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Teachers, Authors, Speakers, Writers And Experts!
Copy My Blogging System To Sell Your Online Course. Follow My Step-By-Step Blueprint, Updated For 2017
Earlier this week I recorded an interview with Dan and Joe for their podcast Entrepreneur Showdown.
The discussion turned to the age old debate about which is more important when choosing a niche – your own passion for the subject or market demand based on things like keyword analysis?
The short answer is that both are important, but there are a lot of layers to this question.
When advising my coaching members I have always leaned heavily on the side of passion. I'm not a fan of keyword research and I don't like the idea of spending time on a subject I don't care about beyond making money from it.
I look at guys like Pat Flynn and Adam Short who both teach niche marketing and cringe at the idea of going after a subject like some kind of small pet fish or street food vending vans (two niches these guys have pursued).
Bear in mind, that's a personal choice based very much on my personality and life situation. I wasn't always like this.
When I was a younger entrepreneur in my early twenties I went from a business that I started purely because I enjoyed it as a hobby, to begin with. That was my Magic: The Gathering collectible card game content and trading site.
My next business after that was chosen based purely on my desire to make more money and to pursue the many to many business model. This was my proofreading business, definitely not a subject I was interested in.
What is interesting for me when looking back over the transition I went through is how much my life situation impacted my choices.
I started playing Magic for fun, to play with friends, then to play competitively in tournaments. A big part of this was also trading cards and selling your winnings. I made some solid spare change income from selling my cards.
My Magic cards era occurred from the last few years of high-school to university, so I had my studies to contend with too.
I started my Magic website simply to explore what it is like to have a website. Slowly my interest moved from the card game itself to the website about the card game. Eventually, I sold all my cards and stopped playing, but continued to manage the site.
My focus moved from running the card website as a hobby, to making money from it. I opened up a little e-commerce shop and started buying new product at wholesale to sell at retail online. This is when my mindset shifted from hobbyist to online business owner.
My income, while increasing, was not close enough to what I needed to move out of my mother's home and live on my own. Thanks to the dot com boom and all the stories around at that time, I wanted more – in particular to make more money.
Once I graduated from university I was well and truly over Magic. With the extra spare time, I decided to focus seriously on my new project, my proofreading business BetterEdit.
In this case, I wasn't exploring my passion as a niche, I wanted to make money and grow something bigger than my card game site could ever be.
I had an idea and an opportunity, I thought the business model was sound, and I wanted to see how far I could take it. I was young and prepared to hustle to increase my income.
Long time readers of this blog know what happened with my proofreading business. I worked on it for years, it grew to provide a full time, almost passive income stream, and I eventually sold for $100,000 in 2007. You can read my "How I Started" page for the longer story.
Blogging came next. After a false start with a blog about proofreading, founding this blog, Entrepreneurs-Journey, was clearly a passion based niche choice.
Sure I knew blogging could make money, but I didn't expect EJ to become my main focus like it eventually did. It was a topic choice made, like my Magic site, purely because I had a personal desire to explore the subject.
The Yaro of ten years ago would not look at niche selection the same way he does now.
Today I have options, access to resources, a safety blanket of assets, and connections to smart and talented people.
On top of this, the entire internet landscape has changed dramatically. Google search dominates, Mobile is in ascension, social media is powerful and technology has made content creation easier, but also more demanding.
There are more people doing more things at an increasingly rapid pace, to a higher standard than ever before.
Of course ten years ago people were saying similar things about the internet compared to what it was like doing business in the years before that.
There will always be a previous time period to compare your own time period against, so that should never be a limiting factor. You have to work within the world you exist in today.
In short, today I have the luxury of choice. My options have expanded because of access to resources and previous experience. I also have different motivations, I want different things.
These are important distinctions for you to make too. You should never blindly follow the advice someone else is dishing out when it comes to niche selection because you are in a different situation to them.
I had a meeting with Gideon Shalwick this week. We had lunch at JoJo's in Brisbane city, then headed over to the co-working space at River City Labs where Gideon has a casual pass.
The premise of our meeting was to catch up before my move to Melbourne, and to talk about working together to deliver a high-end coaching program in Australia, probably starting next year, taking applicants later this year.
We ended spending all afternoon catching up on gossip in our industry, talking about what is working for us and what isn't, and also having a good hard look at what we want in the future.
These sorts of questions are very important, especially when considering a partnership on something that will require some commitment, like a premium coaching program.
Gideon and I have similarities in that we have both straddled two different business models during the last few years – information marketing and software services.
Gideon still runs his Splasheo service and of course continues to teach people about video marketing. I'm back to focusing all my time on my blogging and teaching business, but my software startup CrankyAds was a big part of my life for a few years.
The motivations behind starting something like Splasheo and CrankyAds are very different to running a blog or YouTube channel. They are different business models, with different roles for the founder and potentially very different end-games as well.
CrankyAds and Splasheo were not meant to be hinged on the personal brands of Yaro and Gideon. They were intended to stand alone, to grow and potentially be sold one day to new owners who will grow them further.
Gideon and Yaro as coaches and information marketers focus on their personal brands. We create the products we sell by writing or recording videos.
The choice between being a lifestyle entrepreneur, or a start-up entrepreneur, or whether you do information marketing, or build software, have similarities to the challenges when choosing a niche for your business.
You have to look at the entire process holistically. You need to factor in things like…
All these variables change as your life progresses. No person will ever be in the exact same situation as you are right now.
This is why you need to ask yourself these types of questions rather than just blindly copying what someone else is doing. You can learn from them, use their systems, but always apply it to your situation and adjust as appropriate.
To tie this all back into the original question – is passion or market demand more important – I can offer you my current take on a solution.
I believe the first, and most important question you have to ask yourself today when starting a new business, regardless of the topic or business model, is…
What Are Your Personal Strengths, Skills And Advantages?
This is a slight adjustment to the previous advice I used to give. In the past I would say first look at your life and determine what areas you can deliver value to other people in.
This is still an important piece of the puzzle, but you need to marry it with how you can make delivering that value easier for you, so you can be superior to your competition, offer more value and do it with less work.
Personality types play a huge part in this process.
As a creative writer I like sitting down with my laptop to write a blog post. I know plenty of marketers who hate the idea of doing that for a living.
Some people derive enjoyment – and thus advantage – from executing a process and finding innovative ways to win online.
This might simply be the joy of researching keywords and then "winning" in the search engine rankings battle. Or it could be selling an affiliate product from commission junction and finding the perfect target customer for it via a carefully crafted Facebook ads campaign.
Some people like managing others, delegating to a team and watching something get built through collective effort. Some much prefer to work alone.
Some like numbers, others prefers music.
There are introverts and extroverts. People who want to be famous and people who want to stay behind the scenes.
The important question is knowing who you are. What are your strengths, and just as important — your weaknesses.
What role do you see yourself performing and still loving 12 months from now?
When I started my proofreading business I was happy to go visit university campuses and staple posters on to walls to advertise the service.
I was younger and could see myself doing this for years if it was delivering rewards in the form of new customers, thus making me more money and proving that my business could work.
Today there is little chance I would spend the next year putting up posters. I'm in a different stage in my life, so I choose different business models.
It's critical you know what you are not good at or what you will never be excited about learning.
I have a friend who has a common entrepreneur's problem – he has trouble following through.
He starts a project and the next time I see him he has moved on to another project. He has tasted success, but instead of building on it, he prefers to try new things because he doesn't relish the jobs he has to do to grow the money-making project.
Although he's not exactly where he wants to be, I told him it is important to become aware of his personality and how his decisions are being driven.
Why does he feel the need to keep changing projects and not follow through with one, even when one is already making him money?
When he has the answer to that question, he has a huge key to break the pattern and take the next step.
I don't know specifically why my friend does what he does, but I have my suspicions.
I suspect, like many entrepreneurs, he wants to earn more money than he makes now, and hence will jump from idea to idea, hoping each new one will be his big win.
I suggested he focus on the one that makes money, an ebook that is at the top of its category in Clickbank. He can see the intelligence in that, but the jobs he has to do to grow the business, like create more content and products, are not things he likes doing.
At some point I believe friction will force him to focus back on the project that works. He will have some urge strong enough to motivate him to solve the problems and grow the project that is making money.
For example, as he gets older he will have a stronger and stronger desire to move out of his parent's home. This desire will eventually force him to follow through on something long enough to increase his income.
Once agitation becomes great enough, it delivers a tipping point of energy that can bring a new level of focus and determination.
I can imagine the "older" people reading this already know the answers to many of the questions I have raised in this article.
Learning more about yourself and building skills requires one key resource – time.
The older you are, the better you know yourself.
This is why for younger people or any person embarking on an unknown path, it is important you do two things –
The day you find that perfect venn diagram that aligns your strengths and passions, with a strong demand in the marketplace that can be translated into a significant income.
Evolve and grow.
Yaro Starak
Free Download: The 2017 'Money Making Topics' Checklist. Discover Topics People Make Money With Today (And make sure you don't choose a 'dud' topic). Click here to download it.
Very nice article Yaro.
When I first started, passion is the trigger. As you mentioned in the article, over time we will have more resources and more choices. However, it is best to connect the decision on what we truly belief can make difference to the community and where we can give real value. This will help for long term business sustainability in my opinion.
Excellent post Yaro. Love the way you mixed it up with your personal insight. I would just like to add that sometimes market demand is stronger than your personal liking for a product/niche hence you have to do the task even if its not your personal priority. I know its hard, but so is making money online 🙂
Yaro, I wasted years chasing silly niches in order to try and monetize them. They never worked out because there wasn't any real interest or passion there. I think what a lot of people fail to recognise is that in many cases, not only do you have continual work involved with content creation, and promotion, but also support. Most people just think about making the sales, and nothing more.
I found my real sweet spot when I combined my knowledge with my passion and began to profit from it. There's nothing more rewarding than receiving emails and Skype calls from people thanking you for helping them, which is what this business truly is all about.
Very informative post, Yaro. You've really broken the thought processes that need to be considered by anyone serious about choosing their online business niche.
I'm always inspired whenever I stop by your blog! Thanks!
Hey, thanks for the mention Yaro, glad that we provided you with a new post idea, hopefully we kept you on your toes! Your episode will be up soon so your readers can get how we got on the topic.
Thanks for the mention Yaro, it was a pleasure having you on the show.
As you mentioned, it is an age old debate that everyone has their own opinion on. However I think you hit the nail on the head with that venn diagram. All factors are important, and all should be considered.
Thanks for the always great content!
Great post, I definitely agree that you need to have passion for what you wish to succeed in.
Hi Yaro
Thank you once again for such excellent advice! It's absolutely creative and innovative!
I feel like this is a big debate in all the groups I am in. There is always talk of niche or no niche . I know it sounds crazy, but I think of it just a little differently. I personally blog about all kinds of stuff BUT it is because I tried to stick to a niche and found myself just wanting to share with others , the other interests I had. Things I made, places I visited etc. Instead of posting on that site though I started a new one and have made my niche the HOW TO , rather than just say How To , DIY . It is working in less than 3 weeks my page views are crazy ! YAY !
The questions should be "How big is it? Is there room for me?":D.
Great article Yaro, My first question will always be in my mind, I always see what is my interest in doing that niche. You know I choose SEO as my niche and I am pretty satisfied with it. I respect my job & give my best to it.
[…] What Is The First Question To Ask Yourself When Choosing A Niche […]
Hi Yaro,
Loved your article. It's a tricky balance between choosing something your enjoy and the one that will make you money. I have had success in the App business which is generating a reasonable passive income of about $60-$90 a day. It came to this level after a lot of struggle and learning. I have now decided to share my knowledge with others and will soon be launching a product and website to market it. In many ways you have been a great role model and inspiration as I have been a follower of your blog for the last 2 years. Thanks for everything!
Welcome Home, Yaro. This is by far the best article you have written (or at least shared with us on EJ, anyway) in years. It's as if you'd been missing in action for a long time now, I hope this is a true sign of things to come. Today's my 68th birthday.
I'm happy to say you have delivered one great present. Thanks.
Don't wait another year before you get back to your real core business.
Great thoughts, words of wisdom and deep insights. I always look forward to opening your blog to see how/ what you are thinking about. Many thanks.
Great article Yaro … very balanced.
One comment: you wondered about why your friend continually changed from one thing to another. Your conclusion might be correct, but there is probably another factor. He could be the personality type that Barbara Sher refers to as 'scanners' … people who have so many interests that they can't choose just one. (Enneagram 7s are similar.) They want to taste everything life has to offer … preferable at a deep level. Such people also get their biggest kicks from starting things. It's no use telling them to 'focus on one thing at a time' because they'll be bored out of their brains. There are ways of managing this, but that's another topic.
I am interested to know the ways to manage this:) I am serious.
Hi, Yaro. Hi, Carmel. I've been lately investigating "Niche Selection" as a niche. I'm overwhelmed as usual by Yaro's posts. Though they tend to be lengthy, they provide detailed, informative and exhaustive vision of the subject they cover. In this post, it is not just passion versus market demand as niche drivers. A whole subjective and objective analysis is included. Reciprocation between projects, ideas or niches may be explained by a deep desire for more money; as suggested by Yaro; or a scanning attitude as described by Carmel. Disturbed unstable personalities may provide a third interpretation. Thank you both.
[…] Steps to Build Brand Awareness through Storytelling Do You Really Believe You Will Reach Your Goals Yaro Starak's Post on Choosing a Niche (he even gives the ES Podcast a shoutout!) Think and Grow Rich Cranky Ads Tim Ferriss Interview in BusinessWeek Pat Flynn – Food Truck […]
[…] your passion/interest – see "What is The First Question to Ask Yourself When Choosing a Niche" by Yaro Starak. Very down to earth and sensible […]
Hey Yaro and Friends,
The interview referenced in this article is now live. Would love anyone interested in hearing our discussion with Yaro about this topic and more to have a listen!
Fantastic post, Yaro.
For me it's important that the niche I choose is one that I'm passionate about. I'm grateful that my chosen niche also happens to be a profitable one as well.
Thanks for taking the time to share you insights and knowledge with us.
Hi Yaro,
yesterday I took a surprising (to me) step in my own evolution as a blogger and as a person.
Yesterday I signed up to do a 2 year fully Accredited Counselling Course which will give me a whole new career that I can also use to expand my online business(es).
I only thought of doing this 2 weeks ago, and for me it will be perfect!
I'll still have enough time to keep my websites ticking over and will have new and evidenced information to use in my own blogging, but also to blog about on my way through the course – which is mainly online.
This will be a total re-focusing of my time and effort, while still allowing me to continue with my usual day to day life – perfect!
My message to everyone is this:
think outside the square, and you are never too old to change the trajectory of your life. Just DO IT instead of dreaming about doing it – and do it NOW.
Yaro, thanks for a thought provoking article. I especially like the Venn Diagram – and as an older person I feel that I do know my personal strengths and weaknesses reasonably well, but I am still on my life journey and can still evolve and grow!
My blogging experience has been worthwhile so far but I am definitely in the hobby space at the moment, and thinking about what will be the path forward. Your advice to try things and see what works for you is very worthwhile.
Thank you Yaro for providing great content.
The first question I ask myself before choosing a niche is: Am I passionate about this topic?
I have seen some bloggers in the past who become so addicted to blogging that they try to take on every niche out there. They usually have a rough ending after becoming too overwhelmed with too much to write about.
If there is no passion, there will really be no will to make the blog the best blog you can possibly make it to be.
Yes, I believe in passion, too.
But beware of the market – my first website went on google first place with my keywords I have chosen before (with content I was really passionate about). But the payperclick was awful low.
Now I found a niche where everything is fine: many users, a passion-based-content (not so high as the other, but ok) AND high payperclick-money.
Thanks for your good work!
Hi Yaro,
I'm pretty sure this is one of my favorite posts from you! I'm one of those analytical types that goes research crazy trying to find the right business model based on reading what other people are doing. Your article provides the needed motivation to sit down and think through some things, to sort of sift through everything I've read, researched, studied, and thought about in the past to figure out a strategy and a path forward for me. Thanks!
Great piece. Money follows passion, but you can't let passion blind you to the realities of the world.


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"Listen to My words only, My daughter. Don't listen to the voice of the world. I will be leading you in ways you know not of. I will be imparting to you knowledge and wisdom you know not of. I will be strengthening you in your faith and your love for others. I will be equipping all My children for these coming days. You will not be walking blindly into these times, for I will not allow it. I am your Provider and I provide all the needs of My children. All my faithful children will require much wisdom in the coming days. It is imperative that you stay close to Me and listen for My words to you, to keep you on the path I have for you. You have read much of what is coming on the earth soon, My daughter, and you will not be ill equipped. Stay focused on Me and on My Word to bring you through.
Remember that the plan of the enemy is great deception that could fool even the elect, if they are not centred in Me. Only those who are centred in Me and in My love will come through these times. As I have told you in the past, there is to be a short span of darkness you need to walk through before I come for My Bride. Fear not, all will be provided to you. Just believe and trust in Me, your Lord and Saviour."
James: 1:2-8 (NJKV) - Profiting from Trials
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (NKJV) - The Great Apostasy
1Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

subset: commoncrawl


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Send to a Friend
Why are firearms sold to the public in the States?
Asked by MilkyWay (13685) December 27th, 2012
I am from England. Here, even police officers are not allowed to carry guns on them. Public ownership/licensing of firearms is not even thought to be normal. Due to the recent mass shootings in the USA, I've come to realise just how easy it is to buy a firearm over there. So I'm trying to understand it from an American citizen's point of view…
Do you think it's okay for an everyday citizen to own a gun?
Why do you think public ownership of firearms is needed?
Would you do anything to maybe change or tweak the laws a little bit?
Using Fluther


text: It seems that the head that clogs , is always the furthest from the controller . I was dealing with that last week solo , and then I thought it would be great if I had a remote to turn off the water from a distance. I just found a great use for a remote rain switch , a couple of alligator clips later , and a thick rubber band and I can turn off the sprinkler from almost any point in the yard. Clips for the power leads and to break the common , the rubber band is to hold the remote switch down so I can use both hands .


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Ibanez RG470 RG Series Floyd Rose lic with Gigbag
This guitar is no longer for sale (sold on 2009-01-03)
Price : US $255.00
I friend gave me this to sell for him.
According to 99 Ibanez catalog it should be RG470, lo-trs bridge, wizard neck, jumbo frets, V7, S1, V8 Pickups.
I play telecaster and I don't know much about Ibanez so please check pictures to confirm all this, if you need more pictures just let me know what you want me to photograph.
Condition is great for the age, no big scratches or dings, only on the sides you can find some smaller ones, check the pictures for details. It was never gigged. It probably just needs some cleaning and a set of strings.
Comes with a LEVY'S gigbag with Ibanez logo.
Shipping is free to 48 states. Canada, HI, AK, please contact me before bidding. I'll ship as soon as I get the confirmation of payment, if you have any questions feel free contact me.
Happy Holidays!
This guitar is sold (sold on 2009-01-03)
Post a comment on Ibanez RG470 RG Series Floyd Rose lic with Gigbag :


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Signs & Symptoms of Drug-Addicted Babies
Sadly, each and every day there are babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a group of complications that occur at birth because the baby was born addicted to illegal or prescription drugs. Complications of neonatal abstinence syndrome include birth defects, low birth weight, or premature birth. These types of complications are avoidable meaning they would not have occurred if the baby was not exposed to drugs while inside the mother's womb.
Types of Drugs
Illegal drugs that are commonly abused by women -- which are then passed on to the baby by the placenta -- include cocaine, marijuana, heroin, crystal meth and crack to name a few. While most people may think that drug-addicted babies are only affected by illegal drugs, babies can be born addicted to prescription drugs such as amphetamines, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines.
Signs & Symptoms
While the signs and symptoms of drug-addicted babies largely depend on the type, amount, and length of time exposed to the drug, symptoms can include:
• Blotchy skin coloring
• Diarrhea
• Excessive crying
• High-pitched crying
• Sucking excessively
• Fever
• Hyperactivity
• Irritability
• Seizures
• Trembling
• Rapid breathing
• Sweating
• Vomiting
• Slow weight gain
• Sleep issues
• Poor eating
Like the signs and symptoms of neonatal abstinence syndrome, treatment of the condition depends on the type of drug the baby has been exposed to while in the womb. Other considerations for treatment also may include the overall health of the baby at birth as well as whether or not the baby was born at full-term.
Source: National Institute of Health


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Figure 6:
(a) Usage of right panel in order to detect a problematic plate 68 in screen 1. (b) Observation to see consistency between batches of the screen 2 (screen was done in 3 × 25 plates batches). In same view it is easy to detect microscopic lamp intensity reduction over the full screening run (important for normalization method). We can also observe on batch SB1, SB2, SB3 very strong edge effect.


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SUNRISE -- Olli Jokinen scored three goals for his second career hat trick and the Florida Panthers broke a four-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
The Panthers hadn't won since a 2-1 victory over Toronto on Nov. 2. They dropped 11 of 14 overall.
Chris Gratton and Jay Bouwmeester also scored for Florida, which had lost four of five at home since starting the season 4-0 there.
Tomas Plekanec scored for Montreal, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Ed Belfour stopped 27 shots for the Panthers.
David Aebischer made 34 saves for Montreal, which missed a chance for its first three-game winning streak of the season.
Bruins 2, Maple Leafs 1, OT
BOSTON -- Patrice Bergeron scored 34 seconds into overtime to lift Boston to its third straight victory. The Bruins hadn't won three straight since Jan. 23-26.
Bergeron was the star on consecutive nights.
He scored the lone shootout goal in the Bruins' 3-2 victory at Washington on Wednesday and has netted the winner in all three games of Boston's streak.
Phil Kessel gave Boston a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal in the first period.
Bryan McCabe tied it for Toronto when his slap shot went between goalie Tim Thomas' legs with 6:42 remaining in regulation during a power play.
Thomas made 24 saves for the Bruins (7-7-2), who have earned all their victories this season in one-goal games.
© 2017. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us


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The Kiosk
painting of woman buying something at kiosk on train station
G. Boersma
acrylic on masonite
35 2/3"" x 27 2/3" or 90,3 x 70 cm
kind regards, Gerard
If you're interested in purchasing this painting just send me an email stating the title for more information and price. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
current ebay auctions


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"Hey, dude, whatcha doin'?"
"Signing these contracts. I'm not sure why they need four copies, but they do."
"Contracts for what?"
"The new book. Remmeber, the one we've been talking about these last few weeks? Sequel-of-sorts to How to Teach Physics to Your Dog? About relativity?"
"Oh, yeah, that's right! We're doing another book! Where do I sign?"
"What do you mean, 'Where do I sign?' You're a dog."
"I could, you know, put a paw print on the line, or something."
"I suppose you could, but it wouldn't be legally binding. Dogs aren't allowed to sign contracts."
"You know that's horribly species-ist, right? I suppose you're going to get all the money, too."
"Well, yeah, since dogs can't open bank accounts, either. But don't worry, you'll get your share."
"In the form of steak?"
"Yippee! I love steak!"
Silliness aside, here's the big news I've been sitting on for a while: I have a deal to do a second talking-to-the-dog-about-physics book, tentatively titled How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog, though I kind of like the title I used for this post. This will be the same basic format, with dog dialogues about physics followed by longer explanations of the theory, with occasional interruptions from Emmy. I've got very rough drafts of the first few chapters already, and most of the rest of it mapped out.
(We agreed to the terms of the deal a few weeks ago, but I'm just paranoid enough to not want to announce it here until I had signed the contracts.)
In some ways, this will be easier than the first book, because I've gone through the process once already and have a better idea of what to expect. In other ways, it will be more difficult, because the subject isn't quite as close to my own areas of expertise (though I have taught relativity in modern physics classes on several occasions). Also, it's going to be a bit of a challenge to fit everything in– when I did the first one, I was on sabbatical for most of the writing, and we didn't have SteelyKid yet. I'll be teaching a normal load this year, and dealing with an energetic and inquisitive toddler at the same time, so it's going to be a little tricky to block out writing time.
This will probably require a significant reduction in blogging, starting next week, but we'll see how that goes. I'm not going to commit myself to any particular schedule at this time, though.
If you're wondering about details of the deal, the new book will be published by Basic Books, who publish quite a few science books, and is planned to be a trade paper original. The manuscript is due next April 15, and the finished book will be out some time after that, the specific date depending on details of the production and marketing process.
Emmy and I are, obviously, pretty psyched about this. I will undoubtedly be learning a great deal more about relativity in the months ahead, some of which will surely make it onto the blog.
There's also a UK edition of our first book, How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog, due out in October, plus several other languages (Chinese should be out soon, but I have no idea how to search for it), and some other possible projects in the works, so it's a fun time for dog physics.


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Mans Sexual Relationship With Dolphin Detailed In New Book [Video]
Malcolm Brenner is the author of a book detailing his nine month sexual relationship with a Dolphin named 'Ruby'.
'Wet Goddess' is already getting five out of five stars on Amazon.com, and will no doubt make the best seller list.
The story starts in 1970 at an amusement park in Florida. Malcolm was a photographer doing a shoot of the animals, when 'Ruby' the Dolphin seduced him. Yes I said "seduced him", but trust me it gets even stranger.
Malcolm claims that while he was taking pictures 'Ruby' started to flirt with him, and eventually lured him into the water. When he was asked about the encounter he described it as erotic.
She began raking her teeth lightly against my arms and legs which was indescribably erotic. Some might find it frightening, I found it erotic.
I know it's wrong, but all I keep thinking about is this scene from 'Ace Ventura'. "Do you know se Dolphin? Does he call you at home?!"
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Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
May 17, 2010
The Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet took place in the Atrium at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens on May 17, 2010. For the first time since we've met at Meadowlark, it rained and for the first time Bill Folsom, Meadowlark's resident photographer was unable to attend. Thus, we don't have the wonderful images that Bill usually takes on the terrace (But see his site, anyway; it's beautiful. http://www.wfolsom.com/ )
This year, past president Al Teich and VP Affiliates filled in admirably with photos from the Great Indoors.
Our speaker this year was David Teie (pronounced tie). A cellist with the National Symphony Orchestra, David was commissioned by Leonard Slatkin and the National Symphony to write one of the Hechinger encores, Fuga Eroica which received its premiere with the NSO in February of 2004, and in November of 2005 premiered his Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra with the Anchorage Symphony. In 2005 -06 David developed and outlined the first comprehensive theory that attempts to explain the cognitive processes involved in our appreciation of music. Working with Charles T. Snowdon at the University of Wisconsin, they studied the affect of David's species-specific music on cotton-topped tamarin monkeys, resulting in the first controlled study that demonstrated significant and appropriate responses to music from any species other than human. David is currently working with Jagmeet Kanwal at Georgetown University to see if combination sensitivity is involved in emotional response to music, as David's theory predicts. He is also working with Erica Kennedy at Frostburg State University on continued testing of species-specific music on cotton-topped tamarins.
You can see his talk here.


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Nass will seek 12th assembly term
That consistency has paid off in 11 successful campaigns. Nass says he�ll try to make it 12 in a row.
Nass� re-election in November would ensure a continuing critical eye on the University of Wisconsin System. He�s been called a lot of things for the tough questions he asks about the university system, and Nass has no problem with that.
�Taxpayer money funding the system exceeds $1 billion,� Nass said Monday. �As chairman of the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee, it�s my role to make sure that that money is spent wisely. I see my role as a watchdog for taxpayers.
�If people want to criticize me for that, well, that�s fine,� he said. �I look at it as doing my job.�
Nass was elected to the Assembly in 1990. His interest in higher education issues developed after serving on several committees.
Over the next 16 years, Nass earned a reputation as someone who can be counted on to be looking closely at UW System expenditures and personnel policy. Last session, he found an issue that involves both policy and taxpayer dollars.
�It started out at UW-Green Bay where we found that employees were retiring and then turning right around and getting hired back,� Nass said. �These retired employees were double-dipping, and the taxpayers were paying the bill. We dug deeper and found out two additional problems�there�s a legal question because some of these arrangements were made ahead of time before the retirement, and double dipping is going on in other state agencies.�
Nass says he�ll revive his bill outlawing double dipping in state government, and he�ll continue to challenge Democrats and Republicans to balance the state budget.
�I�ve disagreed with former Republican governors Tommy Thompson and Scott McCallum and former Democratic governor Jim Doyle, and I�ve voted against their budgets,� Nass said. �I�ll continue to oppose wasteful spending, and I�ll continue to support efforts to balance our spending with revenue.�
Last updated: 8:08 pm Thursday, December 13, 2012


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Thursday, March 27, 2008
He is Risen
Happy eating!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Chowhound debate: best enchiladas in Austin?
(Having tried only a fraction of the possibilities, I'm going to have to say Polvo's cheese enchiladas with poblano sauce, or - shock, horror - Doc's cheese enchiladas with chipotle sauce, which contains brown sugar.)
Friday, February 8, 2008
Guest blog: Captain Shalini reviews Montezuma's, Cairns, Queensland, Australia, 02/06/08
We know that we must partake of the appetizer (queso fundido); it was really good and creamy, the chips were perfect (I can't stand overly salty chips), and, as you can see, my two and a half year old didn't let us have much.
We then proceed to order. Dennis orders the steak fajitas, I order the cheese and onion enchiladas. Again, here in Australia they do have weirdo varieties of enchilada stuffing, but I request just the cheese and onion.
I get two enchiladas; one does look slightly deflated, but the taste is quite delicious. The onion and cheese has melted together. The enchilada is a bit crispy - as is the rice, but it melds well. The flavor is not very cheddary, which is what I am more used to back in the States. The sauce on the beans and the flavor of the rice complement each other well. I had a lemon iced tea (not brewed there), and it cooled off the meal. Yes, this place had many more spices in their sauce than our last Australian foray into Mexican food, and it wasn't as bland. But I guess the next time I need to carry my own hot sauce with me.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Lenten hiatus
I have decided to today on a whim to give up dairy for Lent (I always give up something for Lent, though I skip the fasting and "believing in Jesus" part), so this blog will suffer a resultant reluctant 40-day pause.
I welcome any guest blogs in my absence. My only criteria are that they are about cheese enchiladas (any topping you like), and at least one close-up photograph of the dish is included. I reserve the right to edit the shit out of your writing.
Please submit them to thefieldmarshal at gmail dot com.
See you on Easter Sunday (when I will celebrate bunny sex and the resurrection of daffodils by eating a huge plate of cheese enchiladas).
Little Mexico, 02/04/08
After much deliberation, and even a quick consultation of the Fearless Critic, Deputy Mike and I decided to try the cheese enchiladas at Little Mexico, on South First. We met there at 6:30, and managed to sit out on the colorful patio - yes, in February (reason no. 3,904,288 to love Austin).
Now, I've been to Little Mexico once before, on Easter Sunday, 2006. T and Jason and I went there for Easter lunch, and I had cheese enchiladas with regular chili con carne sauce, and they were good.
This time, my vegetarian brain noticed that their menu featured three different types of vegetarian, cheese enchiladas: regular (with ranchera sauce), queso fresco (with ranchera sauce), and Monterey Jack and poblano pepper (with ranchera sauce). My stupid, hungry brain mistook "queso fresco" for "queso blanco", so I ordered them, hoping the cheese would approximate the warm white meltiness of La Hacienda queso. Of course, when the enchiladas were delivered, I could see immediately that they were not queso blanco, but nevermind: they looked very tasty nonetheles, with their crumbly white cheese and pool of ranchera.
Meanwhile, Mike had joined me in an act of solidarity and ordered the Jack and poblano enchiladas, which, upon arrival, looked just like a typical Tex-Mex enchilada plate, all melty cheese and gravy-like sauce.
I dug into my dinner, and was immediately disappointed. We got three enchiladas, which was great (although they were small, and I wasn't really full after my meal - which I attribute mainly to the flavor void which I shall describe next). The first bite was only tortilla, and the tortilla wasn't great (though it was soft and had that prominent maize flavor I look for). The sauce proved thin and without courage. The cheese was flavorless - it might've been soy cheese, honestly. Looking at it, seeing its ricotta-like crumbliness, I had expected something fresh, sweet, creamy, maybe even a little tangy to complement the expected piquantness of the sauce - but it was nothing more than a tasteless mucilage swimming in a rust-colored, dilute pool of savorless anemic liquid.
Then there was the cheese. I assume it was actually cheese, though it exhibited few qualities of that fine, fine foodstuff. Each rolled up tortilla, usually so teasingly full of greasy promise, was filled with a mysterious, spongy stick of whiteness that I can only assume was baked queso fresco. It was dry, slightly rubbery, and - yes - devoid of flavor.
The beans, however, were very good - clearly containing some sort of swine byproduct. The rice was slightly better than average, and gave hints of having been fried, which is a method that improves pretty much any dish. Also, the salsa was great - hot, cilantro-infused, with some surprising sweet undertones. (Looking back on it, I probably should've drowned my whole sorry plate in the stuff.) The chips were of Polvo's quality - i.e. thick and crap (but fresh-ish).
Nevertheless, after twenty minutes, my plate was empty.
I would be tempted to give this plate only one star, I was so disappointed, except for the fact that Mike's Monterey Jack and poblano enchiladas were rather good (not great, but solid). They had the requisite melty cheese, a slightly more serious sauce, and the addition of the poblano peppers provided a slight twist on the typical Tex-Mex version. I would be willing to give Little Mexico a try again in a few months, to try a different dinner.
Rating: 2/5
Little Mexico
2304 S 1st St
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 462-2188
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Guest blog: Captain Shalini reviews Tortilla's Cocina Mexicana, Port Douglas, North Queensland, Australia, 01/29/08
It was so funny. While we were sitting there and eating out on the patio, there were three women who came speaking Spanish (the Texan in me recognized it) and the owner of the restaurant was intrigued. He asked them where they were from and they said Argentina, and they kept giggling looking at some of the ingredients in the menu. I looked at their vegetarian enchilada before settling on the shredded beef enchilada plate and saw that it included pumpkin, and potato and other things that don't make any sense in an enchilada, but then again it might have been good.
And the sign says it all. It's not all spicy. It really isn't. That was the drawback, and YES I could have added whatever sauce I pleased after they served it to me, but I am lazy.
The plate came, and it was a great serving, but here in Tropical North Queensland (in Australia, folks) in Port Douglas this will cost you about 24 dollar (AUD) about 22 bucks (USD); a little pricey in my humble opinion. The 2 enchiladas had generous amounts of cheese and onion which you could taste in every serving and the shredded beef was cooked til it melted in your mouth, but I like a little bit of spice in my food, and this was on the boring side. The beans and rice, for me, are usually the mark of a good meal. The refried beans were excellent and just the right amount of cheese and tomato graced it. The rice was a little bit undercooked, but it was a good flavor.
The BEST part of the whole meal were the "dessert nachos" as they called it (it was churros with cinnamon and mango puree dribbled over it) - think "crunchy sopapilla". This dessert was excellent.
Would I go here again if I lived closer by? YES. I have to say, for Australia, this was a good first enchilada for me.
~Captain Shalini
Rating: 3/5
Tortilla's Cocina Mexicana
43 Macrossan St.
Port Douglas
Queensland 4877
Monday, January 14, 2008
Taquería Arandas #3, 01/13/08
These enchiladas were great - not excellent, but solidly, predictably great. The sauce/cheese ratio was just about right. As you can see, they were very cheesy, but the sauce swam around the rolls, and the cheese was the white Mexican variety, rather than the Tex-Mex processed-American-cheese-product variety. The cheese inside was a little chewy, but this was more than made up for by the fact that the cheese in question was so good. The salsa verde was excellent - not the flavor-masking, overly hot type that you often run into when eating breakfast tacos on the street. It was warm, not hot, but still had a typical verde flavor to it - and it was pleasantly tangy, as well. Great texture, great color, great taste. So even though these were straight-up cheese enchiladas, without even the crunch of onions, they didn't bore the Field Marshal. She ate all three of them, save one bite.
The sides were, as usual, not really anything special. Although I think the Arandas beans have the edge over most other run-of-the-mill restaurants. They had a little more flavor than the bare minimum, and complemented the rest of the plate nicely. The rice was just right, as well - typical Spanish rice, with added vegetables (corn, the odd pea, etc.).
Despite suffering the substandard tortilla chip affliction, Arandas' chips and salsa were excellent. The salsa was hot, chunky-yet-liquid, and had visible cilantro sprinkled throughout each bite. This is the type of place that pours salsa out of plastic gallons, and probably the type of place that sells the stuff by the gallon. And it would be worth buying.
They also serve gigantic glasses of Dr Pepper - probably 50+ ounces. And the service was good without being intrusive.
Rating: 4/5
Taquería Arandas #3
Austin, TX 78757
(512) 452-9886


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Forget scary alien apocalypses where we collectively commit suicide after the newest generation of humans become psychic baby aliens. Don't even worry about invasions of body snatchers or Heinlein's amorphous alien blobs that make you a hunchback and take over your brain. Dying en masse because a galactic alliance throws the book at human civilization is only kind of rough. Having a martial, elephantine alien species go to war with you at the cost of millions of lives isn't precisely spectacular, but it could be worse. We could all probably do without Doctor Who's shenanigans of destroying
the planets, and bits of the Universe but it's no big deal, especially since he
usually puts it back. Asteroids aren't a problem and neither is Red Weed,
though that's a bit closer. London
The real problem is when some extraterrestrial bacteria lands on Earth, turns out to be an invasive species and starts gnawing away at the trees. Trees, not just a specific species of tree. The strain of bacteria, now irreparably widespread due to trade, infects the majority of humans – hell, let's make that everything with a brain – and turns them into hungry, hungry zombies.
The few surviving pockets of humanity hurriedly (and rather inexplicably) develop AI both as a form of protection for their stronghold and as a way to record the remainder of human thought (because once Animalia becomes Zombie-malia, humans are pretty assuredly toast). But the AI turns against their human creators Terminator-style, as AI always does when not Robin Williams, and starts retaking the planet from its fleshy and flesh-eating foes. However, since each pocket of now-dead humans separately created AI, we now have AI C++ and AI Python fighting for dominance, a fight which escalates into nuclear warfare – the ensuing
EMP and
outright physical destruction destroys all remaining vestiges of everything,
from Arnold Schwarzenegger to little zombie fish.
Aliens. Zombies. Hostile artificial intelligence, nuclear warfare, and a giant catastrofuck caused by an overlooked detail. And the end of the universe surrounded by a bunch of bad science.
Out sub-genre that, sci-fi world.
Rachel is the co-founder of How To Survive Alien Invasion Novels, and spends her time writing, studying, and reading what would probably be considered far too many books. Connect with her and Rusty on Twitter and Facebook, and click here to read more of her articles about alien theories and how to survive alien invasion novels.


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As the Celtics think back to a traumatic Kendrick Perkins injury, a flurry of missed Ray Allen 3-pointers and an agonizing second-half collapse in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, they know how close they came to winning an NBA championship last month. And it can't sit well with them that their hated rivals, the L.A. Lakers, are basking in the thrill of victory. The C's must be out for revenge. But are the Lakers still the team to beat?
A lot has happened this summer to alter the course of NBA history. The Miami Heat have created a veritable superteam by combining Dwyane Wade with two more superstars, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, partially reassembling a Team USA roster that won gold in Beijing.
The Knicks are rebuilding around Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton.
The Bulls have added Carlos Boozer to an already-scary roster.
The Mavericks have kept Dirk Nowitzki, the Hawks have kept Joe Johnson, the Grizzlies have kept Rudy Gay and of course the C's have kept their captain, Paul Pierce.
And yet the Lakers have maintained that for them, it's not about making big overhauls or blockbuster free-agent signings. It's about maintaining the status quo.
And oh, what a status quo it's been.
The Lakers have now won back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010, giving them five in the Kobe Bryant era and a sweet 16 overall in franchise history. When Kobe and the Lakers took down Pierce and the Celtics in June, it established them not only as the top dog in today's NBA, but as a historical basketball juggernaut for the ages.
But as the Celtics gear up to make a run at a repeat of 2008 — and with all the principal players coming back, they'll inevitably give it a shot — it's now unclear exactly who they're gunning for.
Is it the Heat, who have assembled together three of the world's greatest talents and are now working to build a supporting cast?
Is it the Magic, who looked like the scariest team in the NBA playoffs last season on paper, right up until the Celtics knocked them out in the Eastern Conference finals?
Is it one of any number of dangerous, talent-loaded teams still lurking out West — Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Utah, Portland?
No, no, and no. Not yet, at least.
It may be a cliche, but the statement holds true for a reason: The champs are the champs until someone beats them and proves otherwise. In this case, it's the Lakers — until further notice, they're top dog.
There is no shortage of dangerous teams in today's NBA, but even the scariest of opponents has its warts.
The Heat might not have the depth to survive a long season. The Magic might not have the mental toughness to get over the hump. All those teams out West might not have the commitment to defense, rebounding and all those little things that help win championships.
The Lakers might not be perfect, either, but in the sea of imperfection and uncertainty that is the NBA every July, the reigning champions get the benefit of the doubt.
NESN.com will answer one Celtics question every day in July.
Tuesday, July 20: Will Luke Harangody make the team?
Thursday, July 22: Will the Eastern Conference be tougher next season?
Thursday, July 22: Will the Eastern Conference be tougher next season?
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Subscribe to GoodReturns
Shares in Axis Bank fell a huge 6 per cent, as investors dumped the shares, despite solid Q2 numbers. The shares were last trading at Rs 490, down 6 per cent over Tuesday's close.
The asset quality of the bank, deteriorated a little with gross non-performing assets (NPAs) at 1.38 per cent of gross advances as of September 2015 as against 1.34 per cent a year ago.
The loan book also grew at a healthy pace of 23 per cent. The only worry for investors is that almost a fifth of its loans are exposed to risky assets from the power, infrastructure and metal space.


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G26 closed to through traffic from Hickory Avenue to Juniper Avenue
Beginning Monday, July 7, Washington County will close G26 (190th Street) to through traffic from Hickory Avenue to Juniper Avenue for a reinforced concrete box culvert replacement project. According to County Engineer Jacob Thorius, "This work will help to improve the underlying infrastructure on one of our paved roads and eliminate a weight restriction that is impacting traffic." Iowa Bridge and Culvert of Washington, Iowa, was awarded the project at a cost of $267,140.30. Local construction dollars will be used to pay for the project.
Traffic will be detoured using Highway 1, G20 (170th Street) and W38 (Ginkgo Avenue). Residents are advised to use the designated detour and to use caution while traveling on the detour. G26 will be closed to through traffic for the duration of the project, which is tentatively scheduled to be completed in early fall.
Any questions about the project should be directed to the Washington County Engineer's office.


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© 2013 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Nationals trim Spring Training roster to 34
By / MLB.com
The Washington Nationals today optioned right-handed pitchers Erik Davis, Yunesky Maya and Ryan Perry, catcher Jhonatan Solano, infielder Chris Marrero and outfielder Corey Brown to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Additionally, the Nationals re-assigned right-handed pitcher Ross Ohlendorf and infielder Zach Walters to minor league camp. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.
The Nationals currently have 34 players in their big league camp.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Russian Hitman Ruins Day for People Going on Job Interview in Hilarious Prank [NSFW VIDEO]
Job interviews can be stressful enough without any outside drama adding to your anxiety.
Job interviews can be stressful enough without any outside drama adding to your anxiety.
Everyone loves a good Halloween prank.
You'd get mad if someone spilled coffee on your laptop, right? Mad enough to toss tables, chairs, and PEOPLE? You won't believe this incredible video!
A good tip can really make a server's day. Just watch this uplifting video for proof.
Let this classroom prank be a lesson to all professors about the merits of punctuality.
LG technology is so good it just might be the best thing in a world that appears to be ending.
Sometimes friends are the worst. This rowdy bunch of Norwegians (note the man smoking next to a gas can) took their friend out for his bachelor party and pulled a massive prank.
A high school student is going from hot sauce to hot water.


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Criss Angel: Mindfreak [TV Series] (2005)Genres - Reality Show [TV], Theater | Sub-Genres - Performance Art | Run Time - 30 min. | Countries - USA |
Share on
Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Gaunt, flowing-haired illusionist Criss Angel, whose act combined Vegas-style prestidigitation with spectacular public stunts, spontaneous audience participation, Messianic mysticism and Goth-rock music, was the star of this half-hour cable series, advertised by home network A&E as TV's first weekly magic show in four decades. A practicing magician from age six, Angel had honed self-promotion to a fine art; whether on or off the job, he seemed to be perpetually surrounded by cameras which recorded his every move, even when visiting his family. Angel's series offered at least one awe-inspiring illusion per episode, running the gamut from levitation to self-immolation. Evidently there was no place on earth that he could not perform; he was as apt to pull an innocent bystander off the street for a "spontaneous" bit of legerdemain as he was to climb down the 55-story side of Las Vegas' Aladdin Hotel. According to network publicity, Angel utilized no camera trickery or special movie effects; he did, however, boast a large and ubiquitous entourage of loyal disciples who always managed to show up just as he went into one of his routines. Other than his pet black cat Minx, the series had no other "regulars" except Angel, though guest magicians appeared from time to time. A spinoff of a 2002 one-shot special, Criss Angel Mindfreak debuted July 20, 2005.


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Father: John Byron DENNIE b: 9 SEP 1899 in Gum Springs, AR
Mother: Dessie Marie DAVIS b: 9 DEC 1901
Marriage 1 Living ARCHIE
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Happy Earth Day! French Twist DC has the low-down on ways to commemorate and celebrate.
This week's pretty pictures of food come with a spring-themed twist: MetroCurean brings us homemade Peeps at Buzz Bakery. Though I'm not a huge fan of eating them, I never, ever get tired of looking at them.
I'm still a little jazzed over the Capitals' thrilling double-overtime win Wednesday night in New York. But I never thought of the game quite like this. Thankfully, we have Puck Buddys to bring us the quantum theory of playoff hockey.
Part of the fun (and one of the hazards) of living here is that sometimes we are forced… er, privileged to entertain out-of-towners. They all want to see the sights, and sometimes, we're so used to the monuments that we're just not the best tour guides. Eat, Run, Read has rounded up some fun facts about the monuments that you can drop on your astounded friends and family.
You learn something new every single day in this life. Today, the new thing I learned, courtesy of Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog, is that we don't know Leonardo well enough to call him "da Vinci."
Looks like I'm not the only one who's less than thrilled with the whole cupcake trend. There's quite a storm brewing over sidewalk space in Bethesda Row, and it's all because of cupcakes. Read more at The Georgetown Dish.
We have world-class research universities all around us, and sometimes they do research that involves participation. Cootie Chronicles details a day with her child and some eager grad students. Kids are the best guinea pigs, eh?


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PEOPLE will be sitting pretty for healthier, fitter lives at a South Tyneside church this week.
A new, chair-based exercise class has been developed at Grange Road Baptist Church in Jarrow.
The health initiative has been devised by trained exercise instructors from Groundwork South Tyneside and Newcastle, who say the class is a great way to improve fitness, happiness and well-being, by improving mobility and circulation.
Financed by Grange Road Baptist Church and South Tyneside Council Public Health Fund, the classes will run every Wednesday, at 10.30am, starting on Wednesday.
The Rev Roy Merrin, of the town centre church, said: "This is a great, relaxing way to keep fit and we hope as many people as possible take advantage of the chair exercise classes at Grange Road Baptist Church every week."
Project officer Janine Dormand, for Groundwork South Tyneside and Newcastle, said: "The classes are great for everyone, no matter how fit or unfit someone may be.
"The classes have been designed around what people in the area want and need and will be a fun, relaxed way to exercise, whether you decide to use a chair or stand.
"The chair-based class will go through exercises to improve heart health, as well as muscle work, and of course the session will end with tea and a chat for those who would like to stay and mingle."
The classes are free and instructors will take people through each exercise, using first-class equipment, within a spacious environment.
Music will be used to help people work out – even when sitting down.
To book a place, contact Groundwork's health and well-being team on 428 1144 or visit Facebook at facebook.com/groundwork.health
Twitter: @terrykelly16


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Welcome to the second Q & A with me! If you missed the first one you can check it all out over here. I received even more questions since suggesting this become a regular segment on the blog. I hope you enjoy these! Please keep the questions coming by emailing me: email@example.com
Ask me anything: Q & A #2
What do I think the biggest challenge is in encouraging people to eat REAL food? And what strategies would you use to overcome this?
These are two great questions (and one I love and answer daily). Many people think associate healthy eating with being boring and bland…and a whole lot of deprivation. There goes eating dessert- eating chocolate- having a glass of wine- eating out (blah blah!). Essentially they see it as 'all or nothing' and this leads to the constant diet yo-yo we see MANY start to ride.


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Disney has shut down the game development studios under LucasArts. According to Kotaku, around 150 people have been laid off and both of LucasArts
Disney has shut down the game development studios under LucasArts. According to Kotaku, around 150 people have been laid off and both of LucasArts' current projects – Star Wars: First Assault and Star Wars 1313 – have been cancelled. While the studio is essentially dead, Disney will still be using the LucasArts name to license its IP to other publishers and developers."After evaluating our position in the games market, we've decided to shift LucasArts from an internal development to a licensing model, minimizing the company's risk while achieving a broader portfolio of quality Star Wars games," LucasArts parent company LucasFilm said in a statement. "As a result of this change, we've had layoffs across the organization. We are incredibly appreciative and proud of the talented teams who have been developing our new titles."While it is sad news considering the history of the studio, it is worth noting that for the last few years, LucasArts has been pumping out nothing but Star Wars games, and it hasn't been that great for the company. The company being shut down comes as no surprise, considering the fact that two of the best Star Wars games have been developed by outside studios, namely Pandemic and BioWare.Click here for full story


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As a full time Massage Therapist for 30 years, I have learned that the best results come from applying the appropriate massage techniques. I use moderate pressure.
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My Reflexology treatment includes Ear Acupressure, Hand Reflexology, and Foot Refleology for a thoroughly relaxing and beneficial session.
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Is St. Patrick's Day Offensive Nowadays?
St. Patrick's Day is on Saturday, and by now you may have noticed all sorts of Irish-themed accessories on the shelves. T-shirts and accessories with slogans like "Kiss me, I'm drunk, Irish, or whatever," are pretty common nowadays. But not everyone is happy about this.
Congressman Tim Crowley, head of the Congressional Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs, sent a letter to Urban Outfitters CEO Richard Hayne, asking him to stop selling these kind of products.
"By selling and promoting these items, Urban Outfitters is only fueling stereotypes that many Irish Americans, as well as the people of Ireland, work so hard to dispel," the letter began.
What do you think? Are those kind of items offensive? Or is it all just in good fun?
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text: The Praise of Folly is the most enduring and popular work of one of the greatest Renaissance humanists, Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam. Immensely popular in its own day, the work is a witty and often biting satire that offers an ironic appreciation of human vice and frivolity. The Praise of Folly, however, is not only an entertaining indictment of social mores, but also a moving declaration of Erasmus' Christian idealism. Although it is a product of the sixteenth century, The Praise of Folly remains to this day an insightful and relevant work of moral philosophy and social criticism.


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Touch4B-Touch for Business-
touch screen and multi-touch solutions manufactured by Woehr
It's all about the combination - or are your products only standards?
Challenging environmental conditions and demands require sophisticated solutions. In many cases, touch screens are increasingly proving to be the ideal solution for control and data input. The closed front is easy to clean and the relevant information and options can be viewed and touched directly on the screen. Additional integrated capacitive single buttons or keypads allow an effective improvement of the touch input.
In other situations, an electro-mechanical switch or a keyboard is absolutely necessary because a certain tactile behavior is required, or an additional capacitive keyboard supports the touchsystem.
Take advantage of our many years' experience and our broad production range. If you want to, you are invited to visit us in the Northern Black Forest and we will find your solution together.
Our experts can support you to find the best technical solution and the most cost effective combination of components for your required task. We will assist you in a solution-oriented and reliable way.
We will get you to your goal!
It is more than just a standard display:
1. touch technology SoluTouch
2. individual printed glass
3. capazitives keypad or membrane keyboard
4. opening for an electro-mechanical button or
capacitive single button capacitive single button
5. printed or backlighted
6. backlighted touch field


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Contact the Superintendent with any suggestions, comments, or questions you have regarding the Wakulla School District: Email Superintendent Pearce
Robert Pearce
Superintendent of Schools
Educational Background:
I have been married to Jan Pearce, a Kindergarten Teacher at Crawfordville Elementary School, since 1990. We have two children. Becca, 18, graduated from Wakulla High School in 2012. She was a War Eagle Cheerleader and participated in the Medical Academy. Tucker, 16, currently attends Wakulla High School and participates on both the Golf Club and Soccer Team.
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My Nonprofit Reviews
Review for Massachusetts Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals, Boston, MA, USA
I found a nice little dog, and wanted to adopt. He had a long "wait list". I said I want to adopt him, I had everything I needed, all documentation etc. They said there are others before me but I insisted on filling out the documents. Why is this dog in a cage when I have a good home for him? I come back every day, and he is still "waiting for people who are going to adopt him who came first". 5 days I come in and take the dog out, and still they are waiting for someone else to adopt him. I finally call corporate and rip them a new one. I have donated to this charity, and now I know they are taking care of dogs who could have been adopted to good homes, but they won't cooperate. I don't know who they were holding this dog for, but he was someone's pawn. I wouldn't go away, so they finally let me adopt him. There were others who wanted this dog before me, but the squeaky wheel got the oil. They all acted nice, but there's something rotten in Denmark (or in this case Methuen).
More Feedback
How would you describe the help you got from this organization?
A little
How likely are you to recommend this organization to a friend?
How do you feel you were treated by this organization?
Somewhat badly
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?


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You can replace a lost camera, but not the photos saved on its memory card. So you should give the potential finder of your photo hardware some way to get in touch with you — and if you can put that information on the card itself, you also guard against the possibility of leaving the thing on a desk by mistake. Back in December, longtime reader (and washingtonpost.com alumnus) Rakesh Agrawal suggested a more durable solution than taping a piece of paper to the outside of the camera: Save an image with your name, e-mail address and phone number on the card.
To do this, however, you'll need to produce a graphic — using a basic app like Windows' Paint or Mac OS X's Preview — that the camera will recognize as just another photo to display on its screen. And that may take a few tries. My nearly four-year-old Canon point-and-shoot would only accept a JPEG file at the same size as its default resolution (2599 by 1944 pixels), in the same "DCIM" directory on the card as other photos and with a filename that matched its default "img_1234.jpg" structure. (As a fallback option, you could take a picture of a printout of the image you created.)
(About the "PostPoints tip" title: I archive each tip-of-the-week e-mail we send to PostPoints members under this blog's "Tips" category. Today's item went out on March 29. Not long after, I got a terrific reply from a reader who wrote that he adopted this habit a while back. As in, 40 years ago, when he began devoting the first photo in each roll of film to a picture of his card, just in case the film was misplaced. But, he added, "since I had prepared, it never happened.")
* Sunday's column gave Amazon's Cloud Player a listen and expanded on an earlier blog post on this Web-based music option. If you have another two minutes to spare on this topic, check out the latest installment of our weekly video series, which shows Cloud Player in action on a few devices and features a track that may be familiar if you're a fan of roots rock or of former Weekend-section writers.
* Help File dealt with a reader's concern over a Facebook profile created for her, without her consent, which she would like to see go away. Yes, there are people not on Facebook who don't feel compelled to join that social network anytime soon.


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Please sign in to comment. Don't have a profile? Join now! Joining is absolutely free and no personal information is required.
Thank you Octomom - such a nice comment.
Thank you Mandy - so glad you liked the bright colors and the dolphins!
What an exquisite puzzle, Jan. Thanks.
Thank you PJ, Lovely bright colours. I can also see pink and blue dolphins!!
Yes Kathy, I've see them too (looking very closely). Internett has been mostly off today so I've not been able to see your fishes or anything else. Well, there is a day tomorrow. So far i have used LunaPic Kaleido and Powerpoint. How interesting - you are experimenting with GIMP. Looking forward to seeing any of those experiments.
BTW PJ, did you find the two programs that I mentioned? I played around with the GIMP program last night. I find it a bit complicated but by experimenting tons, I am learning how to use it. Will post a couple of images that I created with it last night. I don't have your talent of making such intriguing borders. Something I must work on!!!
LOL Call me silly, but I see tiny little teddy bears with the hearts :-) Great fun PJ!!


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I am running an older version of Flashlight. There is an issue when viewing the site on a mobile device where the menu can overlap the content area when zooming in and if the background has a alternating photo gallery the menu disappears and reappears if scrolled down.
I know there is a fix for this in the newer version of flashlight. I do not want to install the newer version because i have modified a lot of the style.css and i fear too much will have to be redone. Can you isolate the fix for this and inform me of it so i can implement it into my older version of Flashlight?
Thanks for your help.
Hi James,
You'll need to check the version.txt file in the most recent version of the theme files. We really aren't able to go through and isolate the individual fix through all of the past 16 updates without at least knowing your current version.
Hi devin,
I have version 1.4. There have been a lot of updates since this version. From reading the version txt files i see there is an update in version 1.7 to fix the issue i am talking about. Will just replacing the file "avia_fullscreen_slider.js" on my server in the js folder work? If there is an issue i can just overwrite the file with the original. I just wanted to get your input first. Thanks for your help.
I think your approach is correct. Use something like http://www.winmerge.org to compare your folder to new update on a per character basis. I am not sure if the js file will work or there are dependencies in other template files that also need modifications. I think its quick enough to test. I would just backup the database before starting.
The topic 'Fix for Mobile menu overlapping issue?' is closed to new replies.


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July 20, 2013,
Jerry Epperson An insider's view
Yet one of our most respected corporate giants, Leggett & Platt, did "SexySleep" research using 255 men and women - all over 21, of course. Hopefully, one at a time, these consumers were asked to sit, bounce, lay, crawl, roll and jump on two different construction mattresses and then were interviewed about their preferences.
In my opinion, this is a topic that needs to be addressed since sex and mattresses have not been well discussed since the days of waterbeds.
I never owned a waterbed but I had friends who bragged about them. Most of my college-aged friends at the time had the least expensive rectangular vinyl bags of water held within a substantial wooden box, not some of the more sophisticated constructions available today. I sat on one and rocked and rolled for a while, not finding it enjoyable, but I never used it for its real purpose.
By the way, waterbeds had heaters as an option, not methods to keep the user cool like today.
In my mind, we often forget just how intimate the mattress purchase can be and the need to consider age, weight and fitness, height, sex of the occupant or occupants and not just be firm, really firm or really, really firm.
As to addressing sex itself, in my feeble brain, it seems that when younger, the bed itself was less important. While you may find it difficult to believe, in my teens and twenties I was no athlete, sexual or otherwise. My dating experiences related more to the massive bench seats of my parents' 1964 Chevrolet than to any mattress.
In college and graduate school, I slept on horrible dorm mattresses, rented furniture in an apartment, and on a Sears' "jackknife" sofa bed - and never had trouble sleeping or doing anything else.
When we age and mature, many of these issues appear and need to be addressed - all of the issues, not just firmness.
Perhaps we could make the mattress buying experience more romantic and comfortable. Softer lighting, background music and a faint lavender scent could make it feel less impersonal.
Maybe we could sell scented candles, massage oils, silk sheets and other mood-enhancing offerings to remind the consumers that sleep is not all you do on a mattress.
And with today's flat screen televisions, laptop computers, tablets and smartphones, everyone is doing a lot more on their beds, even dining.
I sleep like a fat rock using an electric adjustable bed made by Leggett & Platt and on a fabulous mattress made in Hopewell, Va., by my friend Winn Butterworth, who owns Custom Comfort by Winn.
Life is too short not to have the perfect mattress.
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Top Stories
Minnesota Gov.-Elect Expresses Support For New Vikings Stadium
Minnesota Gov.-elect Mark Dayton yesterday following a meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Vikings Owners Zygi and Mark Wilf said that he "will support a publicly financed stadium for the team as long as the benefits outweigh the public costs and the state's general fund dollars aren't used to build it," according to Kevin Duchschere of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Dayton stressed that the "initiative for the stadium is going to have to come from the Republican majority in the Legislature." He "doesn't intend to put forward his own plan." Dayton indicated that he "planned to meet Tuesday with Speaker-elect Kurt Zellers and seek his views on the stadium issue." Dayton said that he has "detected a lack of willingness among s ...
All's Well That Ends Well
Former NHLPA Exec Dir Kelly bullish on Fehr hire, prospects of NHL returning to ESPN.
Listening Skills
ESPNRadio.com sees increased visitors, downloads of podcasts this fall.
Wearing New Stripes
Weaver's offseason organizational review key to Jags' turnaround.
Only Four Shopping Days Left
Last-minute gift ideas for the sports fan in your life.
Counting To '10
THE DAILY looks back at year in sports business.
The Name Game
Conseco name not coming off Indy arena anytime soon.
Flower Power
Poinsettia Bowl looking at record ticket sales.


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Health Care Facilitator
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The Health Care Facilitator (HCF) Program at Berkeley Lab is designed to expand health plan customer service to employees, retirees, and their eligible covered dependents who are experiencing difficulty dealing with their health care providers in areas related to care access, plan administration, benefits coverage, and consumer education. The HCF Program's overarching goal is to serve these individuals with a focus on improved access and problem resolution, through one-on-one communications and appropriate interventions, as needed, in relation to delivery of benefits and services under the University of California's (UC's) Group Insurance Regulations, the terms and conditions of the health and welfare plan contracts, and Medicare laws and regulations.
Employees with medical benefits and their eligible covered dependents, as well as retirees and their eligible covered dependents
Berkeley Lab Health Care Facilitator Program Loida Bartolome-Mingao, Health Care Facilitator (HCF) Barbara Berg, HCF Assistant Telephone: (510) 486-6997 Fax: (510) 486-6009 E-mail: email@example.com Mailing Address: One Cyclotron Road, MS 90R2121, Berkeley, CA 94720
Berkeley Lab Benefits Office Telephone: (510) 486-6403 E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Office Location: Building 90, Second Floor, Room 2121
UC Customer Service Center Telephone: (800) 888-8267 (U.S.), (510) 987-0200 (Outside U.S.) E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Mailing Address: P.O. Box 24570, Oakland, CA 94623-1570
To read the full program, go to: http://www.lbl.gov/Workplace/HumanResources/html/Benefits/HCF/index.html.
UC Customer Service Center Telephone: (800) 888-8267 (U.S.), (510) 987-0200 (Outside U.S.)
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WINNIPEG - Whatever happens on the field Sunday afternoon, it cant possibly match the entertainment value created by the Ticats on the eve of kickoff.
Avon Cobourne, who often turns to social media to provide fodder, set off a chain of events that was both amusing and amateurish, certainly not the backdrop anyone would associate with an East final and a place in the Grey Cup at stake.
What it did, though, was provide a glimpse into how carefree and relaxed these Ticats are heading into such a big game.
If they can transfer Saturdays attitude into Sunday, another upset is possible, another barrier cleared when not many were giving Hamilton any chance.
Football wise, Sundays meeting against the Blue Bombers is as close as it can get, two teams with their shortcomings, two teams that will have to protect the football and establish a run game.
But for a few hours Saturday, football took a back seat when the whole Terence-Jeffers Harris issue was once again raised by the media, which seems to run with anything to stir a pot.
Timing being everything, it is strange that the Blue Bombers would release a receiver, while explosive, who carries baggage two days before such a huge game.
The Ticats insist the move to sign Harris was in the interest of a club-mandated mantra known as a best-business practice.
Its their business, of course, to follow whatever policy they want, even though there are those in the CFL who believe Harris will pursue the NFL this coming off-season.
Theres always noise this time of the year, head coach Marcel Bellefeuille said.
When asked point blank if the ex-Bomber had provided any information to Hamilton, Bellefeuille didnt hesitate.
He didnt provide us with anything.
Then the fun, in a perverted way, began.
A reporter got wind of a Cobourne tweet that stated Harris had provided the Ticats with Winnipegs playbook.
And back and forth would begin a completely nonsensical exchange based on tweets made by Cobourne.
Theres he said and she said and then theres tweet said and tweet said, said Bellefeuille.
When it was his turn to take to the podium, Cobourne was first asked to describe the meaning of his hash tag, slapdickery.
I invented the word and Im in the process of getting it in the dictionary, he said. Its an adjective. It describes many people I dont agree with.
Adding to the surreal nature of the day came Stevie Baggs explanation on why he was juggling two golf balls.
Concentration, began the defensive end who will play on Sunday after being a scratch for last weeks semifinal win in Montreal. By going back and forth with the balls it works the opposite side of the brain.
If anyone can figure that out then perhaps they might know what will happen on Sunday, a day that promises to be as unpredictable as the wind.
Theres experience and momentum on Hamiltons side, rest and home field on the side of the Blue Bombers.
Games of this magnitude when no team has a definitive advantage often come down to turnovers, an area Winnipeg dominated in sweeping its three-game season series against Hamilton.
Earlier in the week, someone placed a note under Bellefeuilles office door quoting Henry Kissinger, words that would hit home.
With every success brings upon new challenges and issues, Bellefeuille said. One week were playing indoors with a new challenge.
(Sunday) is a different type of game.
Thankfully there is a game to be played.
For the past two days, its been a game of alleged espionage and gamesmanship.
Some went completely overboard in trying to read too much into it, while others refused to put it to bed.
At the end of his teams meeting on Saturday, Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice told his players to relax and embrace the moment on game day.
Trust each other, trust your coaches and trust your athletic ability, he said. Theres a reason why youre here. Relax and half fun.
The Ticats are certainly relaxed.
They had some fun on Saturday, but now the serious business begins.
It cant arrive soon enough.


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Genesee County Chapter of Pheasants Forever
Our Chapter's New Habitat Project Lapeer State Game Area (LSGA) Upland Restoration Project. We need "Volunteers"!
Chapter Habitat Information & Seed Distribution Information
Chapter Habitat Information
Chapter Topics
Youth Events
2017 Banquet Information- March 4, 2017
New Michigan Pheasant Initiatives
About Our Chapter
Habitat Project / Seed Distribution
2016 Banquet Prizes and Auction Items
Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initiative Mid Point
2015 Banquet Photos
2015 Banquet Photos
Youth Sporting Clays Shoot Photos Sept. 27, 2015
Pheasants Forever Helps Develop Michigan Pheasant Recovery Initiative
Genesee County Chapter contributed $1000 toward the new Michigan pheasant recovery project.
Youth Sporting Clays Shoot Photos Sept. 27 2015
> 6th Annual Youth Sporting Clays Shoot Sept. 27, 2015
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It's the fourth annual Hotwired on Saturday October 12th, and once again London's Biggest Leather Party for gay men and women returns to the sexiest and sleaziest industrial space there is in London – if not the UK – Ewer Street Car Park!
Hotwired is the brainchild of Hard On's Suzie Krueger and Rutt's Rob Rutt, and once again they'll transform Ewer Street Car Park's 15,000sq feet of raw industrial space into two dance floors, two massive play area, an outdoor area and a huge chill-out room. Who'll be going? Only some of the sexiest leather muscle studs and hottest rubber guys from the UK, Europe and the States, that's who! Because in just four short years Hotwired has firmly established itself as an essential 'must attend' event on the Leather and Rubber party scene calendar.
Tickets for this monumental event cost £25 and go on sale on September 1st. They'll be available at Expectations, Prowler (London and Brighton), Regulation, Paris Gym, RoB Manchester and online at clubtickets.com, and if you 'like them' like them on Facebook or join the Hotwired mailing list at hotwiredlondon.com you'll be able to get info about their early bird £20 tickets. Doors open at 10pm and the party goes on 'til 6am. And remember guys, Hotwired enforces an ultra-strict dress code of leather and rubber only. You'll find Ewer Street Car Park at 29 Great Suffolk Street, London SE1 0NS.
We've got our hands on two pairs of guest list tickets and you could win a pair if you enter our competition. To be in with a chance, just send us an email with your name and contact details to [email protected] with Hotwired Competition in the subject field. Your email must arrive by 5pm on Thursday October 10th when the two winners will be picked at random and notified by email.


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WORK is due to start on a £2.8 million housing development.
A Durham County Council area planning committee meeting granted Derwentside Homes planning permission to build 32 homes on two parcels of land at Eastfield, in Stanley, last October, subject to a final agreement, which has now been signed.
Eight two-storey homes will be built on land bordering Ullswater Court, while a further 25 bungalows will be built on land between Eastfields and Towneley Court sheltered accommodation.
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The development has drawn protests from some neighbouring residents who claim they were not properly consulted.
The new housing comprises 14 two-bed bungalows for affordable rent, four two-bedroomed bungalows for market rent, seven two-bedroomed bungalows for sale and eight three-bedroomed houses for market rent. Building is expected to be completed by March 2015.
Derwentside Homes director of operations Steve Melvin said: "As part of the pre-planning process, Derwentside Homes held a public consultation event in November 2012.
"At this meeting we exhibited full site layouts and plans of the proposed dwellings, including street scenes to give local stakeholders a real feel for the quality of the proposed development."
Funding has been received towards this development from the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) Affordable Housing Programme and phase one of the Build to Rent Programme.
Stuart Timmiss, of Durham County Council, said: "Members of the area planning committee approved the application in October, subject to a Section 106 agreement, which has just been finalised.
"Following the recent completion of the Section 106 agreement we have now written to those who (formally) objected to confirm that the scheme has been approved and can now go ahead."