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Josh Beckett returned to Dodger Stadium this weekend with his former team in town, and had positive news to report regarding his recovery.
At the end of June, Beckett was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. In early July, he underwent surgery to remove his top rib. The surgery was to relieve pressure on the compressed nerve in his shoulder and neck area.
Beckett, who was 0-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 43 1/3 innings for the Dodgers this season before shutting it down, experienced numbness and tingling in his right fingers.
Beckett said the nerve symptoms are gone, and he's been doing lower-body lifting.
"There's no reason for my shoulder not to be as strong as it's been in the last 15 years," Beckett said. "Everything is going good, I feel better."
Beckett said that two weeks after the surgery, he was doing things a lot of guys who have had the surgery were not doing until the fourth week.
"They cut a rib out of my spine, basically," Beckett said. "And I came through it quicker than most have. There's still some hurdles to get over. But I feel good for where I'm at. I don't think anyone expected me to be where I'm at."
The plan was for Beckett to start throwing in the eighth week after surgery.
"I beat it by one week," said Beckett, who also took a week off during the process for the birth of his daughter.
Beckett plans to throw on Wednesday in Dallas, seven weeks after the surgery.
"I'd like to get off the mound three times to get over the mental block," Beckett said. "I'll start throwing next week, three or four times off the mound and then shut it down. When I start throwing in December, I won't have the mental stuff to worry about."
It marked the first surgery Beckett has had in 13 major-league seasons and 1,935 1/3 innings pitched.
The Dodgers turned their season around in Beckett's absence, which he said he's happy to see.
"I'm not frustrated, I'm glad they are winning," Beckett said. "Obviously, it's an exciting team to watch, 50,000 fans staying through nine innings — it's fun."
Catcher switch
Tim Federowicz had been the catcher for Chris Capuano for 11 consecutive starts before Sunday's game against Boston. Capuano has had more success with Federowicz behind the plate than starter A.J. Ellis, but Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said he wanted to change things a little bit, like he did with Ricky Nolasco.
"It's kind of the same reason I flipped A.J onto Ricky," Mattingly said. "I wanted to kind of mix that up a little bit. One start with Ricky, A.J. caught him, then Federowicz went back to him. I want to keep the playing time the same. "
Capuano has not gone past five innings in his last three starts.
"Capuano has been OK the last couple times out, but I wanted to change the dynamic a little bit," Mattingly said.
Dodgers liked Victorino
An off-shoot of the blockbuster Dodgers-Red Sox trade a year ago Sunday was that the Dodgers had no need to re-sign Shane Victorino. The "Flyin' Hawaiian" made his way east, signing with the Red Sox for three years and $39 million.
Victorino hit .245 with two home runs and 15 RBIs for the Dodgers in 45 games. He went into Sunday's game batting .285 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs for the Red Sox.
Carl Crawford, who replaced Victorino in left field as the primary left fielder for the Dodgers, is batting .293 with five home runs and 23 RBIs with 52 runs scored and 13 stolen bases.
"I think we would have probably made a run at Victorino if we don't get Carl," Mattingly said. "We probably would have tried to keep Vic. You know, we like him."


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Admin4 is a tool for server maintenance via several plugin modules, running on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and many more platforms. Currently, plugins for BIND DNS, LDAP, and PostgreSQL are included. It is designed as a framework, using Python for fast development of plugins and custom modifications. The DNS plugin should be able to query (axfr) any type of server, and performs updates via DDNS, which ensures that it won't interfere with other DDNS clients (DHCP, SAMBA4). For BIND 9.7 and up, statistics are supported as well and used to retrieve the server's zones automatically. The LDAP plugin features browsing and generic editing of all types of LDAP entries with schema support. In addition, high-level editing of objects like users, groups and samba domains is supported. Custom objectClasses and attributes can easily be added. The PostgreSQL module features a query tool with centrally stored snippets, a data tool with filter presets and a database object browser.
KinderGate Parental Control features content filtering based on morphological analysis, a vast URL database divided into 70+ categories, download control, safe search, HTTPS support, and more. It provides high accuracy Web filtering with an extremely low false detection rate. It blocks resources related to malware, porn, drugs, abusive content, illegal materials, and other categories. It is widely used by schools, libraries, and home users.
Harris is a strategy game based around the actions of RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War. In Harris, you take on the role of the Commander-in-Chief of Bomber Command, tasked with launching bombing raids against Nazi Germany. It is your responsibility to take the war to the enemy and destroy their capacity and will to wage war.
Synth is a C++ template framework - a set of components that can be mixed and matched to build the right functionality; furthermore, components are loosely-coupled, designed to be both extensible and replaceable. Synth blurs the line between compile-time and runtime, and it does so by blending the static C++ type system, the dynamic values that need to be manipulated and formatted, including those from other languages, and the templates to do so. The name is an allusion to this synthesis process, which combines values to generate new ones (streams, files, strings, numbers, etc.)
A network protocol analyzer for Mac OS X.
A C language Web framework.

subset: commoncrawl


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The 'Happy Endings' Engagement: The Tricky Union of Friends and Romantic Partners
So you've got a new love brewing… and this might be, dare you say, the one. They're sweet, thoughtful, they totally get you. Your personalities mesh well, your interests align, your parents approve. There's only hurdle you haven't yet overcome: your friends. Those horribly judgmental, scathingly abrasive, disconcertingly alienating monsters. The very same ones you love dearly and have spent every waking minute with since your mid teens. You know that no matter how perfect your latest romantic partner might be, the ganglion of derision that you call your social circle will undoubtedly disapprove.
But is that for certain? Is there any chance that you an successfully meld both fields of your life to result in a dynamic smorgasbord of self-efficacy? Or will something always be… off?
Tuesday night's Happy Endings braved the question when Penny (Casey Wilson) and her Season 3 boyfriend Pete (Nick Zano) got engaged. The turn of events came as a surprise to fans aplenty, largely because Happy Endings isn't ordinarily too heavy on the overarching plot. More than this, the show has thrived on its main characters existing as a self-contained, impermeable mass of codependency and affectionate self-destruction. Where might the newbie, nice guy Pete, fit in with this lifelong band of pals?
And along with the question as an in-universe quandary do we wonder how Zano might fit in on the show. It's true, Zano's career is not yet too busy for him to make weekly supporting player appearances on Happy Endings. But very rarely do cast members of this nature on shows like Happy Endings advance to permanence.
Thinking back to Happy Endings' spiritual predecessor Friends, we recall Mike: a Paul Rudd of middling fame who was introduced in the penultimate season as a love interest for Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow). Rudd would maintain a presence throughout the run of the series, appearing right up until Friends' finale, but never truly evolved to a platform of equal stature among the central gang. In fact, the occasional joke surrounding Mike was that he was largely an outsider looking in at the Central Perk madness. One episode even invested an entire storyline in Ross' (David Schwimmer) inability to find anything to talk about with Mike.
Predating Friends in this endeavor, and somewhat more successfully, was Cheers. Over the course of its 12-year run, the Boston-set sitcom introduced not one but two characters as significant others, eventually granting each opening titles billing. Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) was introduced in the Season 3 premiere of Cheers as a love interest for leading lady Diane (Shelley Long). Although initially penned as a temporary character, the writers and fans loved Frasier enough to keep him around for 8 years (not to mention an 11-season spin-off). And from Frasier came Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth), his fellow psychiatrist and love interest introduced in Cheers' fourth season in a similar circumstance. Although only planned as a one-off character, Lilith returned in Season 5, and stuck around through the final year (marrying, divorcing, and remarrying Frasier during her tour on the series).
Many a series has made it happen: Will & Grace kept both Bobby Cannavale and Harry Connick, Jr. around; 30 Rock introduced James Marsden as a boyfriend for Tina Fey's Liz Lemon last season — now, with the series finale set for this Thursday, the two are happily married and new parents to a pair of adopted nincompoops.
But so many a series, those mentioned included, have brought in romantic guest stars just to ship them off into oblivion again when the time comes. So what will be the case with Happy Endings and Zano? If the ABC series is planning to keep him around, how the hell is that going to work?
As was the case with Rudd on Friends, there is room for comedy in the "odd man out" phenomenon. As the only sane one in this bunch of kooks, Zano can supply a new brand of deadpan humor in reaction to the psychologically alarming, ethically barren antics of Penny and company. Of course, Rudd also exhibited another phenomenon: the endless supply of errands. Oftentimes, Mike was nowhere to be found while Phoebe was hanging around with her West Village harem. He'd be off at work or running an errand or starring in Anchorman. Perhaps Happy Endings will go the same route with Zano, bringing him around for pertinent plots but shafting him to the background for scenes consisting only of the traditional sextet.
And of course, there is always the chance that Zano will go the way of so many sitcom beaus… perhaps even leaving Penny at the altar (or vice versa), a la the Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) and Dave (Zachary Knighton) debacle that sparked the whole series.
More than any other sitcom does Happy Endings have its comedy down pat. It understands what makes itself funny and devotes itself to that with vigor. As such, no matter what path the show takes with Zano, we can look forward to terrific comedy. As far as real life goes, though… keep your significant others far away from your friends. It never works.
[Photo Credit: ABC]
'Happy Endings' Double Recap: Who Got Engaged?!
'New Girl' Recap: The One Where Nick and Jess…
The Least Normal Things About 'The New Normal': Breast Feeding Edition
Miley Cyrus Teaches Us Yoga on the Beach — INFOGRAPHIC


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Boot Barn Item #: 2008160
Color: Click a button belowcolor
size: Click a button below Size Chartsize
- Faux leather
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- Stud embellishments
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- 2 money slots
- 8 card slots
- Zipper change pocket in middle
Modern, chic, and western—those are the words that come to mind when viewing this Floral Embossed Wallet. The interior affords plenty of space with 8 card slots, 2 money slots, and a change pocket in the middle. Pair with one of the two matching handbags to complete the set.
Style(s): 1172215W
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Print M&F Western Products has been manufacturing and distributing western accessories since 1969. Family owned M&F Western Products has built its reputation on fast, consistent shipping of quality western accessories for over 30 years. M&F western products include top selling bolo ties, fashion jewelry, belts, wallets, and much more! These products don't just have great style, but they are functional and dependable as well.


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Black Cats to travel to Goodison in Carabao Cup third round.
Images from Wednesday evening's training session at the home of Hajduk Split.
Details of Season Tickets for next term.
Purchase tickets from Season Ticket Holders who can't attend from our Official Ticket Marketplace, StubHub.
Order the 2017/18 home strip here.
Order from the new 2017/18 training range now.
New goalkeeper home strip available now.
Highlights of every Everton game - plus U23 and U18 action as well.
A rundown of the latest injuries and suspensions affecting the senior squad.
Current availability for upcoming fixtures.
Check out available sponsorship packages for the 2017/18 season.
Take a step inside the world-renowned Everton Academy.
Discover more about Everton in the Community.
Details on our forthcoming coaching camps for youngsters.
An interactive journey through our illustrious history, from 1878 to present day.
Learn all you need to know about the men who have sat in the managerial hotseat.
Learn more about the charity that supports former Blues.
Information, meeting notes and contact details of supporter group.
Find out more about the summer's fundraising cycle challenge.
Information about accessibility and the Everton Disabled Supporters Association (EDSA).
by Stephen Sanders
Shop the Commemorative Range NOW
Blues boss gives his verdict on forward's decision to call time on international career.
Split manager Joan Carillo gives his view ahead of Thursday's second leg in Croatia.


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So now Patrick "Miss Manners" Chan is giving etiquette advice. What a jerk! As if Johnny Weir cares about what Notorious Bigmouth has to say."If you were watching yesterday, Johnny Weir put the flowers on (his) head," Chan said.
"That's like a big no-no. You don't do that. You have to have some kind of professionalism and that's just kind of- you're making fun and you know, giving it a bad image, I think, in my mind.
"It's something that you don't do. You're supposed to be proper."
When will Chan ever learn to zip his lip and stop talking about other competitors? It just is rude, stupid and infantile.


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HOUSTON - A pair of suspected purse snatchers were caught on surveillance video making use of the stolen goods, police said.
Houston police said the men are wanted robbers.
The victims, two women, were walking from their vehicle in a parking lot in the 17800 block of Tomball Parkway about 10 p.m. Nov. 21 with their purses over their shoulder. That's when, police said, two men ran up from behind them and grabbed their purses.
"We were walking toward the bar and a male came up behind us, snatched my purse and it was her instinct to then turn around elbow them," one of the victims said. "That's when he grabbed her purse and threw her to the ground."
Police said one of the victims ran after the men. It was at that point that one of the men waved a knife at her and took off in a dark-colored car, police said.
Angry at the fact they stole her identification, credit cards and keys, one of the victims began doing some investigating. She said she went to all the places the men used her credit card and got surveillance video. Police said one of the men was seen holding her credit card in the video.
"The hope is we can get an identification and identify who these people are and bring them accountable for what they've done," said the woman.
Police and the two victims hope someone can recognize the men in the video. Once positively identified, the men will face charges of aggravated robbery.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
Copyright 2013 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Heh, yeah, this happened to me every single time I stood up for two days after giving blood. Oddly enough, I don't usually have this problem while actually giving blood and immediately afterwards, but a couple hours after I donated I started having this happen. It happens to me a lot anyway (a few times a week), though, so I know that when I start to feel the tunnel vision coming on, I have a couple seconds of diminishing lucidity to grab onto a support or kneel down and ride it out. At worst, I lose awareness of my surroundings, but I never completely lose consciousness. It also used to happen several times a day back in early high school, I think because of a medication I was taking back then. It really doesn't bother me much since I'm so used to it, and I'm pretty good at grabbing onto things and holding on discretely if I'm around people, but if it happens when someone's talking to me, I can no longer hear what they're saying and it's tough to hide what's happening and that's pretty embarrassing. When I'm not self-conscious about other people around and I'm in a safe position, I kind of like the very brief, almost blissful lack of awareness outside myself.Aum wrote:I'll never forget two years ago when I was getting blood work done, the technician took my blood and to my surprise I didn't faint. I was so happy. I laid there for 10 minutes to be certain, and then got up and left. As I walked down the street I started to get tunnel vision, and the only safe place nearby were the steppes of a church that I ran up and collapsed on, all fours splayed out so archetypically at the door of the church. I must have looked all "save me!" like. When I woke up there were two random people from the street asking if I was ok. It was such a gong show. lulz
I was a little worried though, I was supposed to go SCUBA diving three days after giving blood this time, and if it was still happening frequently by then that probably wouldn't have been a good idea. It cleared up though, and I had no problems.
I wonder if I have the same thing you do, Aum. I always asked my doctors about it when it was happening very frequently and they always just told me it was medically normal and not to worry about it. I was always curious though about what was actually happening.


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These Ariat Men's Workhog work boots will keep your feet comfortable and safe through those long work days! These boots are made from durable, comfortable full-grain leather and they feature a shock absorbing EVA midsole. The tread design on the outsole is self-cleaning and non-tracking. The patented Duratread rubber outsole is oil and slip resistant for your safety. Ariat's patent-pending U-Turn entry system helps accommodate high arches with a hidden flexible gore panel in the back of the shaft that provides just enough 'give' to get feet past the turn with ease.
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Ariat Boots quickly became known as the most innovative and performance riding boots. They provide the same technology in men's riding boots, women's riding boots and kids riding boots. They totally redesigned the traditional outsole, arch support and last shape and took Ariat Boots to the next level in riding boot technology. While building the technology into these western riding boots, Ariat had hundreds of top riders help design and develop their final product.
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LONDON (AP) - Britain's High Court has ruled that a Christian was unfairly demoted for posting his opposition to gay marriage on Facebook.
Adrian Smith was stripped of his management position with the Trafford Housing Trust in northwest England and had his salary cut by 40 percent after posting that gay weddings in churches were "an equality too far."
The trust said Smith broke its code of conduct by expressing religious or political views that might upset co-workers.
But High Court judge Michael Briggs ruled Friday that Smith had been "taken to task for doing nothing wrong" and found his employer guilty of breach of contract.
Smith says he is glad the court had backed the principle that "Britain is a free country where people have freedom of speech."
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/3/2013 (1609 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Have you ever sat down and seriously contemplated the contribution beer has made to the development of modern civilization?
No, of course you haven't! That's because you are what we like to call "normal" and have to juggle the complicated demands of work and family life, whereas Canadian researchers apparently have way too much time on their hands.
I say that based on news reports I have just read stating that a team of researchers from Simon Fraser University has made a remarkable discovery -- beer-making was crucial to the development of human civilization as we know it today.
As the official spokesman for guys of my gender, I would like to issue my reaction to this major breakthrough in the following heartfelt statement: "Duh!"
I'm kidding, naturally. The truth is, this is the kind of groundbreaking discovery that all of us, regardless of gender, race, religion or education level, can feel proud to support, especially if we have consumed between eight and 12 beers.
What you need to know is that three archeologists at SFU synthesized dozens of studies on the ancient Natufian culture that, about 10,000 years ago, occupied a region just east of the Mediterranean Sea in what we now call the Middle East, thought to be the cradle of agriculture in the ancient world.
According to the reports I read and partially understood, a love for beer appears to have played a key role in driving these nomadic hunter-gatherers to settle down in stable communities that grew crops, such as the cereal grains needed for brewing beer.
The researchers are quoted as saying "the domestication of cereals was for the purposes of brewing beer rather than for basic subsistence purposes."
Here's how the New York Times summarized the Canadian study in the headline on a recent article: "How beer gave us civilization." You don't want to argue with the New York Times, do you? No, I didn't think so.
While I am not technically an archeologist, I can state with some authority that the invention of beer is shrouded in mystery, because I am too tired to look it up online. There is little doubt it stretches back to prehistoric times, as we see from this fictional transcript:
First caveman: "What's that?"
Second caveman: "I call it 'The Wheel!' "
First caveman: "Cool! What's it for?"
Second caveman: "No idea, but I'll bet it'll be huge as soon as someone invents the internal combustion engine."
First caveman: "Sweet! Why don't we roll it over to my cave and celebrate with a few beers?"
Second caveman: "Sounds good. Maybe later I'll invent the pizza, possibly chicken wings."
First caveman: "What's a chicken?"
History aside, the point is, it is safe to say that, without the influence of beer, great people such as Columbus, Jacques Cartier and Einstein would not have made their major discoveries. It is safe to say that because all those people are dead and, therefore, unlikely to hire lawyers.
Do you know how many discoveries were made because of the existence of beer? I personally don't have a clue, but I'll bet it numbers in the hundreds, possibly thousands. Off the top of my head, I doubt we would have beer-league hockey if it weren't for this frosty beverage. To say nothing of professional darts, bungee jumping, lingerie football and NASCAR.
I can also assure you that, based on my own experience, many of mankind's greatest achievements occurred after some daring pioneer screwed up his courage, turned to his colleagues and uttered these legendary words: "Hold my beer and watch this!"
What we do know, thanks to the Canadian researchers, is that the beer sucked back by the ancient Natufians was far different than modern suds. Here's what they state in their paper in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory:
"Beers made in traditional tribal or village societies generally are quite different from modern industrial beers. Traditional beers often have quite low alcohol contents (two to four per cent), include lactic acid fermentation giving them a tangy and sour taste, contain various additives such as honey or fruits, and vary in viscosity, from clear liquids to soupy mixtures."
So these would have been the perfect beers for fraternity keg parties, because modern university students would not know good beer if it ran up and bit them, which some of these ancient beers probably could.
Forgive me for getting emotional, but it's important, as a society, to remember where we came from. I personally am a middle-aged, overweight newspaper columnist with only a handful of brain cells to rub together.
And to think I owe it all to beer!
doug.speirs @freepress.mb.ca


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Burley-in-Wharfedale cyclist Scott Thwaites had to settle for sixth place after another encouraging ride in the classic Belgian Nokere Koerse race.
Thwaites, who has enjoyed a good start to his European season, was edged out of a podium place in a mass sprint at the end of the 200 kilometers from Ronse to Nokere.
In the last stage, a 15-kilometer circuit had to be completed eight times. Bel-gian Kenny Dehaes (Lotto Belisol) took the win ahead of fellow countryman Tom van Asbroeck (Topsport Vlaanderen) with French-man Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ). Thwaites led the NetApp-Endura pros home.
"It was a tough, fast race, and the boys rode really well, especially starting out," said NetApp Endura team director André Schulze.
"Up until the end we had two riders in the lead group, Jan Barta and Michael Schwarzmann, but the pack unfortunately caught up with them in the last few kilometers. "The team set up the sprint for Scott, putting him in a good position 350metres before the finish line.
"You have to keep in mind that it is a technically highly challenging stretch down to the finish, going downhill first then rising in the last several meters on cobble-stones.
"The position came a little bit early for Scott, so he was unable to hold up with the sprint for the podium up front," The stage saw a group of 15 riders break away after 50 kilometres.
NetApp-Endura's Jan Barta and Michael Schwarz-mann made it into this group. The breakaway group did not achieve a significant lead, however. Instead, the riders fell back one after the other.
On the final lap the last riders from the breakaway were caught and the race was decided in a mass sprint.


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This Saturday, Farm Aid turns 25 by rocking Milwaukee with a star-studded benefit to support the American farmer and grow the Good Food Movement…
Better yet, the event will be televised and co-hosted by none other than Cook Like An Iron Chef's Michael Symon. Events run all weekend long, but if you aren't in Milwaukee, catch it on Direct TV's The 101 — Saturday, October 2nd at 6pm ET. Find out how and when to watch it here.
Any Food People going? We want Field Correspondents. Take pictures and post your blog links in the Comments below or share them to our Facebook page. We'll post our favorites back here on Devour — the blog.
Line up includes:
Willie Nelson
Neil Young
John Mellencamp
Dave Matthews
Kenny Chesney
Norah Jones
Jason Mraz
Jeff Tweedy
Band of Horses
The BoDeans
Amos Lee
Robert Francis
Lukas Nelson and The Promise of the Real
The Blackwood Quartet
Randy Rogers Band
While you're waiting for Saturday, check out Michael's Cook Like An Iron Chef Gallery:
Cooking Channel Related:
- Watch Farm Aid
- Donate to Farm Aid
- Farm Aid on Direct TV – The 101
- Cook Like An Iron Chef Official Site
- The Next Iron Chef — Food Network
Have you ever been to Farm Aid? Are you going? Share your pics below or on our Facebook page.


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I frequently get emails from clients with small updates regardless whether they have a CMS or not. I try to keep track of all these small changes because in terms of time, it adds up! I keep files and invoice perhaps once a year if is just a few hours here and there but when time has passed I always feel silly for charging a full hour for something that perhaps took 10 minutes, but these small changes and edits can be quite stressful at the moment and disruptive to productivity.
If you count receiving the email, trying to understand what the client says, perhaps a follow up question, opening project files, loggin in to ftp or cms, emailing the client back to tell the change was done, then try to get back into whatever I was doing, we are no longer talking about 10 minutes...
Several years ago a prospective client I met with complained about a quote they had received from another consultant because their minimum charge for change requests was three hours. This stuck in my mind as a good idea, but not something I have implemented. I would be interested in knowing how others handle this.
I don't do small changes, so I can't really speak to it from a "this is what I do" experience, but if I were to implement such a feature into my tool set, I'd set a minimum charge purely for the reasons you mentioned.
I also would likely go with a 3 or higher hour minimum. Why? Because I want the client to bundle as many small changes at once to be worth my time and theirs. Why pay me 3 hours to do a 10 minute change, when you can pay me 3 hours for doing 6 items that took me closer to the full 3 hours of work I quoted. Unfortunately, I think most consultant don't explain very well why they charge a minimum of 3 hours and how that is actually beneficial to their client as well as themselves.
If you do implement such a policy, don't make that mistake, explain the benefits to your clients, how it helps them and how it helps you.
Here's a few suggestions.
As you said, there is no such thing as a 10 minute change.
Communication is absolutely the key when implementing a policy like this! I am sure a good sales person can turn it around to why it's a benefit for the client.
I don't want to do these changes either, but I am not sure how to say no them either? It feels like it is part of giving reasonable customer service. Most of my clients are great people to deal with and if they need a change urgently I don't feel that it would be appropriate to tell them to wait until they have 6 updates. And if I told them to hire someone else for small updates I am sure I would eventually loose their business. Most my business these days is repeat business and I find it more profitable than constantly working with new clients. I guess it all depends on one's situation. I am a one person company so I don't have anyone else to hand over these less skilled tasks to.
I do appreciate that it's not practical for a client to 'build up' several requests before they contact you. I'd suggest one or more of the following:
1 - CMS. Most minor updates can be handled by the client themselves, no need to contact you. You provide initial on site training at a tasty daily rate, and provide an ongoing support contract for £xxx per year. Reality is the client probably won't contact you after the first three months (in my experience), but they'll continue to pay, especially if you lump it in with some hosting and regular software update and backup service (i.e. updating to new version of wordpress etc)
Rather than charge a minimum fee, tell the client that the clock starts the moment you receive the email/phone call about the update request.
Set up update packages, where clients buy your time in blocks and get priority over those who don't pay upfront. Or provide a prioritised monthly 'hours' package, use it or lose it.
The key is to really push your clients into these monthly/annual deals, as it's great recurring income, it lets you plan your time better, and it means you give your customers a better service. If you get a client who doesn't want to pay monthly, let them buy x hours in advance.
But ideally, lump it all in to a hosting/support/update/seo package, with guaranteed response times and you'll soon have a decent 5 figure income just for these packages. Then look at outsourcing or hiring someone to deal with all the little support/update requests and you get to concentrate on the bigger picture.
I can understand that. I make it clear with my clients up front, that my freelance business handles specialty projects and doesn't perform routine maintenance. I then give them a list of local businesses that "do" handle routine maintenance/upgrades that I consider to be both quality work and a fair price. So that is why I wanted to be sure you knew "I'm not talking from my own experience, per say, as I'm not in the business of maintenance and small updates".
@ramone_johnny ; suggestion is good too, maintenance plans are good for this type of scenario, but they really only benefit the client, if the client will have routine maintenance they need done every month (just my opinion).
I also like @shadowbox ;'s recommendation
Thank you both ramone_johnny and shadowbox. I appreciate your responses very much. I replied to ramone_johnny earlier today but unfortunately that reply disappeared.
I am glad you both reminded me about the prepaid hours or update packages. A long time ago I tried the prepaid hours on a client that was a really slow payer and that I didn't mind loosing and that worked great. And then I forgot all about it...
They all have CMSs but many of them still want me to do the updates...
Based on ramone's earlier comment I have been thinking long and hard about this today, and an idea along these lines kind of occurred to me.
My problem is the inner debate I am having regarding this issue. Every time I get one of these emails I feel that I have to be compensated somehow for just being there when they happen to need the updates and being able to do them in a reasonable amount of time.
Me sitting in front of my desk and being available for support, with all the business expenses that involves (salary, insurance, office costs, computers, internet etc etc) is not exactly free if you add it all up and should be worth something. The alternative would be taking on so much work that I would have to say no to doing updates.
On the other hand, my local car repair shop wouldn't send me an invoice for prepaid hours in case I ever need my car repaired. But on the other hand, a company that installs an elevator would and having a friend in that business I know it is in the service agreements, not the installation, they make their money.
I guess the key term here is "support agreements" and "response times" because when I get overwhelmed I don't always respond to emails and then I get two or three (angry) emails requesting the same things and that adds to my stress levels and this is bad customer service, regardless.
Sorry for rambling on. Both ramone and shadowbox already put it so much more eloquently. I am just trying to get this straight in my own head so I can work up the 'courage' to suggest this to customers. When I am 100% convinced myself I normally never have a problem with getting clients onboard.
Also,I place a very high value on recurring business and repeat clients and this is why I don't mind doing silly little updates. At least in theory, the problem is finding the time. But if I could allocate enough time to do them, it wouldn't be a problem.
I always do small changes, whatever the client requires or any additional help he wants. I think if you are supportive, client will be long term and would keep coming back to you.
In the UK, most accountants operate a model in which they charge an annual or monthly fee and that will include specified task throughout the year. My accountant charges me £700/yr and for that I get my accounts prepared company tax return submitted and a few other things. But because he gets this guaranteed income from me, if I fire off some emails with some questions throughout the year, he's happy to answer at no charge. If you were getting a regular monthly payment from your client, you'd feel the same.
Also to touch on the minimum fee issue, my accountant bills £100/hr, and if I do ask him to do something that's out of scope of what he feels is covered by my yearly payment, I would always expect the cost to be at least £100. There's no fanfare, no bold statements about what a hassle it is to do these extra jobs for me. And even if it somehow takes him less than an hour, I would still expect him to charge me a minimum of £100. He doesn't bill in minutes and I'm not naive enough to think that even the simplest job can be done in 5 minutes. It's just a reasonable expectation, so personally I think it's fine if you just bill in hours and I think your clients will be fine with it to.
What I don't believe is that many clients are going to accept a 3 hour minimum, because that doesn't sound reasonable at all, it's quite an aggressive stance.
That doesn't make much sense to me. If you had no work, you'd still be racking up all those expenses. Also I think you need to start viewing the update requests as an opportunity, not a burden.
On the other hand, my local car repair shop wouldn't send me an invoice for prepaid hours in case I ever need my car repaired.
Maybe not 'Honest John's Garage' but all the local dealerships near me offer a monthly package that includes a specified number of repairs, parts, annual service, health check etc.
Well, that's is a very easy problem to solve. You need to structure your workday better - back to my poor accountant again, he goes to work at 7.30am and spends the next 90 minutes dealing with all the crap, including emails. At 3pm, he sets aside 30 minutes to respond to the additional emails that he's received throughout the day. The key is to respond in a timely manner, even if it's 'Hi John, just to let you know I got your email and will get back to you in more detail first thing tomorrow'.
You also need to ensure that your clients understand you do not work for them exclusively, you are not an employee, you have many other clients and projects to deal with. If a client is determined to adopt a pay-as-you-go model, they have to accept they will not get the same priority as the client who pays a regular update and maintenance fee. Make a point of holding back - if you get the call on Friday for example - 'yes, I can do that for you, no problem, I'll get that done next Wednesday.' If the client is not impressed, politely remind them that you deal with clients on priority support packages first. No big drama, just matter of fact.
Once again back to my accountant, at no point did he ever offer me a 'pay as you go' model, from the beginning it was all about the annual contract. It might be worth you considering this model, because all in all, it's a lot less stressful for everyone.
Well they are only silly to you, pretty sure your client thinks they are important As such, they should be receptive to the benefits of paying for a monthly support package (IMO!). If you have xx clients on a x hour monthly package, you can at least get a good idea how much of your time to set aside every month for these priority requests. It's all about structuring your time, especially if you do everything on your own.
The accountant business model is interesting and highly relevant to our field of work since many of them are self employed one man firms, just like "web designers" in lack of a better term. True, there has never been any discussions of anything other than a monthly or yearly fee with my accountants or bookkeeping firms either.
I don't think I will ever be as structured as an accountant as to only read emails between certain hours etc, not my cup of tea, but a little structure in my day wouldn't hurt.
I also realized after starting this thread that I need to view emails from clients as business opportunities rather than burdens. It is absolutely true.
I think you are right about the three hour minimum charge being agressive, whereas a retainer or service agreement is pretty neutral. It is all about packaging and wording.
TBH having that structure in place makes a massive difference. I think you'd be shocked how much time gets sapped out of your day by emails, phone, IM, posting on forums and general internet procrastination. It's even worse if you work from home. You should try it for a couple of weeks and spot the difference in your output. I think if you're a freelancer it's got to be a top priority - I'm not saying avoid, but try to limit these things to specific time frames throughout the day, so when you're working, you're working and fully focused without allowing any distraction.
No problem. Yeah I think a few of my comments were deleted. No idea why, I thought I was being quite helpful. *shrug....
I've learned from my own mentor that selling services in the form of "packages" works very well, because they are much less prone to scope creep and change requests. They set DEFINITIVE boundaries, which eliminates most problems.
You have to change your mindset man. Worrying about "offending customers" because of the way you structure your business is wrong. If they don't like it - they can leave. You must be firm, because think about it - who is really losing in the end?
Because you're sitting there for hours on end, while they're probably at the beach or enjoying a nice dinner somewhere.


text:
Loretta Hall, The Write Equation, Inc.
Loretta Hall, a writer who reports on architecture and construction projects, is certified as a green building technical professional.
Her book, Underground Buildings: More than Meets the Eye, describes the advantages and challenges of earth-integrated architecture by presenting more than 100 U.S. examples.
Her website, SubsurfaceBuildings.com, chronicles new projects and lists 650 civic and commercial examples in this country. She speaks about earth sheltering and environmental sustainability at regional and national meetings, including the American Institute of Architects' national convention, the Traditional Building conference, and the National Building Museum lecture series.
Topic: Earth Sheltering for Sustainable Public Buildings: The seven major advantages and real & perceived challenges of earth sheltering.
Conference Speaker
BIG Green Expo


text:
Does anyone know of a jQuery plugin or something that will get rounded corners working in IE 7 and 8?
Not without lots of extra markup. You can look forward though to CSS support for border radius in IE9
Hi,try to have a look athttp://jquery.malsup.com/corner/
Is it acceptable to the OP for the plugin to add extra elements to the page on all web browsers, if that's the only reasonable way for IE to enjoy that which other web browsers take for granted?
My understanding of this plugin is that it only extends existing border-radius support. Am I reading this wrong?
I may be misunderstanding what you're looking from the original post, but if you're wanting JavaScript to allow Internet Explorer to understand CSS border-radius declarations, that is just not capable of happening.
Try http://css3pie.com/ I used this recently covers: border radius, box shadow and a few other selectors and IE never looked better.
http://css3pie.com/ is probably the best implementation I've seen. Quick and light.
Note--it does not work well on animated elements.


text:
United States Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
Mission Statement
The mission of the Human Nutrition Program is to define the role of food and its components in optimizing health throughout the life cycle for all Americans by conducting high national priority research.
Program Vision
Well-nourished Americans making health-promoting diet choices based on scientific evidence.
Program Components
1. Linking Agricultural Practices and Beneficial Health Outcomes
2. Monitoring Food Composition and Nutrient Intake of the Nation
3. Scientific Basis for Dietary Guidance
4. Prevention of Obesity and Obesity-Related Diseases
5. Life Stage Nutrition and Metabolism
Projects in this Program - by State


text:
A rare sub-species of sloth that is carnivorous. This species depends on the ignorance of other mammals to feed and thrive. It uses its harmless appearance and slow movement to get close to creatures before pouncing quickly and tearing through flesh with its sharp claws and teeth. Because it can garner lots of calories in this way, it only needs to feed about once a week. For the rest of the week, it mimics the habits of the common sloth. It does not feed on the common sloth because it requires the veil of innocence that sloth-ness typically denotes. It uses the ignorance of other beings to sneak up and feed on unsuspecting animals. (including human children and small adults)
Don't trust that dude. He may seem straight but if you let him get close he'll go all gorilla sloth on you.
by sepha May 14, 2011
The Urban Dictionary Mug
One side has the word, one side has the definition. Microwave and dishwasher safe. Lotsa space for your liquids.Buy the mug


text:
quote:Originally posted by MaryS:
I am planning a Hawaiian Cruise soon and I would like to know if when you board the Star do they give each person a flower lei? I would also like to know more information about Fanning Island? How long of a wait is there from the time you arrive at the port to check in and boarding the ship? How many hours flying time is it from San Diego to Honolulu?


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PORTLAND, Ore. (TheStreet) -- Why does it seem as if every big brand gets a Super Bowl ad except those that need one the most?
Super Bowl XLVIII broadcaster Fox has sold out its inventory of commercial time for about $4 million per 30-second spot. Perennial NFL sponsors such as General Motors, Anheuser-Busch InBev and halftime-show patron Pepsi buying up huge blocks and mainstays such as GoDaddy and Coca-Cola also eating up ad time.
The space for newcomers is shrinking, however, as commercials get longer and prices rise. The amount of Super Bowl commercial time has decreased from 83 ads at 40 minutes, 35 seconds in 2003 to 78 ads at 47 minutes, 25 seconds in 2012 after peaking at 104 spots at 47 minutes, 50 seconds in 2010, according to Kantar Media. The 2012 commercial space also featured 15 ads of 60 seconds or more, which took up about 20% of all ad time and made things a lot more expensive for newcomers looking to stake their claim. Still, first-timers expanded from four companies and 14% of Super Bowl commercial buyers in 2011 to 10 that made up 30% of big game ad sales last year.
Super Bowl newbies tend to have a whole lot more riding on these spots than the regulars do, though. The fresh faces tend to be among the 15% of Super Bowl ad buyers in the past decade that dedicated more than 10% of their annual advertising budget to spots aired during the game. The 30% of advertisers that wagered a big chunk of their media budget on Super Bowl commercials in 2010 and 2011 took a huge leap, but made it count.
Jaguar is among the new arrivals to this year's Super Bowl party, but they should have far more company. Given what a tough year some companies have had, we took a look around and found five that could use a Super Bowl-sized boost in business. Whether it's just been a slow season or a continued slide into irrelevance, we think a well-placed Super Bowl ad could be a great reminder of what these companies do right and what the U.S. consumer is missing:


text:
Statement by German Youth Delegates to 52nd Session of Commission on Social Development
(as delivered:)
"Distinguished chair, honourable delegates, dear fellow youth delegates,
Today we are addressing this High Commission as the two German youth delegates. However, we do not speak for ourselves but for 20 million young people below the age of 25 living in our country. At the beginning of the negotiations for this year's Commission for Social Development we would like to elaborate on two main topics.
Firstly, we would like to emphasize the fundamental meaning of families for young people. Families can give meaning to our lives and ideally are a place of love, mutual responsibility and confidence. Still, families can unfortunately also be a place where fundamental human rights are violated.
Secondly, we would like to seize this opportunity to give our view on this year's priority theme 'empowerment' and the importance of international youth participation. This year marks the Twentieth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family. Families have always been a core part of any society all over the world. It carries deep meaning for human kind as its structure offers protection, reliability and continuity in our fast-paced and ever-changing world.
Yet, family can also be a place of violence, injustice and the denial of fundamental rights. Be it early or forced marriage, femicide, sexual abuse in marriage, child abuse, honour killings or the fear of confessing one's sexual orientation to the family – the list is almost endless. However, we are firmly convinced that human rights must apply everywhere, also within families. Families are in most cases the starting point of an individual life and hence human rights have to be respected and lived especially within families.
One human right in this regard is the freedom of choice to start a family. A life of dignity includes the freedom to lead a self-determined sex life regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity and without coercion, discrimination or violence. It is one's personal choice and responsibility whether and when to sleep with someone else with or without intending to start a family. We must guarantee that everyone is informed about and has access to safe, effective and affordable methods of fertility regulation. In the end, sexual rights are human rights. We call upon the international community to globally promote sexual and reproductive health and rights. It is simply not acceptable to us that the United Nations still cannot agree on this fundamental right. With regard to the post-2015 agenda we therefore demand that sexual and reproductive health and rights should be included.
What our global society should also strive for is greater respect for diverse family models such as single-parent, patchwork or LGBT families. All models of human coexistence must be treated equally and no one should judge whether a family model is right or wrong.
Family can also be a place of living intergenerational solidarity – where young people can count on the support of the old, the old on that of the young. In Germany, just as in many developed countries, the society's demography is undergoing dramatic changes. This raises new challenges such as justice between and within generations, notably in the field of old-age pensions, democratic representation and access to the labour market. Therefore we demand government policies to be fair to all generations – whether old, young or the ones to come.
Honourable Chair,
This year's priority theme is the empowerment of people. We understand empowerment as increasing the capacities of an individual to take free and informed decisions and to actively participate in society. This process requires significant changes in power relations. For empowerment to be effective all members of society need to actively participate to ensure a fair distribution of power. To name but one example, the empowerment of girls and women requires the active participation of boys and men. Empowerment, in the end, should not be seen as merely promoting one group but as a means to create a society that is more equal, fair and just to everyone.
Empowerment is also the key to greater participation in society. We as young people want to take part in the decisions that shape the world we live in. We therefore demand that the voices of young people are taken more seriously on all political levels to ensure sustainability in decision-making. At UN level, new mechanisms, such as a Permanent Forum on Youth, must be explored. At the same time existing structures, especially the youth delegate programmes, must be strengthened. Honourable Delegates, take a look around you and count the youth delegates in this conference room. Unfortunately, you will not need more than two hands to count them.
The youth delegates that are present today, are eager to see changes. Here at the UN, we understand that it is often challenging, at times frustrating, to find consensus among such a diverse family of nations. The diversity of the United Nations should, however, not be an excuse for inaction. It might sound very simple but if we want to bring positive change to the world, we need to be ready to change ourselves.
Distinguished chair, honourable delegates,
We have presented ambitious ideas for a more equal, just and inclusive global community. Within the upcoming days we have the chance to translate some of these ambitious goals into action - first on paper, then in people's lives. However, this is only possible if we are willing to agree on new language, for example in regards to modern family policies and reproductive health and rights. As the youth delegates, we appeal to you: We do not want another debate with the same old words, the same old ideas and the same old arguments. Let us work together to prove: We might be different but we can also make a difference.
Thank you for your attention."


text:
YOUNG Marlborough trampolinists are jumping for joy after qualifying for Southern Zonal Finals of the National Schools Trampolining Championships.
Zoe and Sophie Bolland, Freya Wharton and Charlotte Keltstrom-Paige from years five and six at Great Bedwyn School leapt to success at the South West Zonal Finals on Sunday December 2 at the Bristol Academy.
The youngsters were up against tough competition with students, aged 18 and under, attending from across the South West including Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Gloucestershire.
The talented foursome are coached at Marlborough Leisure Centre by Juanita Davenport, 51, and her daughter Laura, 20, who are both teaching assistants at St John's.
The girls train with pupils from Rushall and Preshute Primary Schools and seven elder students from St John's.
Mrs Davenport said: "We are absolutely delighted that they have got this far, in fact we're delighted that they chose to enter.
"I coach several one hour classes at Marlborough Leisure Centre throughout the week and the girls who entered this competition are all invited to take a more advanced class on a Saturday morning.
"It's still recreational but the class is longer so they are able to work on more advanced moves.
"They all provide their own leotards and they approach their respective schools themselves to ask if they can represent their school in the competition."
In total 14 girls from Marlborough entered the competition including St John's pupils Rosie Mulholland, 15, who took fifth place in the U19 Girls Novice class and Bethany Martin, 16, who came ninth in the U19 Girls Elite class.
Davenport said: "The students did amazingly well, particularly because they competed against students who train at trampoline clubs several times a week whilst our students train only once a week at a recreational level.
"All our students showed exceptional team work, support and encouragement to each other and displayed true sportsmanship to fellow competitors.
"We are very grateful to the support and encouragement shown by the Marlborough Leisure Centre manager Dan Webb."


text:
By Varietal
In this burger, I employ my unique creation: Chipotle Bacon Maple Jam. It really does wonders to the burger, which is simultaneously sweet and spicy and a little bit smoky.
This burger captures the flavors of the food from Mexicali, a town just south of the border. Esquites, a popular street food dish made of corn, gives a great texture and taste to the burger.


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I May Be Wrong But I Doubt It
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Last week I eased myself back into running, covering about 18 miles during three workouts--the most pavement pounding I'd done in a month. The first two outings were hip pain-free and I was optimistic that I'd either healed completely or had transferred my malady to strangers I'd rubbed against in the Harris Teeter checkout line. But Sunday's eight miler proved me wrong. Before I'd even stopped sweating, my pelvis felt liked it had been ground into mulch and the pain hasn't lessened any as the week has gone by. I've done everything but sprinkle ibuprofen on my cereal and have been intermittently icing it by sitting on a bag of Dora the Explorer brand frozen edamame, which makes me feel creepy on a number of levels.
As luck would have it--and trust me, Luck rings my bell less often than Job Offers or Clear Skin--I got a birthday card from My Former Boyfriend this week that contained a gift certificate to a local massage parlor, perhaps as his way of saying I'm no longer interested in touching you, so maybe these people will. I ignored the fact that my birthday was a solid five months ago; considering that he forgot not to spelunk other women during our relationship, I can see how my 29th might slip his mind too.
Anyway, it's been a long time since I've had a massage because day spas--along with property taxes, oil changes, and brand-name soup--are luxuries that don't exactly fit into my budget. I haven't even thought of paying someone to rub my back since I went to the '07 Orange Bowl when my hotel had a heavily advertised spa the size of a Sam's Club. I had some time before it was appropriate to start drinking heavily so I slipped into the embroidered robe hanging in my closet and decided to check it out. I strolled down the hall and was immediately greeted by a chiseled Abercrombie dropping whose name was probably a noun. He led me into a treatment room and had me answer a list of questions including whether I've ever had a baby and my thoughts on rheumatoid arthritis. I stared at his biceps and quickly checked all of the 'No' boxes, wondering how soon he'd have his hands on me.
He took my clipboard and scanned my answers, his mouth visibly moving as he read down the page. "So where would you like me to focus my efforts today?" he asked earnestly. I clicked the logo ballpoint pen a few times, trying to gather myself before I could snicker or say "My vagina" but the wicked smile that slowly seeped across my face was hard not to notice.
He noticed.
Tucking his hair behind his ears, he stood up and gave me a look like I'd just shoved his puka shell necklace up my ass. He suggested that I didn't have the "proper constitution" for these treatments and walked out of the room, the door softly closing behind him. I shrugged it off as just another rejection in a lifetime chock full of 'em, and stayed behind long enough to fill the pockets of my robe with bottled water and tubes of hotel branded lotion.
Cut To: yesterday when I took my gift certificate across town to a strip mall anchored by an organic grocery store and a couple of boutiques that sell sustainable articles of clothing that look itchy and smell like dirt farts. I hurried past each open door before they could realize I'm a meat-eating, non-recycling Earthfucker and punish me accordingly, possibly by making me wear one of their outfits. The massage place was on the end of the row and before I even opened the door, I was assaulted by eucalyptus-scented potpourri, like they spent the morning roasting koalas on a bed of cough drops.
A woman who introduced herself as Wisdom typed my name into the computer as a pair of men wearing sterile-looking shirts arranged aromatherapy candles on the shelf. They were both superhot and looked like they could spend their days wrestling large animals if only it didn't wreck their cuticles.
I was wondering which one of them I'd get to disrobe for--and how early in the massage I could tell him to please focus on my butt meat--when Wisdom signaled for my attention. "OK, you're all set", she said, her eyes magnified behind a pair of Lisa Loeb glasses she borrowed from 1994. "Ruth will be taking care of you today." Ruth? Shit. I've only known one Ruth in my entire life, a pinched looking woman who lived in my parents' neighborhood whose passion for cigarettes was only matched by her passion for gum disease and yelling.
As if on cue, she lumbered out to greet me and my ste-Ruth-otype was right on. She was a large, broad-backed woman, the kind that if placed on all fours would make an excellent coffee table. Shaking her hand was like shoving it into a trash compactor and I was still rubbing my fingerbones as she led me down a dimly lit hallway to the massage room. "Get undressed to the point you're comfortable," she said, a phrase that would sound more seductive if it wasn't being whispered by a woman the size of a Chevy Nova. I tossed my clothes on the chair, got under the sheet, and noticed that there was a softly-playing soundtrack of birds chirping. It was supposed to be soothing but instead I felt like I'd been left in a field to die.
Ruth came back into the room and dimmed the lights. I told her a bit about my hip issues and she gave a concerned-sounding grunt before jamming the heels of both hands into my upper back, rubbing with the intensity of someone trying to smooth a stubborn bubble out of a piece of wallpaper. "So what do you do for work?" she asked me. I stopped biting my clenched fists long enough to answer. "I'm a freelance writer," I told her, because a liberal arts education means I can say freelancer instead of unemployed.
"Lots of time at one of them computers," she said, ramming her knuckles into the base of my neck. "That explains this knot right here. It's the size of a box turtle." I'm altogether unfamiliar with box turtles, other than knowing what it feels like to run over one so I didn't know what to say other than "Really?"
"Yup. Before them computers, a hundred years ago, you wouldn't have box turtles like this." Of course not, Ruth. Because one of the village elders would have extracted it and cooked it into a stew. "Don't worry," she said, pummeling me with either her elbow or a tree branch. "I'm gettin' rid of this turtle."
It's always unnerving when people have to use amphibians to describe your body. I couldn't wait till she told me my hamstrings were like a bucket of angry salamanders. I was also sweating from the pain and wondering whether we should've established a safe word when she grabbed my butt. I clenched. I seized. I...cleized. "You could bounce a quarter off these glutes," she offered.
"Um...thanks?" I replied, horrified and considering jumping out the window before she could show me the other techniques she learned in the women's prison. "That ain't a good thing," she told me, mashing away like she was fixing a divot.
Despite the fact that she was still muttering the word "turtle" under her breath, I somehow managed to relax. I let Ruth do her job--which meant trying to crush my bones like empty soda cans--and the rest of the hour flew by like the sparrows that were chasing each other through the speakers. It also meant that my hip felt...better. "All set," she told me, wiping her hands on the front of her pants. "Get yourself dressed and I'll see you out front".
I stood up on unsteady legs, wobbling like a shopping cart with a bad wheel. I walked out, tipped Ruth and waved goodbye to Wisdom. "Happy birthday!" she shouted at my back before I got all the way out the door. I started walking back to my car, passing two of the eco-boutiques before breaking into a run and feeling younger than I had all year.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
The Bad Touch
Last week I eased myself back into running, covering about 18 miles during three workouts--the most pavement pounding I'd done in a month. The first two outings were hip pain-free and I was optimistic that I'd either healed completely or had transferred my malady to strangers I'd rubbed against in the Harris Teeter checkout line. But Sunday's eight miler proved me wrong. Before I'd even stopped sweating, my pelvis felt liked it had been ground into mulch and the pain hasn't lessened any as the week has gone by. I've done everything but sprinkle ibuprofen on my cereal and have been intermittently icing it by sitting on a bag of Dora the Explorer brand frozen edamame, which makes me feel creepy on a number of levels.
25 comments:
- Jack said...
Wow. I've never had a massage but it sounds like it could do wonders for all my years of computers, bad posture and no exercise.
Also, "it was supposed to be soothing but instead I felt like I'd been left in a field to die" is probably a line I'll remember for a very long time. Hilarious.
- TC said...
Since when is a tight butt not a good thing? *confused*
Wow... I'm kind of amazed about the bday gift from the ex. I've never gotten that treatment!
- Meika said...
The only gift I have ever been given from an ex was an anonymous email telling me to check for STD's. You're doing good man!
- bex said...
HILARIOUS. I laughed so hard reading this post, my roommate thought I was being violently tickled.
- theloosemoose said...
"like they spent the morning roasting koalas on a bed of cough drops."
Good stuff right there.
- Katie said...
I just stumbled across your blog, and this is HYSTERICAL! Don't know which was better--your poor "constitution" or the Dora edamame...
P.S. I once got kicked out of yoga for staring too hard at the instructor's, um, downward dog...
- John at Hella Sound said...
Wow. Wow. The ex-boyfriend gift is definitely dubious--that's just trouble in a pretty perfumed envelope. You did the right thing and used it, hopefully with a healthy sense of spite.
My wife and I both hit the spa when we were on vacation in Puerto Vallarta last week. Matilda, my masseuse was tiny, thin and athletic, but worked me like a woman 5 times her size. And like a woman who was really, really angry at all things muscle fiber-oriented.
Never underestimate the importance of verbal communication in a massage; my high school Spanish didn't help me explain to her that it felt like she was tearing the meat from my bones.
Hope your hip is on the mend, and good luck.
- Biddy said...
it's places like that that give normal massage therapists like myself such a bad rap! well, those and the ones that offer "happy endings"
just so you know, we're taught that if the customer says "ease up" we're supposed to ease up...if you tell them and they don't, request another therapist!
- Suz said...
H-I-larious! What a great post! You had me laughing out loud and that is a great feat considering all I've been doing for the last 48 hours since I found out my ex has a new girlfriend is crying and throwing things...thanks I needed this! :)
- J-Money said...
jack: I'll send you a gift certificate for your birthday.
tc: Yeah, I'm not sure what he was thinking either...
meika: Maybe he sent this because he doesn't have my email address.
bex: Do you frequently get violently tickled? Because you may want to hang out with different people.
theloosemoose: Muchas gracias.
katie: It's totally the instructor's fault for downward facing his dog in front of you.
john @ hella sound: SWANKY. For the record, I would make a great second wife.
biddy: If only I'd known that yesterday.
suz: Glad I could help. Hang in there... you're too much awesome for him anyway.
- lacochran said...
"I've done everything but sprinkle ibuprofen on my cereal and have been intermittently icing it by sitting on a bag of Dora the Explorer brand frozen edamame, which makes me feel creepy on a number of levels."
Your hip may be troublesome but you are in great form! Glad to hear the massage helped.
- stealthnerd said...
"She was a large, broad-backed woman, the kind that if placed on all fours would make an excellent coffee table."
- Heinous said...
Great story. I gotta stop reading you at work. People will think I'm enjoying my job.
- Bilbo said...
I will have to post my story about the seaweed massage my wife talked me into getting a few years ago...it's too long for a comment here, but I think you'd be able to relate.
J-money, I saw a cool freelance writing ad on list of the day - craigslist atlanta posting....you should check it out. With your abilities, it would turn out to be an awesome story.
- margi said...
. . .I was assaulted by eucalyptus-scented potpourri, like they spent the morning roasting koalas on a bed of cough drops.
That right there gave me a coffee nasal enema. Ouch.
I'm reading Ruth with a thick German accent, just so you know.
- Andy said...
"Butt meat"= excellent. I do love how you manage to offend so many people who come into your life. It's a gift.
- X-Country2 said...
I always think messages are a better idea before I go than after.
I love the frozen Dora edamame detail. Awesome.
- Mike said...
First visit on Bilbo's advice. Good advice Bilbo. And what 2T2MSB needs is "indexed" (http://thisisindexed.com/) agent
(http://www.twliterary.com/) .
- fiona said...
Got to give Bilbo loads of money for steering me here, laughing so hard I choked on my Gimlet...this is not good, spluttering out good Gin!
- twinkie said...
I also found you on bilbo's blog and glad I did. Laughed out loud several times.
the only massages I've ever gotten were by small framed females and I couldn't tell when they started or stopped. I need a Ruth in my life.
- Persephone said...
Sorry, I read this a few days ago, but had to come back for the hamstrings like a "bucket of angry salamanders". This time, I made sure I'd put down my cup of coffee.
- Sarah Elizabeth said...
Haha, that story is great. I've only had one massage, and I left thinking that it was not NEAR worth the $45 someone paid for it. It was more like my 7 year old cousin attempting to remove stress.
- Collier said...
We are a herbal company and were looking at selling herbs and herbal products online. We chose Infinity an Indian based company as our ecommerce solution provider to provide us with a relevant ecommerce website that can cater to our needs. What we got is definitely outstanding, feel good designs coupled with just the right ecommerce solution are what we got that too at reasonable price. Visit http://www.infyecommercesolution.com/


text:
Rays' bats bounce back to even series vs. Tigers
Offense backs Cobb's solid start, Boxberger's stellar relief
DETROIT -- A night after the Rays fell victim once again to the big inning, it seemed bound to doom them again.
Following some sixth-inning fireworks, which led to the ejection of Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon, the Rays found themselves in a precarious situation with the game on the line.
Enter Brad Boxberger.
With the bases loaded and nobody out, the Rays' reliever recorded a double play and a strikeout, killing the Tigers' rally. Tampa Bay held on in front of a sellout holiday crowd of 40,657 at Comerica Park, 6-3.
"It was unbelievable," Rays starter Alex Cobb said of his savior, Boxberger. "He's done it for us all year."
Added Maddon: "He was the right guy in that moment.
"In that situation, you want the guy to put the ball on the ground or punch somebody out. If you get a guy who can do both, how good is that guy? Boxie's moment was the game for us."
Cobb pitched into the jam after he had been mostly effective for the opening five innings. He allowed three runs and didn't record an out in the sixth before Boxberger bailed him out.
Still, Cobb struck out five and called it "the best I've felt in as long as I can remember."
It took Tampa Bay only three innings Friday to exceed its season-low hit total from the night before.
Utterly silenced by Detroit ace Max Scherzer on Thursday, the Rays' lineup that only recorded two hits Friday refused to go quietly this time. Tigers starter Drew Smyly sat the Rays down in order to begin the game, but as he progressed through the lineup a second time, Tampa Bay caught up to him.
They scored in five consecutive frames, building a cushion that was more than enough for Cobb, especially with Boxberger to back him up.
"He's not afraid," Maddon said of Boxberger. "He's not rushed whatsoever."
Two straight doubles in the third by Desmond Jennings and Ben Zobrist gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead to match the one they took in the first inning Thursday. But instead of withering, they kept swinging.
Only this time, their hits fell in -- except when they didn't. Evan Longoria hit a solo shot in the fourth inning to give the Rays their second run. It was Longoria's 11th homer of the season, and his first since June 24.
Twice, Zobrist knocked an RBI double, leaving him one shy of Carl Crawford for the most doubles in franchise history.
The last batter Smyly faced, Sean Rodriguez, knocked a triple to deep right-center field, tacking on two runs to the Rays' lead. It was one of seven extra-base hits on the night for Tampa Bay.
"That ball would have been in our fish tank," Maddon said. "That ball was crushed."
The six runs scored by Tampa Bay marked the most it has scored against the Tigers since May 24, 2011. The two teams met 14 times in between that game and Friday night.
In Maddon's opinion, Smyly ensured the Detroit crowd received a double dose of holiday fireworks. The skipper insisted the lefty intentionally hit Longoria after Cobb hit Victor Martinez the inning before. Once Cobb hit Ian Kinsler in the sixth with a curveball that he said slipped, Maddon was ejected for protesting.
Maddon has stressed the importance of winning series to his team, and because of the bounce-back win Friday night, it'll still have the chance to do so in Detroit.
And the Rays will have that opportunity largely because of Boxberger, who slammed the door shut when it looked like the Tigers would pile it on for the second straight night.
"A couple quick hits from that lineup and it's a totally different ballgame," he said. "I'm not going to go run, jump around and do cartwheels and all that. But going out there and doing my job and keeping us ahead is definitely satisfying."
Matt Slovin is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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text:
Boot Barn Item #: 2008102
Color: Click a button belowcolor
size: Click a button below Size Chartsize
- iPad faux leather cover
- Sequin and stitch detailing
- Magnetic closure
- 3 ridge adjustable stand
Carry your iPad around in a fashionable case, carry it in this Leather and Sequin Cover by Wrangler. Part of the Rock 47 series, this cover maintains the edgy roll and roll feel known to the brand. This cover features a faux leather material with sequin and stitch detail. It has magnetic closure and a 3 ridge adjustable stand. Simply insert your iPad and take it on the go!
Style(s): 1203375I
Lifestyle: Western
Color: Brown
Print With more than 60 years of heritage, the Wrangler® Western brand has established itself as the great American jeans lifestyle brand that was born in the spirit of the West and the great outdoors. Starting with the original Wrangler Cowboy Cut® 13MWZ - the jean "made for cowboys by cowboys," and the same jean originally made in 1947 - the brand has become synonymous with the Western way of life. Wrangler Western Wear remains true to the brand's Western roots thriving on the cowboy aesthetic and the preservation of the American legacy while still offering new, style-savvy categories. The brand's latest lines include the Premium Performance Cowboy Cut® jean, an update to the original 13MWZ with added comfort and durability but the same classic style; Rock 47™ by Wrangler®, a contemporary and funky line of Western wear for women; Wrangler® Retro, a line of fresh, cutting-edge Western jeans endorsed by alternative country artist Jason Aldean; Wrangler® National Patriot™, a line of red, white and blue shirts and accessories raising money for wounded or fallen military veterans and their families; and Wrangler® -The Ultimate Riding Jean® offering women fit and function, in and out of the saddle.


text:
source GAIA package: Sx_MilitaryTimes_M6201410301080032_5675.zip Origin key: Sx_MilitaryTimes_M6201410301080032 imported at Fri Jan 8 18:18:13 2016
The congressman pushing for Sgt. Rafael Peralta to receive the military's highest combat valor honor says the fallen Marine's busted-up rifle, preserved in storage at the National Museum of the Marine Corps outside Washington, may provide new evidence of his battlefield heroism.
Peralta was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously in 2008, some four years after he was killed in combat in Fallujah, Iraq. But Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., is among a crowd of supporters who say Peralta should have received the Medal of Honor instead, pointing to evidence that, during his final moments alive, Peralta covered a grenade with his body to protect his fellow Marines.
In a new letter from Hunter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, the congressman claims Peralta's M16 rifle, which Hunter's staff recently unearthed at the museum, bears physical markings that corroborate this account of heroism. The Jan. 6 letter included close-up photos of shrapnel scars on the weapon's hand guards, upper receiver and bolt assist.
"Since Peralta was right handed, therefore carrying the rifle on his right side, the damage to the weapon is consistent with the assertion that the grenade detonated underneath Peralta's left side torso, with the weapon near, but not directly covering the grenade," Hunter wrote. "An additional photo shows the damaged bullets retrieved from Peralta's weapon."
Marine Corps Times reviewed photos of the weapon, which corroborate this description. The bullets recovered from the weapon, also photographed, were mangled and shredded.
Earlier this month, Hunter sent Hagel two new eyewitness accounts of the aftermath of the grenade blast. One, from an unnamed Marine amphibious assault vehicle section leader, recalled the recovery of Peralta's weapon. A Marine "brought over a rifle that was mangled and covered with blood. He asked me for some baby wipes and began to feverishly clean the blood off the weapon, visibly shaken at what happened," the account reads. "... The weapon was still loaded with a round in the chamber, but because of shrapnel damage to the bolt/ejection part of the weapon, the bold was fused forward and unable to move ... there was visible damage to the hand guards of the weapon as well."
A spokesman for Hunter, Joe Kasper, said the damage the rifle sustained, according to the photos and the description, was consistent with the detonation of a low-yield grenade.
"Just the shrapnelling on the weapon is only possible if the grenade detonated under Peralta's torso," he said.
The National Museum of the Marine Corps, located outside the Marines' base in Quantico, Va., acquired Peralta's rifle in August 2010, its battle dirt and debris intact, said Al Houde, senior weapons curator for the museum. Museum staff located the weapon in the armory of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in Okinawa, Japan, after receiving a letter from a Marine who served with Peralta and was disappointed it wasn't on display.
Houde said the museum's plan is to display the weapon in a standalone case that told Peralta's story in the final phase of a large museum expansion project that will run from 2015-2020.
Controversy remains at the heart of Peralta's story. The Corps nominated Peralta for the Medal of Honor, but then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates questioned whether the Marine acted consciously to cover the grenade, pointing to a head wound he sustained from a ricocheting bullet fragment. A report from Peralta's autopsy also indicated that the grenade may have exploded six to 10 feet from Peralta's left side, though follow-on reports challenged that account.
When Leon Panetta succeeded Gates as head of the Defense Department, he opted not to overturn his predecessor's decision.
But support for Peralta has never abated. In 2012, the Navy announced it would name a destroyer for him, in keeping with an amendment Hunter had inserted in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act.
Museum staff said they plan to feature Peralta's rifle in an exhibit whether or not his award is ever upgraded.
"What we look for," museum spokeswoman Gwenn Adams said, "are items that can tell a compelling story."


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Statement by Ambassador Wittig in the Security Coucil debate on Bosnia and Herzegovina
(As delivered)
Thank you, Mr. President,
· I would like to join my colleagues in thanking the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina for his comprehensive and frank briefing. We welcome the OHR's significant contribution to stability, peace and sustainable development in BiH.
· Germany aligns itself to the EU statement to be delivered later on.
· We are pleased to see that the security situation continues to be stable. However, the last few months have seen few positive political developments in BiH. On the contrary, unilateral attacks on the state of BiH and its institutions have increased. There is a disconcerting lack of readiness to compromise and to overcome nationalist agendas.
· In particular, Germany is concerned by the announcement of the Republika Srpska to hold a referendum on key state level judicial institutions. The attempt to undermine the judiciary is alarming. Disrespect for the rule of law damages BiH's potential for EU accession. We should be clear and unequivocal about it.
· Germany welcomes and fully supports the current initiatives taken by the European External Action Service, the European Commission and OHR to find a solution for the issue of the referendum. If these endeavours fail, further measures have to be considered. The HR has Germany's full support. The initiative to hold a referendum is an assault on the political consensus rooted in the Dayton Accords, to which we are all committed.
· As a matter of utmost priority, BiH needs to form an inclusive state level government in order to tackle the reform priorities ahead. BiH cannot afford to lose more time, if it does not want to fall behind in the EU integration process. It will have to adapt the cumbersome structures of the BiH constitution and to bring them in line with the European Convention on Human Rights and the requirements of the EU integration process. BiH needs to be able to speak with one voice when negotiating with the EU – and in other international fora. Germany will continue to provide its support for BiH in that field.
· The current political crisis has again brought to the fore that some BIH politicians are unwilling to place compromise and the well-being of the country and its citizens above their own nationalist agendas.
· Since Dayton, the policy approach of the international community has not been sufficient to create incentives for compromise in BiH. Dayton must remain the foundation of the state. But BIH needs to build a European house on it.
· Therefore, the EU Foreign Ministers have decided to reinforce the EU presence. This will create positive incentives – the leverage of the integration processes. And it will help to react when BIH's stability is intentionally undermined.
· Let me be very clear: for the EU respect for the rule of law and stability of potential candidate countries is crucial. We will not accept falling fundamentally short of these values. The EU Foreign Affairs Council on March 21st has taken a decision on restrictive measures against individuals putting at risk stability and integrity of BIH. If talks fail, the EU might feel obliged to examine the application of these measures.
· Finally, let me raise an issue relevant for the future work of the OHR as well as other international organizations: to safeguard OHR's footprint in stabilizing BIH, a sustainable solution for immunities of present and former OHR personnel needs to be found.
· A stable, economically prosperous and democratic Bosnia, irrevocably proceeding on the path of EU integration is the best guarantor for peaceful development in the region. Germany will continue to provide assistance to this development.
Thank you, Mr. President.


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Ivy League Release
PHILADELPHIA - Senior quarterback Andrew Holland was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week by the league office on Monday. In his first career start on Saturday, Holland had two touchdowns and led the game-winning drive to help the University of Pennsylvania football team clinch its third outright Ivy title in the past four seasons.
Holland completed 81.8 percent of his passes, threw for a touchdown and rushed for a touchdown, but most importantly, in a tie game, on the road, with the outright Ivy League title at stake, he drove the Quakers 63 yards in six plays for the game-winning touchdown with 1:00 left. On that game-winning drive, Holland was a perfect 3-for-3 for 38 yards and set up the go-ahead three-yard touchdown run. Penn then held on in the final minute to beat Cornell, 35-28, to win the 2012 outright Ivy League championship.
Holland also engineered an important last-minute scoring drive at the end of the first half. The Quakers took over at their 11-yard line with just 1:17 to go when Holland drove the Quakers 89 yards for the go-ahead score. The Willoughby, Ohio, native was an impressive 4-for-4 on the drive for 80 yards and a 41-yard touchdown to put Penn up 14-13 heading into the locker room.
Holland was 18-for-22 passing and also rushed for a touchdown in the third quarter. He finished with a career-high 255 passing yards.
Holland is the second Penn player to earn this honor in 2012. Senior quarterback Billy Ragone, who Holland replaced after his season-ending injury against Harvard, won the award after a dramatic come-from-behind win at Princeton on Nov. 3.
Saturday marked the final game for Holland and Penn's Senior Class of 2013. They claimed their third Ivy title ring - all outright - with the win. Holland and the seniors finished with a record of 28-12 (70.0%), including an impressive mark of 24-4 (85.7%) against the Ivy League and a 12-1 (92.3%) mark against Ivy opponents at Franklin Field. The 24 Ivy wins are the most for a senior class at Penn in seven years. This class was also a part of back-to-back undefeated Ivy seasons (just the third time that's ever happened), and won 18 consecutive Ivy League games - the second-longest streak in league history.


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How to Deal with Post-Workout Hungerby Dana Angelo White in Fitness & Wellness, August 12, 2012
Does an exercise session leave you famished or does the thought of food post workout make you ill? There's a right and wrong way to eat after exercise; find out the balance to get the most out of your fitness routine.
Feel the Burn
Some people question whether or not it's worth it to exercise since burning lots of calories can make you hungrier. It IS worth it and there are tricks you can adopt to beat this vicious cycle. Choosing the right foods after a workout can make a huge difference.
Research says hunger pangs may hit women harder than men; hormones are to thank for that. For this reason gals need to pay extra attention to how they eat before and after exercise.
On the flip side, other studies have found that exercise lowers levels of a hunger-spiking hormone called ghrelin. The only caveat here is that the exercise needs to be intense, not a leisurely a stroll on the treadmill.
Frequency of exercise also plays an important role. Hitting the gym (or however you like to sweat) regularly trains your body to burn calories more efficiently and of course lowers your risk of an onslaught of ailments including diabetes and heart disease. The bottom line is exercise: is good; here's how to fuel it properly.
It may seem backwards that you need to eat in order to burn calories efficiently but that's what your body needs. A small snack before a workout helps fuel your metabolism, the result is a better workout and greater energy expenditure.
See our suggestions for fit and easy preworkout snacks.
Avoid Unnecessary Workout Calories
Unless you're a competitive athlete, sipping on caloric sports beverages or slurping on energy gels is a no-no. Sucking down those extra calories will impede your weight-loss goals; stick to water for hydration.
Is there a good time to drink a sports drink?
Repair and Recover
Give tired muscles exactly what they need after a workout: healthy carbs and protein in the appropriate amounts. It can be a meal or snack depending on when you exercise. Research supports that a properly composed post workout snack should have 3 grams of carbs for every one gram of protein. Eating protein at this time will also help curb a beastly appetite since protein takes longer to digest.
Hit up our list of favorite recovery foods.
Tell Us: Do you eat right after exercise?


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Local businesses and visitors to Otley can now enjoy free access to WiFi.
The publicly accessible wireless access to the Internet has been provided thanks to a collaborative project driven by Otley Chamber of Trade.
Coverage is available now in Market Place and parts of Kirkgate and Boroughgate - with scope to expand it to other parts of the town if there's enough demand.
Chamber of Trade vice president Tom Hatley said:: "After months of discussions and liaison with local businesses about its logistics and implementation, the WiFi equipment was installed and live just days before the Tour de France
rode through town.
"We are hoping this new initiative will help attract activity to the town's focal point for both residents and visitors alike.
"As one of the first schemes of its type in the country, assuming it is well used, the service is a legacy that will continue into the future.
"The system is flexible and can be expanded to other areas of town, should there be a demand for it.
"The Chamber is always striving to enhance Otley as a place to live, work and socialise. We are lucky to have a thriving market place and the Otley free WiFi is a service for the 21st Century which blends the old with the new.
"I'm sure regular and new visitors or businesses in the town centre will find this service very useful."
The equipment for the network has been installed at Leeds House Cafe, on Market Place, and Mr Hatley said he was very grateful for their co-operation with the project.
He also thanked the seven other Otley businesses involved - Dowgill House guest house, Cambrig Computers, McKendrick Multimedia, The Dandelion Consultancy, Blue Stripe Design, Print Crew, and Christopher Little & Co "for
giving me the time to project manage the venture".
He added: "This kind of local collaboration just shows the great level of expertise and professionalism we have available in our town."


text:
Welcome BCSD Families and Community members!
This site contains links, documents and other resources of interest to parents of students in the Bedford Central School District; and items of interest for our community members. Please see the menu of resources (<--) to the left for a list of the topics on which information may be obtained.
Information topics include early literacy resources, curriculum, instruction and assessment information, school lunch information, and a link to our Staff Development Center which includes programs for parents. Questions? Please contact your child's building principal, or email Joel Adelberg, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction.
Student/Parent Portal
Response to Intervention
Common Core
VISIT OUR ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM PAGE for FAMILIES!
OUR VISION FOR CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION and ASSESSMENT
We are seeking your feedback on a "vision" document that encapsulates our aspirations and approaches with respect to two essential things: WHAT we teach, and HOW we teach it. Please share your thoughts by reviewing and commenting on the document. Thank you!
Secondary (6-12) Information
District-Wide and General Information