text: CLEVELAND, Feb. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) announced today that it has agreed to sell the company's investment management subsidiary Victory Capital Management and its broker dealer affiliate Victory Capital Advisers to a private equity fund sponsored by Crestview Partners for $246 million in cash and debt, subject to adjustment at closing. Key intends to seek regulatory approval to use the gain from the sale to repurchase shares of its common stock. "For Key, the divestiture is consistent with our strategic focus on businesses that leverage the competitive advantages of our core relationship banking model," said Chairman and CEO Beth E. Mooney. "In addition, this transaction partners Victory with a widely recognized acquirer, allowing Victory to operate as a pure play investment management business, with management owning an equity position." The sale price consists of $201 million of cash at closing and a seller note. The initial face amount of the note will be $45 million, with its final value determined at the end of 2013. KeyCorp estimates the after-tax gain on the closing of the transaction in the range of $145 to $155 million, subject to final valuation of the note. The business to be sold represented $112 million in revenue and $88 million in expense of KeyCorp's financial results in 2012. Victory Capital Management has approximately $22 billion of assets under management and offers a wide range of investment strategies and vehicles for institutional and individual clients. Victory Capital Advisors, a registered broker dealer, provides mutual fund distribution services. Crestview Partners is a value-oriented private equity firm based in New York City, with approximately $4 billion of capital under management. The sale is expected to close during the third quarter of 2013. It was approved by the Victory Mutual Fund Board of Directors, and is subject to customary closing conditions and consents of the Victory Mutual Fund shareholders and certain investment advisory clients.


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Hotel Colonial de Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico (VER)
Hotel Specials
Package Specials
Package Specials
Junior Suite, Balcony
Balcony with park views
Free WiFi, free toiletries, sofa bed, and room service
Standard Room, 2 Double Beds
Free WiFi, free toiletries, iron/ironing board, and room service
Make yourself at home in one of the 178 air-conditioned rooms featuring flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Bathrooms have showers and complimentary toiletries. Conveniences include phones, as well as safes and ceiling fans.
Enjoy recreation amenities such as an indoor pool or take in the view from a rooftop terrace. Additional amenities at this hotel include complimentary wireless Internet access, wedding services, and tour/ticket assistance.
Enjoy a meal at a restaurant, or stay in and take advantage of the hotel's room service (during limited hours). Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge.
Business, Other Amenities
Featured amenities include express check-in, complimentary newspapers in the lobby, and dry cleaning/laundry services. Event facilities at this hotel consist of a conference center and meeting rooms.
Know Before You Go
- This property allows pets in specific rooms only (surcharges apply and can be found in the Fees section). Guests can request one of these rooms by contacting the property directly, using the contact information on the booking confirmation.
The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
- Valet parking fee: MXN 25 per night (in/out privileges)
- Pet fee: MXN 100 per pet, per night
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
- 24-Hour Front Desk
- Dry Cleaning Service
- Elevator / Lift
- Express Check-In
- Indoor Pool
- Kiddie Pool
- Laundry Services/Laundry Facility
- Lounge/Bar
- Multilingual Staff
- Porter / Bellhop
- Room Service
- Wedding Services
(*) = Free, some restrictions may apply

subset: commoncrawl


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the bulb has gone in the middle of the reading lights, i was wondering if theres a method to remove the cover that covers the reading lights and the centre light?
the bulb has gone in the middle of the reading lights, i was wondering if theres a method to remove the cover that covers the reading lights and the centre light?
It appears that you posted your previous thread in the "How-to" section, which is moderated and reserved for detailed instruction guides or How-to guides and not technical requests, hence why it did not show up on the general forum. I have removed that thread from the forum for you...
yup noticed, cheers
The light just in front of the rear view mirror ?
yeah thats the one!
Sitting in the drivers seat look along the edge of the light facia - on the edge you'll set a little gap between the facia and the roof liner. Use a very thin flat blade and put it in the gap - riggle it about and the facia will unclip from the light unit.
Once it's off do the same for the light unit itself - IIRC the light is held in with spring clips so it'll be a bit tight.
Once you take the light facia off you'll be left with the light unit still in the roof liner.
If it's just the 40mm festoon bulb that has blown (the one that lights up when you unlock the car) you can change it in place.
If it's the map reading bulb (the ones that require the button to be pressed) then you'll need to remove the light unit to change the bulb, it's fiddly as fook to line it up in the socket on a table - in place on the car would be a nightmare.
ahhh right, no its just the one that lights up with you open the doors and unlock the car
|« Previous Thread | Next Thread »


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Golf Hotel Ca' degli Ulivi
Select your stay dates to check availability at Golf Hotel Ca' degli Ulivi
Golf Hotel Ca' degli Ulivi
About the Hotel
Property Location
With a stay at Golf Hotel Ca' degli Ulivi in Costermano (Marciaga), you'll be minutes from Golf Club Ca degli Ulivi and close to Paolo Bonomelli Boutique Olive Farm. This 4-star hotel is within close proximity of Museo del Castello Scaligero and Baia delle Sirene Park.
Make yourself at home in one of the 28 air-conditioned rooms featuring minibars and flat-screen televisions. Satellite television is provided for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with showers feature bidets and hair dryers. Conveniences include safes and desks, and you can also request cribs/infant beds.
Practice your swing on the golf course and enjoy other recreational amenities, such as an outdoor pool. Additional features at this hotel include gift shops/newsstands, wedding services, and tour/ticket assistance.
Satisfy your appetite at the hotel's restaurant, which serves breakfast and dinner, or stay in and take advantage of room service (during limited hours). Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge.
Business, Other Amenities
Featured amenities include express check-in, express check-out, and a 24-hour front desk. Free self parking is available onsite.
Hotel Facilities
- Free self parking
- Shopping on site
- Bar/lounge
- Golf course on site
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Express check-in
- Total number of rooms - 28
- 24-hour front desk
- Restaurant
- Rooftop terrace
- Express check-out
- Wedding services
- Free breakfast
- Elevator/lift
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Gift shops or newsstand
- Multilingual staff
- Outdoor pool
- Number of floors - 1
- Outdoor seasonal pool
- Meeting rooms
- Garden
Room Facilities
- Satellite TV service
- Minibar
- Bidet
- Shower only
- Cribs/infant beds available
- Desk
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Hair dryer
- Room service (limited hours)
- Private bathroom
- Flat-panel TV
- In-room safe
Hotel Policy
Know Before You Go
- All guests, including children, must be present at check-in and show their government-issued photo ID card or passport.
- Cash transactions at this property cannot exceed EUR 2999.99, due to national regulations. For further details, please contact the property using information in the booking confirmation.
- In accordance with national/local laws, air conditioning may be restricted to certain hours from 01 July to 31 August.
Mandatory Fees and Taxes
You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property:
- A tax is imposed by the city: EUR 2.00 per person, per night. This tax does not apply to children under 14 years of age.
We have included all charges provided to us by the property. However, charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book.Show all hotel policy Show less hotel policy


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Novio 3D - Fablab 106 - Foldable 3D Printer
5 or more $990 USD
10 or more $985 USD
20 or more $975 USD
Novio 3D make 3D Printing technologies accessible, educational, fun, easy to use & affordable. 3Dprint exciting objects on your desktop, factory floor, garage or laboratory.
Imagine, Create, 3DPrint and Hold
• Innovative form extraction.
• Better communication and testing idea.
• Prototype and test design.
• Observing 3D Printing.
Novio3D™ produces 3D printers that are powerful design and learning tools for students. Engage in a new forms of learning in the most up-front way possible.
Whether you are a visionary hobbyist or an innovative inventor, Novio 3D™ printer will be of great companion. Print that creative idea, turn it into reality and include it in your most valuable collections.
Our Novio 3D Print Creator is an Auto 3D Print software with the most easy to use 3D printing system software. The software is very user friendly with uncomplicated visual of operating designs and is pre-configured to get the best performance out of our 3D printer's Diamond XTR Extruders and print plastic. Enjoy the best FDM print experience in the world with Novio 3D HD print technology.
|Product Condition
|Manufacturer Warranty
|1 Year
|Printing Specifications
|Print size ( X Y Z )
|215 x 215 x 200 mm
|Nozzle Diameter
|0.5 mm
|Filament Compatibility
|Only PLA
|Mechanical Specifications
|No.of Extruders
|Print Plate (Build Platform)
|Glass Plate
|Software Specifications
|3D printing Software
|Auto 3D Print
|CAD Input data file format supported
|STL, G code
|Client Operating System
|Only Windows
|Shipping specifications
|Machine Dimensions
|460 x 460 x 450 mm
|Shipping Location
|Hong Kong, Philippines
|Lead Time (Processing/Handling Time)
|3 Weeks


text:
Local Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Trooper John Sleigher was instrumental in the recovery of a kidnapped 10-month-old infant and the arrest of four suspects relating to the kidnapping during a routine patrol in nearby Madison County Sunday night.
According to reports, Sleigher was informed of a vehicle BOLO (Be on the Lookout) notice for a white Chevrolet HHR occupied by four black females and one 10-month-old black child in reference to a kidnapping out of St. John's County.
Subscribe to our e-Edition and read the rest of the story. Already a subscriber? Click here to sign in.


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I would like to know if there is a way to read the vidéo in real time with the USB mini, so we can send it via radio. The aim is being able to see what a drone see, to aim properly the camera.
Thank you for the answer
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text:
'Biron made 23 saves for the Sabres, who own just one win in their last 15 games (1-10-3-1).'
Archives for November 2002
Buffalo 1, Tampa Bay 1 (OT)
Look to draft for answer to Sabres' scoring woes
"They can't score." How many times have fans heard those words used to describe the Buffalo Sabres? But what about the reasons for what seems to be a never-ending problem of lack of goal production from Sabre forwards? A study recently conducted by this writer suggests that one reason may frequently be overlooked. The Sabres can't score because they can't draft scorers.
The power authority
'From those days of doubt with the Sabres, Andreychuk has cemented his legacy among the greats of the game.'
Zhitnik's broken foot accentuates thin blue line
'More than 8,000 tickets remain for tonight's game. Almost 6,000 are available for Friday's contest against Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins.'
Sabres vs. Lightning
'Former Sabres C Brian Holzinger had an assist Saturday in his return from a broken leg.'
Sabres Deal Is A Relief For Fans
'Lightning assistant coach Craig Ramsay, who spent 22 years with the Sabres as a player, coach and in the front office, said it would be a big blow to the city if the team were to ever leave. "With [Toronto] so close, they have such a natural rivalry,'' Ramsay said. "This is a good hockey city and so many people love the game around here. It would be sad if that were to ever happen.'''
Tonight's Lightning Game
'Buffalo has one win in its last 14 games and has gone 1-10-2-1 during that span.'
Tonight: Lightning vs. Sabres
'Tampa Bay trails the series 10-24-3-1 and is 6-12-1 at Buffalo, where it hasn't won since March 1999 (0-6).'
Sabres D Zhitnik out with broken bone in right foot
'Alexei Zhitnik, the Buffalo Sabres' ice-time leader, will miss at least a week because of a broken bone in his right foot.'
'They know they're making stupid mistakes. They know they're not playing as well as they can. They need to get back on track, but they got off the path somewhere back there, and all their effort just carries them further in the wrong direction. It's called "pressing," and it's just as productive as trying to force the kid to understand the homework.'
Out with the new, in with the Blue (and Gold)
While Islander fans are struggling to come to terms with the awful new look their team is giving them, Sabres fans might just be looking at the return of their classic look. The 1996 "gang colors" look might be out the door as new owner Mark Hamister is now openly considering bringing back the blue and gold jerseys the team wore for its first 26 years. Mark, let me make this easy on you… DO IT!
M&T to host Sabres' function at arena
'Robert Sadler, president of M&T Bank and a member of the "Business Backs the Sabres" campaign, expects about 150 executives to attend. The intention is to drum up support for the Sabres, whose season ticket sales have fallen below 8,000.'
Sabres recall Fitzpatrick, Noronen, demote Miller
'Fitzpatrick, who has appeared in 53 NHL games, currently leads Rochester defensemen with three goals and eight points in 20 American Hockey League games this season.'
Sabres demote Miller, recall Noronen
'To replace Miller, the Sabres recalled Mika Noronen on Sunday, two days after he was sent to the team's AHL affiliate in Rochester for conditioning.'
A quarter of the way in, Sabres not worth a plugged nickel
Good news: The Sabres did fly out of the gate. Bad news: They crashed just three games into the season. Ninety-one points? What were we smoking? Mark Zampogna writes…


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Flights to Salisbury from Faro
Flights to Salisbury from Faro
Flights Faro - Salisbury fly from Faro to Salisbury at the best prices in the market. Flights from Faro (Faro) to Salisbury (Salisbury-Wicomico) with Destinia. To search for availability and reserve your flight Faro - Salisbury look at the box above and select the departure and return date as desired. You can also buy several airplane tickets Faro (Faro airport) - Salisbury (Salisbury-Wicomico airport) at the same time, by selecting the adults, children and babies travelling. You can filter the type of flight if you only want direct flights to Faro - Salisbury, multiple destinations or flight stopovers.
Faro and Salisbury are 5955 kilometres away from each other, with an estimated flight time of 08:30 h (this may vary depending on the weather or air routes)
Airports near Salisbury
Salisbury has one airport: Salisbury-Wicomico (SBY), located 8 km away from the city centre. The hotels in Salisbury closest to its airport are:
- Americas Best Value Inn Salisbury (SBY) from €30€
- Best Western Salisbury Plaza (SBY) from €23€
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Selection of the airline routes that are most popular with users of Destinia.
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What would you guys do?
View Single Post
August 16th, 2013, 03:30 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: 02-15-13
Location: Chelsea/MI
Posts: 1,591
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Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
yup. pay up.
I was a cornwell dealer. an actual franchise deal. id come get the impact back if you didnt pay. Is it worth the humiliation you will face by your peers/boss to have the dealer come back and repo it? I know I wouldnt want my boss to know I couldnt take care of my bills
Maybe you read your card info off wrong to the dealer? why is it always the dealers fault?
this is part of the reason I am not in that business anymore. I HAD TO go take people by the hand and drag them to the truck and ask for a payment for tools they had already received but not yet paid for. THEN, they would get on the truck and pay 20 bucks on the 250 dollar bill (when we agreed to 40), and then want to buy another 200 tool. HA! Get off my truck!
Instead of when I pull up to the shop them stop at a good stopping point come out and pay there bill willingly.
Why did you not call the dealer when you noticed that the 400 and some odd dollars had not come out of your bank account or been on your CC bill? you could have called and made sure everything was ok. Instead you waited and hoped they forgot and are now upset because through accounting they found out and now you have to pay...
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The always-entertaining "minutephysics" YouTube channel today presents a quick video on why we tend to measure distances with time, such as light-years, light-minutes, etc. But with some creative thinking, we can start talking about getting to the store in "bike-minutes", "sailboat-weeks" or my personal favorite, "whale years".
Since this also works for measuring distance, the next time you take a 10-minute coffee break, you can say to your boss, "I'll be back in 100 feet." That won't be confusing at all.
Keith Shaw rounds up the best in geek video in his ITworld.tv blog. Follow Keith on Twitter at @shawkeith. For the latest IT news, analysis and how-tos, follow ITworld on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
Now watch: What Google Goggles will REALLY look like April Fools' videos from around the InterWeb If Doctor Who was an 8-bit role-playing game


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After intervention from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Romania's economy ministry aims to sell its 54.79% majority stake in loss-making chemical producer Oltchim, according to ICIS news.
Germany's Petro Carbo Chem – an activist shareholder is likely to be interested. Economy mnister Ion Ariton is also revealed that Oltchim's creditors, including Erste Group's Banca Comerciala Romana could convert debt into shares.
Karoly Borbely, state secretary at the economy ministry, said that two investment funds are interested in buying the state's stake. I've previously reported that these are thought to be US groups.


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In 2012, Lake Michigan Credit Union added 178 employees, an increase of 34 percent over the previous year. We were growing quickly and needed more staff to support our short- and long-term goals. Forty of the new employees resulted from our merger with Citizens Credit Union in June of 2010. Plus, we gained 20 new staff members when the CU purchased an insurance agency in 2011.
With this rapid growth came the challenge of culture. These 178 new team members came from over 40 different organizations, all with their own unique cultures. The new team members needed to understand, embrace and live the Lake Michigan CU culture but it became increasingly clear that our culture had been "diluted" over the previous five years. Even longer term staff didn't truly know how to define the Lake Michigan CU culture.
When I attended CUES School of Strategic Marketing in 2012, lead faculty Mark Weber of CUES Supplier member Weber Marketing Group, Seattle, said "Culture is your internal brand and has a direct impact on your external brand."
I knew we needed to improve our internal brand if we were going to effectively manage high growth, and I knew that marketing needed to be a part of that initiative.
$3.1 billion/272,000-member Lake Michigan CU is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., with 37 branches. Additionally, we have two mortgage-only offices. Our business units include retail banking, mortgage lending, commercial banking, auto loans, insurance, investments, a sophisticated online/mobile banking capability, and an auto center (selling quality, previously owned cars).
In early 2013, the CU was granted an expanded charter covering the entire lower peninsula of Michigan, allowing us to grow beyond our previous charter, which covered about half of the west side of the state.
Lake Michigan CU has been experiencing high-velocity growth, setting new records for each of the past four years, and gaining recognition as one of the top performing credit unions in the nation. For example, according to CUES Supplier member Callahan & Associates as of Sept. 13, out of the 208 $1+ billion U.S., credit unions, Lake Michigan CU ranked third in return on assets; eighth for lowest delinquency ratio at 0.16 percent; eighth lowest in net charge-off ratio at 0.08 percent; and eighth in the nation in total return to member.
Consider these performance markers at the end of calendar year 2013:
- Members served: 272,000;
- New members added during the year: 15,000;
- Asset size: $3.0 billion (growth of 10 percent);
- Serviced and portfolioed mortgages: $5.67 billion;
- Capital ratio: 11.27 percent;
- Return-on-assets: 1.87 percent;
- Retained earnings: $333 million; and
- Net income: $54 million.
While these numbers represent strong measures of success, our culture needed to catch up.
Getting on the Team
In 2011, our president/CEO, Sandra Jelinski, a CUES member, identified the need for a cultural "fix." She tasked SVP/Human Resources and Training Nora Swart to direct this initiative. Swart formed a five-person team to survey the staff to get a "temperature" reading on our current culture. She also hired Michael Hudson, Ph.D., president of Credit Union Strategy, Rehoboth Beach, Del., whom Jelinski had met at a CU conference. Hudson was to assist in several focus groups of staff from all levels of the organization.
Shortly after I attended CUES School of Strategic Marketing I in July 2012, Swart set out to form a taskforce of three people from senior management to head-up the culture improvement initiative.
Motivated by the school, I shared my interest in helping contribute in the development of a unified and clearly defined culture with our CEO, as well as the need to have the highest ranking marketing staff member on the culture taskforce to help ensure our "internal brand" was effectively developed. She agreed and Swart, Chief Information/Technologies Services Officer Razi Qadri and I formed the three-person taskforce. We were to work directly with Hudson, who we viewed as an unbiased outside consultant.
Getting to Work
In essence, we were starting from scratch. The focus groups and surveys confirmed what we believed would be the case. Staff shared dozens of different interpretations of what our culture was and what it should be. This lack of consistency, along with other feedback from the focus groups and surveys helped us identify five major priority areas that needed to be addressed:
1. Culture Definition: We needed to clearly identify and define the key characteristics of our culture that could be articulated to all staff. This way, everyone would know what we were striving for from a cultural standpoint.
2. Improved Communication: Staff expressed a deep interest and desire to learn more about what was going on in other departments, key company programs, and to get together to hear and learn about the culture development at Lake Michigan CU. They wanted a consistent message and communication method, plus better communication tools and access to feedback channels.
3. Clearly Defined Processes: Rapid growth was straining our processes. To foster a more positive culture, clearly defined processes needed to be put in place for staff in virtually all areas. This would result in the creation of project planning methods, access to information and collection of frontline input to form "best practices" that would allow staff to do their jobs with the greatest efficiency and accuracy, and improve job satisfaction. A need for more training, at all levels, was also identified.
4. More Visible Leadership: With such rapid growth, management was kept busy managing the growth, which resulted in less interaction with other business units and this was recognized by staff. Employees indicated in the focus groups and in the online survey a strong desire for more frequent visibility and interaction with management along with performance coaching.
5. Formal Recognition Program: While many employees felt they were indeed recognized by their co-workers and supervisor for a job well done, they perceived a gap in formal recognition in which individuals and departments would be acknowledged for superior performance. The research revealed team morale and spirit were low because of a perception of "branches" vs "corporate" and without team-building events and a knowledge of where we were going as a company. Staff also identified a desire for performance coaching, to enable team members to achieve their full potential.
The Culture Development team determined we would focus on the first two areas staff identified, beginning with the creation of a definition of our culture. The senior management team was presented with the results from the focus groups and the staff questionnaires. We met off-site to review where we have been as an organization and where we wanted to go. We then broke the 10-member senior management team into small groups and developed a list of the five characteristics we felt were the basic foundation to building and sustaining a strong culture, taking our history into consideration.
We re-grouped to review each group's five key characteristics. Over the next few weeks, we revisited the lists and eliminated off-target characteristics until we had five words that we all felt exemplified the core values of our ideal culture. Next, we developed descriptions for each of the words, which formed the acronym PRIDE.
The definition was shared with all manager-level staff, who shared it with direct reports, so that over the course of a week all employees were presented with the new culture definition. Jelinski followed up with a series of emails, highlighting each word, and the importance of staying focused on building a strong culture.
Culture Ambassadors
To help communicate and engage the staff, we held an open process so staff could nominate a "culture ambassador," a co-worker they felt exemplified the five cultural qualities found in our PRIDE definition. All employees, excluding the senior management team and manager level staff, were eligible. A total of 15 "culture ambassadors" were selected out of numerous candidates. The group of ambassadors met with our three person senior management team to identify activities and actions that would promote our new culture initiative.
Together with senior management, we identified the need to organize a company-wide kick-off of the culture initiative where the culture definition would be introduced along with the ambassador team. Because of the large number of staff, spread across numerous cities and locations, we established 10 identical meetings, Monday-Friday, with a morning and afternoon session, to ensure every staff member had the opportunity to attend in person.
Sharing the Message
To enhance internal branding for our culture initiative, a logo was created by marketing centered around the PRIDE acronym. It was also essential for the senior management team to be present at the official culture kick-off and for the message to be delivered by our CEO.
From a presentation standpoint we felt it would be beneficial to have a video message from each ambassador with each describing their favorite PRIDE word. This would be a great way for the staff to hear first-hand from the ambassadors who would present their favorite PRIDE word in their own unique way.
Further, Jelinski would introduce each of the five words that made up our cultural definition and emphasize why each was important, for our members, and staff.
Additionally, I felt it would be impactful if we asked any staff member, or group of staff members, who wanted to share what they liked about the cultural definition to be able to do so and to capture it on video.
Finally, since our credit union was almost 80 years old, with staffing levels growing by double-digits each of the past five years, we thought it would be good to have a video showcasing (briefly) our growth and history and the staff that made the growth possible. Both of these videos were produced by marketing, along with the ambassador videos.
Since the kick-off meetings in November of 2012, manager update meetings have been held along with regular communication to the staff about the progress of the culture initiative. The ambassadors have helped organize a company-wide outing to a local minor league baseball game, special PRIDE emphasis days, PRIDE team building events and activities, and a week of fun activities for each department to participate in.
The ambassadors also send out a monthly newsletter highlighting one or more of the PRIDE words as well as recognizing staff members who are nominated for a PRIDE Impact Award for living and demonstrating the values of our culture.
Along with a personal note and an impact certificate, those nominated are given a "gift bag" from a PRIDE ambassador. Bags feature the PRIDE logo and contain a small gift such as a mouse pad, picture frame, Lake Michigan CU travel mug, plus candy.
The marketing department also worked with the ambassadors and Information Services to create a new intranet link that features photographs and bios for each of the ambassadors, board members and the senior management team, to help create more interest, awareness and participation.
For a company our size it takes up to five years to fully integrate a meaningful cultural change that team members embrace, demonstrate and live each day. We are about half-way through the initial process and have achieved some very positive results. With culture, the process is never really finished. It's an ongoing, "living process" that grows and strengthens with time.
Approximately 91 percent of employees know three to five of our key cultural values, and eight to 15 are nominated each month by co-workers for demonstrating one or more of the cultural characteristics.
Additionally, follow-up questionnaires—measuring staff engagement, satisfaction and attitudes/feelings toward the overall culture at Lake Michigan CU—are emailed to all staff regularly to keep senior management updated on our culture process and to compare improvements with our initial, pre-culture kick-off, survey.
After the culture kick-off, the level of communication relating to culture, from including culture conversations in weekly staff meetings, to emails, staff cookouts and after work get-togethers, went up an estimated 10 times, helping to further foster and promote our culture.
What I Learned
During this process, I learned that a company's culture is an expression of its personality and that Mark Weber was right: "Culture is your internal brand and has a direct impact on your external brand." I realized, too, how fortunate Lake Michigan CU was to have our president/CEO realize the need to evaluate and update our culture and put the cultural change process in place.
Seeing staff members embrace the culture definition was a very rewarding experience. People who work hard and love the organization want to be part of the culture, and for new, as well as existing staff, having a written definition they could believe in was a critical first step. This passion was easy to see transferred from staff to their work in making member experiences more positive.
The benefit of having someone with a marketing background involved at a high level in the culture initiative was critical toward ensuring effective positioning and communication of the culture initiative to staff. The marketing team's development of an eye-catching culture logo, professional PowerPoint and supporting video, and the culture intranet portal all contributed to a memorable, positive launch, and ongoing reinforcement of our culture's value.
Culture requires constant care, like anything of value. It is something that must be demonstrated, modeled and believed in by upper management because staff members look for examples to follow.
Having a clearly defined culture that people accept and believe in also makes the workplace much more enjoyable and fun, which then is reflected in the way we treat each other and our members. Ultimately, that forms a great foundation, upon which a business can build to reach its full potential and flourish!
Don Bratt, CSME, is SVP/marketing at Lake Michigan Credit Union, Grand Rapids, Mich. He has an MBA in marketing from Western Michigan University. He earned his Certified Strategic Marketing Executive designation after attending both CUES School of Strategic Marketing™ I and CUES School of Strategic Marketing™ II, and then doing a project, upon which this article is based.


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|View single post by hpcbmw
|Posted: Tue Jun 5th, 2007 11:07 pm
|So i got a Kenmore/Whirlpoos gas dryer, probably about 1999 or 2000 vintage. model #110.70072990, ser #mj4802404. It ran great til last nite. I ran a "high heat" cycle with no problem. Then I immediately ran a medium heat cycle. The dryer went "beep beep beep beep ...." and I think the lights on the panel where flashing. I pushed the stop button, the "off" button for cycle signal (it was driving me crazy), and then the stop button a few more time. It finally stopped - dead. Now, nuthin happens. I plugged a lamp into electrical outlet to verify there was electricity (lamp worked). I looked at this site and found out it's probably the thermal fuse (I'll also check the dryer vent - it's probably 8 or more feet long - maybe why the fuse blew?).
I looked at the "dryer repair" section, but can't find a way to remove the back panel to get to the thermal fuse. Am I gonna hafta take the top off, the front and back off and the drum out to get to the fuse? Any shortcuts? If/when i get to the fuse, will it be obvious that the fuse is blown (like a car fuse), or will I have to jump the wires around the fuse and see if i've got power?


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I've been blessed over my career to have met a lot of fascinating and accomplished people in the global restaurant industry. On my short list of coolest (and most accomplished) restaurant industry CEO's is Henry McGovern of AmRest Holdings.
In May 2011, I made a trip to visit with Henry McGovern at his corporate headquarters in Wroclaw, Poland. The CEO, his team, and the story of his company made such an impression on me that I couldn't wait to write up a brief profile and share with you what I learned and took away from our meeting.
In my professional opinion, AmRest is one of the best modern success stories to be found in the global restaurant industry. Both the CEO and his company should be on the radar of any respected industry media, analysts and investors.
Started in 1993 in Wroclaw, Poland with a single Pizza Hut franchise, AmRest has grown into one of the largest and most profitable restaurant companies in Eastern Europe; with aspirations to continue their trajectory and rank as one of the top 10 largest restaurant companies in the world by 2020.
Now I've heard a lot of bold growth claims in my day. Our firm fields new client inquiries from 700+ foodservice companies per year from 50+ countries and I can't tell you how many times I've heard "we want to be the next McDonald's" (or something similar). When you hear AmRest's goals – after two days with McGovern and his team – and taking into account what they have already accomplished – it's easy to visualize them achieving all that they set out to do.
The company's motto is "Anything is possible" and the results garnered by that way of thinking speak on behalf of AmRest and Henry McGovern. In 2010, AmRest posted revenues exceeding $900m USD and EBITDA of nearly $100m USD. From a single Pizza Hut location, AmRest now has a global footprint with 600+ restaurants in 10 countries and more than 21,000 employees under Henry McGovern's leadership. WOW!
As impressive as the growth, profits and overall success of AmRest is already, it is very clear this company is just getting ready to hit its full stride. The story of this company is just unfolding.
When you meet the AmRest top-brass you notice something…actually, they point it out…there isn't a "restaurant guy" among them. Well, what does that mean given that they're running one of the most successful restaurant companies in the world? It means that these are guys that are succeeding in spite of deep (pre-AmRest) restaurant industry experience rather than for it.
There's a saying I like to use/paraphrase: "The world's best swordsman need not worry about the world's second best swordsman – he need worry about the guy that's never picked up a sword before; because he'll do something he ought not do and the world's best will end up on his sword". The point to me is that often those who best innovate and turn a competitor (or industry) on its head are those who look at it with fresh eyes, more curiosity, and more determination; not necessarily the ones with the longest resumes or most experience.
You will not hear an AmRest executive bragging about how smart they are, how accomplished they are, how entitled they are, or how "right" they are based on how experienced they are. What you will notice instead is curiosity, humility, logic, reason and a deep desire to leapfrog rather than benchmark (benchmark is a nicer way to say copy, by the way).
I've been very privileged to have worked with some amazing emerging-brand concepts/companies/CEO's over the years; some of which have gone from 'emerging' to 'emerged'. I'm noticing a pattern here. When you look at the list of "emerging brands" curated/tracked around the world you will notice there are a lot of companies led by executives that are "not restaurant guys". This may also be in part why, as a consultant, I have seen them. It seems these types of companies' hire-in consultants that can help them accelerate learning in certain areas (proven best practices, shortcuts, technical stuff, etc) but that they lead with a notion of being industry outsiders rather than insiders.
I'm noticing another pattern lately. Some of the hottest and fastest-growing companies are lead by CEO's that share some distinct characteristics. A new profile is emerging. It's one of a cool, fun, visionary that is at once charismatic and self-effacing. Their charisma, humility and sense of humor attract better and more engaged employees, partners, media, franchisees, investors and business opportunity in general. Examples are Robbie Brozen of Nando's, Lane Cardwell (numerous big-brands), Steve Ells of Chipotle, Todd Graves of Raising Canes, and of course, Henry McGovern of AmRest. These are the types of leaders who are also driven more by giving and contributing to our industry than taking and extracting.
The most successful casual dining restaurant chain on Earth is Darden Restaurants. Both being based here in Orlando we've cherry-picked staff from one another on a few occasions. The word I'm getting lately from the inside is that there's a dramatic shift in Darden's hiring profile. Since Clarence Otis took over as CEO, the marketing ranks are being filled with ex-CPG types (Consumer Packaged Goods).
Marketers in the CPG world are characterized by their sharp analytical and data-driven approaches. For now, I think this is a good way to balance the predominantly intuition-based management approach of the industry's 'ole grey-dogs' with the new modern and often more radical views of the industry's up-and-coming innovators. Analysts can crunch the numbers and find patterns that yield entirely new ways of looking at the data. We have a few such analysts on our team; they are gifted code-breakers and fact-driven marketing practitioners.
AmRest has recently brought on a new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) – Darek Drewnicki – that brings just such a background to the organization. He is among the new breed of restaurant marketers who are far more data-driven than their predecessors.
In an era where everything can be measured, an analyst (such as those top CPG-types) is the restaurant marketing equivalent of a cipher. They bring an entirely new dimension and perspective to the chain restaurant marketing department.
Case in point: For years now I've drawn out for clients on a notepad a series of empty circles – four across by four down with just one colored in square among them – as a tool to communicate our philosophy on how humans are conditioned to see only what's different and how that plays in to restaurant branding. In all the years of doing that exercise – drawing it all out hidden from view and then suddenly revealing it asking "what's the first thing you see?" – I have never had anyone respond as AmRest's new CMO did. While most immediately (and I long thought "correctly") said, "the colored square", Darek studied the sketch intently and so within a few seconds I said, "okay, time's up; it's the colored square you noticed, right?" to which he replied, "Yes, I saw that, but I was looking for the pattern". I was stunned. This was it. This was what I had been hearing/reading about. This was one of those CPG minds. One of those who look past the obvious and try to see and categorize the dots in a new way that reveals patterns. These CPG guys see things very differently. It's pretty thrilling to have one of these types on your team. By the way – he was equally humble, energetic and as quick to deflect a compliment as McGovern was.
Restaurant franchise systems have long struggled to strike the perfect balance between strict adherence to standardization/ consistency and adaptability to new markets. This challenge has become more pronounced as restaurant companies expand globally. On the one hand, part of what "makes" a franchise system is consistency – the Big Mac (for instance) tastes exactly the same no matter where you are in the world. On the other hand, a rigid and indiscriminate application of brand standards can snuff-out the kind of innovations new entrepreneurs/franchisees entering the system can contribute; and may also open a hamstrung franchisee to potent attacks of more localized competitors who leverage localized market knowledge and business-building approaches.
One of the things that struck me in our site visits of some AmRest restaurants is that they had a lot of flexibility to blend the best of the global franchise systems with their localized knowledge and business savvy. We refer to this as "Brand Translation™"; whereby the essence of a brand is kept intact but it is adapted – or 'translated' – subtly in to foreign markets (we love doing that kind of work by the way).
A few AmRest examples: Within their KFC business they conceptualized new non-core menu items (such as their B-Smart Box and Krusher's non-carbonated drink line); sell fresh locally-sourced chicken versus frozen; and also sell beer on the weekends. Within their Pizza Hut business they launched a successful by-the-slice concept (sold from a small window on a busy square in Wroclaw) for the late-night crowd and also focus much more heavily on fresh, locally sourced produce than any Pizza Hut you'd find back in the States.
In 2009, AmRest acquired 106 Applebee's in the United States (primarily in the Atlanta and Denver markets). As we all know, Applebee's has been taking a beating in the U.S. in recent years. When I first learned of the acquisition I was admittedly worried that AmRest may have swallowed a small dose of poison that would later make for some really nasty stomach cramps (many of you that follow my blog/newsletter know my thoughts on the industry shifts that are impacting low check average casual dining chains who are innovating/evolving too slowly). Come to find out, McGovern has turned the nose-diving Denver Applebee's units – 16 of them – around so well that his stores are among the highest performing in the entire system (on a comp-store percentage, I believe).
How did he do it? How did McGovern and his team transform the 16 Denver locations from bust to boom?
With a big-bang!
When acquiring 16 money-losing restaurants at once you know you have your work cut out for you and that you're going to have to focus resources in such a way that gets both quick and sustainable results. There are a lot of ways to skin this cat. What some would have argued to do in a situation like this one in Denver is to take one restaurant at a time and remodel in a phased approach. What McGovern and his team did instead (and oh how I wish we'd advised this but, alas, they did it entirely on their own) was to shut down all 16 stores at once to give them an overhaul and then open all 16 at once. Ka-bang!
This is another example of the "broken window theory" in action. As the theory goes: when a window is broken it makes it okay to break more windows. Malcolm Gladwell explored this in his book, The Tipping Point. He discovered how New York City cleaned itself up by repainting the subway trains every time they got hit with graffiti and also by fixing broken windows in abandoned buildings. In essence, if the trains were cleaned/repainted all at once and maintained each day, there was less propensity to damage the trains (or break windows). Likewise, when a restaurant chain undergoes massive and holistic transformation in a big-bang-style as McGovern orchestrated in Denver, consumers get-it that something is new and different and again consider a brand with fresh eyes. Such was the case with transforming one of the worst-performing Applebee's markets in the system into one of the best-performing.
Success favors the bold.
The latest acquisition of AmRest is an Italian concept born in Spain and popular in France. The concept is La Tageliatella. I won't say much here to be sure I share not only far less than I know but far less even than has been disseminated publically to the investment and analyst community about La Tageliatella and AmRest's plans for it. Suffice to say, AmRest is a company with bold ambitions, a highly-capable team, deep pockets, and a vision for the future that would have you count the world's top restaurant companies using only your two hands and reserving one finger for them. Envision here not a middle finger but the one Doctor Evil from Austin Powers uses when he fantasizes global domination. You can't live in Spain without knowing about La Tageliatella. If AmRest has its way – which I rather hope and envision it will – you'll be just as familiar with La Tageliatella no matter where in the world you live. Add this one to your "Hot Concepts" list.
Over the years I've been approached by dozens of hedge funds, venture capital firms, and respected industry investors asking for help finding new acquisition/investment opportunities. Recessions often spur on even more interest and certainly a flurry of acquisitions, divestitures, and chain shakeups. Some are profit-minded and some are value-minded. You soon get the sense which firms are just deal-hunting and which ones are looking to truly add long-term value for all involved. AmRest is not only a well-funded and growth-minded company, it is a company intent on growing in to new markets around the world both through acquisition and joint-venture partnerships. If you're reading this and are with an established/respected foodservice concern in an emerging market, you may want to start getting more familiar with AmRest. It's a good company to know; especially if you're growth-minded and believe in the motto "Anything is possible".
A motto is a "phrase meant to formally describe the motivation or general intentions of a social group or organization" (Wikipedia). A manifesto is a public declaration of principles or intentions. I believe a company should have both. AmRest does.
McGovern has woven into the AmRest DNA a culture rooted in the motto "Anything is possible". It is clear AmRest got where it is today by truly believing and behaving in a manner consistent with their motto.
Imagine going back to 1993 and sitting with Henry in that first little Pizza Hut in Wroclaw. If he had described then the AmRest of today how many people would have actually believed in his vision and that he would build what he has today? When today they hear that he aspires to grow AmRest into one of the top 10 largest restaurant companies in the world, do they see that future for the company as clearly as they can trace it backwards from today?
As Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think you can or can't, you're right".
Surround yourself with believers. Devil's Advocates and naysayers are much easier to find and much less useful than believers.
Biggest take-away from the meeting?
If you're tracking which companies and executives in the global restaurant industry that are doing something special and are stand-outs, you'll want to add McGovern and AmRest Holding's to your short-list of ones to watch.
Great story Aaron, and thanks for all the photos – an inspiration!
Its a fantastic recount of humility, sincerity and passion turns a business success story for all to see.
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X Factor 2014
X Factor 2014 – As the ITV show prepares to launch again, we have audition information including dates, cities and venues as well as who the new judges might be this year.
READ: X Factor 2015 songs revealed! 4th Impact, Lauren Murray & MORE are singing this weekend! It's a big day for the 4th Impact girls, as their eldest sister Almira Cercado celebrates her
X Factor 2015: Ebru STUNS at Six Chair Challenge – Nick Grimshaw LOVES her!
READ: X Factor 2015 6 Chair Songs REVEALED: 4th Power, Anton Stephans, Hannah Marie Kilminster & more This evening, Ebru is the final contestant to take to the stage, which means she is the final
One Direction's Harry Styles, Niall Horan joining X Factor 2015 panel?
With the much speculated X Factor judging four to be confirmed imminently, and with the announcement that Mel B has been axed, the popular Voice judge Rita Ora is now favourite to join the X Factor ju
Olly Murs & one Direction's Louis Tomlinson ARE joining X Factor 2015!
Reality TV season has exploded back on to screens this weekend with Britain's Got Talent kicking off proceedings. However all the chat remains around who will take over from Dermot on X Factor dutie
X Factor live tour: Fleur East wins ALL the praise & rave reviews
The X Factor live tour kicked off in Belfast last month and it sounds like fans of the show who headed out to see the TV stars in action were not disappointed by the performances. The lineup on the li
Confirmed! X Factor's Andrea Faustini to release original debut album this year!
Earlier this morning, we reported that X Factor finalist Andrea Faustini has finally signed a record deal with RCA Records. And now, it has been confirmed that Andrea will release his debut album late
X Factor: Paul Akister "so excited" over "incredible" Manchester gig!
The X Factor 2015 tour kicked off recently, and a number of weeks back, the big wigs controlling the X Factor tour surprised us all with a little announcement. The X Factor faced quite the backlash wh
X Factor: Stevie Ritchie CONFIRMS Chloe Jasmine doesn't have pink eye & what's going on between them?
Despite the odd rumour on Twitter, Chloe Jasmine did NOT have pink eye… according to Stevi Ritchie, that is. Chloe has been spotted wearing an eye patch as of late, and whilst we thought it was some
X Factor 2015: Cheryl FV SACKED? She slams haters on Twitter over National Television Awards no show!
Last night saw the National Television Awards take place in London, and the event was also broadcast live on ITV, but has Cheryl Fernandez-Versini hinted that there's another feud mounting between h
X Factor 2014: Good news! Paul Akister IS going on the X Factor Live Tour!
Good news Paul Akister fans! It has been revealed that he IS indeed joining the 2015 X Factor Tour line-up! The X Factor Tour, if you didn't already know, does the rounds as of February 13 where it
X Factor 2014: Stevi Ritchie & Chloe Jasmine to get MARRIED? How will Sarah-Jane Crawford feel?
It has today been reported that former X Factor contestants, and subsequent rejects, Chloe Jasmine and Stevi Ritchie are set to get hitched… Yeah, we're as confused about it as you are, as the las
Most Shocking Celebrity Moments 2014 tonight! One Direction's Zayn Malik & Louis Tomlinson, X Factor & Strictly drama…
Tonight on Channel 5, Most Shocking Celebrity Moments is back to take a look at some of the biggest gaffes, scandals, shocks and fails that the biz we call show has had to offer this year…
X Factor judge Louis Walsh joins Keith Lemon for Through the Christmas Keyhole tonight
Christmas may well be a time for peace, goodwill to all men and festive family fun, but for Keith Lemon, it's also a time to rummage through someone's house…
Jake Quickenden blasts X Factor's Simon Cowell!
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X Factor winner Ben Haenow a "sure bet" at 1/20 for Christmas No1 with Something I Need VIDEO
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Old Castile is to the north, and cattle are raised in the green fields fed by mountain streams.
Rising early on the following morning, we ascended the pass and entered into Old Castile.
One is apt to forget that Old Castile is one of the provinces having a northern seaboard.
The day was exceedingly hot, and we wended our way slowly along the plains of Old Castile.
He bowed his head in submission with all the haughty grace of Old Castile.
There were steep ascents and violent descents, but no traces of carriage wheels, and so it is throughout the whole of Old Castile.
The hostess was an exceedingly fat woman, a native of Valladolid, in Old Castile.
They were our escort to Miranda, on the borders of Old Castile, where we might consider ourselves out of danger.
Muttering curses through his closed visor, Perozzi (who was dressed as a knight of Old Castile) hastily left the scene.
New England is a very different sort of place from Old Castile.


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The Statue of Liberty: A Symbol of New York City, and America
On this day June 17, 1885 the Statue of Liberty arrived as a gift from France. A symbol of American freedom and identity as a nation of immigrants, the statue arrived in 350 pieces, stood 151 feet tall and weighed 225 tons after assembly. Today this massive sculpture remains the country's most recognizable landmark and serves as a welcome to millions of immigrants and visitors every year. Although it's a national monument and property of the U.S. government, the Statute of Liberty is widely synonymous with New York City. Join us in honor of this day in New York City history by taking a trip with Janson Media's favorite traveling family, the Roberts, as they capture the essence of the Big Apple in the DVD Travel with Kids: New York (1 x 85′), available now worldwide.
New York City is the epitome of fast-paced and with so much to see and do, so on Travel with Kids: New York, the Roberts family has to plan their trip very carefully. Riding the subways proves an efficient method of transportation as the Roberts family visits the major attractions like the Empire State Building, Times Square and Rockefeller Center, but there's much more to New York than attractions. A stroll through New York's ethnic neighborhoods is the perfect follow-up to learning about immigration at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. A visit to the United Nations teaches the family about diplomacy as they fight to get a cab during the theatre rush on Broadway. And, the city's frenetic pace fades away as the host family gallops through Central Park in a horse carriage.
Travel with Kids is an award-winning family travel guide series that brings you history, culture and practical travel information for the entire family to enjoy, learn about or plan an upcoming trip to the area. Travel With Kids is both entertaining and educational, yet delivers practical travel information that is interesting and useful for families planning a trip, and armchair travelers alike. Presented with additional pop-up on screen facts on the history, culture and travel tips for both well known and off the beaten path destinations, the entire family will enjoy watching this adventure travel series.
Produced by Equator Creative Media, the series is now available for all television, DVD, VOD, non-theatric, and new media markets worldwide exclusively through Janson Media. The program is available for online viewing at the Janson Media Screening Room at janson.tv.


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Event Time and Date
Saturday, October 6 2012, 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Join the Marquette University Chorus with a guest appearence from the MU Orchestra, for the Family Weekend Concert! Enjoy music from the brilliant works of Johannes Brahms to a complex speaking Fugue by Ernst Toch. We hope to see you there for our kick off Fall concert!
Church of the Gesu
1145 West Wisconsin Avenue Milwaukee WI
Event Category:


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Over the years the British Juggling convention has been held in a wide variety of places, as the sport has become more widespread the quality of the premesees has increased, in 2014 they went for a hall that had solid oak flooring with great success!
Why did solid oak flooring make a difference to the juggling event?
Naturally at these types of events a lot of juggling and acrobatics goes on which can be demanding on any type of flooring. In previous years there's been incidences where people either haven't been able to perform their British Juggling Conference act properly because the flooring surface wasn't right or because it was too slippery, well solid oak flooring seemed to be the answer to these problems.
Not only did the juggling venue really look great but there was enough space to host a number of exhibitions at the same time too. It was great to see a large number of young people at the conference in 2014 which means that the sport is going to stay alive and well for years to come! If we can get the oak flooring right anyway.
The British Juggling Convention needs sponsorship from concrete fence panels suppliers
Running events like the British juggling convention certainly doesn't come cheap, as you'd imaging there isn't a rush for sponsorship either which is why it relies on all kinds of companies including those who supply concrete fence panels, to keep it running.
What do juggling and concrete fence panels have in common?
Well believe it or not juggling attracts enthusiasts from all walks of life, very often we have people who were taught how to juggle when they were kids and now want to pursue it as a hobby. as such, whether people are suppliers of concrete panel, car sales men or business men, we like to cater for everyone's tastes. I personally like to think that juggling as a sport has a little something for everyone, it's something that the whole family can enjoy and take part in…really it's just good clean fun.
So if you're thinking of taking up juggling or would like to attend any of the events that are available then do get in touch.
In 2014 the British Juggling conference made use of a industrial dishwasher
British juggling conferences tend to attract thousands of people and those people certainly do get hungry. As such we need to be able to cater for that many people, which is no easy task I can tell you, a industrial dishwasher really was the perfect piece of equipment for getting the job done!
How an industrial dishwasher saved us jugglers time
Due to cutbacks and a tight budget, we decided to do the catering ourselves, which also meant being there to wash the dishes too. Now washing thousands of dishes and plates certainly isn't an enviable task for anyone, so we automated the process with a handy commercial dishwasher. Although we had to pay just under one thousand pounds for it, now the juggling conference will have a piece of catering equipment that will last for years to come.
So if you're catering for a large event and having to do a considerable amount of washing up, I'd highly recommend using an industrial dishwasher.


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|Productivity Software
|Calendar & Time Management Software
Publisher's Description+
Smart Calendar software helps you to prepare and generate event calendar. You can type your events into calendar quickly and easily. It works like a traditional calendar. Smart Calendar will provide with different day boxes to fill your events. You can adjust the background color, text color, and alignment for the boxes. You can export the calendar into PDF or HTML format for sharing with your colleagues.
What's new in this version:
Version 2.9.2 enhanced data restore process and improve the validation of backup zip file, improved the message dialog about database error, and includes other minor bugs fix.


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Cooking With Kids
The holidays are quickly approaching and it's time to start thinking about all the wonderful food that accompanies the season. Why not include your children and grandchildren in the planning and cooking? The library has many books that provide recipes and ideas for including kids in the kitchen. Here's a few to help you get ready for Thanksgiving.
My Very Own Thanskgiving: A Book of Cooking and Crafts by Robin West
Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers & Up by Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson
The Colonial Cookbook by Lucille Recht Penner
A Native American Feast by Lucille Recht Penner
Slumps, Grunts, and Snickerdoodles: What Colonial America Ate and Why by Lila Perl


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2017 Thurman Maple Days
Having a 'sweet' time is easy during Maple Days in Thurman, NY.
For three consecutive weekends in March, Thurman celebrates all things maple and you won't want to miss it!
Weekend 1: March 11 & 12
Four maple farms participate in Thurman Maple Days:
Watch sap being gathered and boiled and see how a Certified Tree Farm makes maximum use of the wood from all types of trees. Learn what's involved in this industry, have some old fashioned family fun, and take home some of the best maple syrup in the country.
Making maple syrup is a unique and time-intensive process, but the end result is well worth waiting for!
Come hungry! There will be syrup samplings, pancake breakfasts and more. After you've had your fill of maple sugar you can get a llama kiss, enjoy games and activities for kids, shop for delectable goodies, dance to live music, and more.
See the full map and brochure »
The Celebration Is State-Wide: NYS Maple Weekends
For two weekends, maple farms all over New York State will hold open houses and other fun maple events. On March 18 - 19 and 25 - 26, 2017, more than 130 locations will open their doors to the public with demos, family friendly activities, pancake breakfasts and much more.
Find More Adirondack Maple Events »
Learn About The History Of Adirondack Maple Sugaring »


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Sliding the camera cover aside reveals the lens, which quite obviously looks the business compared to most pinhole camera phones. Above it sits the Xenon flash while off to the left is an LED that's used as a focus assist for taking photos and a lamp while recording video. The slide mechanism feels very solid and shouldn't be knocked open too easily but it's still easy to operate when needed.
In the box you get a 40in wired headset adapter (with call answer/end button) and a short set of headphones (11in and 25in from plug to the left and right earpieces), which are of the canalphone type and come with a choice of three different silicone tip sizes. They're noticeably better than the usual bundled affair though we'd still be inclined to swap them out for an even better pair for regular music listening. A lipstick-style stylus, USB cable, and wall charger are also included while an AV cable in particular sets this phone apart from the crowd. It's 60in long, connects to the phone's charger socket and terminates in three phono cables for stereo audio and composite video. It's an interesting addition but considering 99.9 per cent of the people that buy this phone will never even take it out the box, we think it could've been an optional extra.
The screen packs in 360 x 640 pixels which, though not the most, is certainly sufficient for sharp images and provides enough desktop space to not make browsing the web and such like too much of a chore. Colour reproduction is particularly impressive with plenty of saturation and a bright overall image yet still impressively dark blacks. Viewing angles are also very good, which is particularly useful when taking photos. Essentially, in terms of viewing, this screen is up there with the best.
However, the touch-sensing isn't exactly stellar. While reasonably sensitive for a resistive screen, the merest glance won't be picked up as on capacitive devices. Along with a lack of multi-touch support, this is particularly noticeable when typing and severely slows you down. Things really aren't helped by the operating system either.
While fairly functional, Symbian S60 just doesn't cut it as a touch-screen operating system when compared to Android, iPhoneOS, and WebOS, especially on such a premium device. In particular the menus are inconsistent with some using lists and others using icons. Scrolling also requires the use of a side scroll bar, while the keyboards leave a lot to be desired in terms of layout. We also found the whole screen locking and button layout somewhat counterintuitive and we regularly closed apps when we meant to just go back a level in menus or locked the phone when we meant to unlock it, etc. Constant notifications that the phone was connecting to Wi-Fi also became very annoying.
U1i Original Sony Ericsson U1 Satio Unlocked mobile Phone GSM GPS 3G 12MP WIFI$72.99 View Item
Original unlocked Sony Ericsson U1 Satio U1i mobile phone GSM 3G 12MP WIFI GPS$74.09 View Item
Original unlocked Sony Ericsson U1 Satio U1i mobile phone GSM 3G 12MP WIFI GPS$74.09 View Item
Original unlocked Sony Ericsson U1 Satio U1i mobile phone GSM 3G 12MP WIFI GPS$74.09 View Item
Original unlocked Sony Ericsson U1 Satio U1i mobile phone GSM 3G 12MP WIFI GPS$74.09 View Item
@Ed: I'm confused by a couple of quotes from your review; in 2 successive paragraphs (separated by a picture).
"Speed is another thing this phone isn't left wanting for."
"It's not just in terms of speed where this phone trails top smartphones,"
Was this caused the early firmware problems you also mentioned in the review (which made reshooting the video necessary)?
Ah yes, that was obviously a hangover from a previous version. Good spot. I'll change it to something slightly less contradictory.
This whole crap UI thing is starting to baffle me! The iPhone, for all it's limitations, still has the benchmark UI, despite the fact it's been out for a few years now. It has the easily understandable layout design which anyone can work out how to navigate, and it has the graphics grunt to make it all nice, smooth and visually appealing. Can someone please explain, how any company looking to launch a phone in the same price bracket, thinks it's acceptable to provide an confusing, slow and unresponsive UI? Who signs these things off? If I was ticking the boxes for Sony Ericsson or any other phone manufacturer, I'd keep sending the developers back into the lab until they'd equaled or exceeded the benchmark. It might take a bit more resource but surely it will ultimately pay off in sales. All I see is manufacturers churning out new phones and none seem to be able to match the iPhone in this area. Sorry, but I see this as fundamental and I can't understand why this keeps happening! We want a viable alternative goddammit!!!
@ChrisC - preaching to the choir. We are equally baffled.
@ChrisC, my exact thoughts. How is it that a company like SE can even contemplate releasing a phone with sub-par user experience is beyond me. And from the pictures the build quality seems extremely shoddy.
It is fairly common knowledge that the OS and UI (user experience) are easily the most important features of any smartphone and any handset failing on any of these fronts is destined to fail miserably. The likes of Android, WebOS and even the Sense UI skinned WinMo 6.5 seem light years ahead of this junk.
@ChrisC: Clear and concise interfaces don't shift handsets as much as camera resolutions. My kid sister bought this piece of crap over the Palm Pre precisely because of the headline-grabbing 12 megapixels. The Pre's interface is just as impressive as the iPhones and yet its selling dismally.
The problem is mainly that the software designers have developed the software themselves so know how it works and therefore think that it makes sense. The problem is sloppy and/or lazy software testing. It's similar to how proof reading a document should never be done by the person that wrote it in the first place!
I suspect the problem with awful user experiences is down to them not properly testing them externally and/or refusing to implement the suggestions they get!
@ChrisC: Simple answer, lawyers. The whole market is controlled by legal pen pushers.
@ChrisC: The problem with your argument is, it doesn't apply to everyone. For example, I still prefer S60v3 on my E71 to the iPhone... and yes, I am being serious.
Also, here's an example of impossibly stupid UI implementation on the iPhone:
Open Contacts > Hit the '+' > Tap the 'add new address' field
Now scroll down a little and tap the 'Country' field.
Why is this a bloody long list with no search bar at the top which I could tap and enter a name on the Virtual Keyboard in order to narrow the options down a bit?
Yes, it's just one gripe, but got on my nerves recently so I thought I'd mention it...
Also, back on topic to SE phones, I can never fathom why everyone's so impressed with the cameras (my wife's bought 3 of their 'camera phones' so far) as I find it's MegaPixels over Quality as far as the results are concerned (Been more impressed with N900's 5 than her W995's 8 recently - although to be fair it wasn't a 1:1 comparison of the same subject).
Also, I hear v2 firmware on the N97 improves Symbian's touch experience a bit; anyone here know from personal experience?
@ffrankmccaffery: They're two very different types of phone. Although the best camera phones still fall way behind decent dedicated compacts, they are still head and shoulders above the sort of thing you get on the Pre. So if your sister wanted a good camera then that was the obvious choice. However, there are many more situations where the situation is less clear cut and that's when user interface does make a difference even to the unknowing public.
@drdark: Let me just get this straight, you want a search function to find part of the contact info? If so... You say yourself that it's a short distance to scroll so is hardly much of a chore. Also a search function would just clutter and complicate the interface - while it may make the odd function slightly slower, one of the major keys to a good interface is making it consistent.
@Ed: Yes, I'd rather not have to scroll through a list of every country in the world (that Apple knows of) when creating a new contact. And I did just say it was a gripe; not dismissing the whole UI :P; which IS very good most of the time {as for what I think of what's underneath, I haven't the time to go into it now...}
@Ed, I have to agree with @drdark here, the country list is very very long, a quick filter at the top would certainly not clutter or break the interface, what makes the long list worse is that it's not in alphabetical order either, it's grouped by continent.
I have to say, I still find the S60 OS much more zippy on slower hardware compared to other OS-es. I own a 5700 running S60v3 FP1, and I currently use a Sony Xperia X1 (WinMo 6.5.3 Or 6.6) and I have pretty much free access to a N97, N97 mini, and an iPhone 3GS. Call me backwards or what have you, but I found the S60 interface to be the zippiest. For example, adding a contact - the S60 phone did it first, then the iPhone, and then the Xperia. Mostly because loading time of what can be deemed the Contacts application was the fastest on S60, then the 3GS, then the X1. WinMo persists with ridiculously slow app load times (although still under one second, it was demonstrably slower than all other OSes I've used before), which resulted in me feeling that the X1 was sluggish - it was not so. Image load times were comparable between the 3GS and Xperia, despite the increased resolution and lessened horsepower under the hood. The N97 surprisingly was very zippy, considering that it loaded up the same image on a higher resolution screen faster than my 5700.
I'm looking forward to switch my X1 for an E52 - the increased convenience of not having to look while SMS-ing and the increased battery life, not to mention increased familiarity makes me giddy. I had a run with the E52, and everything felt instant. Efficient. While the 3GS gave the illusion of speed, when push came to shove whatever the 3GS did, the E52 did it faster. Admittedly it had lesser eye candy, but heck, I'd rather look at the other sort of eye candy, than the one on a rather small screened device. The sort on legs. ;)
Yes the iPhone did set the benchmark but why do people seem to gloss over its limitations? Just a few examples but does a good UI make you:
- scroll through endless screeens to make you find the app you want
- dig into the settings just to switch on bluetooth or WiFi
- ever take more than one button press to get to the phone dialer
Don't get me wrong, it's still a better overall UI than pretty much anything else. But they could definitely do with copying a few ideas from other platforms. Haven't used an SE in a while but one feature they used to have spot on was the quick menu which would definitely be nice to see on other phones.
@ravmania: scroll through endless screeens to make you find the app you want
Just a thought, you tried using the expose feature to find your Apps? Also arranging your App's so the ones you use the most are on you Home screen should help too.
@ravmania: into the settings just to switch on bluetooth or WiFi
I suppose because the Wifi/Bluetooth indicators are at the top, it would be nice if they implemented a swipe down feature that could then be used to have quick access to these.
@ravmania: ever take more than one button press to get to the phone dialer
Not sure about the phone dialer bit, I certainly don't want my phone accidently calling people. So the few key presses/swipes that are required now seem fine to me.
Seems like an awful decision for SE to go with Symbian for a touch screen phone. It's barely usable for normal non-touch smartphones if you know how, but I would hate to try on a touchscreen.
Hopefully X10 will right all of these wrongs, but given SE's lack of decent product and delays I don't expect much better.
The screens/apps
I didn't know about the expose feature. A quick google search seems to indicate that it's for jailbroken iPhones although I'm sure you can clarify. Simply making the screens loop around would be a huge improvement so it would only take scrolls left (through search) to get to the right most screen. Or how about folders?
You have to press the home button and then go to the phone app. Would it be a crime to have call and end buttons for quick access to arguably the most imporant app?
As I said before, just small improvements that could be made. Do you really think no improvements could be made to the iPhone UI?
@ravmania: A quick google search seems to indicate that it's for jailbroken iPhones
No it's not just for Jailbroken Iphones, it was implemented in Iphone OS3 along with Cut & Paste and stuff. So if your Iphone is up to date, simply go to the home screen, swipe left once and you will get the expose screen.
@ravmania: Do you really think no improvements could be made to the iPhone UI?
Why have you said that?, I even suggested an improvement in my last post (Swipe down feature). But I just don't see the problem with dialer as is, my old phone used to accidently dial out sometimes.
@Rickysio: I like you :).
Been thinking of an E52 myself, but remembering hearing early reports of dodgy firmware. Meant to look around again and see if they were justified and/or problems had been fixed.
Its no wonder SE are doing badly. They seem to keep on making lots of bad decisions. Even ignoring the UI whats up with the propriety connections? Give people 3.5mm Headphone jack and a muni/micro usb connection. They can get that from most other phones so just do it. I find such things very off putting.
Side note X2 delayed. They should can it. I cant believe they used the same slow processor. Seriously the X10 has to kickass
@Ed: Ofcourse they're two quite different phones. My kid sister didn't set out to get the best cameraphone only that the best cameraphone swayed her judgment. My other sister is a keen photographer and has only recently shelled out on an expensive Sony SLR camera and wouldn't even glance at this.
Just spotted this and thought I'd share it: apparently the Nokia store gives 20% cashback with Quidco, and they also have a 10% voucher code ending on Jan 25.
Unfortunately, it seems not applicable to the E52, but plenty else there (and I believe accessories are included). Now to work out how to get the wife to buy me a new gadget...
I think there's something wrong with my thumbs.
No, I'm serious. It's just that I seem to be the only person on the internet who has no problem whatsoever using resistive screens, and furthermore finds the capacitive ones on the Pre / iPhone to be a worse experience. Despite playing with various different devices, I can never get them to respond smoothly to my touch.
My point here is that I object to an otherwise good phone screen being automatically panned because it doesn't use capacitive tech. I don't feel that it's as clear cut as this site frequently states.
@Spunjji - you're right, your thumbs are weird ;)
Or you happen to have dry thumbs - Capacitive screens need some oil to function. Which is why my classmates always stare at me in confusion as I swipe my thumb over my rather oily face before using any phone with a capacitive screen (LG/Apple).
I'm personally looking at the E72 now - 5 megapixel camera aside, I'm still faster on a QWERTY thumbboard than a T9 keyboard.
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By Declan Taylor
Arsène Wenger does not believe Robbie Keane's initial £20million pricetag was the reason for his quick return to White Hart Lane.
Keane's brief Merseyside sojourn ended on Monday when Tottenham swooped to re-sign the man they had sold just over six months ago, netting almost £8million in 'profit'.
Some had suggested that Liverpool had looked to offload the Irishman in an attempt to recoup some of the money they had splashed out in the summer, but Wenger does not agree.
"Once you have bought the player, you forget about the money," said the manager. "You just want to see a good player. When he played for Liverpool, for example against us, he played very well. It was a quick six months to say 'no, he will not make it'
"Since I have been here, I have never taken a player back. When Tottenham signed Robbie Keane you can understand it because the player had more impact in the team than they thought he had. When they sold him you don't rule it out [buying him back]."
While the Irishman failed to settle at Liverpool Wenger still thought that such a swift return was a "surprise". And despite admiring Keane's ability, the manager never considered making a move for the striker.
"I like Keane yes," he said. "He was the surprise of the transfer window. I didn't consider [trying to sign him] because he is similar to Van Persie to Vela and Eduardo, who plays off the striker. Now we have Andrey Arshavin as well. We have plenty of players."Copyright 2017 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source


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The base and wheels contribute further to an excellent rolling experience. I was initially sceptical about Brenthaven's patented 'SoftDrive system', but amazingly, it actually works. You know that infernal racket many wheeled bags make when driving across hard surfaces like paving? Well, it's reduced to the point of being bearable with the Mobile Trek. The solidly-constructed wheels have an outer coating of a rubber-like substance that's both soft enough to dampen noise and small bumps (also making drops off pavement onto road or from small steps less jarring), yet seems durable enough to not get overly damaged by wear and tear from rough surfaces. It helps that they're also far enough apart to maintain stability at all times.
When not in use, the pulley system folds neatly away below a zippered, waterproof 'lid'. For added carrying comfort, meanwhile, there's a padded section between you and it when it's collapsed, meaning it doesn't dig into your hip or side. The bag's base is reinforced with hard plastic, though I did find that getting marked and scratched after some wheeling it about.
The Mobile Trek WC has a few features the Pro 15/17 Backpack lacked, such as an external side half-mesh pocket for your water bottle (hidden and protected by a solid zipped overlay when not in use), an easily accessible notebook compartment that zips open all the way to the bottom and collapses partially out for easy access, and the ability to stand upright by itself.
The insides of the sections are lined with a smooth grey material. At the back there is a thin pocket for newspapers and magazines. The main compartment has five deep elasticised pockets for things like cables, power adapters and batteries. The secondary compartment has a wealth of small pockets and compartments for things like pens, mobiles, cards, wallets, USB-sticks, etc., including one zipped and one Velcro pocket. Finally there is a relatively small compartment at the front that offers room for a few odds and ends, including yet more pen-holders.
Being one of Brenthaven's new bags, the Trek falls under its Zero Impact guarantee, as described in the introduction. Like the Pro 15/17 Backpack, it's well-made, looks good if you like simple and black, and very comfortable in use. It also comes in at exactly the same price of £130 direct from Brenthaven's website.
A very comfortable and solidly constructed wheeled notebook bag whose look matches its designation for "urban professionals", Brenthaven's Mobile Trek WC wheeled laptop case is easy to recommend. The only niggles are a lack of shoulder straps and the high price, but then in this case you get what you pay for. The green-minded will also like this bag for its 'zero environmental impact' policy.


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Hopefully it's obvious – Daily Thunder is for Oklahoma City Thunder basketball fans and fans of the NBA in general. Daily Thunder was founded in 2008 and owned, edited and operated by me (Royce Young).
From interviews with Sam Presti to the significance of tattoos on the roster to long-winded columns about other very important things, Daily Thunder covers pretty much everything there is to cover about Oklahoma's first professional sports franchise, the Oklahoma City Thunder. One of the most popular things about the website is a daily post called "ThunderBolts" that wraps up pretty much every media mention of the Thunder throughout the deepest stretches of the Internet.
Daily Thunder's mission is to provide Thunder fans another outlet to follow their favorite team and also a barstool to pull up on and talk to like-minded folks. Hopefully, Daily Thunder can be just part of the full fan experience of having an NBA team in Oklahoma. If you love the team, it's the place to be. At least it's where all the cool kids hang out.
* * *
About Royce: I graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2008 with a degree in journalism, where in my time there I was a three-year staff writer for the Oklahoma Daily (OU's student paper).
I currently work full-time for ESPN.com as an NBA writer.
If you want to get in touch with me directly email me at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Thirty Earths: ArtEvolved
On the Virtues of Flossing: Everything Dinosaur reports on the world's oldest toothache.
Dino Chow: SV-Pow! gives a glowing review to the now-open World's Largest Dinosaur exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. Among the many nice details: a Plexiglas box filled with a one-day serving of sauropod food.
Battle of the Bulge: Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs presents a brief history of the Pot-Bellied Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Gator-Aid: At Jurassic Journeys, paleobiologist Matt Donnan raves about WitmerLab's 3D Alligator project—a highly interactive, easily downloadable set of tools for understanding (or just playing with) alligator anatomy. As Donnan notes, "Alligators and the crocodylian kin form an important outgroup branch that we dinosaur paleontologists use to constrain and 'root' our anatomical reconstructions and inferences of dinosaurs as living animals."
A Becklespinax By Any Other Name: Bob's Dinosaur Blog lists ten dinosaur names that are so bad the creatures would "throttle some of the paleontologists that discovered them."
A River Runs Through It: Grande Prairie, Alberta is home to Pipestone Creek, where hundreds of the horned dinosaur Pachyrhinosaurus perished millions of years ago. The blog Pseudoplocephalus informs us that members of the Grande Prairie community have spent the better part of a decade trying to find sponsors for their very own paleontology museum. Fundraisers have been a bit turned off by the proposed name of the institution: "The River of Death and Discovery Dinosaur Museum." Fortunately, the museum organizers decided to opt for a less goth-sounding name: "The Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum," in honor of the world-renowned paleontologist.


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David Beckham Sells Anti-Impotence Pills In China, Without Knowing
When our blurry sleep-filled eyes read the first part of the above headline our insides got all giddy. David Beckham hawking anti-impotence pills? (*cackle*)
Alas, David Beckham is not willingly selling anti-impotence pills. Rather, the Chinese are being super-sneaky and using the soccer stud's likeness in a commercial for the drug USA Selikon. In the advertisement, a "badly dubbed Chinese voiceover" talks about using the pills as a "secret weapon to please Victoria" while a reel of David Beckham playing soccer and sitting in a car with Posh is played.
Sean Connery and Keanu Reeves are also voiced over and "talk" all about their pee pee problems for USA Selikon. Sean is still "James Bond forever" with the pills, and Keanu kept all his girlfriends "surprised" after taking USA Selikon.
While it's unknown if David and Keanu will seek legal action, Sean Connery's handlers are already on it and assure he will "seek compensation for the damages."
Chinese copyright law is supposedly tricky and "notoriously complicated." In fact, David Beckham's unauthorized face is already behind one of the best-selling brands of condoms in China.
Gallery info: Assorted pictures of David Beckham playing soccer.


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Spanning 13 episodes and close to 1000 VFX shots, season 2 of Continuum was a wild, exciting ride.
Aritfex were responsible for a wide range of work, including aging and de-aging characters, 2077 technology of all kinds, full digital environments, a number of futuristic vehicles, a full-CG train, and of course Kiera's suit and HUD tech.
The season finale culminates in an incredible digitally-enhanced fight sequence, the bulk of which takes place in a (mostly) CG elevator shaft.


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Happy Birthday to me!
Marley looks like a he had a happy birthday, Brenda!
Marley looks like a he had a happy birthday, Brenda!
Love love love the smiley face and squinty eyes! He looks so contented and happy:)
Nice fun photo! Looks like Marley is one happy birthday Sheltie!
That pic is a riot! What a happy boy!
WOW – what a great picture, definitely worth framing!! Marley is one beautiful boy, absolutely love his smile – made me smile from ear to ear too! Happy 1st Birthday Marley!
Wow Marley is such a cutie on his birthday! What a great pic of him, big happy Sheltie smile, did he shake off his hat right after this shot, or did he wait until he finished his cake?
Marley isn't really that into hats, so needless to say the hat went flying and almost became his next chew victim! Thanks!
Wow–what a happy birthday boy Marley seems to be! I hope he had the best birthday ever. he is a handsome boywho I know must give you much joy.
I'm grinning ear to ear myself, seeing this marvelous photo of the birthday boy. Glad you are enjoying yourself on your big day. Happy birthday and many, many more!
What a beautiful photo of Marley..Seems like Marley has been into something other than a piece of his birthday cake…ahh
I love the smile on his face, and he is very handsome to boot!What a happy little boy!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARLEY, and many more to come ahead of you
So sweet! Happy Birthday Marley!
OMG, what a GREAT photo! If you looked up the definition of Happy Dog in the dictionary, Harley's face would be right there. Happy birthday, Harley boy. May you have many, many more!
Sending out Happy Birthday wishes to Marley.
Brenda, what an outstanding shot of your Happy Birthday, boy! (very much frame worthy)
Looks like Marley had the best birthday ever!
ps His picture made me smile from ear to ear, thanks for that.
Time to Parr..ty, Yea LOL Nice shot
Now that's one happy birthday boy!!!! What a great shot, Brenda!! This photo of Marley speaks volumes!!! He's so happy and smiling so wide that his eyes are squinted shut! :)
I am assuming that picture was taken before the cake was served!..What a great Sheltie Smile, Happy Berfday!
Happy Welping Day Marley! I hope you had a lot of cake and presents!
LOL Brenda, WOW, what a shot! If I had to guess, it looks like Marley might have gotten into someone's "happy juice". (of course I am just kidding, SN knows that responsible parents don't let their furbabies drink until they are at least 5! HA-HA-HA) It may be Marley's birthday but we are the lucky ones, because we got a wink and his big sheltie smile. Lucky you for gettinig to spend all your time with this most handsome little man. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARLEY, enjoy all the treats. Kiss, kiss, hug, hug.