text:
Posts Tagged United States
You Own A Gun Because You Are Afraid To Fight Me
Posted by Keith Spillett in Here's Why I Dislike You So Much on December 19, 2013
In America today, guns are often confused as a symbol of masculinity and power. This misconception has been brought about through years of exposure to media images of powerful men with guns defeating Native Americans, Russians, Terrorists, and Orcs. People in this demented nation of ours spend millions upon millions of dollars a year that could actually be used to improve the lot of themselves and those around them in the faint hopes of appearing to be what they are not. But that is beside the point, because I'm not talking to them….I'm talking to you.
Yeah…you. Sitting there on your couch reading this right now. Not somebody else. Not the other guy. Don't sit there thinking this is some abstract, philosophical exercise that you can remove yourself from while you sit back in judgment of some fictional, moronic cross-section of the American public. It's not. I'm talking to you. Directly. I can see behind the absurd little lies you tell yourself in order help avoid the painful truth that you are the guy on the beach who gets sand kicked in his face by people like me. The reason you own a gun is because you are a weakling.
Sure, I've heard all of your arguments. "The Second Amendment says that I have the right to carry a gun." You are hiding behind some document that some dudes in wigs wrote 2000 years ago. Everybody who owns a gun is a constitutional lawyer (except when it comes to, you know, the other 26 Amendments). Do you know how utterly hysterical it is to watch you switch from doing your Stallone impression to pretending to be James Madison? "Yeah, I'm a tough guy, but I got smarts too!" (read that last part in your best Fredo Coreleone voice) Put down your law books and we can see what's up, Tough Guy.
"But, it's just for hunting." Sure. You bought that military grade A4 assault rifle that fires 80,000 rounds per second at Walmart so that you can stop a deer from trying to get away. Ah….yeah…that's it. The truth is, you bought it because you know that if it ever came down to it, I would beat you like a rented mule. That little survivalist fantasy you keep conjuring up in your mind is simply a distraction from the simple truth that you are afraid to catch a beating from me.
I look at Wayne LaPierre, the little geek who runs the NRA, and my first thought is, "wouldn't it be fun to push his face into a vat of french fry oil at my neighborhood McDonald's". If I had that guy in a room for 15 seconds, I'd have him singing the Soviet National Anthem and screaming "Obama in 2016". Another one of those pasty, bloated old guys who think that having the ability to shoot up a room full of strangers makes people forget that he looks like 140 pounds of whimpering, soft serve ice cream. I'm right here, Tough Guy. Anytime you want. As much of a cowering little baby that LaPierre is, he's not even half as sad as you are.
"Oh, but I need it to protect my family." Way to hide behind your children, Ace. See, I'm not a threat to your family. Just you. You are scared that I'm going to drag you through the town square from the back of my Lincoln while all the kids laugh and throw rocks. The sheer volume of humiliation that I would heap upon you is why you're up at 3 o'clock in the morning trying to figure out if it is legal in your state to own a bazooka.
"But, Obama is coming to get us!" Do you see how silly you sound? All these movies you watch cater to this depressing little fantasy that you are so powerful and cunning that the government actually cares about anything you do. Obama doesn't care whether you have a gun or not. As a matter of fact, Obama doesn't care about you at all. He lives in some insulated bubble in Washington, surrounded by hundreds of Secret Service agents, old rich people and really good chefs. Are you really so deluded as to believe that Obama would take a second out of his day to punish some coward sitting behind a computer keyboard typing nasty things about the Kardashian sisters on a Facebook thread? Obama is not your problem…I am.
Your little comedy act is over. Just remember, the next time you buy that copy of Guns and Ammo at the newsstand in order to show what a big man you are, I'll be there. The next time you swagger out to the range to go kill a bunch of cardboard cutouts of Bin Laden, I'll be there. And when you are sitting around the locker room pretending to be Mr. Expert, bragging to the fellas with all those fancy expressions like "muzzle breaks and recoil compensators", so proud of yourself that you used the word "aught" in a sentence, I'll be there too.
No matter how much you spend on weapons, no matter how many times you practice that thing that Clint Eastwood does with the side of his mouth in the mirror, no matter how many tough talking, pro-violence idiot politicians you support, you can't avoid me. Don't you see….I'm inside of you.
Scientists Discover "Fear Factory" Gene In Mice
Posted by Keith Spillett in General Weirdness on June 11, 2013
Chances are you've seen them rampaging through the streets. They range in size from 6 foot 1 to 6 foot 4 and usually weigh between 245 and 270 pounds. They have excessively large foreheads, surprisingly short arms and enormous kneecaps. They are usually relatively intelligent, slightly clumsy, and uncommonly strong. They are Fear Factory Mice and they are the greatest threat to the American Way of Life since the creation of Social Security.
They pour forth from the faces and body cavities of the lower animals and consume all that is in their path. These mice replicate at incredible speeds, often breeding with donkeys and fish. They are capable of incredible kindness and unspeakable acts of cruelty. The wilderness is full of them. They stalk campers and hikers, toying with them by bellowing the lyrics to Fear Factory's Top 40 single "Martyr" before ripping them apart. Yet, in some cases, they have struck up remarkable friendships with their human prey, occasionally exchanging Tupperware products with their victims before devouring their bodies.
This is why we must, under no circumstances, EVER, leave the house again.
Sometimes, they make their way into cities and battle local Mice Control Workers (MCWs) for control of poultry-themed fast food restaurants. These MCWs are often equipped with the latest in taxpayer funded, anti-mouse laser death rays. However, a swarm of them can quickly overpower a team of MCWs. At that point, the government's options become limited. In some instances, like in the case of the former city of Phoenix, Arizona in 1998, the full-scale use of nuclear weaponry is the only conceivable way of preserving what is left of the American Dream.
In 1991, when The Great Mousehunts began, scientists were baffled the ability of the Fear Factory Mice to regenerate their wounded bodies and learn from previous defeats. While regular mice would lie in their cages and allow the doctors to poke, prod and dissect them in the name of building a better world for Americans, these Fear Factory Mice would rise up, reassemble their body parts and fight against the scientists, sometimes taking whole laboratories hostage. The mice took to the hills after being decimated in early battles with the Army, but quickly regrouped and, after signing a mutual defense treaty with Fidel Castro and the Cubans, have become a constant threat to commerce and the safety of average citizens.
Besides the significant difference in height and common "sleeve" tattoos worn on the arms of the Fear Factory Mice, it is almost impossible for the average observer to tell the difference between the two breeds until it is too late. Reactions have varied from city-to-city, but the most common response has been to move to high ground and wait for inevitable death. Conservatives have taken to storing up thousands of rounds of ammunition, stockpiling anti-mouse weaponry, praying and watching Bruce Willis movies until it is safe to enter the cities again. Liberals have started community based Mice Awareness Groups (MAGs) and eco-friendly, cruelty-free Mice Education Programs (MEPs) in the hopes of tolerating the animals to death. Until Friday, it seemed as if no one had an answer to the single greatest issue of our time.
However, thanks to the expenditure of billions of taxpayer dollars and the generosity of several of our top corporate leaders, science has, once again, saved us from the abyss of mass extinction. Years of research has led to a breakthrough of fantastic proportions. Without going into all of the science-y type details, it is clear that some mice possess a gene that causes them, upon hearing a Fear Factory song, to become enormous, flesh-thirsty beasts. By simply destroying all remaining copies of Fear Factory's music, bathing regularly in fresh chicken blood and sacrificing one infant human on a bi-weekly basis, the threat of these killer mice will be eliminated by the year 2039.
Surprisingly, the answer to the great mystery lay in the journals of former President Calvin Coolidge. In his last days, Coolidge claimed to have been visited by men from the future that foresaw the mouse epidemic and gave him a specific set of plans to isolate the Fear Factory Gene and destroy the hordes of ravenous rodents. Coolidge tried to warn several people of the terror that awaited humankind, but no one believed him because his habit of drinking iodine had caused a rapid deterioration in his mental condition. He was killed on the night he planned to talk to a sympathetic reporter from the New York Times when a hummingbird flew up his nose and caused a brain aneurysm.
We were saved because we believed hard enough in the menacing green light, the orgiastic past that explodes from our mouths every time we scratch the surface of reality. The forest advances year-by-year, no matter how hard or how fast we strike our axes against the trees. Sure, the mice didn't get us this time, but that's no matter. Tomorrow, we will run away faster, flail our arms harder and eventually slip on the ever-looming banana peel, falling to our collective deaths….
So we beat on, building a better mousetrap, born to ceaselessly regurgitate the past.
Obama Says Something Funny Then Announces Drone Strikes Against Former Sepultura Members
Posted by Keith Spillett in General Weirdness on May 29, 2013
The Commander-in-Chief had some explaining to do!
The President arrived at The East Room at an event honoring the remaining CIA members responsible for helping to illegally arm the Contras in the 1980s with (OMG….you are not going to believe this!!!)…lipstick on his collar.
"I don't want to get in trouble with Michelle, so I'll have you know that this isn't lipstick…it's blood!!!" quipped the President to raucous applause and laughter from the fawning, ever-diligent press corps.
The President also took the moment to announce that he has personally ordered drone strikes on former members of the band Sepultura. Some ex-members of Sepultura, which means "grave" in some weird foreign language, have been linked to a sinister splinter group that goes by the ominous name "The Cavalera Conspiracy".
The former lead singer, Max Cavalera, was involved in the 1990s with a project referred to only as "Nailbomb". A nail bomb is an explosive device often built by terrorists out of ordinary household items. It often contains nails (or other sharp, pointy things) and can explode and cause harm to people who are susceptible to injury from flying shrapnel. They are very, very dangerous, particularly when they kill people. These cheaply built weapons, often referred to as IUDs, have caused death and injury to thousands of people, including Americans.
Max and his brother, a shadowy figure who goes by the name "Igor", are both wanted in connection for their parts in The Cavalera Conspiracy. "The greatest threat to America, besides Michelle if she finds out about the lipstick, are The Cavalera Brothers," trying to hold back his trademark grin as throngs of reporters collapsed to the floor and began spasmodic seizures of laughter.
The President assured the audience that no current members of Sepultura would be harmed. "The United States government has an avowed policy of only killing people when they are in the way or within a hundred mile vicinity of evil people. As far as we known, in spite of their current status as Brazilians, the people of Sepultura are 100 percent safe," said the President in a calm, confident, comforting, assuring, Presidential tone.
Predator drones have become the President's weapon of choice because of their uncanny ability to allow for maximal destruction with minimal impact on public opinion poll numbers. Americans aren't in the planes, so unless one of the soldiers operating an aircraft from a hangar in Nevada accidentally chokes on a ham sandwich, they harm only bad people. Even if one goes off course and destroys a questionable military target, like a hospital or school, the President could always buy a new dog and mollify the American public until the next atrocity comes along.
The Surprising Truth About Five Dieting Beliefs
Posted by Keith Spillett in Health Tips for An Early Death on March 25, 2013
Who has time to keep up with all that weight loss research? After all, it's so technical and confusing and often uses really big, difficult words like "measurement". And if you don't know what you are doing, you might end up trapped in a 1997 Plymouth Voyager, eating ketchup packets to stay alive while angry Iranian protestors bang on your windows demanding "Death to America". Or speaking to a giant goiter that has sprung from your neck. Or mauled by polar bears.
It's a cold, brutal world out there and it is often difficult for the average person to spend more than 12 seconds reading something before being so completely overcome with rage that they begin howling and drooling. Lucky for you, our team of Tyranny of Nutrition weight loss researchers have spent hours of painstaking research researching the research done by other researchers. Surprisingly, we found that many of the dieting myths accepted as gospel by the mindless mob of cellulite obsessed Americans all desperately trying to think about anything but their own fragile mortality were actually just a bunch of lies concocted by narcissistic fools who would put a knife in their grandmother's throat for a shot to get on Oprah.
Knowing what the actual truth is in this godforsaken, garbage heap of a world can be the difference between winning and losing The Battle of The Bulge. Here's the skinny on some of the best-known diet myths around.
1. If I Stop Eating Entirely, I Will Die
False: The average human can survive for years without consuming a single calorie. In new research done by The National Society For The Prevention of Human Emotion, 93 percent of people just fool themselves into eating because they are weak. They have been coddled by our liberal schools and, as a result, believe they need to eat in order to "nourish their bodies". They can never truly understand the feeling of pride that our forefathers experienced by ignoring their basic needs and suffering an entire lifetime for absolutely no reason in particular.
2. Being Overweight Can Lead To Diabetes, Heart Disease and Walking Corpse Disorder
True (but so what): Life is cruel and fleeting. Ever hear the one about the guy who won the lottery and got hit and killed by a milk truck the next day? Or the one about super athlete marathoner who dropped dead of a heart attack in his early 40s? According to a recent study done by The American Bureau of Obvious Statistics, 100 percent of Americans will die at some point in their lives. In most cases, it will be in a miserable, hideous way, unless you are lucky enough to die in your sleep or in the throws of passion. Sure, a proper diet may buy you a few years, but the end will be far more terrible than you can possibly imagine and there is a good chance that regardless of what you eat, something random and unspeakable will happen to you anyway.
3. Skinnier People Are Happier Than Fat People
False: No one is ever happy for very long. Many skinny people spend half of their time obsessing over not becoming fat. Many fat people spend half of their time obsessing over becoming skinny. If they manage to steer clear of that trap, there is a whole universe of possible maladies and unsightly embarrassments to be terrified of. From chronic halitosis, to acne, to worrying that their young children are acting like Bebe's Kids at the local library, cruel judgments wait around every corner. The only relief most people get from constant feelings of inadequacy is the joy in noticing and quietly mocking the faults of others. On and on South of Heaven.
4. When You Lose Weight, More People Will Like You
False: People don't avoid you because you are heavy. They steer clear of you because having interactions with other humans is often intolerably dull and painful. Don't take it personally; most people hate everyone. They long for a day when the human race is wiped out, but they worry that Internet service and pizza delivery will be affected by global extinction, so they do not take action. Lose all the weight you want, it won't change the fact that almost everyone who talks to you on a daily basis fantasizes about turning on the news and finding out you were swallowed up by a sinkhole during the night.
5. Weight Loss Happens Only When God Wills It
True: Let's face it, the reason most people are fat is because the Western world has all but turned it's back on God. You never see any pictures of fat Puritans, do you? The weight of the average American has nearly tripled since prayer has been taken out of schools by those meddlers over in Washington. Obesity is God's punishment on America for its love affair with atheism, fast food and heavy metal music.


text:
Released: 28/01/2015
Format: Paperback
In 1940 Eric Nudd, like millions of others, found himself unexpectedly in uniform – a raw conscript in a heavy anti-aircraft regiment. He grew over the next five years into a seasoned professional with the Normandy and North West European campaigns under his belt. A previously unsuspected talent for maths took him from heaving shells to fire-control and then radar, giving him a ringside view of the manic wartime technology race. As a Fleet Street journalist, prolific letter-writer and occasional poet Eric published improvised news sheets from a succession of gun sites and dugouts. Armageddon Fed Up With This – A Gunner's Tale is told by a 'civilian-in-uniform' who was an acute observer and literate recorder of what he saw. His wry, sometimes scathing observations on the humour and idiocy of army life, and the military, political and cultural events of the time are set against the global cataclysm going on around him. The author, Derek Nudd, colours in the background for those of us lucky enough to have missed it. Inspired by authors such as Cyril Demarne and Spike Milligan, Armageddon Fed Up With This provides a new perspective – from underneath – on the anti-aircraft forces who, for a while after the fall of France, were the only part of the army shooting back. This book will appeal to readers who enjoy historical and military biographies, and provide new insights for students of the period. The title was a contemporary joke.
Armageddon Fed Up With This will be among the works featured on the CHINDI stall at the Arundel Festival from 18th-27th August. We will be outside the Cancer Research shop and all sales will benefit the charity.
In the meantime you can still catch up with Episode 3 (Shepton Mallet Prison) from Michael Portillo's Hidden History of Britain on 4th May, which features me talking about an incident from Armageddon.
It takes some insight to get inside another individual's mind. Especially when he becomes a soldier and is forced to take part in a world war.
Derek Nudd had the help of Eric: his father's letters to his wife through most of World War II. This is essentially a human story. Not just a private to sergeant's progress but a man's tale told in his own words by a highly articulate (in civvy life a national journalist) observer of every human aspect of what goes on around him from the comical to the absurd to the tragic.
Derek Nudd puts the tale in the context of the times and places: British, European and the world. But the main voice to come through is Eric's. The circumstances and places change. And you see Eric changing to meet them: the bungling and the everyday as well as the official version.
This is not the tale of a war hero. This is Everyman's experience of war.
by W. P. Black
I used to think that the plots in "Dad's Army" were too far-fetched to have any grain of truth in them but having read of some of the army bungling which went on during Eric's travels round the country before deployment overseas, I am not so sure! My father's wartime service was in the catering corps in North Africa and Sicily so it was fascinating to learn what life was like for someone who had a completely different experience. I particularly enjoyed the way the author juxtaposed what was happening in the war in general against the personal experiences related in Eric's letters, which has given me a new perspective on my own father's journey through the war.
by Hazel Braden
Intimate account of one family's Second World War experience based on the letters from Eric to his wife. Loved the detail: salary reduction due to rank; promotion stymied due to snobbishness; wry acknowledgement of some of the sheer stupidity of senior ranks. yet a hunger for knowledge, pride in company's achievements and still a sense of displacement - there through sense of duty, conviction is to be at home with the family and advancing in media career. Would highly recommend this book.
by Geraldine Tierney
Derek returned to his first love, writing, after a degree in History and English, a master's in Systems Analysis and a successful career in engineering. Light freelancing in business communications kept the wolf from the door while preparing his first book. A number of other projects are in the stack.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Six years ago, the Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar released Los Abrazos Rotos; a film dedicated to cinema's varying styles and forms along with the power of memories. While many have correlated Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice with Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye, the opening credits scene instantly reminded me of Broken Embraces due to the shared use of Can's 1972 track "Vitamin C." Almodóvar's film was based on a photo taken at a beach, and Anderson's film — an adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's 2009 novel — opens with a beach shot and the same lyrics that made such an impression on this cinephile back in 2009: "Hey you! You're losing your Vitamin C!"
The protagonist of Inherent Vice, Joaquin Phoenix's Doc Sportello, often lacks physical energy, but he charges forward with his own pace and style…much like Paul Thomas Anderson's direction of the 148-minute film. After the 158 minutes of There Will Be Blood (2007) and the 144 minutes of The Master (2012), viewers shouldn't expect a clean and easy ride through Inherent Vice. A second viewing will be necessary for some, and I'm looking forward to my own.
Doc Sportello smokes a little weed (ok, a lot), sports thick mutton chops that would make Waylon Jennings blush and mumbles in conversation (even when confronted with the "Pussy Eater's Special"). See, he's agreed to help his ex-girlfriend Shasta (Katherine Waterston) by finding her boyfriend/real estate tycoon Mickey Wolfmann (Eric Roberts), who may or may not have been abducted and committed to a psych ward. Standing in the way of the often-confused Sportello is a clean-cut/no-bullshit detective nicknamed "Bigfoot" (Josh Brolin), who takes down bad guys in real life and even on the hit show Dragnet.
Rather than breaking down the entire plot of Inherent Vice, I'll just say that Mr. Sportello encounters characters with names like Sauncho Smilax, Esq. (Benicio de Toro), Petunia Leeway (Maya Rudolph), Japonica Fenway (Sasha Piererse) and even a madman dentist named Dr. Rudy Blatnoyd (Martin Short). The collective fingers point to something called "The Golden Fang," a character with the moniker of Puck Beaverton (Swastika face tattoo) and a California cult. Grantland recently counted down the top 20 characters from Anderson's Boogie Nights, and Inherent Vice boasts an ever more colorful group of personalities.
Given that Doc Sportello has difficulty remembering people, places and times, Inherent Vice will likely be more entertaining the second time around. Personally, I enjoyed the ride and the long running time is merely, well, inherent vice. The broken embraces of Doc Sportello ensure a comfortable detachment from reality, and although he embarks on a journey of true crime, the only truth seems to come from what he can see directly in front of him. Joaquin Phoenix delivers yet another iconic performance and has now become one the most charismatic actors of the last twenty years. Like a true pro, he dominates each scene while making everyone around him better.
If Phoenix serves as the Michael Jordan of Inherent Vice, then Paul Thomas Anderson is Phil Jackson. Together, they run the show (ebb and flow) like nobody else can. The director runs the triangle to perfection and allows each supporting character a moment to shine (highlight: Katherine Waterston's scene in which she explains the meaning of "inherent vice").
Inherent Vice may feel utterly broken at times, but there's probably a reason for that. Embrace it.
Categories: 2015 Film Essays, Film Essays, Q.V. Hough


text:
- Cathedral – Home
- Staying Connected
- Our Parish
- Calendar, News and Events
- Bulletin
- Worship and Sacraments
- Fine Arts and Music
- Celebrate the Cathedral
- Outreach
- Support our Ministries
- Get Involved
- Youth Formation
The Cathedral welcomes babies and we are most anxious to help you and your child become disciples at the Cathedral. First you must be registered at the Cathedral. Our Pastoral Council members hold parish registration on the first weekend of each month after all the Masses. On Saturday evening they are in the back of the Cathedral. On Sunday they are in the Atrium. Next you will need to attend a Baptism Preparation Class. They are held every other month on a Sunday morning. Baptisms are held on one weekend of each month except during Lent. After attending the class you may schedule your Baptism for the 5:15 pm Mass on a Saturday or the 11:00 am Mass on a Sunday. There is also the option of a 10:00 am Baptism on Saturday outside of Mass with our Deacon presiding.
The next Baptism Preparation Class will be on Sunday, February 23 at 10:00 am in the North meeting room on the second floor of the Weakland Center. You can take the elevator in the Atrium. If you have any questions about Baptism at the Cathedral please feel free to email Pat Wisialowski, Pastoral Associate, at email@example.com, or phone 414/276-9814. Thank you.


text:
Opiniorate is our work in progress project to build a save environment for employees to communicate about their work with colleagues, jobseekers, their employer and unions.
Communication is our business
We can build creative solutions for your communication needs.
We love working together with others. Send us an email.
95 percent of our products are based on open source software.
With servers in the US and in Europe we are offering services worldwide.
Opiniorate is our work in progress project to build a save environment for employees to communicate about their work with colleagues, jobseekers, their employer and unions.
Werkgevers.review is the Dutch language version of Opiniorate.com designed for employees of Dutch companies and organizations.
Actiegroepen.online is a collection of Dutch language websites where action groups can rent web pages (spaces) to organize their communication with the press and with the action group members.
On our website Webwinkelbouw.nl you can rent at a very low monthly fee a web shop. What distinguishes our services from those offered by other companies is that we deliver turnkey solutions.
StatisticsWorldwide.com focuses on international bodies that provide free information on the internet. It was developed years ago to experiment with web technology. The website will be redesigned this year.
We develop surveys suited for individuals as well as organizations, with or without respondent registration.The surveys are responsive: operational on smartphones, tablets and desktops.
Are you developing software that you would like to protect with a hardware or software key? We can advise you how to do this or in some cases even secure your software for you.
We build all our custom websites in Drupal including online solutions only accessible for your own personnel. By using reuseable features we keep costs low.
We can clean and prepare your big data for your own analytical purposes. But we can also advize you on the possibilities of the data or analyze the data for you. Ask us for a free advice.
'Publiekecijfers.nl' - Dutch for 'public data' - provides access to and explanation of a number of public organizations that publish figures.
We have distinguished ourselves from others with innovations and improvement in several projects.
If your Drupal website is not functioning as it should, we can help you. We can also migrate Drupal websites from one hosting service to another. We work with the principle: no cure no pay.


text:
1-2-1 with Lyndsey Harrison
This week we had a great chat with the beautiful and talented Lyndsey Harrison! Check out what Lyndsey has to say about her styling sessions.
Who are you?
My name is Lyndsey and I'm an established Hair Stylist & Make up Artist. My career began 12 years ago working for Toni & Guy, it was there that I learnt & developed my skills with hair.
I then used that passion to pursue a career in Make-up, also assisting Lan Nguyen on numerous catwalk shows. I now work with celebrity, fashion and PR clients.
My tutorials on YouTube show how to re-create the looks that I tailor for the stars, and my most successful video has had over 30,000 hits to date - LyndseyHarr1son
Which hairstyle gives you the most buzz to create?
A lot of my clients are very glamourous and are often attending red carpet events, so I get great pleasure from creating a beautiful Hollywood look for them.
The O is a great place to start to get volume in the roots and ensure the style lasts during the night.
Do you have any memorable moment / client or event?
I have many memorable moments, most recently creating several looks for Jessica Wright from 'The Only Way is Essex' debut music video, which is out in August. Here's a sneak preview picture.
Also, creating a high messy bun for presenter Zoe Hardman to attend the Brits was fab too, especially as it was completely different to her signature look of gorgeous soft waves!
What's your top tip for a Summer 2012 hair?
Summer 2012 I think will be about the pony tail. You can vary it by having it very slick back with the hair poker straight, which I did for Jessica. It was covered in the Daily Mail online, or you can keep it soft like what Cheryl Cole sported in her video, with her fringe down.
You can also buy show pony's if your hair is short, which I also did a few months back, for a shoot with Lydia Bright.
What's your favourite Cloud Nine tool and why?
I love The O, like I mentioned before. When you're working on a lot of shoots you need to be fast, the fact they heat up in 4 seconds is genius!
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I get my inspiration from staying very current. I live in London and am fortunate to attend lots of events, so I'm constantly seeing what is coming into season. But for other people I think magazines are great to keep up with the trends, especially Grazia - they cover all the latest fashion and trends.
Inspiration should also come from yourself and just looking at the client and the outfit they're wearing; working out what would be the best hair style for that occasion. Also, remember to reassess people all the time making sure they don't get stuck in a rut with their look.
Who are some of your celebrity clients?
Here are some of my celebrity clients: Denise Van Outen, Lydia Bright, Zoe Hardman, Lauren Goodger, Lucy Mecklenburgh, Danielle Lloyd, Amy Childs.
What's your best kept secret or favourite product?
My best kept secret would probably be to keep things simple. I don't use stacks of products on the hair, if you have good tools that is key! Then the main product in my kit is Hairspray.
Which celeb would you love to style and why?
It's funny, I was just thinking about this last night and I would LOVE to style Britney Spears, reason being she is such a pretty girl but her hair really lets her down.
I would love to get a colour tech on her then some good extensions and style them in soft waves, making her look more sexy and current.


text:
In this experimental season finale episode of Hak.5 Darren & Wess wrap up ton of viewer questions covering gmail to SMS, recovering dead hard drives, email from the command prompt, and streaming video in flash. A special guest drops by to cover cracking windows passwords & securing windows. Plus Rob Fuller of mubix.com joins us […]Read more
In this episode of Hak.5 Jenn Cutter from Openalpha.tv guest hosts, bringing us a PSP-Windows hack. Darren continues his quest for the ultimate vidcast-couch-potato setup with a media center remote over cell-phone. Wess puts his own spin on Dance Dance Revolution with a custom modded dance pad. Rob Fuller of mubix.com joins us to show […]Read more
Just for fun. Hope you get it, if not go watch Pure Pwnage.Read more
In this episode of Hak.5 the gang dives into IPTV subscription apps, pandora timeshifting hacks, and routing PC video over existing home coax. Plus an interview Chris Munton of Mathclub Productions, viewer questions, a sneak peak at episode 9, and a TikiBar parody way over the top. Guest intro by Kyle from Pure Pwnage and […]Read more
In this episode of Hak.5 the gang hacks the CVS disposable digital camera, secure VNC traffic using SSH tunneling, take viewer questions and even check out some video submissions. Plus some special announcements and more commercials worth watching. Guest intro by Kevin Mitnick and music by Ashley Witt.Read more
In this episode of Hak.5 Jon brings us a coding challenge, Wess builds a laser audio transmitter for his iPod, Harrison shows us why we should get to know our network neighbors better, and Darren remotely installs VNC with a command line gem. Plus the conclusion to last month's chilling cliff-hanger and guest appearances by […]Read more
In this .5 release, Wess does some research and builds a steady-cam for $13.50. Hooray for no more motion sickness!Read more
In this episode of Hak.5 Wess builds a mini arcade cabinet for under $100, Harrison attacks SSL with Whoppix, Darren defends himself by setting up a VPN server on XP, and Jon & Harrison take on buffer overflows with beer. Plus an interview with a Goldeneye Source developer, exclusive in-game video, and more Microshaft than […]Read more
Darren and Harrison explore ways to keep your machine safe by running insecure code in virtual machines, then invoke a Blue Screen of Death on demand.Read more
In this episode of Hak.5 the crew explores ways to hack RSS into your morning routine with a custom alarm clock and newspaper. Harrison makes us all a little more paranoid about network security with an ARP Cache Poisoning overview, then takes it to the streets. Wess gives the case a break and takes on […]Read more
In this episode of Hak.5 we show you how to install a 12-volt accessory outlet in your case, add a webcam to the light script, keep your taskbar clean with a free utility, manage the Windows XP firewall from the command line, create a leet external hard drive case, and install a unix-like disk image […]Read more
In this pilot episode of Hak.5 we test to see if the speed at which you war drive affects your ability to pick up access points. We also show you how to control your lights from an Internet enabled cell phone, kill remote windows processes, modify the gamecube to enable DVD playback, and custom paint […]Read more


text:
Me: "That's a really interesting image, where did you get it?"
Client: "Google."
This brief exchange often incites a thorough search, removal, and replacement of images on websites and other electronic media. It's also the first step to avoid massive fines and a dreaded lawsuit.
When clients come to me, I explain that the work that I will do for them will be comprehensive, but it doesn't include fees for stock photographs and illustrations. I give an anticipated estimate, but that range is vast because the pool of available legal imagery is equally as large, as is the cost spectrum.
While there is a cost factor for image use, getting legal images doesn't have to be expensive. iStockPhoto is a rather affordable resource and one that I use often. Perhaps you know a burgeoning photographer or illustrator that will license their work in exchange for an art credit, just be sure to get it in writing. There is Creative Commons, but those rights, rules, and restrictions can be confusing for clients, so I don't recommend it.
Not sure if you have properly purchased images on your site?
Head over to Google Images and click on the camera icon in the search field. From there, you can upload any image and Google will show you where else your image resides on the Web. If it appears on a stock art website or with a watermark and you know that you haven't paid a dime for any images, you likely don't own it. Take it down immediately.
Think you won't get caught? You would be wrong. Last year, a client got a hefty bill from a licensing agency for an image that they used on their website and then again on social media channels. I was able to help them navigate this kerfuffle, but this single image resulted in a fine and they had to strip all images from their website because they were all "from Google."
Companies like ImageRights protect creative content from unauthorized use by finding their clients' images in use across the web and then checking to see if you have properly licensed the image. If you didn't, expect a bill that is for the cost of the use of the image, its usage duration, and then penalties and fees on top of that. Even if you remove the image in question, still reach out to the agency, and start a dialog. Ignoring the bill just means that they will take the next step and will prosecute. Those legal fees will far outshine the original image cost.
Now, the good news, and there is good news. For those people and businesses with limited marketing budgets, there are options that will allow you to get images included with some of your other purchased services. For example, GoDaddy has a fairly healthy selection of images available when you sign up for their WordPress hosting solutions.
As well, when you are starting a new project with a creative provider, set a realistic cap on your image budget, let them find the images because they will have the best resources and maybe even a healthy library of properly licensed images.
One of my first consulting gigs was for a now-defunct, mid-sized design firm. One of the owners, I will call him Charles, was a very accomplished and recognized designer. He would often claim that his former boss was claiming Charles's work as his own. As a result, there was a fair amount of talk about copyright and creative ownership. Yet while this was going on, I would watch people take digital photographs of printed images in magazines and stock photo books and then use them within their marketing materials and in presentations. The hypocrisy was astounding.


text:
Mea Ame organic smokes regular
Price ₹255.00
Organic Smokes is an Ayurvedic Smoking Therapy and is made with all the organic ingredients, these are premium herbal cigarettes.All the...
Mea Ame brings you the best and organic way to quit smoking. As you know Mea Ame means my soul. The sweetener of life for human beings, delivering health and personal care products which are organic in nature. Mea Ame is the World's first organic smoke that makes life better. Encourage the survival of natural plant knowledge and offer healthy and organic herbal alternatives with best quality products for smokers across the globe. All the ingredients used in making organic smoke are certified, natural and herbal.
Organic Smokes, an Ayurvedic Smoking Therapy combination of pure herbs prove as a revolutionary invention giving you a similar satisfaction to smoking a tobacco cigarette. Tasty flavor and 100% organic, these smoker have a very refreshing taste, which makes it an ideal choice for one's mind and body. Absolutely free from nicotine and tar, Organic Smokes are an absolute delight for stress relieving. Buy Mea Ame products exclusively on wellnessmonk where you can buy best health care, herbal & organic supplements, Wellness products & mother & baby products Online in India at cheapest sale price with guaranteed free shipping & huge discount. With our unique products and extraordinary services wellnessmonk is 100% authentic & 100% genuine products directly from the brand owner & authorised channels.


text:
Oh man, I'm getting really tired of reporting my diet fails here, so I'll try to keep it short.
Basically, I'm starting to wonder if my life is too chaotic right now to be dieting. The answer, of course, is no. When your life is ACTUALLY chaotic; overeating is the least of your concerns.
That said, Wendy's Deluxes with no ketchup or mayo (at 250 calories each) and Budweiser Selects (at 99 calories each) are on the menu for this evening. It's a small compromise from Budweisers (at 145 calories each) with Baconators (at 660 calories each) and some large fries (at 530 calories each), but it's something.


text:
32 Laings Rd, Lower Hutt
- The venue has a main hall with servery, separate meeting room and kitchen and toilets.
- Suitable for indoor sports.
- The hall has five singles badminton courts.
Before you go, would you like to subscribe to our free weekly newsletter with events happening in your area, competitions for free tickets and CD giveaways?
No thanks - I'm already an Eventfinda member (or I don't want to join)
Enter your email below, click on the Sign Up button and we'll send you on your way
Continuing confirms your acceptance of our terms of service.


text:
Ingage Desktop 0.0.7
- Users now see progress indication when presentations are copied to a team.
- Users can now choose to unlock presentations that are locked.
- Titles are now displayed on thumbnails in the presentation library.
- The name and profile image of the content owner is now displayed in the library.
- Users can now right-click thumbnails in the storyboard to hide pages in presentations.
- Users can now see a message warning when text is longer than the available space.
- The media button editor panel now displays icons for available layouts.
- Fixed a bug where new copies of presentations were sometimes not editable.
- Fixed an issue where some presentations would become locked before opening.
- Fixed a bug where editing Cover and Impact pages sometimes caused the application to become unresponsive.
- Fixed an issue where switching from edit to preview mode would take users back to the start of the presentation.
- Fixed a bug where section names would not scroll on the navbar.
Not Yet Supported
- Logos do not appear in the navbar.
- Mail and MailChimp button are not yet supported.
- Some fonts available in the iOS app are missing in Desktop.
- Drag to arrange sections is not yet supported.
- Some video file formats are not yet supported (.mov & .m4v).
Known Issues
- Create & Edit
- Drag and drop on the Scrollmotion page does not work as expected — when files are dropped, the file picker opens.
- Thumbnails do not always render as expected.
- Adding colors to pages or text sometimes causes application to freeze.
- Preview & Present
- The navbar clips text on some page layouts.
- The navbar sometimes blocks page controls or buttons on the page.
- Text panels sometimes block page controls.
- General
- The download indicator does not start at the expecting position.
- Progress indication is not displayed when copying a presentation from one team to another team.
- The application icon sometimes appears pixelated on macOS.
- Windows builds are missing the native UI title bar.
- Windows builds do not have an application menu.
- Touch events do not work as expected on Windows devices in tablet mode.
- Thumbnails for shared presentations do not appear on Facebook or Twitter.


text:
Twice daily starting Dec. 16, 10am & 1pm
Daily starting Dec. 16, 10:30am-2:30pm
Visit our locations:
Are you a high school student interested in the field of environmental education.
Ready to explore with ACES.
Come to Rock Bottom Ranch this summer to experience a week in the life of a rancher.
Spend a week learning the ins and outs of the animals at Rock Bottom Ranch.
Are you ready to face the challenges you'll find outside.
Calling all explorers.
Roll up your sleeves and get dirty during this hands-on week of real ranch life.
Did you know that plants can be art too.
In collaboration with the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, this workshop explores what it was like to be a naturalist exploring new continents for the first time.
Are you interested in making lasting change as an Environmental leader in the field of sustainability or education.
Is there more to fly fishing than just catching fish.


text:
Our Night at the Mall
Santa Rules!
Ward Laid Dav Out with Styrofoam
After That Fiasco, We Decided to Get Our Recording Studio from Joey Mac… at 11PM.
JMac: "Whoah, dudes… Do you like, know what time it is?"
Josh: "What's going on Joey…? Come back to Bed" Dav: "Can I have back my recording studio please? You've had it for over a year.
Josh: "Uh…… well… see… the thing about that is…. we're using it now.
Dav: "At 11? Isn't Maryland asleep?"
Josh: "Sonuva!"
JMac: "If you let us keep it, I'll give you sex!
Mike Ward: "That's a pretty good deal."
Dav: "But, no. Hand it over, hot stuff.
Dav: "My precioussssssssssssssss."
JMac: "We don't need you."
Josh: "Get the fuck out of here." We leave victorious!


text:
Let's get ready to rumble…
The Chariot vs Strength Continue reading
Let's get ready to rumble…
The Chariot vs Strength Continue reading
Well, I got tooted long and hard on the road today by some young jerk in a baseball cap. I was at a junction where cars had the option of veering left or continuing ahead. The car in front of me had its left blinker flashing so I stopped to allow it to turn ahead of me. Maybe the blinker was on by mistake because although the driver slowed down to make the turn he didn't take it. The young jock behind me gave me a good bollocking on his horn instead. Because…that's what we do in Australia. Not slow down and let people through but honk to tell them to move their $#!! arse.
I file this under The Chariot because it was a situation involving cars (and a young dude) and Strength Reversed for cowardly/impolite behaviour. Bet that bloke wouldn't have behaved like that if his mum was in the car!
Do drivers behave like this in your country too?
Inside my Sunday newspaper today was a photo of a man impaled on the horn of a bull. Ugh! What's even more disturbing is Continue reading
Just got back from three days on school camp and this is what I experienced…
Let's explore the Tarot of Being Creative. Whether that be in the arts, in business or just in everyday life.
I've noticed lately that I haven't been so good at this…
As I was plucking hairs out of my chin in my car the other day (Too much information? Ah middle age, it's sooo much fun) it occurred to me that right across the city there were probably hundreds if not thousands of women doing exactly the same thing while their cars were idling at stoplights: Applying eyeshadow or lipstick, checking their make-up in the mirror, maybe brushing their hair. And it's not only women grooming themselves on the go. Men have been getting in on the act too. I've heard of people doing all sorts of things in their cars on the way to work: Eating bowls of cereal, even shaving (not sure how???) And of course when people aren't grooming themselves they're talking on the phone or texting. Cars are so comfy these days it's easy to forget you're driving a potentially dangerous machine especially in gridlocked traffic. And multi-tasking in the car saves time at either end of the drive.
I'm filing this phenomenon under two cards. The Empress because she likes to look her best and is quite body focused. The Chariot because not only am I talking about an activity taking place inside a car (i.e. a metal chariot) but it's also an activity done to improve your chances of social success.
Do you groom yourself in the car? Come on. 'Fess up.


text:
The Food Bank of Siouxland and area Boy Scouts partner for the annual "Scouting for Food" food drive. This event brings significant quantities of food to the Food Bank to help feed the community's hungry citizens, and is a wonderful community service opportunity for the scouts. The food drive has two elements: collection at the homes of residents, as well as food collection at area grocery stores. Door hanger reminders are put on area doors and the following week, scouts return to collect food set out for them. Door hangers will go out on May 9, 2020 and food pick up is scheduled for May 16, 2020.
"The Food Bank of Siouxland is so appreciative of the work of the scouts," stated Executive Director Linda Scheid. "So many people need the support of the agencies offering either meals or take-home food, and that means the demand here at the Food Bank is high. The work of the Boy Scouts is a tremendous boost."
Scouting for Hunger is sponsored in part by:
The Food Bank does request that participants not donate expired food, open containers, product without labels, or product in glass containers, as they are easily broken. Most commonly needed items include canned fruits, canned meats, cereal, peanut butter, and pasta.
Please feel free to contact the Food Bank of Siouxland (255-9741) or Boy Scouts of America (255-8846) if you have any questions. More information can be found on the Mid-America Council website by clicking this link.


text:
The KOffice Image Manipulation Program
Download for openSUSE
Developer: The Krita Team
License: GPL
Web: http://koffice.kde.org/krita/
Krita is a painting and image editing application, and part of the KOffice suite. Krita has support 16 bit images, CMYK, OpenEXR files, Wacom tablets, and the ability to load a variety of GIMP tools (such as brushes, gradients, and patterns).
See also
External links


text:
Wonderful subdivision on paved roads less than 3 miles from Cortez. Several lots available and two brand new homes scheduled to be built this summer for sale as well. Beautiful views of surrounding mountain ranges and irrigated pastures. Lots 1,2,13 are up to 10 acres each and are priced at $25,000/acre. Lots 3-5 & 8-12 range between 3-5 acres and are priced at $25,000/acre. Lots already have a water tap installed and paid which is about a $7,300 savings!! MVI irrigation water is to lot lines and can be leased for $70/share. These are all on a chip-sealed road. Nice!!
Julie Suckla, Independent Broker
|Status Changed from NEW to Active
|Price Increased from $75,000 to $250,000
The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange (IDX) program of Colorado Real Estate Network, Inc. (CREN), © Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. All data deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. This database record is provided subject to ulimited license rights. Duplication or reproduction is prohibited.
FULL CREN Disclaimer
Real Estate listings held by companies other than RE/MAX Pinnacle contain that company's name.
Fair Housing Disclaimer


text:
Greetings from http://www.mbainfoline.com/
Our's is a website which caters to the needs of MBA aspirants, MBA students, MBA faculty members and researchers in the field of Management/ Business Administration. The website has been operated from India and has viewers from many countries worldwide.
One can look for details regarding
You can contact us at:
Mrs. T. Dharanidevi (Site Owner)
297 A, Sathy Road,
Erode - 638 003.
Tamilnadu. India
E-mail: email@example.com
Tel/ Mobile: +91-8903270615
Proposal for Advertisement (Information Write-up) about your Educational Institution in the Home Page of our website www.mbainfoline.com
Dear Sir/ Mam,
Greetings from www.mbainfoline.com
Our website www.mbainfoline.com has been viewed in countries like India, U.S., U.K., South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia, Newzealand etc. A vast majority of the visitors are from India. It's a website which is meant for MBA aspirants, MBA students, MBA faculty members and researchers in the field of Business Administration/ Management. One can find information regarding Top MBA Colleges/ B – Schools, MBA Admission details, MBA Entrance examination details, Conferences & Seminars, Articles on Management, MBA/ BBA Project details, Important Questions and Important Terms and details regarding Ph.D admissions in our website www.mbainfoline.com
In order to help B-Schools and MBA colleges we are publishing information write-up provided by B-Schools about them by giving a link in the home page (Top MBA Colleges/ Best B-Schools) of our website www.mbainfoline.com
It works as follows [Example]:
Bangalore Institute of Management Studies, Bangalore, India
Info Institute of Engineering, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India
Logic School of Management, Kochi, Kerala, India
[Name of the B-School will be given as a link]
[If one clicks the above link, it would be downloading the information writer-up given by your institution]
How to Proceed Further:
Information write-up for 500 words without pictures or logos (Only text message is allowed) from the date of publication in the Home Page (under the column Top MBA Colleges/ Best B-Schools). You can change the message in the write-up for four times in a year or for once in three months according to your requirement.
Value Added Services Offered:
You can give details regarding various events taking place in your campus for 12 times in an year or for once in a month which would be published in the MBA Infoline News Flash column that would be displayed in the Home Page of the Website separately.
Other Benefits you can derive:
Web Promotion and Online Marketing activities of various services done by www.mbainfoline.com provides you additional mileage.
Pricing [For One Year Package from date of publication]
Actual Price : Rs.4,000/- [Indian Rupees]
Discounted Price : Rs.3,000/- [Indian Rupees]
Pricing [For Two Year Package from date of publication]
Actual Price : Rs.8,000/- [Indian Rupees]
Discounted Price : Rs.6,000/- [Indian Rupees]
Pricing [For Three Year Package from date of publication]
Actual Price : Rs.12,000/- [Indian Rupees]
Discounted Price : Rs.9,000/- [Indian Rupees]
Payment/ Subscription Details:
Those who are interested can send an e-mail to email@example.com or can call us at 08903270615 stating details regarding your Institution Name, Address, Telephone and/or Mobile Number, E-mail Id., Website Address etc and can send Cheque or Demand Demand Draft in favour of T. DHARANIDEVI payable at Erode, Tamilnadu, India.
The Cheque or Demand Draft can be sent to:
Mrs. T. Dharanidevi
297 A, Sathy Road,
Erode - 638 003.
Tamilnadu. India.
Note: This offer is meant for B-Schools and MBA Colleges located in India only.
With regards
line by line of information
Happy Browing.


text:
Scrappy sinks
Eleek bathroom lavatories, made from hand-rubbed bronze in smooth, organic shapes, look more like art than plumbing. Better yet, they're made from 90 percent recycled material.
Eleek, known for its eco-friendly light fixtures, moved into making recycled-metal bathroom fixtures to "use as much local scrap as possible," cofounder Sattie Clark says. In addition to keeping scrap out of the landfill, "it cuts down the carbon miles on our product."
Eleek offers patinas ranging from urban to rustic. "We offer five different finishes," Clark says, "and we can oftentimes do a custom color. Plus, all of the nontoxic patinas
are applied by hand." The sinks may be mounted into a vanity or installed as a vessel.
Eleek Zazen oil-rubbed bronze bath lavatory: $1,150. (503) 232-5526
New life for old plates
When designer Sarah Cihat was a student at Parsons The New School for Design in New York, the assignment for her senior thesis was to develop a new product. "I didn't want to make anything new, to use more materials to make more things," she says. "I don't like planned obsolescence—buy this, throw it out, buy this, throw it out. I wanted to use something that already exists and make something new out of it."
Cihat started experimenting and learned she could resurface and reglaze old dishes she found in thrift stores. "I started adding designs, and it took off from there," she says. Cihat's dishes feature unique motifs and retro backgrounds, ranging from classy chic to cute kitsch.
Sarah Cihat rehabilitated dishware dinner plate: $60
Drink to that!
Endurawood's take on butcherblock countertops is truly "vintage." "We get the wood from old wine vats here in Oregon and in California—primarily vats used to process red wines," owner Ed Mays says. "They get a red stain where the material joins together, and people really like that. Every one is a little different."
Mays—who built his own eco-friendly home in New Zealand before moving to the Pacific Northwest—is a member of the environmental protection group Oregon Natural Resources Defense Council. "I got into sustainable forestry to try to take pressure off clear-cutting," he says.
Endurawood makes a variety of products from reclaimed and Forest Stewardship Council-certified lumber for residential and commercial projects.
Endurawood reclaimed wine vat countertop: (1½-inch thick, finished, ready to install): $90 per square foot (866) 263-3939
Bamboo hands
Our Natural Home salad hands are made from bamboo, a fast-growing grass raised without pesticides or chemicals. Bamboo is also water-resistant, inhibiting bacterial growth in the kitchen.
"We've worked really hard to balance sustainability and affordability with this line of products," editor-in-chief Robyn Griggs Lawrence says. "We want everyone to have access to beautiful, environmentally friendly kitchenware, so we've combined form and function in healthy products that our readers can be proud to have in their homes." We donate a portion of each purchase to the nonprofit environmental preservation and restoration group American Forests.
Natural Home bamboo salad hands : $7. (800) 340-5846
Shower shield
In 2000, a rock chipped Second Glass founder Ron Sundholm's windshield. At the repair shop where he had it replaced, Sundholm watched in dismay as the technician put his old windshield into a Dumpster. Out of school for the summer and working as a garbage collector, Sundholm already knew firsthand how many valuable materials get thrown out. "I thought, I've got to do something," he says.
By 2006, he had developed a lamination process that secures old windshield glass into a completely safe, almost unbreakable panel—perfect for room panels, partitions and shower doors. "We call it functional art because each windshield has a different curvature, and they all come damaged differently," he says. "They're going to absorb and reflect light differently; every one of them is absolutely unique."
Second Glass 24-by-64-inch frameless shower door (hardware included): $285 (plus shipping). (503) 750-3878


text:
Array B Signature Rug, 5'x8'
The Signature collection is comprised of some of Fareed's most modern and striking designs, emphasizing experimentation over convention. While the production of his rugs is done according to age-old methods, his experimental creative process allows him a means for departure from the conventional parameters of rug designing. Fareed doesn't enjoy creating sterile, unremarkable pieces. Just as important to the formation of his notion of artistic integrity is the acknowile, unremarkable pieces. Just as important to the formation of his notion of artistic integrity is the acknowledgement that anything pure and noble is all the more ripe for corruption. As an artist attending university in London during his formative years, he invariably began to see new, radical forms of modern expression, including graffiti, punk music and the Neo-Pop movement. To him, this experience introduced him to a new type of culture, a transient culture characterized as transient, nihilistic, and sometimes even self-destructive. For him, the implications of these new forms of expression were clear: nothing is meant to last forever. This mantra, a far cry from the romantic notions his predecessors echoed in their craft, was the heart of his methodology. In our mass culture of consumerism, celebrity worship, instant gratification, and a conspicuous obsession with material wealth, still some traditional mediums have managed to survive the onslaught of pop-culture iconography. This all the more deepened his fascination with a medium long considered traditional, while forcing him to reconsider the nature of creativity in the context of textiles, an area of art with which very little had improved upon or changed for some time. Drawing inspiration from natural landscapes, abstract shapes and concepts, bridging the conventional and the abstract, these rugs will transform your space with all of the elegance and charm. With a distinct urban and cosmopolitan feel, these rugs play a vital everyday role, not only as an expression of individuality, but as part of the shelter that sustains us. All Christopher Fareed Signature Rugs use only the purest New Zealand Wool, or masterfully blended with Banana Silk in some cases, to guarantee a top level of quality and durability. Child labor free and made with biodegradable, all natural materials. 6 to 8 weeks lead time.… read more


text:
For the dough
Strong white flour (500g)
Salt (1 tsp)
Dry yeast (1 tsp)
Water (275 ml)
Olive oil (1 tbsp)
Oregano (1 tsp)
For the topping
Tomato sauce (2 tbsp)
Black olives (20 - sliced)
Onions (2 - finely sliced)
Tofu (100g)
Nutritional yeast (1 tsp)
Curry (1 tsp - powder)
Soy sauce (1 tsp)
1) In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, oregano, pepper and dried yeast. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Pour most of the water into the well along with the olive oil and bring the dough together with your hands. As the flour is incorporated the dough will start to take shape. Add the remaining water if the dough feels tight or hard.
2) Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
3) Divide the dough into two equal portions, shape each portion and place on a baking tray. Allow to rest for about 15 minutes.
4) Preheat the oven to 220C.
5) Crumble the tofu, mix in the curry, soy sauce and nutritional yeast and reserve.
6) Cover the surface with the tomato sauce, onion, olives and oregano.
7) Top with the tofu mixture.
6) Cook until the base is golden-brown, around 30 minutes.


text:
Posted on August 1, 2011, Phil Hornshaw Comic-Con 2011: Jurassic Park: The Game Hands-On Preview, Part 2
Back at GDC 2011, I got a chance to mess around with a level in Telltale Games' quicktime-event-laden Jurassic Park: The Game. That level featured Dr. Gerry Harding, Jurassic Park's dinosaur veterinarian, and his daughter trying to get to safety with an injured woman in the back of their Jeep. It ended with a triceratops rushing the vehicle, then tangling with a T-Rex.
Story details have trickled in about the game since then, and we'd learned that the mysterious woman in the back of the Jeep was actually some kind of mercenary working for Lewis Dodgson, an executor of corporate espionage for the genetics firm Biosyn. Dodgson is the guy who hired Dennis Nedry (played by Wayne Knight in the film version of JP) to steal dinosaur embryos from his employer, InGen, the company behind the park. From what we'd learned she was among some of Dodgson's agents on Isla Nublar tasked with recovering the embryos Nedry stole.
I got a chance to play a little more of Jurassic Park at Comic-Con 2011 on the show floor, and it was that very scene — the one in which Nima, the mercenary woman, and another of Dodgson's lackeys called Miles Chadwick discover Nedry's stuck Jeep. It stands at the top of the hill just above the road to the East Dock, Nedry's intended destination. It's the exact location from the film where a pair of dilophosaurs — the spitting dinosaurs — cornered Nedry and killed him. And where his Barbasol can of dinosaur embryos disappeared.
Chadwick and Nima arrive on the scene following some kind of tracker left inside the Barbasol can, likely an insurance policy created by Dodgson in order to make sure Nedry didn't have second thoughts about the deal. Chadwick is clearly in charge, and he's also a glasses-wearing, twitchy jerk. Nima, on the other hand, is much more capable.
The scene at first plays much like an investigation in L.A. Noire. Nima and Chadwick locate the Jeep and find Nedry inside, a dilophosaur scampering off in a flash after having been…chewing him. Nima is taken aback by the sighting, but Chadwick doesn't clue her in as to just what Isla Nublar is housing. In short, curt demands, he sends Nima off to look around the scene while he searches the vehicle for the missing canister.
This is where the investigation sets in. The player controls Nima throughout the scene. I played on the PC version of Jurassic Park, although it operated with an Xbox 360 controller. By dragging around the Right Analog Stick, I could look around the scene wherever Nima was standing and interact with objects and other things as they came into sight. When Nima could see something that she could interact with, say a light on the car or footprints she could read, a face button would appear beside it. Tapping or holding would activate information or interaction with the object.
Unlike Telltale's last major adventure title, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park doesn't let players steer the main character around as in traditional games. You can choose where you want Nima to go in a given area by pulling up a series of image thumbnails. One was a picture of the bottom of the hill; another was the darkened tree where Nedry has wrapped the winch cable from the jeep; yet another was the tunnel entrance with a sign for the East Dock beside it. I chose the bottom of the hill and took Nima down to the bottom of the muddy incline.
Here I started retracing Nedry's steps. Nima caught his footprints coming down the hill and saw that the winch cable was meant to free the Jeep from where it had become stuck. Footprints showed Nedry heading toward the tree, and there were animal footprints there, too. No sign of the canister, though.
In analyzing footprints and other things found at the scene, I was able to access Nima's interior monologue by basically asking her questions. Choosing various dialog options (all of which were made available by pulling them up with the Right Trigger) allowed Nima to interact with Chadwick, but several had her asking questions of herself. During a few of these sessions, Nima mentioned "mi amor," someone on behalf of whom she seemed to be pursuing vengeance. Against just whom wasn't clear, though, but later in Chadwick's dialog is the suggestion that Nima wants to "stick it to InGen." Could Nima's love have been hurt or killed by InGen negligence? I have a feeling he was that worker who got snagged by the raptor during the "Shoot hah!" opening of the film (although that'd be a little on the nose, wouldn't it).
After investigating the bottom of the hill, Nima found tracks leading toward the tree. I switched to the thumbnail of the tree and Nima headed over, but it was too dark to see anything. We'd need more light if we were going to figure out what happened to Nedry. At a loss, I returned to the Jeep thumbnail, where I could bother Chadwick, to no avail, and check the area around the Jeep. There was an impression of the mud where Nedry had fallen and the Jeep's tire, caught fast by a log. Finally, I found the light on top of the Jeep, which I was able to adjust to shine on the tree with the winch cable. Time to head back down.
Now I was able to check footprints that showed Nedry approaching the tree to free himself, and something else: animal tracks following Nedry. Not quite hunting him; more curious of what was happening. The tracks showed Nedry heading back up to the Jeep, so I returned there, where Chadwick had grown frustrated. He abandoned the search of the Jeep and Nima took over.
Inside the Jeep, I was able to get more of a picture of what had happened to Nedry and who he was. Candy wrappers suggested he always had food on him, and Nima found a can inside similar to the Barbasol can. Holding it, she began to workout what had happened. Nedry had been pursued to the Jeep. He'd hit his head. He'd fallen backward. And if the canister had been on him — which she believed it would have been, it was too valuable not to be — it could have fallen down the hill. Nima dropped the can and it slipped down the hill to a mound of mud. Heading down, she swept away some gunk to reveal the lost embryos. Mission accomplished.
But not quite. The dilophosaurs were back, making creepy noises in the woods. Chadwick started panicking, pulling a gun and aiming recklessly into the woods. Meanwhile, I could choose dialog options for Nima, and I suggested we jump in Nedry's Jeep and make for the docks. There were other dialog options, but they generally just amounted in Chadwick disagreeing and my picking another option until the story moved forward.
Nima triggered the winch to bring the Jeep down, but it went careening down the hill and nearly flattened Chadwick before slamming into a tree. Now the dilophosaurs were circling, cutting through the woods, and Chadwick was at a full panic. Trapped beside the Jeep, I had to figure out what to do; several useless dialog choices later, I suggested we try to start the Jeep, and when that failed, that I fix it.
Reaching into the hood, Nima discovered the problem — a loose battery cable. (From a head-on collision. No big deal.) Tightening it (I was prompted to push buttons and move the control sticks carefully), she got the car started again, just in time for the dilos to make their move. Chadwick fired as the two ran for the hill, where they stood in the dark, surrounded and fearful. Nima suggested Chadwick give her the gun, but he refused. Then she (I) suggested a distraction, and Chadwick gave her (me) one, by shoving Nima to the ground for the dilos to have.
It didn't quite work, however. The moving meal proved more enticing and the dilos ignored Nima for Chadwick. But Nima wasn't free yet, and like in the Harding chapter I played at GDC, I now had to make it through several quick-time events to avoid death. A dilo sprang for my face, but a quick tap of the right stick when prompted made Nima shove it out of the way. Another appeared beside the Jeep as he ran to it, but rotating the stick a half turn caused Nima to open the Jeep door and slam it in the face. Rotating it back when prompted closed it just before the dilo's blinding venomous spit slammed into the window.
Now one was trying to come through the windshield. I had to floor it backward by holding down a shoulder button, but Nima crashed again in her panic. She jumped out of the car after the accident, avoiding another dinosaur but becoming more and more defenseless. Just before the dilos could take her, there came some new animal noise from the woods, and the dilos turned and ran off.
Momentarily safe, I had a second to contemplate what was happening — something had caused the predators to flee — and to search Chadwick for the embryo canister. Just then, an animal flashed past, leaving Nima's arm bloodied. Quickly and fearfully, she stumbled off into the woods, as glowing white eyes appeared all around and the demo ended.
It's worth mentioning that I died a few times in the attempt to push through the demo. Not every botched controller cue results in failure, but several do, like gassing the Jeep backwards or dodging a few of the dinosaurs at key moments. When that happens, we're dragged back to a checkpoint somewhat earlier in the quick-time scene. As I mentioned in my last hands-on preview, the QTEs might turn off some players, but they're quite well-executed and they keep the tension up while allowing the game to run its story at full bore. It's not unlike Heavy Rain (in a good way), but with less control (in a good way).
I'm even more excited for Jurassic Park, which hopefully falls sometime in October or sooner, after playing this second demo. The game seems to remain true to its source material while expanding things in a logical, Jurassic Park-like manner. If things continue to progress in this vein, Telltale should have something that JP fans will enjoy and that surpasses its last effort, Back to the Future.
Nima images courtesy of Game Informer.


text:
Home > Executive Search Information Portal > The Independent Board Director
The Independent Board Director Job Responsibilities
The Independent Board Director is an advisor to the CEO who provides active oversight of the company's business to minimize corporate risk and promote the creation of shareholder value. The Independent Board Director job serves as a fiduciary: the Director is an active monitor of management. A successful Independent Board Director will challenge its operations, business model, strategies, underlying assumptions, operating performance and leadership development to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. Typically, Directors are subject to an annual election; must attend 6-8 Board meetings a year; and participate in key committees, such as audit and compensation, which meet an additional 6-9 times per year.
Skills Required by Executive Headhunters for Independent Board Director Jobs
Collectively, the board should possess a blend of skills tailored to the company's current business needs and future goals. Ideal board members are pragmatic, strategic, tough-minded, able to offer critical review, and adept at giving direct guidance and feedback. They speak their minds, but also have a sense of partnership and of working towards a common goal. Strategic, financial and operating acumen are imperative for anyone seeking Independent Board Director positions, and the director must have a proven reputation and a track record of excellence in his or her field. Independent Board Directors have a mindset that questions rather than accepts, coupled with the courage to ask difficult questions in a constructive way. They must be interested in making a meaningful contribution and be able to deal with pressure. Executive headhunters and recruiters are looking for Independent Board Director job candidates who can serve on a particular committee, such as audit and compensation, where financial expertise is essential.
Career Experience Desired by Executive Recruiter for Independent Directors
Sitting CEOs have typically been the most sought-after for Independent Board Director positions, but because of time restraints and limitations on the number of directorships that one can hold, executive recruiters and headhunters are turning to Presidents, COOs, CFOs and heads of large operating units to serve as Independent Directors.
Executive headhunters or recruiters look for directors who have faced some of the same problems the hiring company may face in the future.There is a strong demand for Board Directors with international, technology and marketing experience.
BlueSteps Executive Career Insider
Get the latest executive career management advice from BlueSteps.
Stay informed with executive-level career advice delivered right to your inbox.
Get on the list.


text:
Inna Erskine: Bognor Regis, West Sussex
All teachers
Teachers in UK: Aberdeenshire Berkshire Cambridgeshire Channel Islands Cheshire Cornwall Cumbria Devon East Sussex Gloucestershire Hampshire Huntingdonshire Isle of Wight Kent Lanarkshire Lancashire Leicestershire Lincolnshire London - East London - South West Lothian Middlesex Norfolk Northamptonshire Oxfordshire Rutland Somerset South Glamorgan Stirlingshire Suffolk Surrey Sussex Wiltshire Yorkshire - West
Teachers in rest of the world: California Florida Netherlands South Australia
Qualifications ATCL
Teaches Violin
Contact Inna by email
Locale Bognor Regis, South Bersted, North Bersted, Shripney, Aldwick, Felpham, Flansham, Pagham, Barnham, Chichester, Littlehampton, Emsworth, Bosham, Tangmere, Yapton
We are all capable of anything as long as we have the right encouragement!
I absolutely love the challenge and the privilege of leading people along the journey of musical discovery, of figuring out the unique way in which to unlock each persons' potential and giving them tools and skills that will not only help them achieve their musical potential but can help stimulate achievement in all areas of their lives!
Violinbabies and Inna
Children learn when they are engaged – children stay engaged when they are having fun, and StringBabies is all about combining sound musical teaching with fun! By learning to really listen to the children and making each lesson a collaborative journey, the children can participate fully in the lessons and take ownership of their instrument from the outset. Their enjoyment leads to empowerment and sets a path to success!
My thoughts on teaching music
I am passionate about teaching, and equally passionate about the joy and value in music! I believe we all have potential and that we can achieve amazing things if we believe in ourselves. I aim to give everyone that belief in themselves!
Music is an incredible tool that can unlock so many other areas of achievement – the skills needed to listen to yourself and to others apply universally. My goal as a teacher is to encourage each person and to find the best way in which to draw out the best in them. Music becomes a tool with which one can master an instrument, but also to build confidence and self esteem which can benefit in all areas of ones' life.
Musical experience
Inna Erskine is a violin teacher in Bognor Regis and the surrounding area. Inna began playing the violin at the age of 3 1/2, and attended the Royal College of Music Junior Department from the age of 8 studying with Pamela Spofforth and Prof. Grigory Zhislin. She was accepted to The Purcell School of Music at the age of 12, studying with Jean Fiske and Jack Glickman. Chamber Music has always been a strong element of Inna's musical life, playing for many years with her two brothers in a piano trio, and attending chamber music courses both in the UK and in America.
At the age of 17, medical complications in her wrist prevented her playing for a number of years, but Inna rediscovered the joys of music while pregnant with her first child (she now has three) and she went on to achieve a diploma with distinction in 2013. Inna discovered her passion for teaching 10 years ago, with pupils ranging from the age of 3 to 83! She has founded a pre-school programme of music and art in the heart of Bognor Regis called Harmony Hive and incorporates elements of the String Babies method into her work, particularly with pre-schoolers. Inna enjoys group teaching as well as 1:1 lessons with wonderful people of all ages!
Inna on the internet
Inna in social site[s]
all tutors - other tutors: Kay Tucker, Sara Stagg, Audrey Gullick, Kirsty Hugill, Simon Trentham, Allyxa Ruby, Sally Riddex, Linda Horne, Sheena Ferguson, Judith Rae, Anita Felton, Monica Das, Karen Hubbard, Ann Beresford, Lucia D'Avanzo-Lewis, Catherine Chamberlin, Rachel Luton, Kathleen White, Caroline Rowlands, Danielle Jones, Yvette Madden, Rachel Hall, Emily Young, Fiona Hedges, Vanessa Balkwill, Gina Wingfield, Petrea Cooney, Heather Lander, Sharon Griffiths, Joanna Biltcliffe, Catherine Jones, Marie Connell, Kate Lillington, Jennifer Bailey, Mark Anstead, Molly Palmer, Scott Whitefield, Katherine Collison,


text:
News | Newsbriefs | Events | Sports | Schools | People | Police | Legals | Bulletin Board | Letters | Progress | Readers Choice
The Science Museum of Minnesota will present its "Science Matters" program at Weaver Elementary School starting at 9:30 a.m. Jan.
The North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School Board approved District 622's final 2015 property-tax levy at its December 16 meeting.
Around a dozen Edgerton Elementary 4-5-6th-grade choir members made a surpise caroling visit with Cecilia Gresback, a 97-year old Maplewood resident Dec. 16. Next, the singers were off to the Maplewood Mall for a singing engagement. (Linda Baumeister/Review)
Carolers sent from across the country
The scene: following a fresh sprinkling of snow, 14 young carolers from Edgerton Elementary School file into Cecilia Gresback's living room, filling her Maplewood home with song and good tidings. The 97-year-old rocks her chair back and forth and claps her hands, keeping tempo with the carolers as they sing "Holly Jolly Christmas" with a keyboard accompaniment.
Her daughter, Rita Shor, sitting by her side, can hardly keep her eyes dry.
Public feedback helps formulate desired attributes
The District 622 School Board has approved a superintendent profile to be used for recruiting and selecting the district's next superintendent.
Superintendent Patty Phillips announced she would be retiring at the end of the school year after 10 years as District 622's top administrator.
Linda Baumeister/Review
Cowern Elementary honored veterans at the all-school assembly Nov. 11. Veterans were invited as special guests, and students and staff were encouraged to invite neighbors and friends, as well as family members who have served.
Rigorous academics, athleticism, and making collegiate decisions were celebrated with eight North High students on the NCAA College Signing Day Nov. 12.
Patty Phillips
Superintendent Patty Phillips has announced she will be retiring from her position as the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale district's top administrator at the end of the school year after 10 years at the helm.
The North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District has three school board terms due to expire in January, currently held by Amy Coborn, Mark Wheeler and Michelle Yener.
There truly is no place like home as the musical "The Wizard of Oz" lands on the stage at Tartan.
Ice Arena to construct two new locker rooms for the Hill-Murray hockey program. The James Steele Construction Company of St. Paul is removing dirt and creating a hole measuring 32 feet by 55 feet for the new addition at the county-owned arena. The private high school is financing the project. (Wally Wakefield/Review staff)
The Hill-Murray boys hockey program has entered into a unique partnership with Ramsey County to build its own locker rooms at Aldrich Ice Arena.
Jump back to navigation
Lillie Suburban Newspapers
2515 E. Seventh Ave.
North St. Paul, MN 55109
Phone: (651) 748-7800
Fax: (651) 777-8288
Copyright 2014 | Lillie Suburban Newspapers | All Rights Reserved
Surf New Media


text:
Some people think of Elizabeth as a "mean girl," but she begs to differ. She likes what she likes and does not want to be told what to do. At Manchester Middle School she is the head cheerleader, and always has a crew of cheerleaders following her around. She once tried to side with King George III against the colonists so she could have great clothes! Her soft spot is for Tommy – she thinks he's cute.
|Public speaking
|Being bossy
"My, my, my, what do we have here? Do any of you have hall passes?…Do any of you have any fashion sense at all?"


text:
Anna is a first-person horror adventure that explores the darkest depths of the human psyche. Set in an abandoned sawmill nestled high in the mountains, Anna challenges you to uncover horrific clues and use them to solve puzzles related to your character's dark past. As you play, Anna will change locations and unveil new secrets. The way you play will not only determine the mental health of your main character, but will also lead to one of three possible endings.
Feature Highlights:
Feature Highlights:
- A haunting tale of psychological terror
- Three possible endings, each determined by the player's actions in the storyline
- Physics-based environmental puzzles
- A faithful 3D recreation of the Italian countryside and a sinister sawmill that await your exploration
- Atmospheric soundtrack
- Brain-twisting puzzles to solve and horrific clues to uncover
- Intel Mac
- Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later
Anna is available now for $9.99 (USD).
Return to Full Article - InsideMacGames News


text:
System Center Team has release a new beta service pack for System Center Virtual Machine Manager Self Service Manager Portal 2.0. This is now available via connect as a Public Beta. You can use below mentioned link to download this beta version of the service pack
there are few notable changes which gets added with this services pack. Before evaluating this service pack in my test lab, I thought of providing a general overview of new features which gets added
1) Set Expiry of Virtual Machine -> this is a new capability which gets added after applying SP1 Beta. This feature will allow administrators to set expiry on a virtual machine, and the virtual machine will automatically get deleted after a specified time period.
2) Notifications for Administrators -> it's now possible to notify Business Unit Administrator or Datacenter Administrators regarding various events
3) Move Infrastructure between different business units -> this features provides capability to move infrastructure from one business unit to another
4) Import Virtual Machines -> Datacenter Administrators can import machines which were created using VMM and also re-import machines which were removed from self-service portal
I will be evaluating this beta and hoping to provide more details in my future blog posts.


text: Burgatory is a friendly little joint that makes some of the best burgers and shakes you've ever had. We don't serve frozen processed stuff here. We work with local dairies, growers, butchers and bakers who care as much as we do about doing things right. So, whether you're digging into one of our custom burgers or slurping one of our ridiculously thick shakes, we're going to bring you a dining experience that's pretty close to heaven.Enjoy your stay in Burgatory.


text:
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Brunch at Boutique Eat Shop
Side of bacon $5. Most generous portion I've ever seen. Unfortunately, none of it was crispy.
French toast with sausage, onion & apple $12. I liked the fluffiness of the french toast, but there wasn't anything very special about it.
Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict with sauteed spinach & prosciutto wrapped asparagus $14. An interesting looking eggs benedict. I like it when there's spinach in eggs benedict, and the asparagus on the side helped with fulfilling a portion of vegetables for my meal. The dish wasn't spectacular, but it was decent.
Overall a fine but forgettable meal, hence the 2 month lag in writing this post.
My friend tried to order a latte and the server said that the restaurant does not have espresso nor do they have loose tea-- only tea bags and French press coffee. The service was scattered and we weren't checked on throughout the entire meal. Even the bill took a long time to be returned to us after we gave our credit cards.
I just looked up the brunch menu on Boutique Eat Shop's website and it's changed since I visited the restaurant in January. The eggs benedict and french toast are both different from those pictured & described here.
559 West 22nd Street (between 10th Avenue & West Street)
New York, NY 10011
Phone number: (212)414-8700
Website: www.boutiqueeatshop.com
View Larger Map
Posted by Lauren at 9:33 PMPin It Now!
Labels: American, Boutique Eat Shop, Brunch, Chelsea, NYC
1 comment:
- AnonymousApril 12, 2011 at 2:07 AM
Thanks for an idea, you sparked at thought from a angle I hadnât given thoguht to yet. Now lets see if I can do something with it.ReplyDelete
cheap clomid
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
MegaPath Blog
The transition to cloud-based technology is well underway. Given the demands of the current business culture, it's not all that surprising. Streamlining business performance with cloud-based communication services is on the rise – according to a VoIP survey by research firm Infonetics, the number of seats for hosted Hosted PBX and unified communications services is on track to more than double between 2012 and 2016.
But, there are still sectors of the professional sphere that are holding out and hanging on to the "tried-and-true" systems they know. The logic naysayers' claim is behind this standoff:
At face value, the logic appears sound. After all, budgets are never really set in stone and businesses with a checkered technological past have earned the right to be wary of change.
It's all true to a point, but let's play devil's advocate and present a counterargument – a counterargument that begins with the statement:
Appearances being what they are, the move from traditional communications to streamlined solutions will actually expose the flaws within the traditional communication pipeline that loyalists have been struggling to circumvent for years.
Disparate, legacy phone and internet services do not increase workplace flexibility, user accessibility, or technological compatibility. Companies are left to nursemaid these archaic models while their competitors reap the benefits of cost-effective self-automation, integration and improved productivity.
Outdated business phone systems create a host of problems. If your goal is to remain competitive (and whose isn't?), it will be harder to do so if your competitors upgrade their communication services and features and you stay behind to wait it out. In order to stay competitive more businesses will need to transition to cloud-based services sooner than later.
Let's examine 5 ways businesses are streamlining communications and cutting costs by moving to a Hosted Voice over IP (Hosted VoIP) solution.
Hosted VoIP solutions are helping businesses of all sizes manage the provisioning of business-class services with significant impacts to the bottom-line. False perceptions should not override good business sense. Traditional phone systems are being replaced by more cost-effective, streamlined solutions that make communication more productive and affordable. Learn more about MegaPath's Voice solutions or contact us.


text:
By Jo Scrimshaw, Oct 17 2015 05:00PM
We decided to take a trip to Gibraltar, to visit the barracks, that were home to my husband Dan whilst he was a young man, serving in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. He left Gibraltar, (know as Gib, to the ex pat community) in 1970. 45 years is a long time in anyone's life. We all make changes as the years go past, but the landscape of Gibraltar has been profoundly reshaped with so much new housing and support services. Gibraltar has a new runway and large sections of land, reclaimed from the sea. We set out on the first day to find South Barracks. Frustration soon set in, when we couldn't actually get to anywhere that looked familiar to him. Old memories of a balcony overlooking the port, wobbled in his head as we found assorted buildings that "might be" South Barracks. A local man directed us up yet another steep road, reminding Dan of route marches up hills that felt so much easier back then. We were on the verge of giving up for the day, when the turn of a corner revealed our goal. There it was ! It is a school now but the verandah and door were still there, surprisingly familiar. Memories flooded back, for time has no meaning when the past opens a door with so much to view. With the building as a centrepiece to the past, local roads, gateways and steps reshaped the mental landscape, fading out all the new buildings that had felt so dominant when we first arrived. He was, for a few moments, back in 1970. The parade ground is now a car park and the port that used to house the Navy and the stores, has been let out to local businesses as workshops and industrial units. But the South Barracks building still exists, claiming its place in history, along with the Barbary apes, the tunnels, caves, military signs and Governors Residence (complete with uniformed military guards)..
Dan isn't disappointed. Now that he has found his focus, he can see the changes as good things. He is keen to come back again and explore parts of the island that are new or were inaccessible when he was last here. Finding that one building allowed him to move on. His past memories had found acknowledgment.
I am reminded of my own search for the statue of a stone Boar. Claremont Woods and Lakes were a regular destination for picnics during my childhood. My first task was always to run into the woods and search out the magical stone boar. The second task was to find the lake and walk through the overgrown grotto that shrouded a crescent shape at its northern shore. I always loved the C.S.Lewis stories of the children through the wardrobe. That stone Boar was my very own Mr Tumnus, and the lake undoubtedly housed fairies and elves. 35 years later I agreed to meet a friend there. The gardens had been restored to their former glories. The landscaped steps and the genteel picnic areas, were ready for new generations of children. The stone Boar stood proudly in an open area and the path round the lake was neatly manicured. My expectation was a refurbished garden, that still had a boar to find and fairies hiding in the undergrowth. However, after the initial surprise, I recognised that this new layout was the only one that new visitors knew about. They will make their own stories and dream their own dreams and they will expect their vision of places to stay the same.
Expectations are natural. Dan had expectations that he would find more of his old Gibraltar, and I had expectations that my childhood memories would stay the same. Expectations are our hope for the future, but they are also our fears. Despite the fact that it's only October, the shops are filling up with Christmas items. I know that there are lots of people who look forward to the seasonal festivities with the same expectations that they had as children. A time for families to come together, lights to twinkle, parties, presents to open and a large jovial man with promises of bounty. But there are, I'm sure, an equal number who expect Christmas to be stressful; filled only with excess and being obliged to spend the day with people they don't see all year. Maybe they don't have anyone to spend it with, or the money to make the day anything special.
Expectations are an anticipation of a future that is created in our heads. A myriad of electrical impulses based on life experiences and random information gathered, scrambled and presented in our minds as a concrete picture. But life will change our every expectation into reality at some stage. I don't know about you, but the reality never matches the way I think it will be.
Worrying about an event in the future is compulsive viewing. It beats anything that the tv companies can come up with. It consumes our thoughts, robs us of sleep and changes the way we act.
Anticipating an exciting event can put a spring in our steps and a positive outlook. It seems that Doctors look for positive events to help patients deal with acute depression. Having something to look forward to is a significant tool for those who feel overwhelmed with life.
Either way, we need to find balance. Finding the middle ground, where life is calmer and restful, is en essential part of dealing with expectations. The current movement in Mindfulness and Meditation, offer us real tools to accept change and maintain that balance.
Expectations are a part of life. Change happens all the time. If we deal with them well, we become stronger in every way.
Sometimes we just need some acknowledgement that we exist in the world, shaped by our past and open to our futures. Dan had his balcony and I still had a boar and a lake. The future is on its way, forming itself out of the mist of our actions, thoughts and feelings. But right here, right now, I am thoroughly enjoying sitting in a historic square, with seagulls squawking their way back to the port and the sounds of the world waking up for another day. Works for me ...x
#expectations #gibraltarsouthbarracks #RRF1970 #Claremontwoods #mindfulness #balance #managingchange