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Good morning. Oh, wait. Yes. Sorry. I meant good afternoon. And welcome to the Procrastination Masterclass. I'd like to thank those of you who made the effort to get here and ask you what you thought you were doing putting all that effort in when you could have been catching up on all the House of Cards episodes you haven't watched yet. Shame on you.
I'm JB and I will be your master for today's class. You might know me from some of the very interesting articles I failed to submit on time, or the amusing columns I never got around to writing at all. I have not published more than a dozen books which I'm sure would have been very popular, and some of which were undoubtedly a lay down misere to not win some quite prestigious awards had they been written, which they weren't.
Some very famous writers are quite famously not very good at procrastinating. Stephen King's work ethic is so strong that he was able to turn in manuscripts even at his lowest ebb as a drunken coke-addled wastrel, and he was hit by a car and run over! Congratulations on taking the first steps out of the path of the on-rushing car that might have run you over had you not decided to take my class. I have all of your home addresses from the enrolment forms, so it was a very real possibility.
By the end of this class you will be qualified to say that you have attended my class, and you will not have been run over. To streamline the mastering process I will now dot point the following points I wish to cover.
❏ Must write out dot point list. That's as far as I was able to get before Netflix released House of Cards' second season in binge-ready format. Please note that I do intend to get around to watching it after I've flicked through the new Star Trek comic where all of the original Enterprise crew are chicks, except for the chicks like who are now guys.
I do have a PowerPoint, however. It is unrelated to the topic and a small child still in primary school made it for me, so it's not very good. But it does have some very funny pictures from the internet.
Let's spend an hour looking at that.
Welcome back, and as for the dot point rundown of today's class, I would strongly suggest you take notes, unless you've already moved on to doodling flip-book pictures of exploding German tanks in the corner your new Moleskine notebook. In which case, props to you and there will be extra credit if your explosions are in colour. I will review your work, the night before my next newspaper column is due, but you are almost certainly ready to graduate to my Advanced Masterclass on choosing the right pen for your new Moleskine notebook. Four out of five writers in cafes haven't taken this class, which goes to show how advanced and elite it is. The other one out of those five would have totally taken the class but may have lost the initial email alerting them to it, and then accidentally blocked all my subsequent marketing emails.
I see from the excruciatingly slow sweep of the minute hand and the ticking of the overloud clock at the back of the room that we haven't even started the actual class yet, which means it's time for coffee. Or breakfast gin, for those full-time professional writers among us. Breakfast is the most important meal for the professional writer, commanding the approaches to morning tea time, as it does, and thus being strategically placed to flow naturally into lunch and dinner. And a professional writer sans breakfast gin is little better than a blogger.
Allow me at this point to make my apologies to all the bloggers who have enrolled for today's Masterclass and paid up front. Your money is very important to me. Even more so now that it's become my money. There will be a module dealing specifically with the challenges of online time wasting for online writing professionals such as yourselves. It is scheduled to be available in the first half of 2016 and I look forward to seeing more of your money then when I actually run the class in 2018.
In the meantime, I encourage you all to follow me on Twitter, which allows me to segue into talking about Twitter. Arguably there is no more powerful tool in the hands of the master procrastinator than this premier microblogging service because the guy who invented Flappy Bird took it off the app store. I don't propose to discuss the relative merits of Twitter versus Facebook because I can get another seminar out of that, and if I use the words ''premium'' and ''marketing'' and ''brand'' and I call myself a ninja I can charge even more for it.
I can see we're coming to the end of this masterclass column, however, and before we get anything done I'd like to return to the topic of that Star Trek comic, because it seems to me there's something wrong when all the sexy Star Trek ladies (like Captain Jane Kirk, geddit?) are wearing pants which isn't true to the original series at all and probably deserves a blog entry. I will write that blog entry. Tomorrow.


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D-C-Fix Polka Dot Mint Green Self Adhesive Film (L)2 M (W)450mm
- Transforms kitchen cupboards, renovates old furniture, protects books, lines drawers, covers shelves & personalises stationary
- Easy to apply with peel & stick
- Fully removable
- Next Day Delivery . Order by 7pm (2pm Sunday) for next day delivery. (note that this will be subject to different terms and conditions)
Product info
Features and benefits
There are literally hundreds of uses for this sticky back plastic, from protecting surfaces to kitchen makeovers, craft projects to furniture upcycling. You'll be amazed how quick and easy it is to achieve an instant transformation with d-c-fix sticky back plastic. Hardwearing and versatile, it's great for many craft projects and is a fun way to breathe new life into tired old furniture, kitchen cupboards and table tops, without breaking the bank.
Tech specs
|Brand :
|Design :
|Polka dot
|Colour description :
|Mint green
|Application :
|Peel & stick
|Length (mm) :
|Width (mm) :
|Coverage :
|0.9 m²
|Location :
|Model :

subset: commoncrawl


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We need a little more information to make sure that this product will fit your MINI. Please select your specific MINI to continue.
All original MINI accessories
come with a limited warranty of up to
4 years/50,000 miles*
Make a statement with this MINI Signet T-Shirt. It is cut from soft single jersey and has a modern loose fit, turn-up sleeves and a striking degrade MINI Signet print as well as a tonal MINI Wing Logo on the front. Loose fit. Slightly oversized.
Also Available:
MINI Ladies' Wing Logo Cut-Out T-Shirt Black
Dealer pricing will be displayed for items once they are added to the cart.
*Shipping and handling fee is waived on orders over $99.00 in value and weighing less than 20 lbs subject to the exclusions that follow. Eligible orders will display "FREE Shipping" at checkout. MINI USA, a division of BMW of North America, LLC reserves the right to change or end promotions at any time. Offer excludes products classified as hazardous materials (e.g., chemicals, compressed gases, etc.) and paints. Certain oversized and heavy items are not eligible, including but not limited to items/packaging exceeding 165" in combined length and width. Changing and combining orders, or changing or entering an invalid shipping address might affect your order's free shipping eligibility. Offer is valid for shipments in the contiguous 48 United States only. HI, AK, PR, US Territories, International and Canadian orders are excluded from this offer. Limited-time offer valid from 04/01/2017 to 10/14/2017. Offer expires on 10/14/2017 at 11:59pm (EST). Orders submitted after the promotion period ends do not qualify. 2-day delivery promise based on business days and item availability. No deliveries on Sundays.
Terms and Conditions:Purchase completed between 11/25/2016 and 11/29/2016. Requests MUST be postmarked or submitted online by 12/15/2016. Submit rebate redemption form with Original MINI Dealer invoice and/or repair order. Rebate payout is based on the MSRP of the parts purchase amount only as listed on the eligible product list. Last 7 digits of your vehicle's VIN are required for all submissions. Labor and/or additional dealer charges are excluded. Mail all items to the address listed on the rebate form. Incomplete submissions will not be accepted or fulfilled. Photocopies not accepted. Non-eligible submissions will not be acknowledged. Offer valid in US only. Good for actual purchases by end users only. Cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions. You should receive your rebate within 6-12 weeks after claim is received. All rebates will be issued in US dollars, in the form of a Visa® Gift Card. We are not responsible for lost or misdirected mail and illegible entries. MINI logo and product names are trademarks of MINI and their respective companies. For questions about your rebate email: firstname.lastname@example.com. Fraudulent submissions could result in federal prosecution under the U.S. Mail Fraud Statutes (18 USC, Section 1341 & 1342). Keep a copy of your documents for future reference. The MINI Rebates Visa® Prepaid Card is not redeemable for cash and may not be used for cash withdrawal at any cash-dispensing location. Each time you use the card the amount of the transaction will be deducted from the amount of your available balance. Use your Visa® Prepaid Card anywhere Visa® debit cards are accepted in the United States and U.S. Territories. The card may not be used at any merchant, including internet and mail or telephone order merchants, outside of the United States and U.S. Territories. Visit prepaidcardstatus.com to view full terms and conditions governing this card. Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Pay close attention to the expiration date printed on the front of the card. Card is valid through the last day of the month printed on the card. You will not have access to the funds after expiration.
© 2016 MINI USA, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. The MINI name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.


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Nope. Looks like that win Obama claims may be up to dispute. Seems he actually came in second to last in the presidential race. Even their man, Mitt Romney, came in a close second.
For 2013: No More Romney
I hope that there is one promise I can keep. I don't want to write the name of the lyingest bastard ever to run for president even once more.
ALEC: Let's Put The Pressure On
ALEC just had their winter meeting in Washington. We need to put pressure on those in the Iowa legislature who show feality to ALEC and not to Iowa. I believe we can start at the top with Gov. Branstad and SoS Matt (on the job training) Schultz.
Bain Dumping Clear Channel?
One of the worst things to come out of the Clinton presidency was the Telecommunications Act of 1996. This was the final nail in the structure of that media consolidation was built on. Clear Channel was able to take on more than 1200 radio stations at the height of their consolidation. But new media and bad management caused Clear Channel to shed some of their losers a few years back. Eventually, Bain Capital (yep the Vultures) bought CC trying to work their "magic." Friday Clear Channel/Bain went through a huge layoff. My guess is this is yet another stop gap measure on their way to bankruptcy. Keep an eye out, there may be some cheap radio properties available next year.
Limbaugh Gets Some Credit
In the demise of Clear Channel, I believe Limbaugh gets some credit. Limbaugh actually works for CC subsidiary Premiere Networks. His loss of advertising has been one of the biggest reasons that CC is in huge trouble. Limbaugh is still getting his huge salary of an estimated $38 million per year. Maybe he should do what he tells unions to do and take a pay cut.
Speaking Of Demises
Not that these companies are going out of business, but restaurant chains that publically bucked the coming of Obamacare seem to be paying a price for their obstinance. Darden Restaurants (Red Lobster, Olive Garden) has apparently lost a chunk of business. It also looks like Papa John's Pizza took a huge hit in the reputation column, also. Gee whiz, filthy rich owners, is it that hard to treat your employees decently? It never hurts to vote with your dollars.
Speaking of Treating Employees Well
Walmart and its subsidiary Sam's Club, is notorious for its low wages and employees being forced to use Medicaid for its health care and food stamps to afford to eat. On the other end of the employer spectrum is Costco, which pays its employees well, offers a good health care plan and retirement. These contrasting styles of management have been studied over and over. In every instance I have seen, Costco kicks Sam's Club to the curb. I am sure this is true in nearly every instance where the focus is on employee costs. When will American employers learn?
December 7th
As I write this it is Dec. 7. This is of course a day that has much baggage. Most important is the 71st anniversary of the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor. This is of course the final straw that pulled the US into World War 2. December 7th is also the launch date of Apollo 17 in 1972. This eventually became the final trip to the moon for America. Seems to me that without grand goals, America seems to have lost its way. As many others have said, we need an Apollo program type effort to restore America's infrastructure to prepare for the future and to face the threat of climate change which will be the toughest foe man has ever faced.


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Weekend Cruise
About Weekend and Short Cruises
A weekend cruise is relaxing and fun and it doesn't use up your well earned vacation days! Weekend cruises are also a great opportunity to experience of cruising for those who have never cruised before. Enjoy the wonderful activities offered on a weekend cruise including all of the onboard activities, relaxing in the spa, exciting nightlife as well as casual and gourmet dining.
Benefits of Weekend Cruises:
- Limits the amount of time you need to take off from work.
- Weekend cruises tend to be less expensive
- Travelers can drive to their port of call
- Weekend cruises are excellent for first time cruise passengers
- Many cruise lines have a great selection of weekend cruises
- Tend to draw a diverse crowd of various ages
A weekend cruise offers something for everyone. You can have a romantic weekend away, family time with the kids, a girls (or guys) weekend out or a birthday or anniversary celebration or cruising just to have fun. Whatever your reason, cruising is a great way to get away, leave the stress behind and have some fun.
Weekend cruises and other short cruises depart from a number of cruise ports that are within driving distance of many areas making them a perfect choice for a quick getaway. Call now or book online to receive discounts, onboard credits, upgrades and more on your next weekend or short cruise getaway.
Featured Weekend Cruises
Weekend and Short Cruise Highlights
Indulge at the Spa
There's no better way to relax than to spoil yourself with a massage or a spa treatment! There are many different treatments available for you to pamper yourself with.
Party into the Night
Dance the night away in one of the ships many nightclubs, enjoy a comedy club, or relax with friends in one of the many lounges on board.
Enjoy Many Dining Options
Most ships now offer multiple dining options ranging from casual to gourmet and many boast specialty restaurants featuring Italian, Asian and premium Steakhouses.
Onboard Activities
From surfing to bowling to bingo or just relaxing at one of the many pools, the options are endless. Your getway cruise can be as active or relaxed as you choose.


text: Kids will love learning street safety with the Talking Traffic Light. This motion-activated toy traffic light instructs your child when to stop or go in 3 languages (English, French, and Spanish). Combine this with one of our ride-on toys for super road-trip fun. This toy requires 3-AA batteries (included). For ages 3 years and up.Talking Traffic Light Dimensions: 15 1/4" x 5 1/2" x 8 3/4"WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD- Small Parts. Keep away from children younger than 3 years.


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SAINT LEO, Fla. – Saint Leo women's tennis player Laura Kemkes was selected an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American; it was announced Wednesday by ITA officials.
The top-20 players in singles and top-10 teams in doubles earned All-America recognition.
"Laura has had a fantastic first two years at Saint Leo," said Head Coach James Bryce. "She has earned and deserves this honor due to her hard work and commitment. To play number one in the SSC is a tough task and she has taken on this role and shown her true qualities. I am looking forward to seeing what the next two years have instore for her as well."
Kemkes, finishing the year 14th in the country, amassed a 16-4 overall singles record, including a 5-2 SSC record. Spending the entire season at top-flight, the Berlin, Germany native registered a season-high six match singles winning streak.
Additionally, Kemkes went 6-3 against nationally ranked opponents.
The sophomore fell just short of All-America honors on the doubles side as the duo of Emily Singleton and Kemkes finished 12th in the country, sporting an 18-5 doubles record out of the top-flight spot.
In total eight Sunshine State Conference student-athletes earned the distinct honor.
Laura Kemkes 2011-12 accolades:
- ITA All-American
- CoSIDA Academic All-Region First Team (Women's At-Large)
- All-Sunshine State Conference First Team Singles
- All-Sunshine State Conference First Team Doubles
- Sunshine State Conference Player of the Week twice (02/13/12), (03/05/12)
- Saint Leo Athlete of the Week (02/12/12)
To view the complete list of All-Americans, click here.
For more on the nationally-ranked women's tennis team, visit SaintLeoLions.com.


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Argument over framed UF Gator photo results in arrest
Published: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 10:02 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 10:02 a.m.
A fight over a framed University of Florida Gator photo led to a broken jaw and the arrest of a man on an aggravated battery charge Tuesday.
Willie I. Irving, 36, of 3205 SW 26th Way, was charged, according to an Alachua County Sheriff's Office arrest report.
Irving and another man were remodeling a home when they found a Gator photo that had been abandoned, the report states. When both finished their work day, they arrived together at their place of employment, and Irving saw the photo in the victim's truck.
Irving claimed the photo was his and the two argued. Irving punched the victim, who told deputies he briefly lost consciousness, according to the report.
Irving left the scene, and the victim was taken to the hospital, where medical personnel found that his jaw was broken jaw in two places and would require surgery.
Deputies located Irving, who said he struck the victim out of fear and was defending himself.
- Cindy Swirko
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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FORMER Wilderspool Stadium groundsman and kitman Roy Aspinall has died, aged 76.
Roy, who died in Warrington Hospital last night, was connected with Warrington Wolves for 42 years.
Known to many as 'Ockher', colourful Roy was Alex Murphy's first signing for Warrington in 1971.
They had grown up together in the Thatto Heath area of St Helens and when Murphy arrived from Leigh as player-coach he brought in his old mate as 'the caretaker' at Wilderspool Stadium as well as head doorman at the Wilderspool Leisure Centre.
Ground maintenance and playing equipment became his life for the next 30 or so years, initially as one of two assistants to Jackie Hamblett before taking charge in 1979.
"I was a general dog's body," he told the Guardian in an interview.
He was never far away from the place, especially with living in Fletcher Street just yards from the stadium entrance.
Roy, left, on the Challenge Cup homecoming bus in 1974
Wherever 'Wire' went, Ockher went, and so he was very much a part of the scene for the greatest season in the club's history (1973-74), the Challenge Cup finals of 1974 and 1975 as well as the 12 other competitions won before the era of full-time professionalism arrived in 1996.
Ockher, who is uncle to the Cunningham brothers Eddie, aged 62, Tommy, aged 57, and Keiron, aged 37, was well known to every home and visiting player throughout that period. A game of cards and discussions around collecting rugby league memorabilia would often have been on the agenda.
Such was his popularity in the game and the respect he held for getting a job done he even gained international honours in 1975 - as kitman to the England team coached by Murphy that toured Australasia for the World Cup.
Roy had actually been working since 'doing a runner' at aged 15, leaving Grange Park School in Thatto Heath and joining up with the Silcock brothers to work with them on their travelling fairground.
He worked on various rides but his association with the Silcocks started when he was 13.
"I used to go round in Mac Moran's boxing booths," he said.
"They used to pay rent to Silcocks Fairground and the boxers would take on all-comers.
"I was doing this with a mate of mine called Buller. Not many would take us on at 13."
After his time on the Autodrome, Swirl of Life and Waltzers rides, he joined Wigan Casino as its head doorman until Murphy came knocking.
Despite some nomadic ways growing up, he settled well into Wilderspool life.
Duties included tending to the pitch, brushing down the dressing rooms, cleaning boots, cleaning up the terraces after matches and other odd jobs around the ground.
Then there were match-day kit responsibilities and up until Wilderspool's main stand was burned down in 1982, kit-washing duties were his too.
He said it was one of his career highlights that Warrington called on his services to assist them in Australia and New Zealand during the World Club Championships competition in 1997.
He came back with shirts from all the Australian clubs to boost his massive collection of rugby league memorabilia.
Roy with former Warrington players Lee Penny, Mike Wainwright and Dave Elliott in the Wilderspool Stadium dug-out
Roy always said that Silcocks and Warrington Rugby League Club were the saving of him. He did not like to think what would have happened to him without them.
And it was a mark of the club's gratitude of his loyal service that when the first game took place at the new Halliwell Jones Stadium - against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats - in February 2004 that he was honoured with the task of ceremoniously carrying the match ball on to the pitch.
In later life, Ockher was a great reader and devoured autobiographies.
He also travelled a great deal with his family and friends around Europe and visited America.
Roy at the opening of the heritage timeline at The Halliwell Jones Stadium earlier this year
Roy was regularly seen whizzing around Warrington on his mobility scooter OCK1, which gave him the freedom to get about.
A Warrington Wolves statement reads: "Ockher was a family man, who leaves a wife Sue, sons and grandchildren who he adored.
"He was one of those colourful characters who could always tell a good story and will be fondly remembered."
Tributes from Twitter
Sad to hear of the death of a man we all knew at Wilderspool as Ockher, Roy Aspinall. A proper #rugbyleague character pic.twitter.com/ma4VzPa2b8— angela powers (@angelampowers) January 9, 2014
R.I.P Roy Aspinall. (Ockher)— chris mellor (@mezzer82) January 9, 2014
R.I.P. Roy 'Ockher' Aspinall. Remember him well from the Wilderspool days. #Wire— AboveUsOnlySky (@AdamMiller36) January 9, 2014
R.I.P Ockher!! A great character, who would always stop and talk rugby. @wolvesrl— Neil Aspinall (@Aspo313) January 10, 2014
RIP Ockher! I'll never forget when you sold us a Wire flag for £5 that we'd got for free the week before haha. Will miss seeing you around!— Bexx (@Wire1992) January 9, 2014
Sad news about @wolvesrl kit man #Ockher Sad that the game and everybody that knew him has lost another great character #rugbyleague— Steven McCormack (@McCormackSteve1) January 9, 2014
RIP my old mate #Ockher, welcomed me to Wilderspool in 1996 and stayed a friend since that day.— Dave Swanton(Swanny) (@SwannyMediaMan) January 9, 2014
Sad to hear that Warrington Legend Ockher has died, true Rugby League Gent R.I.P Marra @wolvesrl @briers6 🏉— steve nicholson (@1stevenicko) January 9, 2014
RIP Roy "ockher" ASPINALL worked together for 8 years ,friends for a lifetime ,he will be sorely missed by all who knew him #LEGEND— Stuart Warburton (@stueywarby) January 9, 2014
Sad news about former Warrington kit man Ockher! A Wilderspool Legend! Condolences to his family and friends! RIP— Trevor Hunt (@TheTrevorHunt) January 9, 2014
RIP Ockher #kingofwilderspool A wonderful RL character, collector of pin badges, keeper of secrets and bringer of first HJ match ball— Sean Mellor (@seanbigfellamel) January 9, 2014
Rip ockher, if theres either a guy thats commited to his team it was this guy— Ronnie (@ronniewatson86) January 9, 2014
Absolutely gutted to hear to the very sad news about the passing of ockher ex Warrington Kitman, groundsman absolute legend of a bloke! #rip— Lee Briers (@briers6) January 9, 2014
Sad news great character RIP Ockher Warringtons number one kit man & keeper of the Zoo Keys #unsung herorugbyleaguestalwartbloodygreatbloke— Andy Kelly : (@andykelly3of6) January 9, 2014
so sad Ockher has gone, lovely man @wolvesrl a #wire legend http://t.co/u0viHMplKJ never heard his real name before! rest in peace Ockher— Phil Gatley (@PhilGatley) January 9, 2014


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Whether you've just dipped a toe into the pool of social media or you've jumped in with a splash, at some point you need to surf an ethical wave in this vast new ocean. That is, how do you and your employees use these wonderful, wide-reaching tools in a professional, beneficial way and avoid getting smacked by damaging, or worse, illegal, usage.
This is becoming a big deal, because statistics show that more than 80 percent of Internet users participate in a social networking site, according to Cindy Unger, WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz adviser (WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz. is a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming).
The beauty (and sometimes the curse) of these networks is that they are about communities, collaboration and user-generated content. Not only is the size of the social networking audience of interest to businesses, facts that information moves instantaneously and across global boundaries are also significant. For agriculture, that means farmers can instantly "tell their story" to people they'll probably never meet in person and "reconnect" with an audience increasingly unfamiliar with all things farming and ranching.
That's an attractive concept in this new "online, social world," where business (and farm) reputations may be defined by customer opinions and ratings. Companies and organizations that formerly feared the idea of social networking are embracing these sites to use for lead generation, employee recruiting, branding, customer service and other typical business marketing functions, Unger notes.
However, the use of social networking in the workplace raises many new and unique legal and practical issues for businesses that want to harness the benefits of increased employee participation in social networks, while avoiding the pitfalls. On one hand, unregulated employee use/misuse of social media can result in an employer having to deal with unprofessional, and possibly illegal, actions by employees, she cautions.
Another possible issue is a supervisor or employee posting discriminatory remarks about the company, a co-worker, or a company product on a personal Facebook page. Online harassment is an undesirable possibility. What about an employee who engages in criminal conduct using an employer's computer?
On the other hand, employers that enact tough restrictions may violate federal or state electronic monitoring laws, or laws relating to legal, off-duty personal conduct, Unger adds. "To navigate this minefield, companies are adopting official policies for social media usage, while the courts are simultaneously making rulings about the legality of those policies."
One way to get through this labyrinth is to open honest, frequent communication with employees regarding their use of social media and your expectations for conduct.
"You have expectations with employees regarding their job performance," says Jolene Griffin with Dairy Management Inc. Expectations for social media use should be no different.
And, invite them to help you promote your dairy business. For example, offer interested employees an opportunity to share Facebook postings or Tweeting duties for your farm's accounts.
Just be sure to give them the right information, acceptable vocabulary to use with consumers and background tools, such as consumer-tested key messages, so they are equipped to communicate your desired message. Encourage employees to find their own "voice" and talk about things from their perspective, letting their personality shine through.
Also, lay some ground rules regarding personal social media use and how it reflects on their reputation, as well as that of your dairy.
"Remind them that whatever they say on social media lives on forever, meaning that future employers can look back at Facebook pages or Tweets," Griffin says. "A good rule of thumb is to remind people to never say anything on social media that you wouldn't say to your 85-year-old grandmother."
Still, decreased work productivity due to time spent online is one obvious problem to social media use if you are not careful. Legal pitfalls, such as the possibility of an employee revealing confidential or proprietary company information in a social media post, are also a concern.
As companies and farmers flock to use social media outlets for marketing purposes, they must consider how employees can put them at risk and how to protect themselves. The best solution is probably for businesses to adopt a set of clear, written social media policies that are consistent with their organizational culture, suggests Unger.
To this end, Griffin recommends you learn from those who have gone before you and take a page from what has worked for other organizations regarding social media guidelines. Check out this link to part of IBM's employee handbook.
Finally, retain your sense of humor. Sometimes the best intentions go awry when it comes to social media, and mistakes happen. As long as there was no intentional harm inflicted or criminal intent, learn to make the best of human errors and turn them into a positive for your farm.
Case in point, this exchange from the American Red Cross that stemmed from an innocent mistake from a valued employee who thought she was logged into her personal Twitter account:
The tweet was taken down within an hour, but like everything in social media, you can't delete anything online permanently. This is the Red Cross response tweet:


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The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to solicit proposals for a 17-month, national project that will build the capacity of the child welfare workforce in public child welfare agencies and their partner organizations to perform continuous quality improvement (CQI) activities and processes. The project will build competencies and skills to develop and strengthen CQI systems, including the abilities to identify, collect, communicate, and use data to improve services and achieve safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes for children, youth, and families. The project will focus on identifying and managing existing CQI-related resources; developing and strategically disseminating practical tools and curricula; designing and delivering remote and group-based learning opportunities, training and coaching; facilitating peer-to-peer learning; and providing tailored technical assistance. The project will partner closely with the Children's Bureau and CB-supported centers and projects.
Learn more.
© 2016 National Sexual Violence Resource Center – Founded by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape
This site is supported by Grant/ Cooperative Agreement No. 1UF2CE002359-04 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


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Lt Sterling D Ditchey, 310th Bomb Group, 380thBS, MTO B-25's WWII
1944 — Corsica
Lt Sterling Ditchey was living in Orange, Calif. and enlisted at Santa Ana AAF, Ca. on 10 Nov. 1942. He was born in Calif in 1923 and entered directly into the AAC. Sterling is White, Citizen, completed 4 years of high school and was a skilled lineman and serviceman, telegraph, telephone and power. He was single at Enlistment.
Lt. Sterling Ditchey was trained as an AAC B-25 Bombardier, was assigned to the 310th Bomb Group (Medium) and the 380th Bomb Squad. He flew out of Corsica, France in the Mediterranean Theatre during WWII in the B-25 Mitchell Medium Bomber (May of 1944 to Feb.1945)
70 Combat Missions as a Commissioned Bombardier, many Medals, Sterling's 70th Mission (25 Jan. 1945) was in the "Miss Mitchell" but his 'regular' Ship was the "Puss N Boots"
"MANY Medals" ... Lt Ditchey was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with NINE Oak Leaf Clusters, and earned three Battle Participation Awards "Rome-Arno", "Southern France" and "Air Offensive of Europe". What was the Mediterranean Theatre (MTO) also covered much of the European Theatre of Operations (ETO) as well.
More to come.
Barbara Ennis Connolly, 57th Bomb Wing Historical Researcher and Historian for her Dad/Edward C Ennis' 321st Bomb Group. email@example.com


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Williams-Sonoma | OXO Corn Stripper
I can't lie, I have had a few accidents in the past when it came to removing corn from the cob. This genius corn stripper from OXO will be my next kitchen purchase as soon possible! Roasted corn has a much more desirable flavour when I need it for salsas, salads, and quesadillas which is why I recommend this. The grilling season is quickly approaching and traditional corn on the cob is always on the table, but why not try adding roasted corn to other dishes for a more intense flavour? This is especially great for those that have butter-fingers. (Haha... excuse the pun. How corny, right?!)


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A COMMUNITY crowd-funding event is set to become a monthly affair after a successful first meeting.
The Burnley Series, founded by Burnley student Matt Paiton, plans to donate cash to a worthy cause selected by audience members after they have heard presentations from volunteers.
Around 20 people attended the group's inaugural fundraiser and chose East Lancashire Help the Homeless as its first grant recipient.
Mr Paiton, an events management student at The University of Greenwich, said the initiative was modelled on a similar scheme in Detroit, USA, which sought to benefit voluntary and not-for-profit groups.
The 21-year-old said: "Burnley is changing, slowly, and that's important. We can't afford to rush to change things. We need to be deliberate, and passionate, and kind.
"All over this town there are great people working on lots of projects and causes that deserve funding, but money isn't something that is easy to get at the moment."
Three groups - Burnley Youth Theatre, Burnley District Youth Council and East Lancashire Help the Homeless - gave presentations at the Inn on the Wharf pub, in Manchester Road, on Monday, vying for the grant.
The homelessness group was voted the most deserving and walked away with £95, collected from the event's £5 admission fee.
Mr Paiton said: "It's not going to be mega money but we think that together we can help fund the small projects that can have big impacts.
"The most important thing is we think giving money to the project will really help make a difference to Burnley."
The next Burnley Series event will be held at Inn on the Wharf from 8pm on March 19. Groups interested in applying to make a presentation should email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Hampton & Richmond Borough boss Mark Harper praised returning striker Joel Ledgister after his goal secured three points against Lewes on Tuesday night, writes Tom Ambrose.
The hosts opened the scoring in the first-half when Joe Turner's rocket beat Lewes's Kieron Thorpe, but Anthony Thomas drew the Sussex club level, curling in from distance moments later.
Ledgister, who recently re-joined the Beavers from Boue Square South side Chelmsford City, found the winner thirteen minutes from time, stabbing home skipper Max Hustwick's knockdown, to Harper's delight.
He said: "Joel gives us another threat up front because to be honest, we haven't been scoring enough.
"If Charlie Moone wasn't in such good form, we could be struggling – it's all about competition for places.
"We looked much better than Saturday and overall I am pleased with our performance."
Hampton, thrashed 4-0 at Bury Town in the FA Cup on Saturday, made a strong start when Turner's drive was parried by Thorpe.
A frenetic few minutes followed, starting when Gary Holloway was booked for a late challenge on Steve Brinkhurst after 25 minutes.
A minute later, Hickey's lofted ball through to Turner set the midfielder up for a thunderous volley to give the hosts the lead.
Before Hampton even had time to draw breath, Lewes's Thomas took advantage of a fortuitous deflection off team-mate Karl Beckford's backside, curling in to draw the Rooks level.
Just before the break, Ledgister saw a goal ruled offside after reacting quickest when Moone hit the woodwork.
On 50 minutes, James Simmonds thundered a shot against the cross-bar as the hosts piled on the pressure.
But the breakthrough came after 77 minutes when Holloway's free-kick was knocked down by skipper Hustwick who found Ledgister unable to miss from close distance.
Lewes created one final chance on 89 minutes, but Nathan Crabb could not keep his shot down.
Hampton boss Harper added: "We got taught a lesson on Saturday – we have to turn up and work hard.
"We were far too complacent against Bury Town, but today we showed signs of improvement.
"It sets us up nicely for Whitehawk on Saturday which ought to be a good battle."
Hampton & Richmond: Chiweshe, Kamara, Bray (Jenkins 81), Hustwick, Powell, Hickey, Turner, Holloway, Moone (Bent 83), Simmonds, Ledgister (Bettemar 78). Subs not used: Jeffreys, Bates.
Lewes: Thorpe, Conroy, Hamilton, Walder, Robinson, Breach, Crabb, Beckford (Schaaf 64), Godfrey, Thomas (Fergany 83), Brinkhurst (Howell 75). Subs not used: Cooper, Stubbins.
Attendance: 296
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Ben Watts (part 2)
Show: Designing Minds
In the second episode of the series, Ben recounts the journey of making a name for himself in the Big Apple, while trying to continue to push the boundaries of traditional photography. Ben has looked through the lens at such big names as Heath Ledger, Hugh Jackman and Mary J. Blige and no matter how recognizable or unknown his subject may be, he continues to achieve emotion and distinction with each click of his camera. Always donned with a smile and a playful attitude, Ben attributes his growth as an artist to his "visual journal" and how its compilation lead to his latest accomplishment, a book of collage photography, Big Up.


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Blog Directory
Browse the Blog Directory
Browse blogs from wide range of categorized blogs on our blog directory. Whether you are looking for niche blogs, personal blogs, Cyprus blogs, Arts blogs, Entertainment blogs you can find them all in our blog directory.
Submit your Blog
Or, Submit your blog and be included on our search engine friendly blog directory.
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As I have mentioned in previous review, when it came to stocking up on baby related products when I was pregnant with my first bubba, I was completely clueless. I knew I wanted to breastfeed yet I was also sure that I wanted the option of expressing milk and giving the odd bottle. I did my research and opted for the Avent breast pump and microwave steriliser and after a few weeks I was sure that I had made the right decision by going with this brand.
A couple of months after she was born, things had settled down and I was ready for a meal out with my friends. I looked for options for storing the milk so it could be stored in the freezer and again Avent seemed the obvious choice. I found this kit in a big branch of Mothercare and snapped it up. I've just checked online and I believe it now costs £8.49. I opted for this set as it is fully compatable with the Avent breast pump and bottles.
The set includes 10 x 180ml steri-packed cups, 10 reusable lids and 2 feeding adaptors. The feeding adaptor mean that you can use these cups with the Avent breast pump and then also connect it to a Avent bottle teat without the need of transfering the milk into a different container. Each cup as a reusable lid which screws on firmly.
The great thing about these cups is that they are also great for weaning, they make perfect containers for those early days of weaning when your bubba is just having the tiniest amount of something like pureed carrot or good old sweet potato.
On the downside, I don't really rate these cups for storing milk. They all just seemed to leak when I used them and it really put me off. I much preferred using the storage bags.... they take up less room in the freezer and tranferring the milk to a bottle really isn't an issue as far as i'm concerned.
I would definately recommend buying a box of these for weaning purposes but I do believe that there are better option for storing milk.
I was lucky enough to be given this product as a freebie by a midwife at a breastfeeding workshop I went to just before my son was born. At the time I thought I would find it really useful for storing breast milk but actually I have only recently begun to use this product for storing baby food instead.
~~~ What you get in the kit ~~~
10 cups which hold 180ml each
10 lids
2 adaptors
The cups come in a sealed and sterile plastic bag together with a clip that you can use for re-sealing the bag once you have removed one cup. The lids and adaptors require sterilising prior to their first use.
According to Avent, the cups should only be used and re-sterilised four times before you dispose of them which means that this is really not an environmentally friendly option even though the cups can be recycled.
The adaptors can be used to attach a cup to an Avent breast pump or to attach a teat so you can feed baby directly from the storage cup.
The cups are marked in ounces and millilitres and stack into each other for ease of storage. The lids twist securely onto the cup to ensure there are no spills. You can also buy larger size 240ml cups separately for when your baby is older.
~~~ My opinion ~~~
I only used these storage cups a few times for freezing breast milk because my son was so hungry, any milk I managed to express ended up being fed to him the same day. However since weaning my son, I have found the cups extremely useful for storing baby food as you can freeze the correct portion (I find my 11 month old can eat a whole 240ml cup of food now) and then just defrost it in the container without having to faff around with ice cube trays.
If you do freeze milk or baby food in one of these cups, be careful not to drop it when you take it out of the freezer. I did and the cup shattered like glass - because the plastic is so thin it becomes really brittle and fragile when frozen. The cups could also be used for storing milk or food in the fridge.
I did think that the markings on the side of the cup could be a little clearer as it is quite difficult to see how much you have put in it. You can write on the side of the cup to label what is inside and the date which is useful.
I don't think I would have gone out and bought this product but am glad that I was given it because it has been really handy to have. If you are using other Avent products such as the breast pump and feeding bottles and are intending to store lots of expressed milk then these would be invaluable.
~~~ Pricing and Availability ~~~
The Philips Avent breast milk storage kit is available from Boots for £8.50. You can also buy larger cups and separate lids directly from Philips Avent at shop.philips.co.uk.
I believe that this product is quite expensive for what you get and given that you can only use each cup four times I don't believe that it is very good value for money.
My Reasons for buying the Avent Breastmilk Containers
Whilst pregnant with my one and only child I had decided that I was going to breastfeed. Then came the birth and a four day stay in hospital. The midwives and breastfeeding advisor were brilliant and encouraged me every step of the way in my efforts at breastfeeding but it seemed an uphill struggle. My daughter didn't seem to latch on properly but I was insistant. We were both duly discharged from hospital and then the panic set it. How much milk is she having, is she getting any milk at all. Oh my god what a nightmare. The first full day at home and we realised just how lazy a baby Holly was going to be. The milk started to drip and she just lay there with her mouth open. You could see her brain working, why should I suckle when the tap is turned on!. That was it no more breastfeeding. My home visit midwife suggested that maybe I should express if I was that set on my daughter having breastmilk. So with my little Avent handpump I set about expressing as much milk as I could, every two hours for 40 minutes at a time to ensure my milk supply would continue.
When the health visitor came for her first appointment she said I looked absolutely knackered and suggested that if I was to continue expressing, why didn't I hire a hospital grade electric pump, they are available on the internet. This was great I could extract the milk from the udders in 20 minutes.
My milk production line was going so well after one week I was producing about 20 oz per 3 sessions of expressing, gradually reducing through out the day. 80 oz is a bit too much for a 3 week old baby to consume in a day. Next problem, where to keep all the milk I was expressing. The health visitor suggested freezing it. Go to Boots and you can buy freezer bags. So off the husband duly went and came back with about 5 packs of freezer bags. These were fine, however they weren't very easy to stand up in the freezer draw, so we balanced them with bits of cardboard slats.
I then spotted the Avent containers on the internet at Boots and ordered a couple of boxes. That made it much easier to store the milk in freezer.
A bit about Avent.
Avent was launched in 1984 and redesigned the baby bottle to closely resemble the natural feeding process and gave mothers the freedom to combine breast and bottle feeding, whether the bottles were used for expressed milk or formular milk. 90% of their products are designed and made in their factory in Suffolk, England and is certified to ISO 9001. In 2006 Avent joined the Philips group to become Philips Avent.
Avent make products to help mothers through pregnacy and beyond upto when your baby is about 18 months old.
They make skincare products for expectant mums and a skincare range for babies. Their breastfeeding range contains pumps (hand and electric), breastmilk storage containers, nipple cream, breast pads, breast shells and nipple protectors. Three sizes of bottles, the smaller one holds 125ml/4 oz and the medium one holds 260ml/9 oz and the large "magnum" that holds 330ml/10.5 oz. Teats that reduce the risk of colic. Formular milk dispensers, bottle and teat brushes. Sterilizers and a bottle warmer. Daytime and nightime dummies, sorry, soothers upto the age of 18 months. Cups and spoons for weaning and different types of bags suitable for carrying everything.
Avent products are used in more than 60 countries around the world.
The Product.
These containers come in boxes of 10. They are pre sterilized and packed in two bags of five containers with lids. The 10 lids are screwtopped. The box also contains two adaptors for use with the breast pump or you can screw the teat system to it, enabling you to use these instead of a bottle and one clip for securing the open pack closed enabling you to keep the containers sterilzed.
The containers are made of a sturdy plastic material that is clear on one side, with a slight frosting on the other side to enable you to write any dates or information that you want on them. They hold 180ml/6oz of milk or 240ml/8.5 oz (the larger pots are difficult to buy) and are dishwasher and freezer safe. They can be resterilized up to four times for holding milk then recycled with your plastics or reused to hold food.
The pots are about 8cm high, 8cm diameter at the top tapering down to 6cm at the bottom. The lids are made of a clear light blue plastic and screw easily onto the container. The adaptors are also a light blue in colour and have a screw bottom and a screw top for fixing to the pump.
The top of the lid had a ridge the same size as the bottom of the container, thus making the easy to store one on top of the other.
My Opinion
These containers are the best thing I used for storage of breast milk and are very versatile. I continued to express milk until my daughter was 10 months old. Every so often I would take milk out of the freezer to use and replace it with fresh expressed milk. I was able to give my daughter breastmilk until she was about one year old. I was much happier with her having breastmilk than formular. I am still using these pots two years after I purchased them. When my daughter went onto solids I was able to make up large quantities of food for her and freeze it in these pots which I still do today. Any resh food that is left over from dinner time, she can have it for lunch the following day. They do take up quite a bit of room in the freezer but I am lucky as I have a fridge/freezer and a seperate freezer, so I have pleaty of room for storing.
I gave some of these pots to my sister-in-law. She takes them to work with her and puts salad in one and cheese or anything else she fancies for lunch in another. She also uses them for her milk for work as she is dairy intolerant.
My husband also uses any damaged pots for keeping screws and nuts and other rubbish in his shed.
Price and Availability
I have found them online at Boots for £7.50 and Amazon for £6.99. They are also available to buy as a refill pack of 5 pots only, for £1.99 at Mothercare. The Avent Baby Shop sell the 240ml pots in packs of 5 for £5.99
For further reading the Philips Avent website is www.avent.philips.com or www.aventbabyshop.com
Many thanks for reading. Anna
This review may also be found on other review sites
Without these storage bags and my breast pump I would never have been able to keep feeding my baby breast milk whilst I went back to work. Firstly you buy a kit at £7.99 which contains 20bags, 10 clips, labels and 4 circular 'base supports' to put them in until they are frozen. You can also buy bags separately at £2.99 for 40 and a pack of clips and labels at £2.99 for 20. The bags themselves are presterilised so you don't need to worry about sterilising them - one less thing to worry about! They have a printed measurement on the side which is fairly accurate, which goes up to 8oz. (You can't freeze that much though - see below) You can either tip milk into them from a bottle or breast shell which is the method I find best. Or if you buy the Avent bottle (really more a 'bag supporter' than a bottle) that goes with the bags then you can put the bag in that and express milk, via your Avent pump, striaght into the bag. You then seal the bag with the clip and label it with the date. I also put how much is in the bag on the label as once frozen it can be hard to tell. Then you can put in the freezer. I have heard two differing opinions as to how long breast milk can stay frozen for. Some say 3 months and some say 6 - for best measure I try to stick to 3 and continuely replace old stock. On a Friday that days expressed milk gets frozen and on a Sunday evening 'older' milk gets defrosted. Avent tell you that you can feed your baby striaght from the defrosted bag via a special bottle and special teats but I have never done this as I prefer to defrost the bag and then tip it into the bottle. Also this falls down as often I need two or more bags per bottle, depending on how much I have frozen in each bag. Avent advise you that you can freeze up to 6oz of milk in one bag, however I would advise you to only freeze 3, or perhaps 4oz, as I find the incidence of bag splitting during
defrosting is a lot less with a smaller amount. Or you could try double bagging - either way you use roughly the same amount of bags.
I have used Avent breast milk storage bags for 3 months and have found the idea a good one. You only use up the space of the milk expressed and you don't have lots of empty space in containers that are half full because you didn't manage to express much one day. You can clearly mark your milk with the date, time and amount, which is great if you have small amounts and need to make up a certain amount for a bottle. I found this product rather expensive when you can only use the bags once. Granted you only need to buy one (or 2) lots of clips which can be reused. My biggest disappointment with this product was that you lose precious milk when carefully defrosting the milk from the freezer as the bags leak.
Hi my name is Karleigha,this is my first time to write my opinion so I hope I don't bore everyone,so, here I go. I have been using Avent freezer bags for about four months, to store breastmilk for when I started back to work. The pump I used which was easy to use had bags supplied with it. Also supplied were clips and labels to write the date on the bags when you freeze them, as breastmilk can only be stored in the freezer for up to three months, I found the use of the bags great and easy. I could visit friends and family and feed without leaving the room. I could go shopping and feed my baby in resturants and cafes without people starring. But the best thing is that my partner could feed her when I went back to work, I only work part-time but she still needed to be fed, so I could express my milk and store it in the bags. Also there is no sterilizing as they come pre-sterilized.
These are very useful it you want to build up a supply in the freezer,whether its for the odd day out or because you are returning back to work. There are small bags with measurement on the outside so you can tell how much is in there,a plastic fastener,one for each bag,for non leakage and a plastic fastener to expel the air out of the bag.There is a place you can write the date and time. Just tip the milk in,expel the air and fasten it up,then put it in the freezer.The dating idea is good so you can rotate you stock,and breastmilk can be frozen upto 6mth in deep freeze.If you want to add to the bag just undo the bag and pour more in but it needs to be frozen within 24hrs. I used these for storing expresed milk,or if using the breast sheilds,the milk that they catch.They are quite expensive £7.99 for 40 bags with ties, but I think they are invaluable especially if you are planning to go back to work you can give your baby expressed milk while you are not there.
Kit includes 20 disposable pre-sterilised bags that can be used to store your expressed breast milk fresh in the fridge for up to 24 hours, or for up to three months in the freezer


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Shortly after starting a new job as a flight attendant, 23-year-old Pamela Schroeder was in a terrible auto accident. The accident claimed the lives of two people and severely injured four. Pam's lower body was completely crushed. Nearly every bone had been broken, including both legs and her spine. Only her arms and neck were spared. She had a collapsed lung and a ruptured spleen. Doctors were unsure if she would survive the night.
It was a miracle Pam survived. Shortly after the accident, Pam had surgery to repair her crushed ankle and lower spine. Six pins were used to stabilize her ankle. Two separate spinal surgeries fused nine of her vertebrae, sparing her from paralysis. Three bone grafts were required.
Months of intensive physical therapy followed. Eventually, Pam was able to walk again and slowly was able to return to her job. Her activities were limited, and her lifestyle changed completely. "I cannot risk damaging my spine and joints, so I have to be careful in choosing the activities I can do," she says. She has never been able to return to skiing and dancing, two of her favorite pastimes before the accident. However, she is grateful for the ability to walk and to not be confined to a wheelchair. Pam's tenacity allowed her to raise two children and work to support them.
Over the last three decades, Pam has had multiple subsequent surgeries due to damage from the accident and joint deterioration from posttraumatic arthritis. She struggled with significant pain in her back and ankles. In 2008, Pam had her knee replaced. In 2005 and 2009, she had total ankle replacement surgeries. Recently, in September 2012, Pam had a second knee replacement surgery, marking her 33rd surgery in 33 years. The joint replacement surgeries helped Pam live with a lot less pain. She still faces challenges with climbing stairs, lifting, and bending due to her spinal fusions.
"The accident completely changed my life," Pam states. "There are so many things I could never try or had to give up. There were years of pain and surgeries, and my quality of life changed. However, I am grateful for what orthopaedic surgery has done to help my life."
More than three of every five injuries that occur annually in the United States are to the musculoskeletal system. In 2007, over 61.2 million musculoskeletal injuries were reported. Pam hopes that research funding will help continue to improve the technology available to treat orthopaedic trauma. "New technologies must continually be developed to successfully help treat patients in the future."
Pam is a dedicated advocate for orthopaedic surgery and advancements in musculoskeletal research. She served on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Patient Advisory Board for five years and advocated on Capitol Hill for musculoskeletal research funding. Pam spends her free time talking to patients considering ankle replacement surgery. She takes pride in the work of her surgeons and her renewed lease on life.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
9400 West Higgins Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
Phone: 847.823.7186
Email: email@example.com


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Andrew Luck vs. Peyton Manning gets the main headlines here, and why not? The five-time MVP against the young master who took his place in Indy when Manning headed to the Rockies.
Luck has thrown for 300 or more yards in three straight postseason games and comes off a strong effort in the win over Cincinnati: 376 yards and a touchdown. He broke Manning's team mark with 4,761 yards through the air this season.
Manning, who led the Colts to eight division championships, two AFC championships and one Super Bowl title, has the Broncos tied for second-most wins (46) in the league since joining them.
Oh, and as for the home-field thing, the Broncos finished 8-0 at home for the sixth time. Minnesota has the record for most seasons with a perfect home mark with seven.


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THE 17th annual Exmoor Explorer mountain bike challenge attracted nearly 400 riders from all over the country.
They rode out from Minehead Rugby Club in glorious sunshine progressing through Minehead and up onto North Hill at the start of the 31 mile route.
Traditionally run with a 20 mile short loop and the option to do an extra 10 mile long loop for those looking for a more strenuous ride, the format was changed this year to allow less experienced riders to have a go.
It consisted of with three loops approximately ten miles long, getting progressively more difficult, with the third loop very aptly named the 'Killer'.
A fee is charged per rider and all surpluses after running costs are given to charity.
This year £5,000 was donated to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and Jackie Barnes, one of the Exmoor Explorer committee, is shown above presenting a cheque to Derek and Diane Albutt of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.
Previously, in addition to donations to host organisations such as Cutcombe Fete Committee, Timberscombe Cricket Club and local village halls, funds have also been donated to Breast Cancer Research, Musgrove Park Hospital, and the David Rayner Fund to name but a few.
Committee member Neil Brooks said: "Seeing the riders enjoying themselves makes all the hard work organising the event worthwhile.
"It's very rare that anyone has a complaint and whatever the weather throws at the riders they always come away with a smile on their faces. That's what it's all about."


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Winner, winner, three-course dinner!
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Results 1 to 20 of 201
- Join Date
- Jun 2011
- Posts
- 1,118
Frozen Synapse League - Season 15
Sign-ups for Season 15 are now open!
I'm open to suggestions about which mode we should play. If we don't achieve some sort of consensus I'll default to Dark Extermination.
If you would like to take part please do three things:
1) Add yourself to this list. Vote for your preferred game mode while you're there. Let me know if there's any mode you'd rather not play.
2) PM your email address to me (optional, but it will be very useful if I need to give you a nudge). I will not disclose it to anyone else, except maybe WombatDeath or whoever takes over admin duties after me, but even then only with your permission. If you have previously PM'd your address to WombatDeath in an earlier season please consider sending it to me too.
3) Click here to go to the RPS forum settings and edit the 'Private Messaging' section so that you get an email and/or a popup when someone (e.g. me) sends you a PM.
Season 15 will begin on the Saturday 1st of December and will last until the 16th (and no later!), so please don't sign up if you expect to be unavailable for that period. Rules might be slightly different from previous seasons, depending on the mode we decide on, but all will be explained in this thread before the season kicks off.
New and old players are all welcome! No experience required, and weaponry will be provided. Sign up![RIGHT]
Frozen Synapse RPS Season 15 Preview
Hello ladies and gents! Behold the RPS Frozen Synapse Season 15 preview!
I'll try to introduce players signed up for league 15 and throw in a bit of analysis.
ColOfNature (ranked 5825) - person in charge of our league. It would be only right to begin our preview with him.
Entering the last tournament ColofNature was looking on improving his all-time disputed record which, at the time, stood at 4 games 4 losses. The first success came in game 628738 where he managed to beat a high-ranked rodeoclown with the score of 30. Entering the 5th turn of the game with 2 men against 3 opponents, he managed a super-sleek move with his riot-shield. The move has also been referred to as a good-bye kiss to the sniper. Watch the game if you want to see the famed move.
Going into the new season ColOfNature will keep his fingers crossed for any mode except Disputed. An overall record of only 2 Disputed wins in 13 matches speaks for itself.
Cimethink (ranked 46) The highest ranked player of season 14.
Having won the 1st Division of season 13 Cimethink must have entered the 14th with confidence.
Much to everyones surprised lost early on in the league to parpel (ranked 136) in game 627975. A cautious game where parpel managed to gain control of the centerfield, which proved to be enough for a narrow 30-point victory. A game against BigBobr99 (ranked 197) 627980 was marked with a clever shotgun move by his opponent which led to cimethink suffereing his last -30-point defeat of the tournament. He left his opponents no chances in his remaining games totaling a 9-2 record, 830 points and finishing second in season 14.
He will be looking to improve on his 2nd place finish in upcoming season, hoping to play his favorite Dark Charge mode (21 wins and only 5 losses in Charge games).
to be continued ... (if you'd like me to, anyways)
My order of preference for season 15:
1. Upload (I think I have played 1 game in my life, would be nice to get to test this mode properly)
2. Light Extermination (imo undervalued as the "noobs-only-mode", in Dark Extermination the gameplay is about 50/50 between tactics and psychology in Light Extermination it' more like 80 % psychology 20 % tactics)
3. Anything else except Hostage in Dark mode
I also have a suggestion about the tournament form. Season 14 was a simple league (everyone played against everyone once where a win gave 3 points and a draw 1 point. Normal tournament system would make it easier to keep the tournamen on schedule because every stage would have a deadline of its own instead of having one big deadline at the end of the whole season. Depending on the amount of players season 15 will have the system could be best out of 1 or 3 or a combination of these two (eg the first stage would be best out of 1 but the rest of the stages would best out of 3). I would prefer using best out of 3 as much as possible without making the schedule too tight. If season 15 will be in the form of tournament (in stead of a league) I would prefer to use ELO rating as the criteria of choosing the first pairs (the highest vs the lowest, the second highest vs the second lowest, etc.) as it would be easy and fair. Another easy and fair system would be to randomize the pairs so if people (mainly ColOfNature) don't want to use the ELO rating I suggest randomization.
- Join Date
- Jun 2011
- Posts
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Too much like hard work, if you ask me :) The other problem with a tournament is we end up with half of the players only being involved in round 1 (and on recent form I'd be one of them).
Season 14 was the first time we'd done everyone-plays-everyone for a while. Until recently we were split into 2 or 3 smaller divisions and played Dark Extermination on a symmetrical map. When everyone got thoroughly bored with that we started playing different modes but, to maintain a semblance of symmetry and fairness, playing each map from both ends - i.e. when you challenged someone you played them on the same map twice, as player 1 in one match and as player 2 in the other. After we settled on Disputed for last season someone pointed out that the boxes would make it difficult to use this method fairly.
In the interest of keeping it simple (cos I'm actually quite stupid, though I hide it well) I think I'd like to revert to the tried and tested division setup, unless there's a great outcry demanding otherwise. It means everyone gets the same number of games, there aren't too many (so it won't run right through until Christmas), we can keep it relatively balanced and - most importantly! - it's a piece of cake to organise.
Last edited by ColOfNature; 25-11-2012 at 07:40 PM. Reason: clarity[RIGHT]
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I'm in - I'm up for light this time around (and smaller divs are better!)
Hey all!
I'm new around here (as you can probably see) but I saw there was a FS league happening and just had to have me some of that. Not really played in a long time, so not expecting to pull in the points but it's just good to have an excuse to boot it up again. It's such a brilliant game.
I look forward to seeing you all on the battlefield!
How does the division system work? I got the impression that everyone plays against everyone within the same division and that's it. If this is correct it really is everything but fair. I mean that lets assume a simple world where we have 8 players and half of them are bad and half of them are good players. There are 2 divisions A: 1, 2, 3, 4 and B: 5, 6, 7, 8. 1-4 will play against each other and so will 5-8. Let's assume that 1-4 are all good players and 5-8 bad players. Let's also assume that division A is very balanced and the win-loss records are as follows: 1: 2-1, 2:2-1, 3:1-2, 4: 1-2. Lets also assume that division B isn't that balanced and player 5 wins all games. Now player 5 wins the season even though that if s/he had played against any of players in division A s/he had lost.
To fix this I suggest that the best x players of every division continues to a separate division or into a tournament form where the winner of the season would be decided. (eg if there are only divisions A and B the winners of those divisions would play against each other or the winners and seconds would continue to semifinals).
I know I'm asking for trouble coming here and trying to change the traditions. I'm not attempting to step on anyones toes or anything so sorry if I have or will.
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I think you're overcomplicating it. If the divisions are the same size from month to month the winner of division 2 gets promoted and whoever came bottom of division 1 gets relegated. If the division size has to change because we have a different number of players overall then there will be some shuffling of the divisions that way. Either way, if someone is consistently good they will rise to division 1 and if someone (like me) fails to keep up they'll find themselves slipping down to the second division as better players come along.
I really don't want to tack a second round onto the end of the tournament - at least, certainly not for December. I'd like to get season 15 done quite early as the second half of the month is going to be busy and the tourney is likely to get lost in the noise. After that, if enough people want to change the formula in the new year then I'm happy to take suggestions.
Of course there's nothing stopping the winners of the divisions from organising a match of their own to decide who's top dog. If we'd had two divisions this season and at the end Maetco - as the new guy who, it seems likely, would have risen to the top of div 2 - had cast down his gauntlet before whoever had won div 1, I doubt very much if it would have been spurned.
edit: Oh, and: Welcome Hammers! Good to have you with us!
Last edited by ColOfNature; 26-11-2012 at 11:21 AM.[RIGHT]
I think that traditional tournament formats like single-elemination, double-elemination and my favorite swiss-rounds do not work very well with FS. They all require the games to be played one after the other and the main advantage of FS is to be able to play them all at the same time. Otherwise, things will take too long.
Imagine if i play versus a guy on the opposite side of the world. It is very likely that we will only be able to do two turns per day. Assuming both of us do their two moves available every day. That means for an extermination tournament, we would at least need to offer 5 days per round as deadline. More likely are 7-8.
As it looks like we will be between 8 and 16 players, we would need 5 rounds. That would be at least 40 days.
I much prefer the old school divisions. At least it offered some kind of gratification if you managed to stay in division 1 despite never winning it.
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I'm in Australia, and I know we have guys in the UK and US, so it is worldwide.
I also concur with the gratification of staying in Div 1 (although I managed to win it once... although I didn't see the notification that I'd got there until a few weeks later...)
But it seems I missunderstood how the division works. I thought that players would be randomized into divisions a get points from wins and draws and then a separate table would be constructed where there would be all the players from all the divisions and ranking would be based on points. Meaning that there would only be 1 winner, 2 second place, etc even when different people had played against different people. But apparently it works like Premier League and Championship where there are 2 separe leagues and one playing in the division 2 try to get promoted to division 1 and players in division 1 try to win it and prevent from relegated. Did I understand correctly? If so I'm wondering why it was ever changed because one of the best things about a system like that is the promotions/relegations but they only work if the system remains the same season after season.
Are the rules of the division thing written somewhere? I would like to read them. Basically I'd like to know who gets promoted/relegated, what happens if/when there are changes in the players between seasons, etc.
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That's pretty much how it works, yes. It was only changed because we were getting a little bored of the same thing every month and wanted a bit of variety. Then when the vote was for a round of Disputed it was just simpler to have one big division, rather than have the smaller divisions and the two-way matches (because as the boxes will always appear in the same spots, if you played one match until they showed up you may be able to use that knowledge to your advantage in the other game - especially if the map is conducive to one player camping the boxes locations).
Anyway, the divisions were never terribly formal. Because the players taking part each month has been quite fluid, sometimes the first division might have only 4 people, sometimes 5 or 6, just depending on how many people were around. And there wasn't really a hard and fast rule about what division you'd end up in if you took a month off and came back - I just looked at where you'd been last and tried to make as balanced a choice as I could.
In fact, a lack of hard-and-fast rules is generally how this operates. It's all a bit informal. I inherited it from WombatDeath (who originally organised the league) and proceeded to run it pretty much by the seat of my pants. You can see the rules in the threads from prior months - find them by clicking the "frozen synapse league" tag down below - but the genral form hasn't changed much over the last year-and-a-bit.
Like I say, after next month I'm happy to make some more changes to the format if that's what the consensus calls for. Formalising rules and so on isn't really my bag, but if people have had enough of my wing-it-and-hope approach then we can sort something out.
Last edited by ColOfNature; 26-11-2012 at 04:52 PM. Reason: spelling[RIGHT]
I bought this game some time back on a humble bundle offer. I've only played a handful of rounds here and there over the months. I haven't a strategic bone in my body and tend to suck majorly at these type of games (tbs, rts etc) and FS is no exception to that rule (the first night I played online, I lost every ... single ... round) but there's something about it that I like (possibly because it's like a top down sq based fps) and so I've kept it installed. I may be interested in adding another body to this event but I have a couple of questions.
Do I need the red dlc? Do you employ timed turns? Are you all shit hot uber strategists? Does everyone use that annoying duck/stand/duck/stand to screw with my sniper?
So basically the rules are:
- If the divisions are the same size from month to month the winner of division 2 gets promoted and whoever came bottom of division 1 gets relegated.
- To maintain a semblance of symmetry and fairness, playing each map from both ends - i.e. when you challenged someone you played them on the same map twice, as player 1 in one match and as player 2 in the other.
And everything else is winged.
When you say that everyone plays every map as player 1 and as player 2 does that mean that everyone playes against each other twice?
I don't really see why you had to "reject" the division form just because we couldn't use the two-way matches (as you called it)? I don't really see any connection between them. To me one is the league form and the other is a method to increase fairness. To be completely honest I don't really feel that the two-way matches increases that much fairness because the only real way to have an unbalanced/unfair match is to put two unidentical teams against each other. Someone claimed during season 14 that it's not that big of a deal in duspute but really if one team has 4 machine gunners and the other has 1 machine gunner, 1 rocket launcher, 1 shotgun and 1 sniper and I would get to pick which one to take there's no question which one I'd pick.
Last edited by Maetco; 26-11-2012 at 08:20 PM.
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When you say that everyone plays every map as player 1 and as player 2 does that mean that everyone playes against each other twice?
I don't really see why you had to "reject" the division form just because we couldn't use the two-way matches (as you called it)? I don't really see any connection between them.
edit: And Hi, scozzers! Welcome aboard. Maetco pretty much covered it. Also, it's about having fun more than anything else. I make it all up as I go along, and I rule with a velvet fist in an iron glove.
Last edited by ColOfNature; 26-11-2012 at 10:59 PM.[RIGHT]
27-11-2012, 12:22 AM #17The Medallion of the Imperial Psychopath, a Napoleon: Total War AAR
The Red Blades, a Battle Brothers AAR
Thanks for the quick responses, (semi) clarifications and hearty! welcomes.
Gonna grab the red dlc anyway (as it's cheap on steam right now) and see what the riot shield is about. If I don't make this season, I'll at least try play some of you at some point to reinvigorate my interest in this good game and then maybe go in for next season.
Cheers again.
Oh, and as I already kind of hinted, regardless what mode we'll be playing in the end I would really like it if the teams would be required to be indentical in all of the matches. Not in the sense that player 1 team should be identical in match 1 and match 2 but that the player 1 team should be identical to player 2 team in match 1, the player 1 team should be identical to player 2 team in match 2, etc... I hope you can understand my rambling.
I signed up. My only concern is that I don't have the expansion for FS, so I don't know if it's gonna be a problem.


text:
FlyAnglers OnLine
The fraternity of fly fishers
Sponsored by:
And Flyanglers like you!
Still getting error message on PM's saying your box is "full". Here's the details.
Total for paypal = $156.00 My account name is email@example.com
You PM box is full! I've got a final toatl for you for the Lamson V1.5 & Spare Spool but I can't send a message because it says your Mail box is FULL. Adjust and get beack with me whne you get a chance.
Joe (alra195)
Senior Member


text:
I thought you guys might like to read a quote a college friend appends to most every email he sends.
"Disseminating misinformation accumulated thru an intergalactic network of pseudoscientific, geopolitical and quasi-religious sources. Not affiliated with the " galactic community of life forms, independent of age, sex, race, or social orientation…" which strives for anything particularly difficult.*
I probably do not have the facts to back this up, but it is even more complicated than that!
*not intended as a factual statement but if I truly believe something it must be true!"
Signature quotes
Miscellaneous Other Topics.
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- Grand Panjandrum
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Re: Signature quotes
This reminds me of my "legal disclaimer" for Holiday wishes:
To whoever decides to read this, either now or later, or never:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit our best wishes for
an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all;
and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2012, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great, (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "AMERICA" in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee.
(By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.)
Respectfully submitted by your humble servant,
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.
- Grand Panjandrum
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Re: Signature quotes
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Based at WBEZ's studio on Chicago's West Side, Chip reports largely about policing, immigration, low-wage industries and underground business.
His investigative and narrative work for WBEZ has earned dozens of local and national honors. In 2013 and 2015, Chicago's Society of Professional Journalists chapter gave him its annual award for "best reporter" in broadcast radio. He has won two first-place National Headliner Awards, one for a 2014 exposé series that led to a felony indictment of Chicago's most celebrated police commander, another for a short 2013 documentary about a Chicago heroin supply chain through Mexico and Texas. Other honors have come from Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Scripps Howard Foundation, the Sidney Hillman Foundation, the Radio Television Digital News Association (Edward R. Murrow awards), the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation/Better Government Association, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated, the National Association of Black Journalists, the Illinois Associated Press, the Chicago Headline Club and Public Narrative (Studs Terkel award).
Chip has also been WBEZ's reporter in investigative collaborations with the California-based Center for Investigative Reporting and the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Public Integrity.
Before Chip joined WBEZ in 2006, his base for three years was Bogotá, Colombia, where he focused on the participation of U.S. government and corporate entities in that country's civil war. He reported from conflict zones around Colombia and from several other Latin American countries. His stories reached U.S. and international audiences through PRI's The World, NPR's Morning Edition, the BBC, the Dallas Morning News, the Christian Science Monitor, the Committee to Protect Journalists and other outlets. From 1995 to 2003, Chip focused on immigration and the U.S. role in Latin America as editor of Connection to the Americas, winner of the 2003 Utne Independent Press Award award for "general excellence" among newsletters nationwide.
In 1995, the Milwaukee Press Club named a story he authored for the Madison newspaper Isthmus the year's best investigative report in Wisconsin. The story examined a fatal shooting by narcotics officers in a rural mobile-home park. In 1992, he co-founded two daily news shows broadcast ever since on Madison's community radio station, WORT.
Chip was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. He earned a B.A. in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He lives in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood with his partner and their daughter.


text:
Topic: My Dad was diagnosed with CC on 8/8/08
1 day before my fathers 70th birthday he received the news he had cancer. Bile Duct Cancer. I found out on his birthday (8/9/2008) when I called him that morning to wish him Happy Birthday. I'll spare you all the details as you all have probably been through this test and that test. This has been the most difficult last month for my sister and I. I sit hear typing this message and still cannot believe what is going on. He was seen at the local hospital and then we (my sister and I) took him to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. They have been absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately they attempted resection of the liver and had to stop as the tumor had spread. The prognosis if we do nothing and "observe" as the oncologist called it is 6 months. With chemo and radiation maybe 1 year. I am happy to have found this web site and am reaching out to anyone to help with ideas and suggestions for getting up every morning. I have been the primary caretaker to this point as my sister lives in Georgia, although she was here for a week and a half helping. I am emotionally spent and unprepared for what is next to come. Thank you all!!


text:
Dirty dreadlocks or the intentionally homeless, jobless, and dirty, but, unintentionally trendy and shallow simpleton who is wearing them. Usually a white kid between the ages of 14-28; Male and female; Always having a Bob Marley poster in there apartment or house; Always asking you for change; Always self-contradictory.
Another name for a waspafarian is moldy locks.
by sonicturkey April 17, 2006
The Urban Dictionary Mug
One side has the word, one side has the definition. Microwave and dishwasher safe. Lotsa space for your liquids.Buy the mug


text:
Don't tell the Azrias that fashion has moved on from the mini. The BCBGMAXAZRIA show opened with a nod to spring's longer lengths with a voluminous white silk gown cut long to the ankle. And then came a parade of minidresses, or micro-minidresses, as the line list noted, in a vast range of styles—demure and embroidered, geometric and layered, wispy and asymmetrical.
As Lubov Azria explained a few days before the show, "Whenever I travel, I make a point of visiting the stores and seeing my customers. These are not women who care about the latest thing. They buy what appeals to them." And when the weather gets warm, what appeals to the BCBG woman is showing a little leg. Or a lot.
Still, the spring collection wasn't a rehash. What made the Azrias' dresses look new was the way they incorporated the season's loosened-up silhouette and muted color palette. Working in ivory, gray, taupe, and pink, the Azrias made a solid case for adapting the latest shapes to suit their own purposes. After all, they've been keeping their customers happy for 21 years now.


text: Hey guys! This is a video of me from last week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0bJMFMR6Ro Please fell free to share your thoughts about it! There's a bunch of guys with great football knowledge here, so Im really looking forward to hearing from you so I can use that to my advantage for working and improving on my weaknesses! Thanks!* DC4L