directions.
Accomplished Photographer & Knowledgeable Instructor
Your instructor, coach, and the creator of Creative Eye Workshops is Mike MacDonald. Self-taught, Mike started out taking pictures like everyone else. But, eighteen months later, Mike became a nationally published photographer with an article called "Frozen Images" in Outdoor Photographer Magazine. (Click here to experience one of Mike's articles from Outdoor Photographer Magazine.)
Mike has a deep and insightful grasp of the technical and creative aspects of photography, but, most importantly, he knows how to teach. The information he presents and the way he presents inspires students to take it to the next level. Enthusiam and passion are at the heart of Mike's teaching, and the passion is contagious.
Charlie from Darien writes, "Mike has identified many of the photographic elements and techniques which have contributed to his own personal success, and has integrated these into the Creative Eye Workshops. This professional insight coupled which his unbridled enthusiasm and passion make these workshops both a rewarding and exhilarating experience."
With degrees in mathematics and physics, and careers in scientific computer programming and professional comedy, Mike possesses rare and symbiotic credentials that make him stand out as a photographer and a teacher. For instance, Mike draws upon his unique background to simply explain complicated information, including the creation of custom graphics and animations to help students visualize, imagine, and absorb even the most complex material.
If you have further questions about Mike MacDonald's photography workshops, just email us or phone 630-852-8448.
Copyright 1999-2014Mike MacDonald Photography, Inc.
Copyright 1999-2014Mike MacDonald Photography, Inc.


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Norwegian Star Review
- Pro: Refurbs have kept original Freestyle ship modern.
- Con: Reservations necessary to get the venue you want.
- Bottom Line: Star provides some of Norwegian's most popular features, on a smaller ship.
Norwegian Star Overview
Launched in 2001, the 2,348-passenger Norwegian Star was the first Norwegian ship custom built for Freestyle Cruising, NCL's anti-traditionalist program that touts a plethora of dining, cabin and entertainment options.
A 2015 refurbishment saw a number of additions as well as a ship wide refresh, including carpets and upholstery. The biggest change was the transformation of the whole of the lobby area of Deck 8 with a Norwegian mainstay – O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill, replacing Blue Lagoon Restaurant and Moderno Churrascaria. While Blue Lagoon has gone for good, Moderno has moved to Deck 13 taking up the space which was once the Star Bar. It shares this space with the second Sugarcane Mojito Bar. The Red Lion Pub on Deck 7 has been converted into the first 5 O' Clock Somewhere Bar on the Norwegian fleet. Digital signage has also been added, and both the phot gallery and the casino have been given a refresh. And finally, Ginza noodle restaurant has become free.
The ship boasts 11 restaurants, including venues serving Tex-Mex, Japanese and French cuisine, and 8 bars and lounges (try the open-air Bier Garten). In line with the Freestyle mantra, public spaces range from intimate to exuberant, providing a variety of spots for activities and entertainment day and night. There are also tons of accommodation options, from standard inside cabins to the enormous 6,694-square-ft., three-bedroom Garden Villas.
Star was also refurbished in February 2010 in Victoria, British Columbia. The two-week dry-dock focused mostly on cosmetic enhancements (carpets, upholstery, etc.) and engineering work, but the line also added a number of 54 cabins and suites, and enhanced Star's spaces for kids.
Norwegian Star Fellow Passengers
NCL's passengers run the broad spectrum of families with young kids to retirees who want a casual cruise experience at a reasonable cost. The average age of guests on the Star's eight-day Mexican Riviera cruise is mid-40's, but when the cruise starts on a Friday or Saturday, the number of children on board increases. The ship is ideal for families wanting to experience an Alaska itinerary, especially since it sails roundtrip from Seattle.
Norwegian Star Dress Code
Casual, casual, casual. There is one voluntary formal night for those who want to dress up, but most choose to leave their jewels and tuxes at home. The fancier restaurants (Bistro, SoHo Room) do lend themselves to cocktail attire, but the other dining spots only require resort casual. No shorts, swimsuits or tank tops are allowed in the restaurants after 5 p.m.
Norwegian Star Gratuity
Each passenger is automatically billed $13.50 per person, per day in all cabin categories up to and including a mini suite. Suite guests will be charged $15.50 per person, per day. This supports an incentive program for the service staff. Passenger who prefer to tip individually can fill out a form at reception. An 18 percent gratuity is automatically added to fitness classes and bar drinks as well as an 18 percent auto-gratuity to all services in the spa. All specialty and entertainment dining carries the same 18 percent auto-gratuity. For passengers using concierge and butler service, Norwegian recommends a gratuity "commensurate with the services rendered." The bill can be paid in cash or with credit cards.