text:
Marketing Resources: NonprofitsAccess thousands of our Marketing Resources here. Select any of the popular topics below to narrow your search.
Get unlimited access to all of our exclusive marketing resources. Go PRO Today
Nonprofits: How-to articles covering the latest marketing tactics, tips, and strategies.
The Anatomy of a Multichannel Welcome Series for Nonprofits (and Others)Jeff JacobsDonor retention is top of mind for nonprofits. And rightly so. But less than 1 in 10 take the most efficient and affordable action for combating decreasing donor retention: executing ...
Social Media Best-Practices for Nonprofits (And Mistakes to Avoid)Jeremy SilversteinFor nonprofits, social media marketing can be just as advantageous as it is for businesses. It's a great way to build support, grow your ranks of volunteers, and increase donations. ...
Nonprofit Storytelling: How the Power of 'Why' Can Increase Advocates, DonationsRay GaryIf you are part of a nonprofit struggling to gain donor support, get your team in the same room and ask yourselves two questions.
The Content Preferences of Nonprofit DonorsAyaz NanjiNearly three-quarters (72%) of donors say poor content affects whether they decide donate to a nonprofit organization, according to a recent report from Abila.
Five Undeniable Reasons Your Nonprofit Needs a BlogAmy ButcherOnly 47% of nonprofits use a blog as a marketing platform. However, used correctly, a blog is a tremendously effective marketing tool for donations and engagement.
#SocialSkim: LinkedIn's Social App Elevate, Plus 9 More Stories in This Week's RoundupAngela NatividadGet the latest on a spankin' new LinkedIn app, Elevate, which helps you plan social content. Also: Hillary's hyper-social presidential bid, Twitter's fancy new homepage, and a potential new Vine ...
Nonprofits, Start Acting and Thinking Like For-ProfitsEdgar WilsonTo be successful, nonprofits need to stop eschewing the successful proven marketing strategies of for-profits and start using them.
On #GivingTuesday, Focus on ConnectingNot MarketingJenna SauberNonprofits can make this year's #GivingTuesday on Dec. 2 a memorable experience for donors by following these tips.
#SocialSkim: Facebook Ads and Satire, Twitter Experiments, Tumblr User Insights, Vine, ALS, More!Angela NatividadBe among the first to scope out Facebook's plans to double some ads and help users separate truth from satire, Twitter's experiments with users' timelines, a veritable Vine-fest, new user ...
#SocialSkim: Robin Williams, Promoted Tweets, a Viral Challenge, Cozying Up to Business, More...Angela NatividadSee how the 'Net and brands celebrated Robin Williams's colorful life. Find out how many marketers have dived into Promoted Tweets, what online challenge is going viral, and how YouTube ...
Nonprofits: Podcasts containing in-depth interviews with smart marketers from all walks of life.
Zealous Campaigning for Zero Cancer: Colony Brown of ZERO on Marketing Smarts [Podcast]by Kerry O'Shea GorgoneThe VP of Marketing & Communications for ZERO - The End of Prostate Cancer discusses nonprofit marketing and explains how ZERO's community of champions (ZERO's Heroes) has helped those affected by the illness and drummed up support for research.
Increasing Awareness (and Research Money) to Decrease Cancer: Ben Kaplan on Marketing Smarts [Podcast]by Kerry O'Shea GorgoneBen Kaplan, senior director of mobile strategy and product at the American Cancer Society, discusses the mobile strategy that increased mobile app revenue 80% in 2016 for the organization.
Big Heart, Small Budget: Social Media for Nonprofits and Small Businesses: M. Valentina Escobar-Gonzalez on Marketing Smarts [Podcast]by Kerry O'Shea GorgoneSocial media expert and networking powerhouse M. Valentina Escobar-Gonzalez lays out her strategy for helping nonprofits and small businesses achieve social media success.
How 'Dolphin Tale' Brought 800,000 Visitors a Year to Clearwater Marine Aquarium: CMO Bill Potts on Marketing Smarts [Podcast]by Kerry O'Shea GorgoneHow can you use stories to garner support for a cause or organization? Here's a story that inspired the movie Dolphin Tale and saved Clearwater Marine Aquarium from financial disaster, as told by its CMO, Bill Potts.
Branding, Philanthropy, and Open Hearts: Actress Jane Seymour on Marketing Smarts [Video]by Kerry O'Shea GorgoneAward-winning actress, author, and philanthropist Jane Seymour shares lessons on branding, storytelling, and the importance of giving back in this special video edition of Marketing Smarts.
Storytelling and Nonprofit Marketing: Invisible People's Mark Horvath Talks to Marketing Smarts [Podcast]by Kerry O'Shea GorgoneMark Horvath, founder of InvisiblePeople.tv, shares advice for marketers on how to share meaningful stories that move people to take action.
Angry Walnuts and Men's Health: 'ZERO--The End of Prostate Cancer' CEO Jamie Bearse Talks to Marketing Smarts [Podcast]by Kerry O'Shea GorgoneJamie Bearse, CEO of ZEROThe End of Prostate Cancer, discusses nonprofit marketing, blogger outreach, and promoting men's health (even when doing so makes them uncomfortable).
Cause Marketing and Autism Awareness: Jason Falls of CafePress Talks to Marketing Smarts [Podcast]by Kerry O'Shea GorgoneJason Falls of CafePress talks about cause marketing, Autism Awareness Month, and how businesses of any size can give back to the community.
Don't Let Data Drive, Let It Inform: Beth Kanter and KD Paine on Marketing Smarts [Podcast]by Matthew GrantBeth Kanter and Katie Delahaye (KD) Paine, authors of Measuring the Networked Nonprofit: Using Data to Change the World, discuss performance metrics and nonprofits.
Nonprofits: Online seminar broadcasts from the best minds in marketing
- Creating Profitable Marketing Partnerships with NonprofitsBroadcast on 8/23/2007 with Gail Z. MartinLooking for a way to support your community and extend your marketing? Want to "give back" while getting ahead?Nonprofit and community organizations can make perfect promotional partners, but there are crucial differences between the for-profit and not-for-profit worlds. Savvy marketers who can transcend those differences and create win-win partnerships that serve both mission and marketing can open up exciting new opportunities.
Nonprofits: Tutorials tactical marketing know-how in just 10 minutes from subject matter experts
- Take 10: How to Convince People to Take Action for Your CauseReleased on 3/30/2012 with Katya AndresenIn just 10 minutes, you'll learn how to make your cause stand out by making it relatable; compelling donors to take action.
- Take 10: Five Proven Tactics for a Successful Fundraising CampaignReleased on 11/18/2011 with Robert WuIn just 10 minutes, discover five key tactics for successful fundraising campaigns. Learn about the pros and cons of forming partnerships for fundraising, how to use storytelling to garner more interest, and how to create an army of fundraisers to help you raise the flag for your cause.


text:
With the use of exciting narrative and interesting characters Leslie Silko creates a compelling story. Silko brings up many thought-provoking controversies and theories through-out her novel such as greed, religion, and one's relationship to our planet Earth. In her novel, Garden in the Dunes, the Sand Lizard people live a more content and satisfied life because of the giving and receiving relationship they have with Earth, as well as their ability to adapt physically and emotionally to the people, the environments, and the situations that surround them. Because of the giving and receiving relationship the Sand Lizards have with the earth they are never greedy with money and are always satisfied with what they have, unlike American Society.
As children, Sister Salt and Indigo learned the ways of the Sand Lizard people from their mother and their grandmother. Nearly each lesson stemmed from one thing: respecting Mother Earth and the animals that lived on it. One of the many lessons they learned was that of the grandfather snake. Not disturbing it or its habitat was important. "Grandmother Fleet talked about the snake many times because he was almost as old as she was, and the spring belonged to him. All desert springs have resident snakes. If people killed the snakes, the precious water disappeared. Grandma Fleet said whatever you do, don't offend the old snake who lives at the spring" (Silko 36). Grandmother Fleet teaches the sisters that the land near the spring belongs to snake, not to the people, but to the snake. The lesson of the snake is mentioned again later in the novel when Indigo remembers how her grandmother would thank the snakes. "At the spring above the dunes lived the biggest snake, very old—the water was his" (Silko 299). Again it is mentioned that the land and the water at which the snake lives belongs to the snake. This is one of the many lessons we see that shows the give and receive relationship they have with the earth.
The Sand Lizards know that they can't have everything and that they must share with the Earth and its creatures. This is a much a different approach than many Americans characters demonstrate in the novel. Susan, Edward's sister is a good example of this. Her relationship to the land and its gardens are much different than that of the Sand Lizards. Instead of having a garden that provides food, Susan's garden is merely for looks, attention, and a good reputation. The garden is grown purely for selfish causes, and because of this Susan is never truly satisfied. "She wanted a natural garden filled with color—an English landscape garden with swaths of flowers in all colors from the bright to the shade." The irony is that even though Susan wants a natural garden it is totally unnatural and man-made to suit her desires. Although Susan isn't necessarily destroying anything, she is trying to recreate something that cannot be re-created.
Destruction to the land is commonly found throughout the novel. Later in the novel Indigo and Sister Salt journey to an old friend of their grandmother's, but when they get to their destination no one is there. All of the peach and apricot trees that were once there have been chopped down. Sister Salt finds a shriveled apricot on the ground and a feeling of grief overwhelms her.
"…she was overwhelmed by the loss of something that fed so many hungry beings as the orchard had—at the destruction of something as beautiful as the peach and apricot blossoms in the spring. If this was what the white people did to one another, then truly she and the Sand Lizard people and all other Indians were lucky to survive at all." (Silko 61)
Sister Salt mourns over the trees as though they were people she once knew. She associates the destruction with trees with what the white people could just as easily do to her people or even their own people.
Another scene of destruction takes place much later in the novel when Sister Salt goes with Big Candy, her lover, to the construction site where he works. "Sister was shocked at the destruction she saw below: the earth was blasted open, the soil moist and red as flesh…The river had been forced from her bed into deep diversion ditches, where her water ran angry red" (Silko 211). In this passage the earth is personified. This makes it sound as though it is a war scene and a man has been shot or blown up and is bleeding. The vivid imagery of the soil being like flesh and the water being angry and red connects the reader to the land in a similar way that the Sister Salt connects to the land through seeing the shriveled apricot.
Later, the greedy and selfish people at the construction site suffer from their behavior. When they are drunk and break out into a large fight, Delena, a friend of Sister's, sneaks in and robs them of all their money. Big Candy seems the most affected by his lost money. Sister Salt lost all of her money as well, but when she points this out to Candy he refuses to sympathize for her.
"Sister could tell by the expression in his eyes he blamed her and the twins because they were friendly with the woman. She pointed out she had lost everything too, but Big Candy's face was rigid with anger…At that moment he wasn't the man she knew; he was someone different. He wanted to know what she knew about the dog circus woman and where she might have gone from here. When she shrugged, he looked as if he wanted to strike her but managed to hold his temper." (Silko 385)
In that moment, Sister Salt's lover and friend is totally transformed because of money. A man who was once loving and fun has now turned angry and greedy. Big Candy leaves Sister Salt and his son without a good-bye preoccupied by his desires to find the woman with dog circus who stole his money. His choices come with a price, as later he realizes his faults and feels terrible for leaving Sister Salt and his child. "He woke crying but he had no tears; he failed the Sand Lizard girl when the baby was born…Poor Sister! He let her down when the baby was born and now all the money she'd saved was gone too" (Silko 420).
Sister Salt and Indigo make-do with what they have while the Americans prove to be the exact opposite. Americans view that they never have enough and always want more. Delena proves this difference on page 352, "If money was what interested Delena, then she came to the right place because money was all anyone here ever thought of except for her." Nearly everyone at the campsite except for her and her twin friends are greedy. Sister Salt has been around Americans long enough to realize that is all the Americans seem to care about is money. In contrast, Sister Salt stays satisfied with what she has. She takes joy out of the simple things that don't cost her any money, like exploring sex and her body as a young woman or making friends with other young women at the camp.
For Edward, the husband of Hattie, Indigo's care taker at the time, nature is his route to making money. When Edward comes across a rare plant, fame and money are the first things that come to mind. "They'd be just the orchid to win over the public…Flowers of the gods! He could imagine the ads in magazines now" (Silko 371). Edward has a take, take, take relationship with the earth, along with other American characters in the book. This prevents him from understanding Sister Salt and Indigo's ecological view about Earth.
When Laura, a host for Hattie, her husband Edward, and the Sand Lizard girl during their travels, gives Indigo seeds Edward thinks, "It seemed a bit ludicrous for Laura to pretend the Indian child would ever plant the corm or seeds, much less perform the pollination process for hybrids, even if she did take notes on all the necessary steps" (Silko 303). He automatically assumes that Laura is ignorant and knows nothing of the Indians. He also assumes Indigo is ignorant and won't know how to take care of the plants. He is ignorant of Indigo's intimate knowledge of the seeds and the land. Throughout the book Indigo shows her enthusiasm about the seeds. For the Sand Lizards seeds, are sustenance and have real-world value, not just profit value. Because of their precious value Indigo is excited to show Sister Salt all the seeds she gathered and the instructions she wrote for them (Silko 285).
Even though botany is a hobby of Edward's, his greed gradually causes him to stray away from his original work that he enjoys. His constant want for money leaves him unhappy and unsatisfied, although he most likely does not notice it. Being totally disconnected from the people and world around him, all he can think about his work and what his next plan is. This makes it hard for Hattie, his wife, to reach him.
"Later, after the lights were out, they lay awake side by side in the bed, careful not to touch each other, and talked in low voices so the child did not awaken. The marriage was over, she said. He gave a loud sigh, but did not reply. That was a sigh of relief, she thought angrily, but had to admit she felt a great deal of relief herself. Still, she cried when she recalled their engagement and the high hopes they'd both had." (Silko 330)
The path Edward takes in his life leads him to the end of his marriage, and lead him to an unexpected death at a fairly young age. "When the priest left, they allowed her to stay alone with him; his breathing was in slow labored gasps and she reached down to take his hand in hers …Moments later his breath left him in three loud snores" (Silko 427).
Sister Salt and Indigo get separated in the novel and are tossed into many different situations they have to handle on their own. The two Sand Lizard girls are good at adapting to people, environments around them, and difficult situations well, while never straying away from the traditional ways of the Sand Lizard people.
Because they are strong and stay true to their values they never find themselves following in the footsteps of the Americans. For example, once Indigo has been living with Hattie and Edward for some time, she realizes that she is starting to look like a white girl. "As she washed her face and brushed her teeth, Indigo studied her dark face in the oval mirror of the washstand and laughed at herself because she realized she was forgetting how dark she was because all around her she saw only lighter faces. Grandma Fleet would really laugh and Sister Salt probably would pinch her and tease her for becoming a white girl, not a Sand Lizard girl. She didn't care" (Silko 285). Instantly afterwards, she thinks of the seeds and how excited she is to bring them home with her. Indigo may be dressing like a white girl, but she will always be a Sand Lizard.
Shortly after Indigo goes with Hattie and Edward she leaves the house they are staying into get some fresh air and be outside. Indigo never stays inside for long. While she is outside she gets mistaken for a different Indian girl and gets taken to an Indian family by a white man. Although Indigo struggles to escape once she realizes it's no use she gives up. She accepts the state the situation that she is in. Once she is brought to the family and the family tells him that she's not theirs, the white man doesn't know what to do with her. The family tells him she can stay there until the people she was with find her. Indigo adapts to her setting right away and almost acts as though she is willing to stay there if she must (166-170 Silko).
When Sister Salt first becomes sexually active she considers people's opinion on sex before marriage. She worries what the religious people might think of her. Sister knows they don't approve of sex more before marriage. After a little thought, she decides their opinions don't matter to her.
"Sister Salt never cared much what other people thought; she never minded the taunts of the churchgoers—Indian or white—who pursed their lips anuslike to spit insults at her…churchgoers…forgot Jesus loved the prostitute Mary Magdalene and called her sister. Jesus knew there could be no peace without love-why didn't the churchgoers remember that?" (220 Silko)
Sister is strong and confident with herself; she wouldn't be able to adapt so well if she wasn't. When she realizes that she is pregnant she is not afraid. She shows her independent spirit and bravery. When it is time to have her baby, she gives birth on her own, even biting the umbilical cord, and lies their courageously accepting death if it may come to her. "She smelled blood as she cradled the dark sticky mass in her arms before she bit through the cord that connected them…She was still bleeding, and the cramping did not stop, and she thought, My Sand Lizard grandfather has come to take me home" (341 Silko). She accepts situations in her life as they come to her, never worrying much about the past or the future, knowing what she must do in that moment to live, be happy, and hopefully someday find her sister and her mother.
In conclusion, Silko teaches us to live simply and be grateful for what we have. Indigo and Sister salt set a good example for us to follow. She also communicates to us as readers that are important to discover who we truly are and want to be. She emphasizes how important is to stay to true to who we are and want we want in life. There are many paths in life, we must choose wisely.
Works Cited
Silko, Leslie. Garden in the Dunes. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1999. Print.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Please Report Any Broken Links Or Trouble You Might Come Across To The Webmaster.
Please Take A Moment To Let Us Know So That We Can Correct Any Problems And Make Your Visit As Enjoyable And As Informative As Possible.
|Campaign and Dates
|Campaign and Dates
|Hollandia operation, 24 April to 1 June 1944
|Western New Guinea operations
Cape Sansapor operation, 16 to 31 August 1944
|Click On Image
For Full Size Image
|Image Description
|There are no images of LCT(6)-922 available at NavSource
|Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page
|Back To The Amphibious Ship Type Index
|Back To The Landing Craft Tank (LCT) Photo Index
|Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo


text:
Case Management Software Features
- Case Management
- Case Management Tools
- Adding Cases
- Alerts & Workflow
- Reports
- Features
- Maintenance
- Customer Story
Robust Features That Are Easy-to-Use
Web-based & Hosted
i-Sight is 100% web-based, so there's no software to install on desktops or servers. Implementations won't eat-up your IT budget – and you won't need dedicated staff to keep it running. The i-Sight case management software solution is securely available over the Internet, so you can immediately share information between locations to ensure that everyone in your organization is on the same page.
i-Sight is process-driven software that can be customized to meet your unique requirements.
Some of our clients have only one location. Others have more than 400 offices around the globe. Some have five users while others have many thousands.
Whatever your company's size, and wherever you are in the world, i-Sight can be affordably customized to give you the tools your team needs to provide exceptional service.
Custom Workflow & Alerts
Take charge and optimize your processes.
With i-Sight you can create business rules to automatically route and, if desired, assign new cases to the right person or group. Cases can be assigned based on any criteria you choose – for example, customer type/value, issue type, product group or location.
You can also manage workloads by changing these rules on the fly.
Escalation rules ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
As a hosted solution that's web-based, i-Sight lets you share information across the entire organization.
i-Sight provides a central, readily accessible repository and reporting tool for information concerning service and complaints.Every salesperson, plant manager and product engineer can have immediate, secure access to real-time status updates and actionable information.
Access Controls
Create user groups to ensure that the right people have access to the right information.
Many of our clients choose to segregate access to information based on location, department or job position. For example, managers at the head office can view and analyze cases from all locations, but a service manager in the California office can only access issues for that location.
Advanced Reporting
Customer complaints are a goldmine of information that can improve your business. i-Sight helps you learn from the feedback your customers provide.
With i-Sight you can easily create reports and obtain actionable information about common customer problems.
- Monitor service performance
- Monitor service quality
- Analyze customer issues
Comprehensive Customer History
When customers call with a problem, it's important to know if they have called before about the same issue.
i-Sight maintains a clear history of interactions with every client. Your notes, outgoing and incoming emails, related documents and cost estimates are all securely stored in one place.
Every edit or viewing automatically creates a record of what changed, who made the change, date and time.
i-Sight integrates easily and cost-effectively you're your existing systems. That includes customer lists, supplier and dealer lists, product lists, CRM data, financial data, documents and more.
With i-Sight, an integrated solution is easier to implement than ever before.


text:
Jan 12, 2016 | By Kira
A team of Northwestern Engineers has developed a new method for 3D printing metal that uses liquid inks and a simple syringe-extrusion technique, much like a regular 3D printer, yet with the ability to create complex and more uniform architectures than previously possible in metal 3D printing. By replacing intense energy sources such as lasers or electron beams, the process is also much cheaper and faster, and works with a much wider variety of metals, alloys, metal mixtures and metal oxides, including potentially the cheapest of them all: rust.
We already know that metal powders are the fastest-growing segment with in the 3D printing materials market, and that 3D printing with metal offers a range of highly-sought out characteristics, including immense strength, reduced weight, biocompatibility and corrosion or thermal resistance, making it ideal for high-demand industries such as aerospace, medical, and more.
However, current metal 3D printing processes aren't exactly ideal in and of themselves. As Northwestern explains, conventional methods require focusing a very intense energy source, such as a laser or electron beam, across a bed of metal powder, fusing the powder particles together in a pre-determined pattern to create the final 3D structure. While this method does allow for incredibly strong metal 3D structures to be produced, it has his drawbacks. Mainly: it is prohibitively expensive and time consuming; it does not allow for certain types of architectures, such as those that are hollow and enclosed; and it is limited by the types of compatible metals and alloys that can be used.
Current metal 3D printing processes
Northwestern's novel method for rapid metal 3D printing, however, promises to be cheaper, faster, and open the doors to entirely new metal materials and structural possibilities. It does so by eliminating the powder bed and energy beam approach, and by uncoupling the two-step process of printing the structure and then fusing its layers.
Instead of the powder bed, Northwestern's team created liquid inks made from metal or mixed metal powders, solvents, and an elastomer binder. This ink can then be rapidly extruded at room temperature through a nozzle, just like on a regular 3D printer. Once extruded, the liquid inks solidify instantaneously as each layer fuses with the last, enabling large objects to be quickly created and, since they haven't yet been heated, immediately handled.
The second step is to fuse the powders by heating the already-formed 3D structure in a simple furnace. This process is known as sintering, as the powders are permanently merged without actually being melted. "By uncoupling the printing and the sintering, it appears that we have complicated the process," said David Dunand, a James N. and Margie M. Krebs professor of Materials Science and Engineering. "But, in fact, it has liberated us as each step is much easier separately than the combined approach."
In addition to being a more rapid and cost-effective solution, the new metal 3D printing process actually allows for more sophisticated and uniform architectures to be created than what was previously possible with metal 3D printing.
More complicated architectures can be created thanks to the use of biomedical polymers, which allow the 3D object to be highly foldable and bendable before it is actually heated--in this stage, it is known as a 'green body'. They can also be hundreds of layers thick without crumbling. "Other binders don't give those properties to resulting 3D printed objects. Ours can be manipulated before being fired. It allows us to create a lot of different architectures that haven't really been seen in metal 3D printing," explained Ramille Shah, assistant professor of Materials and Science Engineering and leader of the study.
Professors Ramille Shah and David Dunand
Secondly, in traditional metal 3D printing, the layer-by-layer laser-heating approach can create localized heating and cooling stresses, resulting in undesirable microstructures and flaws in the finished object. However, heating the entire 'green body' at once inside a furnace ensures uniform temperature and densified structures that sinter without warping or cracking.
"To me, as a metallurgist, I'm amazed that the structure does not deform or break apart, despite shrinking extensively during densification," said Dunand. "That is not something that I see often."
And since many extrusion nozzles can be used at one time rather than a single laser being used for an entire powder bed, large sheets up to a few meters wide can quickly be 3D printed and folded into 3D structures—the only limitation is the size of the furnace.
If all of this—faster, cheaper, larger, more uniform, and more complex 3D printed metal structures didn't already seem too good to be true, the Northwestern researchers discovered yet another novel use for their process: it can be used to 3D print with metal oxides, such as rust, by reducing it into metal. While rust is usually seen as undesirable, particularly if you are a car-owner, rust powder is actually lighter, more stable, cheaper and safer to handle than pure iron powders.
With this new process, the researchers could 3D printing with rust and other metallic oxides, and then use hydrogen to turn the 'green bodies' into the respective metal before heating and merging the powders inside the furnace. "It might seem like we are needlessly complicating things by adding a third reduction step where we turn rust into iron," said Dunand. "But this opens up possibilities for using very cheap oxide powders rather than corresponding expensive metal powders. It's hard to find something cheaper than rust."
This novel metal 3D printing process can be used to 3D print batteries, solid-oxide fuel cells, medical implants, aerospace and aircraft parts, and much more, thus representing an important step towards eventually mainstreaming metal 3D printing.
"This is exciting because most advanced manufacturing methods being used for metallic printing are limited as far as which metals and alloys can be printed and what types of architecture can be created," said Shah. "Our method greatly expands the architectures and metals we're able to print, which really opens the door for a lot of different applications."
The research was published in a paper for the journal Advanced Functional Materials. Postdoctoral fellow Adam Jakus, graduate student Shannon L. Taylor, and undergraduate Nicholas R. Geisendorfer co-authored the paper.
Posted in 3D Printing Technology
Maybe you also like:
- CTA report: IoT drives industry growth, 3D printing industry 'Tech Sector to Watch' in 2016
- Taiwan's MIRDC and Tohoku University of Japan join R&D forces to advance metal 3D printing
- 2016 will be year 3D printing goes mainstream, says Bing search engine
- 'Sewing machine' uses maths to create intricate 3D printed patterns from molten glass
- Gartner places 3D printing among the top 10 strategic technology trends for 2016
- German engineering team pioneers LaserStacker machine to '3D print' 3D acrylic objects
- TU Delft students develop method for 3D printing flexible materials
- Fabrisonic using sound waves to produce 3D metal objects
- Get a unique 3D nanoprinted selfie only visible under a microscope through µPeek
- Lumi Industries announces LumiFold Z-axis mechanism that makes 3D printers extremely compact
- Samsung deems 3D printing unprofitable on the short term, shifts focus to IoT and drones
orest wrote at 1/21/2016 11:13:40 AM:
Does not look too different from https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/879356311/filamet-the-metallic-printer-filament-for-artists (I am still waiting for my reward...)
Hugues wrote at 1/12/2016 8:19:19 PM:
Interesting. But would have liked to see printed parts, really


text:
When I go to book our Bali flights, I'm always trying to find the best cheap flights to Bali to keep the costs down for our family. I would much prefer to spend more on fabulous accommodation than on how we are going to fly to Bali. That being said, I will only ever fly direct to Bali as the less airports and flight time, the better for our family! This post is most relevant for Australians flying to Bali, as the information provided below is how we book our flights from Australia to Bali. No guesses for what my favourite app is on my phone!! Skyscanner Bali flight selections are saved as alerts on my phone, so whenever cheap Bali flights come up, I'm notified straight away.
We usually fly with Jetstar Australia as they have the best prices for our Melbourne to Bali flights. The reason I say they have the best prices is due to the Jetstar Price Beat guarantee. If you find a better price on a direct international flight on the same day you wish to travel, Jetstar will beat it by 10%. We did this on our last Bali holiday as Jetstar had the better flight times for our family but other airlines were cheaper.
I am forever keeping my eye out for the Jetstar Friday Frenzy email to see if I can get a real bargain! I know that some people will never fly Jetstar again after bad experiences with cancellations but for our family on 4 holidays to Bali, we have never been affected. So if you are about to book Jetstar flights to Bali, check out my tips below and how by changing a few selections on our family of 4 latest booking to Bali, I saved over $168 AUD on our flights. Better spent on cocktails!
Check out all our tips on how to plan and have the best holiday to Bali with kids here. If you love saving money and would love to see how you can explore Bali on a budget, check out this Bali backpacking itinerary that has lots of tips on how to travel cheaply around Bali.
- Skyscanner App set to direct Bali flights around my preferred dates. This is fantastic to alert you to any specials that come out.
- Use the Jetstar price beat guarantee. If you find a cheaper direct flight to Bali on the same day that flights are available with Jetstar, they will price beat by 10%. A great way to fly at better times for example the afternoon flight back to Melbourne rather than the usual Midnight flights.
- Join Club Jetstar if flying with 2 people and more at least once a year. I was always reluctant to do this as I thought it was another money grab but I did save with our last flight bookings as you save on most flights, baggage and seat selections. Check out the video below on how I saved the cash.
- Don't buy your luggage as a whole group. Manage your luggage allocation individually to get the best value for money and safe cash.
- Don't buy the bundles unless you aren't exactly sure if you need to change your dates. They are expensive and just the standard bundles at $70 each cost a family of 4 $560 return on top of your airfares. They do include 20kg of luggage each, standard seat selection and meals but we always take our own food as the kids don't usually eat the expensive airline meals anyway.
- Use Poli Banking to pay for your flights. You avoid fees and it is very easy and secure to use.
In the following video I show you how I booked our family flights to Bali in November, the dates are slightly different but you get the idea. I managed to save us over $168aud. This was not by finding cheaper Bali flights deals, but by making the best selections after I had found the best airfares available.
I hope the video has helped and given you some extras tips on saving money on your Bali airfares. I would love to know if you have tips on ways to save money on flights to Bali. Send me an email or find me over at Facebook or Instagram.


text:
Here Comes the Snow & A Call to Live
All my students are at home hoping for a snow day tomorrow. This would make for our second long weekend (last weekend we celebrated President's Day), but you don't hear me complaining. I have so much painting to do, I could definitely use the time. My two four legged children are feeling the cold front too, check out my 14yr. old Maya and the new addition to the family, Chulo (8months) who has discovered a fetish for burrowing!
Last night the four of us (including my husband) ran outside around 10:30pm to frolic in the cold under the amber light of the lunar eclipse.
This really brings the concept of time passing, to the forefront for me. The next lunar eclipse will be three years from now. Which brings me to the point of today's blog. This blogging community has inspired me not to wait for New Years Eve or Birthdays to set my intentions into action. While I was out there in the blog world, I found SuperViva, great little site that encourages you to write down (list) your goals, dreams, desires for things you want to get done. I for one, have done this before in various journals. So why not just do this on paper? You may ask. Well, the cool thing is they encourage you to set timeline categories (like one of mine is 'Before I die' or 'In The Next Five Years'). You can connect with people who have the same goals and or, may have completed your goal and be able to assist you in getting your dream accomplished. I thought it was great fun! Try it!
Here are five of my top dreams to get accomplished:
1. Be a surrogate mother to chimpanzees (no, I am not joking)
2. Be able to walk or ride a bicycle to my daily grind
Right now, I commute a horrible 1hr&15 min. to work each way!
3. Write a graphic novel
4. Travel to Ireland, Africa and/or India
5. Adopt a child
So Share-- What are your top 5 (I know we all have more) things you would like to get done before you die?
To inspire you think of this:
One of my students, spent last weekend at an intense family gathering bidding farewell and celebrating a life past of his great Aunt Doris Willner. This was the quote on her refrigerator door, "Life's journey is not to arrive in a grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways shouting 'holy shit...what a ride'."
It's a great follow-up response to my last post.
- Fully Alive
I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit.
I want to thank every one who shared their five 'must-do's and left me such great comments! Keep making, altering and better yet, accomplishing your goals!


text:
Directed, Produced, Screenwritten by Jerzy Antczak
Contactmusic.com: 2.5 / 5
Daughters in the current climate are stronger than ever following last year's You Won't Get What You Want.
Je t'aime Taylor Swift's latest video for her new single 'Me!' featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco.
Rachel, Becky and Niopha; The Unthanks, 'Unaccompanied, As We Are'; returned to Kent in their latest incarnation to sing songs old and new in their...
An interview with Glasgow's up and coming popstars HYYTS.
The albums we loved most this month.


text:
Today... probably at this very moment I am at a dance competition with my daughter
as she prepares to perform her FIRST EVER SOLOS!!!
She is so nervous but excited at the same time.
We are at a new {{AWESOME}} dance studio and can not even begin
to describe how different and amazing it is and how HAPPY we are!
She will also be dancing in two group numbers tomorrow.
I have painted several props and spent every day the last
few weeks adding stones to costumes. My DD had her private lessons yesterday morning
as well as helped assist the 3 year old class, so we decided to make a day of it and help stone the rest of the costumes. We were there from 9 am until 6:30 pm. It was a lot of fun! But my back is paying for it right this second ;) But totally worth it! The girls are going to look GORGEOUS!!!
Here are a few pics of my little miss in her solo costumes
Be sure to visit LORI'S BLOG - STAMP SCENTS
for more information on this project!
Have a happy and blessed day!
Now enough about me and on to the real reason you are here...
to see an AWESOME creation by our AMAZINGLY talented DT
member, Lori Barnett!
Lori hit the nail on the head with this card!
I KNOW today will be a 5 cup kind of day! HEHEHEHEHEEH!!!
She created this ADORABLE card using our digital stamp:
and the sentiment Five Cup Day
the little bitty latte cups were created using the Fresh Brewed Designs
Be sure to visit LORI'S BLOG - STAMP SCENTS
for more information on this project!
Our Weekly Challenge is all about the funny stuff!
Make us smile, giggle... dare you make us LAUGH OUT LOUD
and SPIT COFFEE ALL OVER OUR COMPUTER SCREENS!


text:
Exercise information continued...
Setting a Realistic Exercise Plan
Lighten Up Onslow
Adding exercise and physical activity to your life is one healthiest things you can do at any age. But some fear that it might be too late exercising or they don't know how to begin.
First of all, it's important that you set realistic exercise goals for your level and experience. It's great to be enthusiastic about physical activity, but slowly build up to a consistent exercise plan, especially if you haven't been active for a long time. Even moderate activity can provide health benefits, but doing the wrong exercises or doing too much too soon, can cause injury or muscle soreness and this may cause you to quit.
Lighten Up Onslow Recommends:
Determine your individual goals.
Example: You'd like to build up to 30 minutes of walking a day in 4 weeks' time. This is a realistic, and attainable goal and can be easily attained. By tracking your walking minutes every day, you can slowly increase them until you reach your 30 minute goal in a 4-week time-frame.
Break up your activity time:
You don't have to do all 30 minutes of activity at once, you can break up your exercise sessions into three 10-minute chunks, as long as they total 30 minutes by the end of the day.
Is exercise already part of your daily routine?
If you're already doing 30 to 45 minutes of physical activity most days, you might consider increasing your activity time, or intensifying the level of your workout.


text:
Populating RadCalendar with Data
RadCalendar allows you to define a list of events for a particular date. This is done by using the
eventSource property. This article describes the steps you need to take in order to feed
RadCalendar with your custom events using a events source.
The CalendarEvent Class
Feeding events into
RadCalendar is done via instances of the
CalendarEvent class. The
CalendarEvent class is model describing a single event. It exposes properties allowing you to specify things like:
- start time of the event
- end time of the event
- whether the event is an 'all-day' event
- title of the event, etc.
To create instances of the
CalendarEvent class you need to import the
calendar module into your
.ts file as shown below:
import * as calendarModule from "nativescript-ui-calendar";
Define a List of Events and Bind Them to
Assuming we have imported the calendar module as instructed above, we can now create an
Array of events and assign it to the
eventSource property of
let events: Array<calendarModule.CalendarEvent> = new Array<calendarModule.CalendarEvent>();
let j = 1;
for (let i = 0; i < this._eventTitles.length; i++) {
const now: Date = new Date();
const startDate: Date = new Date(now.getFullYear(), now.getMonth(), j * 2);
const endDate: Date = new Date(now.getFullYear(), now.getMonth(), (j * 2) + (j % 3));
const event = new calendarModule.CalendarEvent(this._eventTitles[i], startDate, endDate);
this.set("calendarEvents", events);
_eventTitlesarray is with example purposes and contains several strings representing event names.
calendarEvents property used at the end of this snippet is exposed by the view-model assigned as a binding context to the page. This allows us to directly bind the
eventSource property of
RadCalendar in our XML file to it:
<calendar:RadCalendar id="calendar" eventSource="{{ calendarEvents }}" />
Running the application, the following is shown on iOS and Android:
Event View Modes
By default, events for each date cell are shown as dots (iOS) or squares with a summary (Android). You can customize this behavior by choosing one of the following event view modes:
None- the default option
Inline- event details are displayed in a list that appears in the calendar
Popover- event details are displayed in a popup over the calendar
All of these values are exposed by the
CalendarEventsViewModeenum defined in the calendar module.
To change the events view mode you need to set the
eventsViewMode property of
RadCalendar to one of these values. Here's how
Inline looks like:
Want to see this scenario in action? Check our SDK examples repo on GitHub. You will find this and many other practical examples with NativeScript UI.


text:
CANDLELIGHT VIGIL: Victim Remembered
Friends and family will gather tonight to remember a Des Moines man after he was shot at least six times earlier this month.
Police say 31-year old Rashad Adair was shot while sitting in a car parked in the 1400 block of Washington Avenue on December 6th.
He died Christmas day turning the case in to a homicide.
No one has been arrested and police haven't publicly identified a suspect.
The candlelight vigil is at 1410 Washington Avenue in Des Moines and starts at 6 p.m.
Saturday would have been Adair's 32nd birthday.


text:
Where we can geek out over horror films together :)
Where you can escape into a new world !
Movie Reviews
Thought Catalog is a digital youth culture magazine dedicated to your stories and ideas.
film reviews and movie discussion
Australian movie blog - like Margaret and David, just a little younger
A blog for film, tv, geeky gayness and all around deadpan levity.
The Art and Craft of Blogging
The latest news on WordPress.com and the WordPress community.


text:
What does yoga offer us in today's world? What can we gain from yoga with all the world seemingly falling apart around us? Why practice a non-sport considered by so many to simply be stretching?
If you haven't taken a yoga class recently you have no idea the changes that yoga can make in a persons life.
I've taught and practiced so many different types of yoga that my own practice seems to morph into what I need exactly at that moment. If I need to sweat, I'll sweat. If I need a conscience, moving meditation, that's what I'll find. If I simply need to sit and be calm on a pillow, then it's the perfect yoga practice. Yoga is what you make of it. Like any other form of exercise, doing the the same series of movements only gets your body used to and comfortable to those same movements. Every teacher I've ever taken from, every class I've ever taught teaches me a new way to move and a new way to accept what I can't do or simply don't want to do.
When I begin a yoga class I tell myself that I will do what I can today! There are so many different disciplines and forms of yoga out there that if you're a newbie it may take you several teachers to find something you like!
The Internet is a great source of information, as you know, and you can simply stop the video if its something you aren't interested in. If you do attend a yoga class unfamiliar to you, do what you can, take child's pose if you need or just meditate. Listen to the music and close your eyes and drift. You can visualize yourself moving with the teachers voice.
Don't ever feel like you have to stand up and leave the class. If a teacher makes you feel that way, they aren't a very good teacher in my mind.
As a yoga teacher, I can say the most difficult and important pose is savasana, corpse pose. Especially, if you're just starting yoga this can be extremely difficult and often overwhelming. Once upon a time, I would get up and leave as soon as my "workout" was over, which, by the way, is very poor yoga manners.
Once I was ready to lay down and release, my yoga practice became whole. I've cried during savasana, I've fallen asleep and maybe snored during savasana, I've floated above the earth in savasana!!
Don't ever leave any class no matter if it is too difficult before you get to savasana. If you become overheated, find a cool spot but continue to maintain the yoga mind. If you cool down and rehydrate, return to that still space in your mind that IS savasana. Listen to your body. You may have a marvelous instructor, but your body is your teacher. Only you know what you're feeling and what you can do, that day, that moment, that breath!
There are no reasons that any person can't have a yoga practice. Regardless of your illnesses, injuries, or disability, a good teacher can design a practice for you and your body, at this time in your life. There are so many awesome instructors out in the world today, Wow!
Can't wait to see you on the mat!
You never know where I might show up!
Think! Live! Love
Truly and truly today!
Photo by Hal Samples
Certification by Gaia Flow Yoga
Training by oh so many others 😄


text: Rock for Compassion is a joint fundraiser supporting two great causes - Compassion Series (www.compassionseries.com) and Harmonies for Hope (www.harmonies4hope.org). It is a night of music designed to inspire. Rob Dixon will bring his street music inside for his first ever bar gig, followed by some special guest musicians, including some talented street performers. Veteran classic rock cover band, Outrider, fronted by Tim Huff, will headline the show with an energetic set of songs with uplifting and inspiring messages. There will be a silent auction featuring sports memorabilia and tickets, concert tickets, lifestyle products/services, and much more. Doors open at 7:30pm. Tickets purchased through Eventbrite will gain access to a draw for a pair of premium Toronto FC soccer tickets. ***IMPORTANT NOTE: MINIMUM AGE FOR HARD ROCK CAFE'S SECOND FLOOR CONCERT VENUE IS 19. NO EXCEPTIONS.***


text:
Episode 17 of the 318 Now Podcast welcomes Tara Ambrose, founder of Tara's Taste of The Town, as well as Michael Roboski and Hunter Harris, hosts of The Robot Sky podcast. Tara discusses her life-long passion for food as well as the highly popular Tara's Taste of The Town. In addition, Michael and Hunter inform us about their entertaining podcast, The Robot Sky. Thanks for downloading and supporting the 318 Now Podcast!
Sports week continues on Episode 16 of the 318 Now Podcast! Brown Kelley, friend of the 318 Now Podcast and diehard Chicago Cubs fan, joins the podcast to give his thoughts on the Cubs 2015 season so far! Josh and Brown discuss the Cubs exciting young ballplayers, including Kris Bryant and Addison Russell. Thanks for downloading and listening to the 318 Now Podcast!
Episode 15 kicks off Sports Week at the 318 Now Podcast! Jaime Autin, owner of Jaime's Sports of Louisiana, joins Episode 15 to discuss his experiences owning and operating his sports collectibles business in Monroe, including the exciting times when LSU won the 2007 National Championship as well as the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl victory in 2010! In addition, Brian Wickstrom, Athletic Director at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, stops by to discuss all things ULM Athletics! Be sure to support your local sports shops and athletic programs! Thanks for downloading and supporting the 318 Now Podcast!
Episode 14 of the 318 Now Podcast welcomes Kelli Green, AVP of Marketing/Training with Centric Federal Credit Union. Kelli discusses many topics, including online payment system options, tips to prevent identity/debit card theft as well as the many services Centric Federal Credit Union offer in the 318 area! In addition, Josh discusses all the exciting details for the upcoming 2015 Louisiana Peach Festival in Ruston! Thanks for downloading and supporting the 318 Now Podcast!
A familiar face to the 318 area joins Episode 13 of the 318 Now Podcast! Angela Cruz stops by to raise awareness about potentially dangerous toxins that are common in our daily lives. In addition, Angela provides insightful tips on how to eliminate these toxins from your surroundings as well as how to measure toxin-levels in products we use on a daily basis. Also, Josh pays tribute to the late, great "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes! Thanks for downloading and supporting the 318 Now Podcast!
Episode 12 of the 318 Now Podcast welcomes Kelly Brantley, Author, Certified Financial Consultant and Business Owner. Kelly provides educational financial advice on a variety of topics, including how to tackle multiple forms of debt, managing a monthly budget and much more! Have you ever wondered which forms of debt you should pay first? Kelly answers that question and addresses common financial burdens we face on a daily basis. Thanks for downloading and supporting the 318 Now Podcast!
Episode 11 of the 318 Now Podcast welcomes Alana Babb and Eric Rutledge, supporters of the Alzheimer's Assocation as well as Rachel Stern, Community Manager of Special Events with the American Cancer Society's MidSouth Division. Both organizations offer tremendous services and opportunities to donate, both monterarily as well as with your time, so download and listen to hear how you can help! In addition, the winner of the 318 Now Podcast Facebook contest is announced, courtesy of Riverport Creative Group! Thanks for downloading and supporting the 318 Now Podcast!


text:
Luxurious three bedroom apartment approx (1,600 sq ft) interior designed to the highest standards and perfectly located on London`s exclusive Park Lane overlooking Hyde Park, offering an exclusive address with excellent transport links to all of London., including major companies, transport hubs and tourist attractions, suitable for both leisure and business visitors. Each apartment offers all the comforts of home with personalised service from a dedicated Residence Concierge team.Three bedroom deluxe apartments are spacious and luxurious with three separate bedrooms and large living areas. These apartments are ideal for extended stays or those with large families.Main features include:Fully equipped kitchenThree King size bedsBathroom with wet roomFlat screen television iPod docking stationSecure apartment safeSelf controlled heating and air conditioningTwo line phoneComplimentary wireless internet accessRates may vary. Minimum stay 90 nights. The asking rent does not include letting fees. Depending on your circumstances and the property the following fees may apply:References £50 + VAT (£60 Inc VAT) Per personGuarantor £100 + VAT (£120 inc VAT) Per personContribution to Tenancy Agreement £250 + VAT (£300 inc VAT) Per TenancyInventory check (paid at end of tenancy) £100 - £150 + VAT (£120 - £180 inc VAT) Per TenancyExtension, renewal, rent review and periodic tenancy documentation £150 + VAT (£180 inc VAT) Per TenancyChange of Tenant £300 + VAT (£360 inc VAT) Per personFees may be charged on a per property or per tenancy basis. Please call us to discuss our fees for this property in more detail.NoticeImportant Notice: We have prepared these property particulars as a general guide to a broad description of the property. All photographs, floorplans, measurements and distances referred to are given as a guide only.
Property ID:


text:
Be nice to yu turkeys dis christmasRead the rest of Benjamin's Zephaniah's poem Talking Turkey on the BBC website and enjoy the video.
Cos turkeys jus wanna hav fun
Turkeys are cool, an turkeys are wicked
An every turkey has a Mum.
Be nice to yu turkeys dis christmas,
Don't eat it, keep it alive,
It could be yu mate an not on yu plate
Say, Yo! Turkey I'm on your side.
And if your Christmas wish is to see the poet perform live ... well it might just come true in 2007!
Wish you all the best for a very happy Christmas!


text:
Nalmefene is a competitive opioid antagonist that helps individuals reduce alcohol consumption, appears to limit the number of heavy drinking days and total alcohol consumed over time, a new literature review suggests.
When compared to a placebo, individuals who took nalmefene one to two hours before drinking alcohol, consumed significantly less alcohol and had significantly fewer heavy drinking days at six months compared to baseline than those who received placebo.
The main side effects associated with nalmefene included headache, nausea, and dizziness, but they tended to lessen with continued treatment, according to an article in Medscape Medical News.
The study was presented at the Institute of Psychiatric Services (IPS): The Mental Health Services 2016 Conference.
Commenting on the findings for Medscape Medical News, Niamh Fitzgerald, PharmD, University of Stirling, United Kingdom, pointed out that a systematic review and meta-analysis published last year in PLOS Medicine concluded that at best, nalmefene had limited efficacy in reducing alcohol consumption.
Nalmefene was approved in Europe in 2013 to help people curb their drinking. It was subsequently recommended by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for use in conjunction with psychosocial support to reduce alcohol consumption in adults.


text:
Keeping your website current and working properly comes with so many unknowns that it just seems to never get done. When you partner with Website Custodian you will have 20 years of website and internet experience available to you.
We update and maintain your website, post information about your products and services to social media, and maintain your online business presence.
Owning a small business is hard and everyone wants to sell you something, whether you need it or not. Don't be taken advantage of by people trying to make a quick buck, start a long term relationship with us today.
Maintaining your website and online presence is what we do best.


text:
Architect Steve Mouzon has posted a great piece highlighting the original green features of South Main in Buena Vista, Colorado on his Original Green Blog. Use the links below for more information on South Main.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Dover-Kohl Begins the Comprehensive Master Plan Project Process for Hammond, Louisiana
Dover-Kohl conducted a charrette to create a vision for the Comprehensive Master Plan for Hammond, Louisiana. The charrette was well attended, the public response to the initial vision was extremely positive, and drafting of the new, overarching policy document is underway. Dover-Kohl's "Design at All Scales" approach to comprehensive planning was featured at a recent workshop for the Florida Department of Community Affairs entitled "Comprehensive Planning for the 21st Century", sponsored by the Congress for the New Urbanism.
Posted by Dover-Kohl at 2:23 PM Leave a comment: 0 comments so far Share this post
Topics: Dover-Kohl, What's New
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Planter Tutorial at Rental Revival Blog
"One problem I had with the original post for this mason jar planter was, there weren't many detailed instructions. The blogger did an awesome job with her DIY, but I needed to figure out how she did what she did. Unfortunately I couldn't find any specifics (what are the clamps called? What kind of fasteners did you use? How the heck did you attach the clamps to the board??) so I was on my own for a lot of this. Luckily with the help of a nice old man at Lowe's I figured it out." Read more


text:
- Busty suck Search movies database for busty suck
Busty suck, adult sex dating in mcewensville pennsylvania, busty redhead cumming, 70 s porn stars, free teen tits xxx, haitian teen cumshots.
image size: 360 x 546 file size: 32.7KB hotlink for forums hotlink for special forums
show image to friends
direct link to image
Do you looking for busty suck? We have lots of galleries about busty suck only links to free naked teens site, enjoy it!


text:
Who would have thought that I'd ever live in the Middle East. On a whim back in August 2010, my family and I packed up what we could in 50lb increments and set off for an adventure that has forever changed our lives…for the better. We knew very little of where we would be living, of what our living situation would be like nor of who my employer was to be. But we were ready for an adventure, and that's what the past two years have given us. Every day is an adventure here, no matter how long you've lived here. Figuring out the ins and outs of living here, like getting residency, IDs and drivers licenses, all seem second nature now. We know the rules of the land, we know where to go for various items and services (which usually isn't as easy as telling someone the name of a place…there's many roundabouts and landmarks in those directions given) and we feel more and more at home with each passing day.
We have lived in three beautiful homes, we've tried two different schools for our children (about to start a third), we've purchased a car and we've adopted a dog. I've even started purchasing more "home" items these days, whereas, in the beginning, I was simply being minimalistic and cheap in our purchases, not knowing how long we'd stay here. We are setting up a home…never thought that would happen. While we long to go home to something familiar at times, or perhaps just to get that one item stuck in our storage unit, it's hard to leave this place. Somehow, it wraps it's arms around you and sucks you into its charm and beauty. Life here is pretty easy once you let go of your need to have control. The pace is slower, the food is abundant and cheap, the opportunities abound for travel and in this melting pot of expats, you carve your space and "give in" to this life.
My children have learned more about people on this Earth than I ever thought they could. They have encountered the generosity of strangers wanting to dote on them with gifts and love as well as witnessing the poverty and hard labor that happens in the background. On one street, you can see the two worlds living side by side. They know a life of color…there is no other world to them now. People come in all shapes, sizes and now, color. Where we are from, the population is pretty monotone. Now, when they describe a person or a friend, it's never the color of their skin…it's the characteristics that make us that person on the inside…"the really nice one who gave us candy," "the one in the red shirt," the man in the white kandora." My heart jumps with excitement every time I see my children act and think like global citizens. This experience has changed them and their futures forever.
I feel like we've done more in two years than we've done in the seven years my husband and I have been married. Sure we went to Mexico once a year, and Disneyland once a year, but the other fifty weeks a year we worked, struggling to get by. We passed up on eating out, going to the movies, etc…just to save a buck. We were always home…feeling trapped by the economy. We almost felt that if we went out, spending money was too much of a temptation. Everything was so expensive. Now, we're fortunate to go camping, duning, stay in luxury hotels, travel to places like Sri Lanka and this summer, Thailand. We go out more, experience life more. I mean, when else would I have ever been able to stay in the tallest building in the world…the Burj Khalifa? Life is tax free here. That's a big difference when you're collecting your salary each month. It affords you more wiggle room. And because we're in an expat haven, there are always amazing travel and hotel deals…like $200RT airfare from Dubai to London, or $300RT from Abu Dhabi to Thailand (which is cheap once you arrive as well!) Of course we still have our tax obligations at home, but overall, the cost of living is just cheaper here. Remember, when you're hired as an expat, you get great packages from your employer here…including housing, insurance and flights. It's just part of the deal.
Our two years here has been amazing, forever burned in our hearts. We have loved it so much that I have recently signed on for another two years, but in a different Emirate and with a different company. We have now moved from Al Ain to Umm Al Quwain. We're in what seems to be the middle of nowhere, yet only 40 minutes from Dubai. Life is even slower here than in Al Ain, the choices for entertainment are more limited, but we're ready to carve our niche here, as I'm sure there are some diamonds in the rough to discover. So, I welcome you on our next journey for two more years.