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Minnesota Auto Insurance requirements are different from most other states. Drivers in this state are required No-Fault Insurance as well as the minimum Liability cover. No-Fault refers to Personal Injury Protection (PIP) you would see in other states but it is much higher than most at $40,000.
Another interesting point to know about requirements in the North Star State is that you automatically get up to $35,000 coverage for damages to rental cars, under the property damage liability portion, without a deductible. This is part of your basic policy. State requires rental firms to point this out to you so that you don't buy any more coverage if you don't need.
Minnesota Car Insurance Laws
Here are minimum auto insurance requirements in a nutshell.
It is probably best you read the full explanation on Auto Insurance Brochure on official state website.
You would think that you would need to pay a lot more in this state but the figures don't support this thinking. State car insurance rates are not within the most expensive states. Also, Uninsured Drivers (12%) figures are lower than the country average.
This goes to show that arranging much better vehicle insurance coverage will not necessarily cost you a lot more. The costs may be negligible. Even though the minimum requirements are pretty bulked up you can still get cheap car insurance in Minnesota that proves our point.
You may need an independent broker, MN to explain it all to you especially if you have just moved in to the state. When you are arranging your first policy a little help from someone in the know would ensure you don't make mistakes. In addition, you may get all your questions answered. Of course there are many other sources of information and many people are comfortable about finding out the information required on their own. You can start with having a look around this site for helpful articles.
You will probably want to add coverage for your own vehicle on top of the above minimum requirements and perhaps you would want to bulk them up. You should first ask how much automobile insurance do I need and look for affordable quotes after you decide the coverage you want. Look at your personal circumstances and determine how much cover you want or need. For example, a rich person may want to buy large liability coverage to protect his assets. Or a motorist with a rich heart may want large liability coverage because he/she wants to compensate for injuries and losses of innocent road users properly if he/she ever causes them damages.
Your personal choices affect car insurance premium and coverage. You can tailor policies for your needs. However, it is advisable to stick to package policies as closely as possible if you want to keep your premium affordable. The more you change a policy and add extra coverage the higher the costs will be. The solution is to find an already marketed policy that matches your requirements closely. Then, you can make one or two small changes to it. Keep this in mind when you are insuring automobiles.
How Much Is Auto Insurance in Minnesota?
The Land of 10,000 Lakes' most notable feature appears to be the number of lakes in the state. Otherwise, MN likes to keep near the averages. It is a large state in Midwestern United States but it is not as densely populated as many other states. MN residents appear to be doing well financially in comparison to most of the states. These factors, along with regulations in the state, affect costs.
The average cost of auto insurance in Minnesota is $745 and it is almost $100 cheaper than the US average. You can also get affordable full coverage quotes as the estimated costs are $1,257, again below the US average. The former figure is the average premium expenditure and real figures. The latter figure is based on full coverage quotes received for a good driver with no ticket or claim.
What you may be paying at the moment may be slightly different than those figures. It is totally normal considering your individual circumstances and details. You can reduce your premium cost considerably even if you manage to get only few of the discounts mentioned in that post. You will see that more than half of those ways of reducing costs have nothing to do with driving.
Secondly, you can try to reduce your premium even further by shopping for the best quotes. This is the simplest and fastest way of saving money, especially with the help of the Internet. There are many comparison websites online just like this one to help you find the best deals. Anyone can benefit from this simple trick regardless of their driving experience, age, gender or location.
Cheap Car Insurance Companies in Minnesota
One thing policyholders need to remember is that vehicle insurers change their rates pretty fast. For example, Travelers was the cheapest insurer in MN last year but it isn't even in top 20 this year. These are the lowest priced companies in MN for now but you should always get a few more quotes from different carriers and compare them. This is the only way of making sure that your premium remains constantly competitive.
- Farm Bureau Mutual, $689
- State Farm, $753
- West Bend Mutual, $791
These companies are consistently providing low prices in most cities of MN. The rates are slightly more expensive in large cities like Saint Paul and Minneapolis but it isn't large enough to raise concern. Actually, city vehicle insurance is MN is low in comparison considering nearly 60% of state population lives in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area (known as the "Twin Cities"). Usually, rates are much higher in metro areas across the country for obvious reasons like higher accidents and vehicular crimes.


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Out of nowhere, the Unauthorized Change Prevention Service in Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security 5.1 would no longer auto start on SBS 2003. We tried restarting the service manually, but no luck.
We contacted Trend, and they recommended we download and install patch 1 to resolve the issue. However, that did not work, so they asked us to remove and reinstall the client portion, ensuring it was completely gone per this KB. Once that was done, that did the trick.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Thrifting has been part of my life since I was a kid. My grandmother was dedicated to checking thrift stores. I loved going with her to find the next treasure. When I was in college, thrifting was how I maintained a wardrobe and stocked my dorm room. I love going into the local stores, talking… Continue reading The Art of Thrifting


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This section describes how to configure a Hosted Payment Method page in the Zuora application.
Before any integration work can begin, the hosted page must be set up within Zuora.
To create a Hosted Payment Method page:
The Hosted Domain address must match the domain of the webpage that is accessed in order to use the submit button. For example, if the domain is configured as http://www.domain.com but you submit the hosted page on http://domain.com, the submission will not work. The hosted page can only be submitted if the user accesses http://www.domain.com.
/app/callback_file.jsp. There is no requirement to include a file extension (for example,
.jsp or
.php) for the callback path. However, the callback path must begin with a forward slash character (
/ ) character, as shown above.
When you enable the client-side credit card validation via the Enable client-side credit card validation check box, the following checks are performed as user enters a credit card number on the Hosted Payment Method page:
The error messages that you specified while enabling the client-side validation are displayed in red, and the credit card number field is highlighted with a red border.
When you enable the client-side credit card validation via the Enable client-side credit card validation check box, the credit card type will be automatically selected.
As user enters a credit card number on the Hosted Payment Method page, the credit card type is automatically identified based on user's entry, and the credit card logo is displayed in foreground. Supported credit card types are AMEX, Visa, Discover, and MasterCard.
Note: If you would like to accept additional card types, such as JCB or Diners Club, we recommend not enabling client-side credit card validation.
If user enters a credit card number of an unsupported or unrecognized card type, an error message will be displayed.


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Top Tech Speakers at CES
The 50th Annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicks off today in Las Vegas. One of the year's biggest events for tech enthusiasts, it's likely going to feature new advancements in five major areas: augmented reality, autonomous cars, wearables, AI, and the cloud.
In addition, we happy to report that four LAI speakers are speaking at the conference this year:
Gary Shapiro is the President and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, the association behind CES. He closely watches the best in future technology from top companies and startups, and explains in fascinating detail the trends that will disrupt and revolutionize businesses and why. Check out this recent article to see the emerging trends he's most excited about at CES 2017.
Shawn Dubravac is the chief economist and senior director of research for the Consumer Technology Association. His speeches are gadget-filled and highly customizable but also cut through current product excitement to explore which experimental technologies will really be relevant in 5-7 years time. In the meantime, read Shawn's predictions for what will sell big in 2017.
Dr. Daniel Kraft is a repeat TED speaker and the Harvard and Stanford-trained head of the medicine track at Singularity University (whose founders hail from X Prize and Google). He shares how disruptive technology is reinventing the future of health and medicine while demoing the industry's most revolutionary new gadgets. Watch Dr. Kraft's TED talk about the future of medicine.
For more information on these speakers, please fill out the form below. We also represent other speakers hailing from Singularity, Google, and Facebook and more that we'd be happy to review with you.


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I had the utmost pleasure to take my sidekick Ladybug to Dallas to check out the Kills at the Granada Theater on Saturday. Great show, great band. I'm not incredibly big on concert reviews, so I won't doddle, but the Kills are pure entertainers on stage, and know how to work out the raw, salacious vibes that ooze from their tunes. I'm not talking about glammed-up Prince writhing all over his guitar, but a very natural energy that adds depth to a band that has grown steadier with age. Openers the Horrors knocked it out of the park–a very icy, fuzzed-out Joy Division meets Dirty Projectors.
House photographer Bill Ellison caught some amazing pictures, be sure to check them out here.


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I've never been to Felixstowe before so didn't really have an idea of where the best place to eat was. I was meeting with a client and they did recommend The Fludyers Arms as it is supposed to have a good reputation.
After spending a good 4 hours on the train, I was ready for a nice meal. After looking at the menu online I was really looking forward to coming, as there were some great choices. On meeting with the client we walked about 5 or 10 minutes from the train station to the restaurant, it was a pleasant walk with the beach just on the side.
What Is The Location Like For The Fludyers Arms?
Location wise I would say that its perfect, it sites right on the cliffs at the edge of the sea. There are tables outside so on a nice warm day you would have some excellent views, perfect for watching the world go by.
I didn't stay in Felixstowe as I was only there for the day, if you are looking to stay in the area then The Fludyers Arms does also have rooms. I didn't see them but looking at the pictures online they do look really nice and comfortable.
The Fludyers Arms Menu
It was just after lunch so had chosen our meals from the lunch menu. There was a nice selection of different meats as well as a number of fish dishes. Its always good to see places offering a nice selection of meats and not just focusing on steaks or chicken dishes.
Main – Roast Duck and Vanilla Mash (Apox £16)
I decided to order the roasted duck from the specials menu as the sound of vanilla mash potato got my taste buds tingling. The duck itself was nice, although id have happily had it a little more pink but it was very tasty. The mash potato was very interesting and nice, adding vanilla is something I'm going to have to try.
The dish came with spinach and some mushrooms with a red wine jus…all in all it was very nice.
Dessert – Chocolate Brownie (£6.50)
Chocolate brownie tends to be my go to dessert if I am craving a little chocolate, it tends to be tasty but not sickly like some chocolate tarts. It came with white chocolate bavarois and a chocolate pot, these worked well with the main dessert and satisfied my sweet tooth 🙂
What Was The Service Like?
The service was okay to be honest, I did read online a lot about poor service but when I went it was fine. Ill admit the restaurant was quiet so naturally it would be a bit better than if it was busy. They showed us to the table quickly and brought us our menus. They also came at appropriate times to ask how the meals were etc.
Overall I personally had no issues with the service and would recommend it.
Final Foodie Thought On The Fludyers Arms
If you are visiting Felixstowe and looking for a nice place to eat that has excellent views as well as nice food, I would recommend visiting The Fludyers Arms. As I said there are some negative comments on sites such as Trip Advisor but I personally found it to be fine and would take many reviews with a pinch of salt (even this one :P)
Really you never know how good a place is unless you go yourself.
How To Find The Fludyers Arms
Address: Undercliff Road East, Felixstowe IP11 7LU
Phone: 01394 691929
Price: ££
Website: http://www.thefludyers.co.uk/restaurant/
Hi, my name is Martyn and I consider myself an Amateur Chef. I love everything about food and this was the main reason I started this blog, to showcase that passion. I started this blog in 2014 with an aim to showcase tasty recipes, restuarant reviews and useful cooking tips and tricks.
Even though I do consider myself an Amateur, I have continued to develop my skills in the kitchen. I am self taught but I do also take part in a number of cooking courses to help learn something new.
Click to learn more about me and AmateurChef
Live To Eat, Don't Eat To Live


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Viral: Nidhhi Agerwal Accepts Fitness Challenge of Naga Chaitanya
The fitness challenge thrown by Union Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore to Indian citizens has been receiving the response very well. Recently, Akkineni Hero Naga Chaitanya nominated his co-star Nidhhi Agerwal for this challenge. She is currently starring in Naga Chaitanya's upcoming movie Savyasachi. Nidhi accepted this challenge and completed it by posting a video of her gym workouts in her own style. The video of the actress lifting up heavyweights is creating a sensation on the internet. Watch the video for more insight.


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Dear Jane,
I write this letter with heavy heart. In fact, even as I type it, I'm using you, and I don't feel good about that at all. But the truth of the matter, Ms. Jane Toshiba Laptop, is that I'm seeing someone else, and I have been for some time. Her name (you deserve to know it) is Samsung Galaxy S3. I just call her "Smartphone".
You're asking what happened. All I can tell you is that I never intended this. At first, there were no feelings involved. At first, she just helped me get by when I was traveling. Over time, we've grown close, and I've been sneaking around with her everywhere… while I leave you at home. I know you're willing and able to travel, too. But to be honest, you're big and bulky, while she's small, and sleek, and sexy.
I'm sure you've noticed that I'm not paying as much attention to you as I should. I wonder if you've seen me texting with her, or making plans to eat with her… or dreaming of our next vacation. Sure, I still turn to you when I need to fill out a form, or write a letter like this, or look at a website that's not yet optimized for Smartphone. But more and more often, I'm finding myself holding her in my hands instead of putting you on my lap. She's one of the last things I think about at night, and I check her out first thing in the morning.
The thing is, I'm not the only one that's doing this. If it's cheating, it's happening everywhere… and men and women both are doing it. Pew Research Center said that as of January 2013, 45% of American adults had a relationship with a "Smartphone" of their own. Every month, they're spending more time with Smartphone, and less time with the little CPU that's waiting for them at home. I guess it's just the way the world has changed.
Look, I admit that I still need you. I know. I'm a dog. I've just come to assume that you'll be there when I truly need you. This is really awkward to say, but I hope that won't change. This isn't goodbye, just "so long for now". And if you ever need me, you know I'll be there. Just text me, send me a tweet, or drop me a line on Facebook. I'll get it almost instantly (oh, the shame…).


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Cooperation with Alien Skin software
May 26th, 2015. The Raleigh, NC-based software company, Alien Skin, has just published the first of a series of blogs I'm writing for them. Alien Skin Exposure is THE film simulation software and I've been using it since version 2 came out several years ago. While it's popular amongst portrait photographers, landscape workers have been slow to embrace its expressive potential. These articles explore that potential.


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Economy of Mauritania
A market place in Tidjikja
|Calendar Year
Trade organisations
|AU, African Development Bank, World Bank, IMF, WTO, Group of 77
$7.824 billion (PPP) (2012 est.)
Rank: 157 (2012 est.)
GDP growth
|6.4% (2012 est.)
GDP per capita
$2,200 (PPP) (2012 est.)
Rank: 190 (2012 est.)
GDP by sector
agriculture (14.9%)
industry (48.0%)
services (37.1%) (2012 est.)
|6.5% (2012 est.)
Population below poverty line
|40% (2004 est.)
|39 (2000)
Labour force
|1.318 million (2007)
Labour force by occupation
agriculture (50.0%)
industry (10%)
services (40%) (2001 est.)
|30% (2008 est.)
Main industries
|petroleum, mining (iron ore, gold, copper, gypsum), fish processing
|$2.66 billion (2012 est.)
Export goods
|petroleum, iron ore, gold, copper, gypsum, fish
Main export partners
China 48.6%
Italy 7.5%
Japan 7.0%
Côte d'Ivoire 6.7%
France 4.7%
Spain 4.1% (2012 est.)[2]
|$2.916 billion (2012 est.)
Import goods
|machinery, petroleum products, food
Main import partners
China 12.9%
Netherlands 10.5%
United States 7.8%
France 7.7%
Brazil 5.6%
Germany 5.5%
Spain 5.1%
Belgium 4.7% (2012 est.)[3]
Gross external debt
|$2.897 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
|Public finances
|-2.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
|$1.143 billion (2012 est.)
|$1.263 billion (2012 est.)
Main data source: CIA World Fact Book
All values, unless otherwise stated, are in US dollars.
A majority of the population of Mauritania depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though most of the nomads and many subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account for almost 50% of total exports. The decline in world demand for this ore, however, has led to cutbacks in production. With the current rise in metal prices, gold and copper mining companies are opening mines in the interior. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. The country's first deep water port opened near Nouakchott in 1986. In recent years, drought and economic mismanagement have resulted in a buildup of foreign debt. In March 1999, the government signed an agreement with a joint World Bank-International Monetary Fund mission on a $54 million enhanced structural adjustment facility (ESAF). The economic objectives have been set for 1999-2002. Privatization remains one of the key issues.
Macro-economic trend
This is a chart of trend of gross domestic product of Mauritania at market prices estimated by the International Monetary Fund with figures in millions of Mauritanian Ougulyas.
|Gross Domestic Product
|US Dollar Exchange
|Inflation Index (2000=100)
|45.93 Ouguiyas
|77.07 Ouguiyas
|80.64 Ouguiyas
|129.76 Ouguiyas
|240.00 Ouguiyas
|265.55 Ouguiyas
Current GDP per capita of Mauritania grew 82% in the Sixties reaching a peak growth of 166% in the Seventies. But this proved unsustainable and growth consequently scaled back to 14% in the Eighties. Finally, it shrank by 29% in the Nineties. Mean wages were $0.97 per man-hour in 2009.
In 2007, mining industries accounted for well over 35 per cent of the Mauritanian economy, with the fish industry so much as 54% (with big changes between these industries in the power relationship). Diversification of the economy into non-mining industries remains a long-term issue. Mauritania is a net importer of food, reportedly importing 70% of its domestic food needs.[4]
Dispute with Woodside Petroleum
In February 2006, the Mauritanian government denounced amendments to an oil contract made by former leader Maaouiya Ould Taya with Woodside Petroleum, an Australian company. In 2004, Woodside had agreed to invest $US 600 million in developing Mauritania's Chinguetti offshore oil project. The controversial amendments, which Mauritanian authorities declared had been signed "outside the legal framework of normal practice, to the great detriment of our country", could cost Mauritania up to $200 million a year, according to BBC News. Signed by Woodside two weeks after the February 1, 2005 legislation authorizing the four amendments, they provided for a lower state quota in the profit-oil, and reduced taxes by 15 percent in certain zones. They also eased environmental constraints, and extended the length and scope of the exploitation and exploration monopoly, among other measures.
The disputed amendments were signed by former oil minister Zeidane Ould Hmeida in February 2004 and March 2005. Hmeida was arrested in January 2006 on charges of "serious crimes against the country's essential economic interests".
Nouakchott's authorities declared that the government would likely seek international arbitration, which Woodside (which operated for Hardman, BG Group, Premier Oil, ROC Oil, Fusion, Petronas, Dana Petroleum, Energy Africa and the Hydrocarbons Mauritanian Society) also contemplated.
Discovered in 2001, Chinguetti has proven reserves of about 120,000,000 barrels (19,000,000 m3) of oil. At the end of December 2005, authorities estimated that in 2006, the oil profits would be 47 billion ouguiyas (about US$180 million) and represent a quarter of the state budget, according to RFI.[5]
Some U.S. oil companies are alleged to be playing a part in Mauritania's oil related corruption.[6]
See also
- Economy of Africa
- Slavery in Mauritania
- List of companies based in Mauritania
- Mauritania portal
- Business and economics portal
- Africa portal
- ↑ "Doing Business in Mauritania 2012". World Bank. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
- ↑ "Export Partners of Mauritania". CIA World Factbook. 2012. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
- ↑ "Import Partners of Mauritania". CIA World Factbook. 2012. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
- ↑ IRIN 2008, 'MAURITANIA: Record hunger predicted in 2008', www.irinnews.org, 19 March. Retrieved on 20 March 2008.
- ↑ "Mauritania and firm row over oil". BBC News. 2006-02-06."Crise ouverte avec la compagnie pétrolière Woodside". Radio France International. 2006-02-06.
- ↑ Looking Glass News. "Mauritanian coup has Bush administration[sic]/Big Oil fingerprints.". Looking Glass News. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook website https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html.
External links
- Economy of Mauritania at DMOZ
- Mauritania latest trade data on ITC Trade Map
- Katsarova, Ivana. "EU-Mauritania fisheries agreements" (PDF). Library Briefing. Library of the European Parliament. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
Coordinates: 21°17′43″N 15°54′27″W / 21.29528°N 15.90750°W


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Your memories refuse to fade
They continue to echo sweetly
Like the soothing tintinnabulation!
beautifully worded!ReplyDelete
Well well , I have a new word,"tintinnabulation"!!!!ReplyDelete
And I think the word has a soothing sound...
Nice one. So you read Edgar Allan Poe!ReplyDelete
Spot on SG...
And I wrote this as soon as I learnt the word. I didn't want to forget it!
Conveys the feeling perfectly :DReplyDelete


text: Since its establishment in 1997, TriGránit Development Corporation has completed Euro 1 billion in new developments, is working on a development pipeline of a further Euro 2 billion and has evolved as a major real estate force in Central and Eastern Europe. The name TriGránit has become synonymous with dominant, distinctive, urban-based real estate projects. The realization of landmark schemes in Central European capital cities will continue to remain our focus for both existing and future developments. Our strength is our unique expertise in real estate development and operations within emerging markets. our project teams are locally based and infused with both international and indigenous management staff that have accumulated over three decades of global real estate experience.


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An easy intro to key statistical concepts. Learn about data visualization and outlier detection. Demystify statistical significance testing. An excellent introductory module and a solid basis for all other modules.
Fundamental Statistical Tools for Research
Course Details
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:
- Understand the difference between descriptive & inferential statistics
- Appreciate the value of exploratory methods in preliminary data analysis & design of experiments «DOE»
- Explore, characterize and identify problems and trends in data using plots
- Use descriptive statistics to summarize data
- Understand the concepts of hypothesis testing: risks, p-value, confidence intervals, power
- Identify the appropriate statistical test based on the study objective
- Understand the importance of sample size calculations and the required input parameters
- Analyze data more quickly and more accurately
- Interpret results reliably and confidently
Target Audience
This module is aimed at anyone who works with data and who must make decisions based on them.
This module introduces key concepts in statistics and data analysis. It assumes that participants either have no previous knowledge of statistics or that they have not used statistics for a long time.
Course Outline
- The importance of statistics
- Descriptive statistics
- Importance of identifying the type & role of variables
- Visualising and summarising data distributions
- Frequency tables for categorical variables
- Pearson's correlation coefficient for continuous variables
- Plotting Data: Histograms, Scatter, box-plots, bar charts
- What is statistical inference?
- Hypothesis testing principles: Null and alternative hyposhesis, one vs. two-tailed tests
- Risk involved in significance testing
- Test statistics: T-test, F-tests...
- Observed significance level or "p-value"
- Statistical significance & decision rules
- The importance of sample size calculations
- Statistical inference with confidence Intervals
- Numerical application to the single sample case
- Summary
Practical Info
Recommended Duration: 1 day
Course Materials:
Course Reviews
posted by Leslie Lukens
Excellent overview of statistics. I feel like I was able to obtain a strong understanding of the basics and will now be able to build on that. Highly recommended!
posted by Roger L. Roy
Excellent overview of the most important concepts in statistics. The box-plot graphical tool was excellent in helping to determine if data can be considered independent, normally distributed samples so that standard statistical analysis can be conducted. The scope of statistical tests, use of the p-value, and how to minimize risks were all clearly explained. Finally, how to interpret confidence intervals and the equivalence between confidence intervals and hypothesis testing helped me to gain more confidence in my analyses.
posted by Ian Chapman
I started with a minimal knowledge of statistics and statistical methods and tests. This course brought me right up to speed with my colleagues. The concepts were clearly explained and there were several examples of each concept. Overall, an enjoyable and informative course.
posted by Heath Hendershot
Over-all the course was great. The teacher was very thorough in all aspects of the class. The class was well taught, the teacher asked questions to make sure we all understood, got class participation and incorporated in real examples from each participant.


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Yellow Wood consulting firm to offer WealthWorks training in October
Posted: August 2, 2014
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc., is offering a training designed for professionals engaged in community and/or economic development who would like to become WealthWorks value chain coaches or coordinators. Participants work with value chain intermediary organizations (value chain managers), helping them to identify, explore, construct, and measure the impacts of WealthWorks value chains.
The onsite portion of the next training session takes place October 19-22, at Pendle Hill, just outside of Philadelphia. Registrations are on a first-received basis. The PDF application can be downloaded here.
More info about WealthWorks is available at http://www.wealthworks.org/ and http://ruralwealth.org/.


text:
Claus Sproll, President
is a business professional with many years of experience in
Pamela Benton, Vice President and CFO
has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Albright College and has worked for many years in financial administration. Her professional background includes employment in large corporations, small businesses, independent schools, retail establishments and non-profit organizations. She is an experienced school administrator, small business owner, non-profit board member, financial consultant and has served as the treasurer in several organizations.
Office Staff
Sandra Volgger-Balazinski
is an experienced administrative professional who enjoys working hand in hand with our clients to oversee and manage all of their administrative and advertising needs. Sandra holds a BA in Education from West Chester University, a business degree from the Swiss Business School of Zurich, Switzerland, and worked in the international insurance industry for over a decade.
Vicki Barany
provides comprehensive, full-service bookkeeping services for our clients and manages all of the administrative functions of our business office. She is an experienced professional having worked for over two decades in small businesses and non-profit organizations providing office management, bookkeeping and general administrative support.
Kimberly Dubost
is a qualified professional who has provided office management, bookkeeping, accounting, human resources, and payroll to small businesses for over 20 years. She continues to expand on her experience by supporting several clients with their bookkeeping and administrative needs.
Maggie Pate Duffey
has extensive experience in project management with responsibility for the coordinating management of multiple projects for both non-profit and for-profit companies. Maggie has a successful record of being held accountable in building credibility, establishing rapport and maintaining communication with stakeholders at multiple levels. Maggie holds a Certificate of Paralegal Studies from Duke University, a Master of Education degree from Sunbridge College and a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Pedagogy from East Carolina University.
Stephanie Fawcett
holds a BA in Psychology from Widener University. She has spent over 20 years working as an administrative professional in various fields from Veterinary offices to Accounting firms. Her areas of expertise include: data entry, customer service, marketing, and social media and website editing.
Melissa Harken
has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from St. Joseph's University. She began her work in public accounting with KPMG, then transitioned into the private sector. Her over 20 years of accounting experience has included the role of Controller for several small businesses.
Kirsten Harper
handles a variety of areas for our clients including: Marketing coordination and strategy, website mastering, email marketing campaigns, branding, social media networking and print media design. She holds a BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has several years of experience in professional advertisement design and marketing.
Kim Kerns
has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Goldey-Beacom College. She has worked over 20 years in the accounting field, which included real estate accounting. She has served as the treasurer in her children's' school Parent Teacher Organizations and Youth Soccer Leagues. Kim currently supports several clients' bookkeeping, payroll, and financial reporting needs.
Eileen Subacus
brings clients valuable business insight garnered from 35 year of combined corporate and small business experience. She has a broad range of experience ranging from restaurant/food service to retirement communities and industrial manufacturing, as well as a creative knack for improving business productivity. Eileen is an Alumni of Temple University, holding a BA in English and in Art History. She also studied accounting and finance at Gwynedd Mercy University prior to spending over 10 years in accounting roles of increasing responsibility, including internal auditor, general accountant, cash manager and office manager. Eileen is a member of the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers and is a Certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor.
Melina Sulla
provides bookkeeping service for various clientele and internal administrative support. Melina holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Messiah College and has over 10 years in administrative and bookkeeping experience.
Amanda Wagner
has expansive education and experience in accounting, sales, and human resources with a strong love of payroll. She has a degree in Hospitality Management from Widener University. Amanda currently supports several clients in both general bookkeeping and administrative support.
Liz Whalen
holds a Bachelor's Degree in Finance from Pace University and has experience working for large corporations, as well as non-profits. Her background includes financial reporting and analysis, accounting, and bookkeeping, including AR and AP. She enjoys leading projects to enhance processes and create efficiencies in order to allow the organizations she works with to make a greater impact.
Randy Evans, J.D.
has been involved in Waldorf education for fifteen years as a teacher, administrator and board member. During that time, he has served as Board President, member of Core Faculty and Faculty Chair. Randy has also worked as a teacher mentor and an adult Foundation Studies Instructor. He holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver, Law School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Duke University. He has completed the coursework for the Center for Anthroposophy's High School Teacher Education Program.
James Hagan, CPA
has experience in the field of public accounting specializing in small to medium sized companies, including not-for-profit entities. James experience includes preparation of month-end and year-end closings, budgets, financial statements and tax returns. He has also managed accounting staffs, served part-time controllerships and performed audits. He has used several general ledger packages including Quickbooks. James holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University and has an active CPA license in Pennsylvania.
Lauren S. Johnson
is a fund development professional with over 15 years of experience working with non-profits in education, sustainable agriculture, and the environment. Lauren focuses on stakeholder relations, communications/marketing, strategic planning and high-impact fundraising. She was Director of Development at a Waldorf School involving a multi-million dollar capital campaign, annual campaigns, grants prospecting and writing. Her previous
Kim Pendleton
brings 13 years of experience in Waldorf school administration in the US and abroad. She has over 20 years of experience in small business management, organizational development and office administration. Kim has served on AWSNA accreditation teams and as the AWSNA regional representative to ANA (Administrative Network of AWSNA) for Northern California for over 5 years. She has served on several nonprofit boards in Waldorf schools and other non-profit organizations. She has a BS in Biology from California State Polytechnic and a Post-Graduate teaching degree from Victoria University, Wellington New Zealand.
Leonore Russell
brings the experience of a long career in Waldorf education, both as a teacher and administrator, to her work in AdminService. She served as Director of Admissions for eight years at the Waldorf School of Garden City, as well as High School Chair for three years. Her experience in teaching on all levels led her to participate in the AWSNA Pedagogical Colloquium and subsequently co-lead several mentor seminars. Leonore's extensive background in education is invaluable to new schools at start-up, through mentoring, evaluating and building new programs. She specializes in Eurythmy in the Workplace as well as an artistic approach to collaborations and community learning. Leonore has a M.A. from Adelphi University and a Diploma in Eurythmy from the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland.
Lydia Sadauskas
is a Human Resources professional and also has experience in school admissions, outreach and development, advertising, office management, small business ownership, governance structures, and policy and procedure development. Lydia has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Duquesne University. While working for a large computer company, Lydia provided training in internal software systems and wrote and published courses for these training programs.
Kuntal Warwick
specializes in international communication and intercultural training to help guide the global mission of large and small organizations across a variety of fields. Kuntal has over 15 years of experience working with the government, education and arts/cultural industries and the private sector in providing diplomatic communications, intercultural skills-building, marketing and development expertise. She has worked with the University of Pennsylvania, Porter Novelli public relations, Embassy of India, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Kuntal has a B.A. in Advertising from Penn State University and an M.A. in International Communication from the School of International Service at American University.
Windy Watson-Crick
has enjoyed a multi-faceted professional and volunteer career within the legal, non-profit, corporate and educational sectors. The overarching focus of her work has been effective project management, with emphases on strategic analysis and communications, community outreach, policy and procedure development, and legal research and writing. In all pursuits, Windy prioritizes building credibility, establishing rapport and maintaining communications with stakeholders. Windy holds a Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School and a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology from the University of Michigan.
Elizabeth Dunn-Fox
has many years of experience in marketing and all aspects of fundraising, including planned/major gifts, donor base development and event coordination. She has worked in the field of non-profit management as well as financial system development for non-profit organizations, focusing on establishing a dynamic balance between programmatic ideals and operational needs, as a basis for healthy budgeting practices.
David S. Frahm, Ph. D
has a broad range of experiences in the field of public education as well as in the area of psychology. In the area of professional development he has designed and led programs on a variety of topics and has trained human service professionals and educators in crisis intervention skills. In the area of Organizational Development he has instituted processes to enhance student academic growth and character development and led successful systemic change for a regional education program and a school district. He has also led boards and committees in not-for-profit organizations. He has provided a broad range of psychological services to clients in private practice. In the area of Human Relationships he has counseled students, families and staffs and intervened in challenging HR conflicts in numerous school district settings. Education and Certifications: Ph.D. in School Psychology, (New York State licensure as a Psychologist), Certification of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Educational Administration (School District Administrator Certificate), Master of Science and CAS in School Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Social Studies.
Kristine Hunt
is a talented copy editor whose editorial work includes scholarly book publishing and grant proposals, newsletters, brochures, and annual reports for nonprofit organizations. She is also experienced in copy editing, proofreading, and indexing. While working in the health care industry, Kristine developed project management skills through writing and editing policies and procedures, training materials, and legal correspondence. Kristine has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of California, Irvine, and completed the Weekend Foundation Year at Rudolf Steiner College.
Anne Saldo
has enjoyed a diversified administrative career, serving multiple roles within academic, entertainment, financial, legal, municipal, and medical fields. The overarching focus of her work has been exceptional customer service, with specific concentration on policy and procedure development, team building, and strategic planning. Most recently, Anne completed the MS Education program in Waldorf School Administration and Community Development at Sunbridge College. Her dissertation on Waldorf School financial aid models was published in 2009.
David Sciarretta
has served in public education as teacher and administrator for nearly twenty years. He is the founding principal of Albert Einstein Academy Charter Middle School (AEACMS), a public charter school in urban San Diego, CA. AEACMS is an International Baccalaureate, California Distinguished School. Mr. Sciarretta has extensive leadership experience creating professional learning communities, maximizing governance and board work, developing and evaluating policy, and harnessing technology to improve organizational effectiveness. A Waldorf school graduate, Mr. Sciarretta holds a B.A from Bowdoin College in History and Government, a M.Ed. in Cross-cultural teaching, a California administrative services credential, and is in the final year of doctoral studies in Educational Leadership at San Diego State University.
Linda Teaman
has more than 10 years experience growing a healthcare related software company as director of sales and marketing. Integrating customer service driven referrals and internet marketing techniques, she has designed and implemented robust and successful sales plans. Her rich experience with Waldorf education, as teacher, movement specialist, operations staff member, social inclusion specialist, teaching mentor and parent, affords her a unique vantage point on running a Waldorf school. Linda has a Bachelor's degree in K-12 Music Education from Eastern Michigan University and 17 years' experience as a Waldorf educator. She is also currently an adjunct faculty member of the Waldorf Institute of the Great Lakes and Movement Therapist with Community Supported Anthroposophical Medicine.


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The issue of whether marriages between same-sex couples should be recognised or not has been a a key issue in the White House recently and history was made yesterday when American President Barack Obama declared his unequivocal support for same-sex marriage, taking a bold political gamble on an issue that divides American voters just months before a presidential election.
This has been prompted by an election on Tuesday in the key swing sate of North Carolina, in which voters overwhelmingly backed a move to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage and civil unions.
(Read more about Obama's stance on gay marriage here)
The issue of Gay rights is not limited to America, it's global and there is still lots of work to do in this country, and indeed our city.
Next Thursday (17th May) is International Day Against HOmophoba & Transphobia (IDAHO Day) and the Leicester LGBT Centre (website) is opening it's doors between 2pm and 6pm to promote awareness of the effect homophobia and transphobia have on our communities and society as a whole. This will include stalls and information from StopHateUK, Safer Leicester Partnership, Leicestershire County Council, Stamp It Out, and many more.
More information is available from the Leicester LGBT Centre website we hope you're able to attend and help make homophobia and transphobia history!
Related articles
- International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia- We are Family-Freedom to Love for all Nigerians! (nigerianlgbtindiaspora.wordpress.com)
- North Carolina Bans Gay Marriage (virgogenxer.wordpress.com)
- Obama backs same-sex marriage (abc.net.au)


text: Chai (pronounced as a single syllable and rhymes with 'pie') is the word for tea in many parts of the world. It is a centuries-old beverage which has played an important role in many cultures. In the past years there has been a phenomenal growth in the popularity and interest in chai. Chai has become very common specialty beverage shops. The lines we sell are very well liked by our customers and their customers.


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Sometimes I come across pictures of weddings we have worked on in the past while I am researching ideas for a current bride and am reminded all over again how lovely the wedding was.
These photos came from Anna and Mark's wedding at Ardington House a couple of summers ago. The ceremony took place in the temple in the gardens with a lovely intimate reception for 30 or so family and friends in the dining room.
As the peony season is so short it is always wonderful to be able to use them in a wedding. Anna and Mark used both ivory and pale pink peonies which was lovely and mixed them with roses and sweet peas.
The bridal work was pale and elegant with lily of the valley, mimi eden spray roses and white lisianthus in amongst the peonies for the bridal bouquet. Anna had little mimi eden spray roses in her hair.
The dining tables had large glass cylinder vases filled with hand tied arrangements of peonies, roses, stocks, antirrhinum and alchemilla mollis. Around the edges of the room were silver rosebowls full of fragrant sweet peas.
This was one of the first weddings that we worked on that was photographed by www.barkerevans.com. We have since gone on to work on many weddings together. They are some of the nicest and most creative wedding photographers that I know!


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260 Floresta Blvd, San Leandro, CA 94578 | 510.351.0463 | website
My cousin Megu recently directed Mr. K and I to this local restaurant after hearing us whinge about the lack of a really good breakfast spot in our fair city of San Leandro. We regularly shop at the OSH hardware/garden shop in the same complex, but from the looks of the outside we had assumed it was another mediocre restaurant stuck in a bygone era, slinging greasy and uninspired hash… We went to check it out and I'm glad to say that we were so very wrong – we have been for breakfast almost every weekend since!
The interior has a certain nostalgic appeal, cushy booths with swanky naugahyde upholstery that just purrs supperclub… even the stools at the counter have been given the royal treatment, and match all of the chairs in the overflow banquet room next door.
Each table is well appointed, the condiment station includes Tabasco, ketchup, a shaker of parmesan, a stack of jam tubs and a bottle of the fabulous Pepper Plant Hot Sauce that is my hot sauce of choice. The menu offers classic diner fare, many have a Greek flair as the restaurant is family run, and are originally from Kyparissi, Greece. Most importantly, they serve breakfast all day long.
The first time we visited I had to try the Ligurian Omelette, which was filled with a delicious mixture of goat cheese, basil, asparagus and onion. Omelettes are served with hash browns or home fried potatoes or fruit salad, and choice of toast, butter and jelly.
The egg was a cooked a little more than I like, as it had a browned crust and was a bit dry and crumbly (I like my eggs soft and creamy). But inside, the filling was intensely flavorful from the tangy goat cheese, aromatic basil and fresh asparagus and onion. I wonder if I could order it less well done? But overall, this was very good.
A side of Linguica $4, a mildly spicy smoked portuguese sausage. A bit dry but satisfyingly chewy, I had no problems finishing it.
Mr. K had a breakfast plate of two eggs cooked over easy, three pieces of sausage, toast and kick-ass hashbrowns ($7.99). By kickass, that means they are cooked on the griddle to a delectably crisp crust, crunchy, chewy and meltingly tender on the inside.
He was especially excited about the toast, which was perfectly crisped and slathered generously with butter that had melted into the bread. This is how toast should be.
The next visit I couldn't resist ordering the Eggs Genovese, poached eggs served with goat cheese, tomatoes and basil over toasted english muffin and a few generous ladles of rich hollandaise sauce.
The combination was unusual and delicious. I loved the bright tangy flavors of the goat cheese along with the fresh tomato slices and pungent basil leaves. All that green stuff, that's not spinach, that's basil!
On the other end of the scale, Mr. K craved something light and healthy, and ordered the Omelette made with Low Cholesterol Egg Whites, filled with a mixture of tomatoes, bell peppers, onions & mushrooms. He said it was bland, but that's what the hot sauce is for.
Another visit he had the eggs plate but said the potatoes weren't cooked as crispy. Can you specify crispness, I wonder? We shall see… Anyways we came later in the day, and I was thinking about a sandwich and chose a green salad as my side. It was big, and came with a cellophane wrapped packet of saltine crackers. A standard salad of iceberg lettuce, chunks of cucumber, cherry tomatoes and croutons from a box.
I enjoyed the Elios Famous Grilled Crab Sandwich ($10.95), served with swiss cheese and chunks of avocado. The bread was buttered and toasted on the griddle and developed a nice crunchy crust and melted the cheese. The crab mixture had also been griddled and had a lightly crisped edge! Very decadent and rich.
Daily dinner specials (click here for a sample menu) include choice of vanilla ice cream, rainbow sherbet, jello, tapioca or rice pudding for dessert; baked potato, mashed potato, french fries, spaghetti or rice for a side, and your choice of homemade cup of soup, dinner salad for a first course. The special also includes coffee or tea (sodas not included). Sandwiches on the specials menu only include a cup of soup. That's quite a hearty meal! And it's a good thing they have such big cushy booths to sprawl out in…
p.s. I really apologize that I haven't been posting much, life has gotten in the way. My girlie kat has been sick and this is a photo of our sliding glass door that got smashed last weekend by some thugs. 🙁 I've been distracted to say the least…


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Georgia achieves significant health improvements but still faces considerable challenges
The fourth in a series of publications providing in-depth analysis of health status in Member States was launched on 26 October 2017. The report, focusing on Georgia, reveals a health situation that has improved significantly in the last decade but still presents considerable challenges.
At the launch, Dr Amiran Gamkrelidze of the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, and Dr Claudia Stein, Director of the Division of Information, Evidence Research and Innovation at WHO Europe, commented on the progress the country has made in improving the health status of its population.
The report, entitled "Georgia Profile of Health and Well-being", was written in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and National Center for Disease Prevention and Control. It uses Health 2020 indicators to provide insights into performance against Health 2020 targets and implementation. It is accompanied by a succinct "Highlights on health" summary, which is designed for policy-makers, pinpointing key policy issues and trends, and providing analysis of available information and evidence related to the health situation of the country.
Improving trends
Life expectancy in Georgia has now reached 73.1 years, which is 1.9 years above the average for the Commonwealth of Independent States. Georgia has made progress on a number of the 19 core Health 2020 indicators. It has succeeded in improving life expectancy at birth, in reducing premature mortality from the 4 main noncommunicable diseases among people aged 30–69 years, and in maintaining high levels of child immunization against measles and rubella. While Georgia has also achieved considerable reductions in infant mortality, its rate remains higher than that of the WHO European Region as a whole.
Facing considerable challenges
Despite the progress made on a number of indicators, some challenges remain in the areas of communicable and noncommunicable disease, well-being and the social determinants of health, particularly the Gini coefficient and unemployment.
The government has implemented a series of health reforms that include:
- establishing a state-based health insurance programme to provide equitable and universal access to health care and to protect citizens from catastrophic health expenditure;
- introducing and improving data collection systems;
- committing to the elimination of hepatitis C;
- adopting a health promotion strategy that includes tobacco control measures.
Despite these actions, Georgia faces significant challenges related to the sustainability of its programmes and the health of its population. Maternal and infant mortality, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and the high rate of tobacco smoking among males all pose threats to health and well-being in the country. Premature mortality has been reduced in the past 20 years, but is still higher than the average for the Region.
Dr Stein, commended the publication: "This report shows that the hard work of the Ministry of Health, the public health authorities and health workers in Georgia is paying off and there have been significant improvements. Of course, there is still much work to be done, but seeking to better understand the present, through a report like this, is a recipe for success in the future".
More country profiles planned for publication
Previous reports were published on Greece, the Republic of Moldova and Slovenia. Over the coming years, and covering as many countries as possible, WHO Europe will produce more of these detailed country profiles, which describe the national health situation using the latest available data. This data is analysed in conjunction with that of the countries in order to create meaningful comparisons.
The reports are available via the European Health Information Gateway, and its accompanying European Health Statistics app, where data sets can be explored in more detail and in comparison to other countries.


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Beauty Addicts, Listen Up!
Stop everything! One of our favourite beauty destinations, MECCA, is bringing out a much-anticipated signature range and in the most surprising news, it's priced from $5- $45. The line will consist of over over 200 products - Instagram teasers below - and we've seen a sneak peek of the packaging - it's glam, colourful and cool. This range is going to be as fun to use, as it will be to see in your beauty bag or on your bathroom shelf. Boasting makeup, lashes, nails and beauty tools, the hardest part will be knowing when to stop.
MECCA Brands founder and CEO Jo Horgan says, "the launch of this new signature line is one of the most important milestones in our business and has been three years in the making."
We can't wait to touch and play, so will keep you posted on all of our favourites. Launching on the 1st of August in Mecca Maxima stores, Mecca in Myer, and online, run, don't walk. It's going to be BIG.


text: Technology has become an invaluable component in how fitness businesses serve customers and operate efficiently. The members of the board of the Fitness Industry Technology Council (FIT-C) said that health club owners and operators in 2017 must adopt and embrace technologies at an accelerated pace, as outlined in their annual Tech Trend Report. Click through this gallery to discover five takeaways from the report.


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Letter #6: Firefox more easily configured for security
When asked which browser will win them over -- Internet Explorer or Firefox -- SearchWindowsSecurity.com readers' choices are clear. Read one of six letters to the editor.
Letter #6: Firefox more easily configured for security
Project Manager
Environment: Standalone Windows 2000 Professional workstation
Internet Explorer or Firefox: Both used, but Firefox preferred
Why IE and Firefox: Statistically IE has more failures and weaknesses than Firefox, but I don't think either are safe from attack.
IE: I use it, but it is not easily configured for security. Internal failures often waste my time and it's not adapted to a work environment.
Firefox: The ease of setting configuration menu options and changing parameters is the major advantage for using Firefox. User reactivity is better when a security breach occurs, and Firefox is identified in memory as a standalone program, whereas IE appears multiple times.
Firefox as a future attack target: IE is more well known and therefore more frequently attacked than Firefox. In any case, security should come from the firewall and antivirus software rather than the browser.
What Microsoft should do to fix browser problems: Analyze bugs faster, provide feedback to customers when problems are submitted online, and increase and simplify the capacity to react and stop bad activity, which is not only originated by hackers but also commercial sites.
For more letters to the editor, click for the complete series.


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Welcome to CitizensofWoodside.com the blog for "COW" or Citizens of Woodside, Inc., a good government organization.
Our Mission is:
to foster Communications among concerned citizens;
to promote citizen Oversight of town activities;
to Work together for the betterment of our community.
Citizens of Woodside is an organization made up of residents and business people who believe that in a democracy, the government should treat its citizens with fairness, impartiality, transparency and respect. Therefore, we have joined together to form a bully pulpit to monitor, report on and share views about the Town of Woodside.
That's who we are, but here's how YOU can make your voice "herd":
1. Post your views on this Blog. We want to hear your views! So please, don't be shy about leaving comments. Let us, and everyone out there, know what you think. You can even leave it anonymously, we won't tell… The webmaster reserves the right to reject any submissions.
2. Become a member of COW.
3. Attend town meetings. COW will inform any citizens of upcoming meetings.
4. Write your Town Council person and let them know your perspective on issues.
5. Send us stories of your dealings with Town staff, or Council, Commission or Board members.


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Something that I think we all love about Android is its flexibility, if you don't like a certain part of the OS then there's a good chance there's an alternative out there that slots right in. This is no more true than when it comes down to keyboards, for years now there has been many third-party keyboards available for Android however, not all of them are all that good.
Adaptxt is a keyboard that stands out from the rest; with a powerful next word prediction alongside the ability to cherry pick from a vast add-on repository offering industry specific languages. These add-on packs will introduce this industry specific language into the keyboard's powerful next word prediction making creating text for work related communication incredibly easy.
Check out the video below and if you haven't done already check out our written review of the keyboard as well:-


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BUTCHER is a fast-paced 2D shooter and a blood-soaked love letter to the cult classics of the genre. As a cyborg programmed to eradicate the last remains of humanity, your sole purpose is to well... annihilate anything that moves.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.


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10 Love Songs that will Stop Your Heart
We all know the effect that music has over us. A song can lift our spirits or bring us to our knees with melancholy. Much to the chagrin of my inner circle, I fantasize about the music career that I did not have. Fantasy carries me along with every lyric and vibrates my body with each beat.
Dazed and in a dream state, songs have the power to transport me into a different time, floating down a stream of capricious emotions. I am not a musician. I am not a singer. I am not a songwriter … but damn I wish that I was. There is no finer gift than the gift of music in my humble opinion.
These ten songs stand out for me because of their ability to translate the one emotion that quite literally drives us all crazy at least once in our lifetime, if we are lucky. Love.
No matter what genre the song may be: Neo Soul, Blues Rock, Folk Pop, Indie Pop, Downtempo Soul, Rock, Jazz, Indie Rock, Soul or Blues Rock … the song, when it is about love, it always remains the same. These 10 songs are here to prove that fact.
Bittersweet. Painful. Beautiful. Scary. Confusing.
Love is a shape shifter. Love is a mystery maker. Love just is.
1. Iyeoka "Simply Falling"
There goes my heart again
All of this time I thought we were pretending
Nothing looks the same when your eyes are open
Now you're playing these games to keep my heartbeat spinning
You show me love, you show me love
You show me everything my heart is capable of
You reshape me like butterfly origami-yeah,
You have broken into my heart
This time I feel the blues have departed
Nothing can keep me away from this feelin
I know I am simply falling for you.
2. The Black Keys "Everlasting Light"
Let me be your everlasting light
The sun when there is none
I'm a shepherd for you
And I'll guide you through
Let me be your everlasting light
Let me be your everlasting light
3. Sarah Jaffe "Stay With Me"
You say go, I'll go
if you wanted to take it slow
we'll take it slow
put your hands over my eyes
I'm happy to be blind
I'll be damned
it's happening again
in minutes we'll see ourselves
in a whole new light
and pieces from our shelves
will take flight
Please stay with me
stay with me
4. Foster The People "Waste"
You know it's funny how freedom can make us feel contained
Yeah When the muscles in our legs aren't used to all the walking
I know if you could snap both your fingers that you'd escape with me
But in the meantime, I'll just wait here and listen to you when you speak… or scream
5. Chet Faker "Love & Feeling"
Scrambling words to make you fall
Make you cold so you want more
Got to keep it all in line, all in line
And now you know, the less you give
The more I pull, the more I wish
Rapacious from the very start
But I hold in line away to live
And you come close just a little bit
Now everything, it seems okay
6. The Fray "Love Don't Die"
If I know one thing, that's true
It ain't what you say, it's what you do
And you don't say much, yeah, that's true
But I listen when you do
A thousand years go by
But love don't die
If I know one thing, that's true
It's that I'm never leaving you
And you don't say much, yeah, that's true
But I lose it when you do
Don't let them tell no lie
Love don't die
No matter where we go
Or even if we don't
And even if they try
They'll never take my body from your side
Love don't die
7. Melody Gardot "Love Me Like a River Does"
Love me like a river does
Cross the sea
Love me like a river does
Love me like a river does
Baby don't rush you're no waterfall
Love me that is all
Love me like a roaring sea
Swirls about
Love me like a roaring sea
Wash me out
8. The Heavy "Be Mine"
Take all my money
Take all my time
Take all the stars that hang above me
Be mine!
Take all my tears
Covet my eyes
Take what you need
To make you love me
Be mine!
9. Hozier "Like Real People Do"
I knew that look dear
Eyes always seeking
Was there in someone
That dug long ago
So I will not ask you
Why you were creeping
In some sad way I already know
I will not ask you where you came from
I will not ask you and neither would you
Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips
We should just kiss like real people do
10. City And Colour "The Girl"
I wish I could do better by you,
'cause that's what you deserve
You sacrifice so much of your life
In order for this to work.
While I'm off chasing my own dreams
Sailing around the world
Please know that I'm yours to keep
My beautiful girl
Wishing you love … the love that you deserve. No matter what song happens to be playing on the radio.
Photo Credit: Simon Gorny via Compfight cc
Julie Anderson
Julie Anderson is the Creator and Publisher of Feminine Collective. Julie was inspired to create this safe place for women to share their secrets, desires, triumphs and pain as the antithesis of what mainstream media offers women today. In her column Pursuit of Perfection, she explores the importance of rectifying the balance of inner and outer beauty through essays, poems and articles on self-esteem, shame, family, and self- acceptance.
6 Comments
❥i'm just sighing at the dreamyness!…☂=^;;^=☂
#11~ Bad Valentine-Transvision Vamp
It feels like Spring again
You sprung this on me and then
It feels like Spring again
But I guess it never really ends
It just comes around again
And I collect all the cards that you sent
But I could not say
If I should stay
I might not even
Even remember your name
Oh what a shame
Oh I'm a bad valentine, a bad valentine
I'm a bad valentine
Oh I'm so bad, bad, bad, all the time
Oh I'm a bad valentine
Ooh I love you baby
Aah I love you maybe
Ooh I love you baby
Or maybe, maybe I'm just insane
It feels like Spring again
You sprung this on me and then
It feels like Spring again
But I guess it never really ends
It just comes around again
And I collect all the cards that you sent
But I could not say
If I should stay
No I might not even
Even remember your name
Ain't that a shame
Oh I'm a bad valentine, a bad valentine
I'm a bad valentine
Oh I'm so bad, bad, bad, all the time
Oh I'm a bad valentine
Oh I'm so bad, bad, bad, all the time
Oh I'm a bad valentine
Oh I'm a bad valentine
Oh I'm a bad valentine
Lyrical, eclectic, groovy and unique playlist.
I'm kind of in love with City and Coulour's "The Girl."
Sigh, so good…
Lovely list, Julie, and I'm psyched to discover some new artists too! Thank you!


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Founded in 1960 and located in Los Baños, the Philippines, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) develops rice varieties that can withstand drought, flooding, disease, and other potentially damaging events. IRRI is a nonprofit organization with more than one thousand staff spread across 17 rice-growing countries in Asia and Africa. It is also a member of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a consortium that aims to eradicate hunger and poverty in developing countries.
Until 2012, IRRI had used locally configured enterprise resource-planning (ERP) systems to complete administration activities. However, these on-premises systems were not integrated and therefore restricted CGIAR partners from gaining a single view of agriculture operations around the world. IRRI and other member organizations decided to create a common ERP system to reduce costs, collaborate more closely, and enable coordinated training and software-development activities. "If one of our donors wants a specific type of progress report on one of the research projects, and a member organization develops a module that can deliver this, that functionality should be made available to the other participating bodies," says Marco van den Berg, chief information officer for IRRI.
The unified system needed to be available and accessible to partners and offices worldwide. "IRRI has offices in 18 countries, with 150 staff in Bangladesh and 120 in India. Our staff needed access to update financial, human resources, and project management systems to allow us to operate efficiently," explains van den Berg. The system also had to be supported by a flexible, agile infrastructure to enable rapid development of new features, and needed to be easily expandable to new regions and organizations.
In 2012, CGIAR partners considered a range of vendors to provide a hosted infrastructure to deliver the common ERP system. The team completed its evaluation at the beginning of 2013 and found that Amazon Web Services (AWS) exceeded the competition when it came to price and performance. "Price-performance-wise, AWS stood out because it provides a better service at a lower cost. AWS offers specific tools that evaluate our existing environment before determining the best cost-efficient solution," says van den Berg.
For the ERP system project, IRRI and the other partners deployed a new environment on AWS to test a new software release, a new database version, or an operating system upgrade. The partners set up and funded a shared services team made up of AWS architects and experts and started the implementation in 2013.
The team and partners adopted a phased approach to keep the project manageable. WorldFish, an international organization based in Penang, Malaysia that researches how fisheries and aquaculture can reduce hunger, was first to go live on the combined ERP system, followed by IRRI and the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru. The team used an "assisted build" approach that found common ground between the three organizations to standardize systems and processes, with complementary solutions developed to meet partners' individual requirements. "Moving to the combined enterprise resource planning system required IRRI to replace all of its legacy finance, human resources, project, and materials-management modules, and migrate its historical data across," says van den Berg. "The first three partners were live on the new system by the end of 2014."
The project did experience some challenges. Some partners had relied heavily on on-premises equipment and a capital expenditure-based budgeting approach. They had to upgrade their networks, bandwidth, and budgeting processes to support a cloud-based, operating-expenditure model.
The ERP system runs in an Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC) to provide separation and security on the shared AWS infrastructure. Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) provides compute resources to run web, application, and database servers, while Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) and Amazon Elastic Block Storage (Amazon EBS) provide storage and short-term archiving for operational data. Amazon Glacier enables the organizations to archive data for the longer term. The partners continue to modify and optimize their infrastructure to reduce costs, improve performance, and support expansion of the ERP system. "We've been able to reduce our infrastructure costs for the enterprise resource planning system several times by using the AWS Trusted Advisor service," says van den Berg. "In addition, we are looking at Amazon Route 53 to provide domain name services, and are considering running our database in Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) to improve scalability and performance."
The business has recently upgraded to AWS Support with the Business Support Plan, which connects the businesses with AWS technical team members to help solve problems and provide training to the teams.
IRRI and other partners have enjoyed several benefits from running their combined ERP system on AWS. If the partners need to test a new software release or version, they can spin up a specialized test environment in two hours. "I can provide someone within the organization a virtual server and operating system within minutes rather than waiting several weeks for a vendor to supply hardware," says van den Berg.
To date, the partners have saved up to 30 percent in overall technology infrastructure costs by running their combined ERP system on AWS. For IRRI, deploying this system, a library system, and other applications on AWS has freed up funds now allocated to research activities such as genomics analysis.
Accessibility has also improved. The cloud-based ERP system can be accessed by partner staff members from any location where Internet connectivity is available. "By offering a cloud-based enterprise resource planning system on AWS, we can now better support and engage people who are travelling throughout the world and in our country offices. The service is also accessible and available regardless of fluctuations in the availability of power in the Philippines, or infrastructure damage caused by the multiple typhoons that hit the region every year," says van den Berg.
CGIAR partners achieve 99.999 percent availability for the ERP system with the help of AWS tools and technologies, giving staff confidence that critical business data will be accessible when they need it.
While moving to AWS was initially a hard sell for IRRI and other CGIAR partners, according to van den Berg, the rewards have been worthwhile. "Our auditor asked to visit the server room, and I had to tell him I did not know where it was. They were satisfied once we provided the relevant certifications and statements from AWS," says van den Berg. Moving to AWS has also prompted some partners to invest more in bandwidth and connectivity, enabling them to ramp up research projects more quickly.
For IRRI and other partners, the ERP project is far from complete. IRRI is using AWS tools and technologies on a project to map and release the complete sequence of genomes for three thousand different types of rice, and to process satellite data to determine the status of rice crops in Asia. "AWS has performed extremely well for us to date, and we look forward to using the platform to drive further efficiencies and launch new projects in the future," says van den Berg.
To learn more about how AWS can help with business applications, visit our Business Applications details page.


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Contemporary jewelry artist Esther Knobel, recipient of this year's Andrea M. Bronfman Prize for outstanding Israeli decorative artists, creates timeless pieces that can be as ephemeral as flower petals.
For artist and jeweler Esther Knobel, winning this year's Andrea M. Bronfman Prize for the Arts (the Andy), for her series The Mind in the Hand which premiered in Massachusetts in June, couldn't have come at a better time.
"The application process meant that I was in the midst of a retrospective look at 30 years of work," she tells ISRAEL21c. "Winning the prize, having the opportunity for an exhibition, getting the chance to interpret my work through the medium of a catalogue, having a museum backing you – it's like heaven."
Knobel, who is in her early 60s, has always prided herself on being a little different. Born in Poland in 1949, she immigrated with her family to Israel at the age of one, moving to bucolic Ramat HaSharon where the flower petals, leaves and pine needles that would later figure in her work were all part of her childhood experience.
She graduated from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem in 1974, moved to London and received her Masters in Jewelry Design from the Royal College of Art in 1979. It was the height of the punk era, and Knobel was part of the scene.
"My work was always a bit outside the mainstream," she admits. "The 60s and 70s were an interesting time in European contemporary jewelry. I was very interested in jewelry that borders on art, and the avant garde there influenced my work."
She accepted the Royal College's requirement for technical excellence but railed against its conservative approach. Her final project, Pine Needle Necklace (1977), a chain of anodized aluminum loops, "was a rebellion against the ethical, material, and technical stodginess that prevailed in the discourse of jewelry design in those years.
The safety pin, hallmark of punk, is another recurring motif for Knobel. "…in London at the time, the safety pin was identified with a harsh and aggressive fashion style, but to me it pointed in the exact opposite direction: an object borrowed from nature, or a tribute to the early childhood years, like the pine needle enclosed within its sheath," she says.
Knobel returned to Jerusalem to teach at Bezalel and later on, at the Shenkar College of Textile Technology and Fashion. She left teaching over 10 years ago but continues to lecture at art institutions around the world, from Cologne to Seattle to Tokyo. "Teaching, imparting knowledge, is very important in every creative field. It's important [in the arts] that the teacher be a working artist and that working artists teach."
The Mind in the Hand series, which was on show at the Sienna Gallery, is Knobel's attempt to clarify the Hebrew term milekhet mahshevet (work of craftsmanship) in a series of silver brooches etched with line drawings of hands at work.
It won the attention of the judges for the Andy, which was established by philanthropist Charles Bronfman in 2005 to honor his late wife's passion for the arts. "The Andy Prize reflects innovation and excellence, and every stage of Knobel's work clearly represents these ideals," stated Charles Bronfman.
Knobel has won other awards during her career including the Bezalel Prize of Excellence (1974) and the Françoise van den Bosch Prize (1994). Her jewelry can be found in the collections of numerous international museums, including the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Vienna, the Craft Board of the Australia Council, Sydney, and the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
She recently participated in Women's Tales, a traveling group exhibit of four leading Israeli contemporary jewelers produced by the Racine Museum of Art and the Israel Museum. The show is due back in Israel next year.
As part of the NIS 50,000 Andy prize, Knobel's has a show, entitled Long Distance Runner, on display at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and two works will be purchased for the Tel Aviv Museum and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Knobel's main focus has always remained on making quality contemporary jewelry that transcends season and fashion.
"There's a reason why I called the show Long Distance Runner," says Knobel. "I thought the name expressed a sort of consistency over time that's the opposite of fashion."
Timelessness doesn't mean that her pieces are built to last, she adds. In fact, one of Knobel's most famous and oft-copied pieces is a brooch made of a real flower atop a silver stem. "Durability doesn't interest me," she admits.
What does interest her is the interplay between jewelry and its wearer. "There's a trend in the US right now of calling jewelry 'small sculpture' – sort of to upgrade its status – but I don't buy it. I don't view my works as separate from the body, they always relate to the human proportion, the world or people. The context is human. Plus, the body is a good place to display them."


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The Hero's Journey
The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek Joseph Campbell
11 Quotes To Keep You Going (Video)
These Motivation quotes will keep you going during tough times Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, don't sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy. -Dale Carnegie Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born […]


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Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide. According to an estimate, it is believed that one third of deaths across the world are caused by it. There is a general belief that cancer is a hereditary disease. Though external factors such as chemicals, pollution etc are also believed to cause cancer. Our lifestyle and food habits are major contributory factors of cancer.
The national cancer institute as well as world cancer research fund believes in healthy eating to prevent cancer. The five important foods to be incorporated in our daily diet for preventing cancer are as follows:
Broccoli, cauliflower, onion, garlic, carrot, sweet potato, spinach, beans, avocado, lettuce, asparagus are some of the vegetables to be included in our daily meal to protect ourselves from cancer. Broccoli, cauliflower, kale contains antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin which help reduce the risk of prostate or any other form of cancer. Beans, spinach, lettuce, avocado contain folate which is a preventive food for pancreatic cancer. Tomatoes and sweet potatoes are rich source of beta carotene, a preventive vitamin. Vegetables should be preferably taken in raw form as they are richer in nutrients.
Another important food group to be included in our day to day life for avoiding cancer. Fresh, organically cultivated fruits eaten in raw form or extracted as juice prove healthy for an individual. Fruits like banana, grapefruit, orange, papaya, red grapes, strawberries, raspberries; blueberries are few important fruits which help reduce cancer. Papaya is believed to prevent the absorption of nitrosamines from processed food and cultivation soil, which are major cause of cancer. While banana is rich in potassium and red grapes are rich in bioflavonoid; the berries too are believed to possess anti cancerous nutrients.
This white meat is rich in Omega 3s and essential fatty acids which act as a preventive measure against breast cancer. They are healthy for our heart and brain. The fish oil is believed to protect from prostate and colon cancer.
drinking lots of water, juice, green tea and chai is essential for keeping our body healthy. Drinking 5 liters of water everyday washes down all the toxins from our body. While vegetable and fruit juices provide essential nutrients and vitamins. Green tea is a rich source of antioxidant. It has been proven by the American institute of cancer research that green tea contains phytochemicals which are believed to stop the transformation of normal cells to cancerous cells.
it is a rich source of protein. At the same time soy is also believed to be rich is phytochemicals responsible for prevention of breast cancer. Soy can be taken daily as soy milk, tofu, granules, pulse. Any form of soy proves beneficial except the processed form. We should avoid soy chips rich in salt as well as other processed soy snacks. In fact any form of processed food be it salami, chips, sausages or cool drinks is unhealthy and major cause of different kinds of cancer.
To Your Health!
Abortions Clinic Dr. James S. Pendergraft opened the Orlando Women's Center in March 1996 to provide a full range of health care for women, including abortions, physical examinations, family planning, counseling, laboratory services and *** transmitted disease screening and counseling. Abortions Clinic


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James Cornford 1935 - 2011
10 October 2011
It is with great sadness that we mark the death of James Cornford, Director of the Nuffield Foundation from 1981 to 1989.
During his eight years as Director, James laid the groundwork for the modern Nuffield Foundation. The physical manifestation was a move from grand premises on the edge of Regent's Park to an altogether more appropriate and accessible home in the heart of Bloomsbury. More significant was the change of style and focus that went with it. Drawing on his experience as founder of the Outer Circle Policy Unit, one of the first policy think tanks, James had a clear-eyed and realistic appraisal of what a Foundation with relatively modest means could achieve.
Despite (or perhaps because of) his earlier experience as an academic he was at least as interested in practical experiment and innovation as he was in research, and he was interested in research not for its own sake but because of the contribution it could make to social and policy reform. Those principles still guide what the Foundation does today.
As a colleague he was a joy to work with. Deeply sceptical of management dogma his style was collegial and hands off. He led by example and persuasion, not fiat. One remembers above all his sharpness and clarity of thought, his irreverent sense of humour and his innate decency and kindliness.
Anthony Tomei


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The Man in Blue
March 20, 2012
(Author's Note: This story is just a shell of what it should be. I completed the story parts…but decided I would save a much better edit until later. That means this is a very rough cut of the story I've been working on. Sorry it's not more polished. I'm just a little too excited to share it I guess.)
The storm outside was relentless. The drops sounded like they were the size of quarters banging against the side of the once beautiful home. Now the unkempt home's missing shingles allowed for a stain to grow in the northeast corner of the ceiling in the living room. James stared up at it as it grew during the duration of the storm.
He had been squatting in this house for the past four months. James did his best to hide from the neighbors but he was sure they knew. He didn't speak to anybody and only stayed inside at night. One of his safe moves was to make sure he never used lights at night. It was a lonely place at night.
He only left during the early morning hours. During the day he would hang around the back of a Lowe's closer to town hoping to get picked up by somebody for a day's worth of work at a construction site. It usually didn't work out. But the little money he did earn was usually in sweaty dollar bills and rolled up in a rubber band. Today was a wash out, so no work.
That's why he had been sitting in his borrowed living room all morning trying to cook some Ramen Noodles on a small camping stove. It wasn't working out too well. The last flavor packet had gone missing. How do you lose something when you hardly have anything to lose? James thought to himself. Today he would just have to settle with the flavor of hose water and plain noodle.
The little money he did earn was quickly sent off the pay for his growing alimony debt. He kept 50 bucks for himself when he could so he could scrape up some non-perishables from the store every couple of weeks, sometimes some propane cans when he was filling selfish.
If I only had more money. This was his daily mantra. He lived and died by these words, not that he had anybody to say these words to.
Thunder shook the house and made the windows rattle. James never liked thunder. When there was thunder there was lightning. He was terrified of lightning. It always brought up bad memories from his childhood.
As his pot of water started hissing, a knocking came form the front door. James passed it off as hail banging against the door.
James didn't stop trying to stir his uncooked noodles. He looked back up at the stain on the ceiling. It had grown considerably in the past couple of hours. He thought about the idea that may need to ditch this place for another one soon. A different neighborhood always presented more problems. Maybe his future neighbors wouldn't take kindly to the homeless moving in.
The knocks came again. This time they were much more rhythmic. James knew a person had to have done that. He left his noodles and snuck around the corner into the foyer. He tried peeking through a window for a car but didn't see one.
Probably the police. I guess I overstayed my welcome. He pondered to himself.
"Mr. Harris?" came the muffled voice from outside.
A man in a blue suit stood under his porch. He had a weak smile and a fedora pulled across his brow hiding his eyes. The stranger looked like he was pulled out of the advertisement for cigarettes in the 1950's. He was holding a briefcase that was handcuffed to his wrist.
This is weird. James thought to himself.
James opened the door timidly. "Yes. I'm here. What do you want?"
"I have something that was determined to be given to you." said the man in a routine manner. He punctuated his sentence with the same passive smile that he wore before.
"What is it?" demanded James.
"Money. And lots of it." the man stated with casual ease. He looked up to meet James's gaze. He had dark eyes.
Bull. That was James Harris's first thought.
"Bull."That was also James Harris's first reaction. He immediately felt like recanting his statement but he didn't have a choice.
The man in blue shook his head. "You tell me." The smile never left his face.
He pulled up the briefcase and unlocked it with a key he pulled from his breast pocket. When he opened his jacket James saw the holstered polished steel beneath it. The man in blue continued to open the briefcase displayed it packed neatly with stacks of 100 dollar bills.
"Holy-" James put his hand over his mouth the way an elderly woman shows shock at the sight of women in pants.
"That's got to be close to a million dollars…" he finished his thought.
"Actually it's 17.3 million." piped the man in blue.
"Wow." James continued.
"So are you interested in what I have to say?" chuckled the mysterious man.
"You may be my new best friend." said James. I must be crazy. This can't be happening.
"Fine then." he gave a slight pause. "Would you mind if I stepped inside briefly?"
"Oh, yes." said James, seemingly forgetting common courtesy. This guy must be soaked.
The man looked behind him at the storm with indifference as if taking notice of it for the first time. He turned back and smiled wryly. "That would be lovely. Thank you."
They walked into the living room ignoring the storm outside. The man in blue stepped into the foyer without wiping his shoes on the old floor mat. James even noticed that the man didn't appear to be wet at all. His shoes didn't squeak on the marble floor. The man in blue turned and extended his unoccupied hand to James.
James returned motion and shook the man's hand. Feels like this guy has had his hand in ice water.
The man in blue held the grip for longer than normal. "You've got a good grip there. You must work in construction."
"Uh, yeah. Thanks?" James stammered out. "So, what can I help you with?" he eyed the side of the man's jacket with the gun.
"I'm sorry to intrude like this but I was told that you would be here at this time. Your place of residence looks…lovely." said the man in blue.
"Oh, yeah, well…" James tried a little humor. "My place in the Hampton's is still being renovated. So I just pitched my tent here, for now." James never took his eyes away from the holstered pistol.
"I don't have much time, so if it's not a bother to you, I would like to get straight down to business. I think that's the phrase." stated the stranger.
"Yes, I think that's the phrase." James agreed sardonically. The storm outside was picking up. The thunder really made James feel the uneasiness in his stomach. He felt like something bad was going to happen.
"Don't worry, I'll be brief." the man in blue unbutton his coat jacket, the gun now in plain sight.
"I'm going to ask you if you wish to participate or not. If you agree, you will get this briefcase and you can do whatever your little heart desires with it's contents. If you disagree-" the man thought seemed to trail off. "Well, let's just say you're going to participate."
James' heard the threat clearly. He swallowed and responded. "Free money sounds like a good idea."
The man in blue uncuffed himself from the money and latched it onto James. James contemplated objecting be decided it was in his best interests to cooperate fully. He also couldn't stop salivating at the idea of all that money on his wrist.
Heck, if this guys going to kill me, I might as well die rich.
"There is, of course, one catch." said the stranger. His eyes narrowed. "You will have six days to spend all of this money. You are expected to spend it correctly. If you fail to do so within the assigned time period-" the man opened his coat jacket to reveal the gun fully. "I'll kill you."
James swallowed hard.
"That's it." The man buttoned his jacket again and started toward the door.
"W-wait. You'll just kill me if I don't spend the money? And you'll kill me if I spend it wrong?" he waited for a response from the man.
"Yes. You have six days as well. Don't forget the six days part."
James was trying his hardest to not evacuate his bowels in front of this mysterious stranger.
"How am I supposed to spend it the right way? You want me to give it to a charity or something? Why not do it yourself. Why am I being … chosen for this whole crazy scheme." whimpered James.
"You said you wanted more money. Here's your chance." stated the stranger.
Can this guy read thoughts or something? James wondered to himself.
"Actually, I can." said the man in blue.
"You can what?" queried James. He felt like he was going to throw up.
"I can read your thoughts. I can also tell a lot of things about you James Allen Harris."
"Woah, indeed. I can also tell you that were the person I picked for reasons you can't see right now. You're just going to have to trust me. I haven't picked a winner yet, but you might be the lucky one." the man finished. He started walking toward the door.
"You mean everybody who's done this has failed?" said James.
"It's a shame to say it. But yes. They have all failed." The man reached into his pocket and tossed the keys at James. "Catch."
James didn't move and the keys hit his chest and fall to the floor.
As the man in blue opened the door the wind from the storm kicked some rain into the foyer. The splashing from the eve above made it sound like a waterfall outside.
"Oh, and I'd hate put you out like this, but you should probably use some of that money to replace these windows." said the man ignoring the torrent outside.
James looked like a bewildered owl. "Windows?" he inquired.
His question was ignored and the man in blue stepped outside and closed the door behind him. No less than than 3 seconds later lightning crashed just outside of the same door.
Glass shattered and the windows blew inward. James thought a bomb had went off and threw himself down to the ground covering his head with the briefcase.
For a moment the shock took away all memories of the man in blue. James opened his eyes half expecting this whole ordeal to be a hallucination but he felt the cold handcuffs around his wrist. When he picked himself up he raced to the door and threw it open. The rain persisted but the man was gone. Vanished into thin air. It smelled like flowers.
Only a small piece of paper lay on his porch. James picked up the sopping wet rag.
It read:
June 9th at 9:00 p.m. I'll see you then.
P.S. – Sorry about the mess.
James forgot his fear of lightning and stood outside as more arcs bolted across the sky. He ran down the street not caring if the neighbors saw him.
Six days.
The Man in Blue.
D.A. Bancroft
3 Responses to "The Man in Blue"
March 21, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Okay, I'm going to overcome my fear of writing in English and actually comment on this.
First of all: I liked it. I like the feeling you build up, the way he struggles to earn money, the depressing food and all. I like the way the man in blue states the exact sum of money. I like details.
And then for the nitpicky part.
"The drops sounded like they were the size of quarters banging against the side of the once beautiful home" – The flow in this sentence is a bit off. The description is good, but I think it would sound better rewritten. I'm not sure how, though.
"Actually it's 17.3 million." piped the man in blue.
The first period should be a comma, like:
"Actually it's 17.3 million," piped the man in blue.
"You can what?" queried James. He felt like he was going to throw up.
Good description, but I'd have gone with "asked" instead. Your writing has a sort of plain, everyday feeling (which is awesome, because it contrasts so well with the actual stories told), so fancy descriptors just throws me out of it.
"Yes, I think that's the phrase." James agreed sardonically.
Once again, the dialogue tags feel a bit clumsy. It'd be better if you could *show* how he was saying it sardonically.
"Oh, and I'd hate put you out like this, but you should probably use some of that money to replace these windows." said the man ignoring the torrent outside.
The first part of this is my favourite sentence in the whole story. The last part of it just gets repetitive (you had the word "outside just a few lines up) and kind of bogs the whole sentence down. If the thing is that he stands in the torrent and just ignores it, why not get a bit more descriptive?
"Oh, and I'd hate put you out like this, but you should probably use some of that money to replace these windows," said the man ignoring the water splashing around him.
Okay, now my example wounded even worse. I don't know. I'm Swedish.
No less than than 3 seconds later […]
Always write out numbers. At least numbers smaller than… oh, I don't remember. Thirteen, maybe? Three should definitely be written out.
James forgot his fear of lightning and stood outside as more arcs bolted across the sky. He ran down the street not caring if the neighbors saw him.
Six days.
No, I'm not going to complain about this part. I just had to quote it because it's the perfect ending for this story. I love that it's cut off so suddenly. I can see the rest of the story stretching out, could see it from the point where the man in blue told him the rules, but it doesn't have to be written out. This would be great as the prologue to a longer work (as, for example, 50 000 words or so…), but it works perfectly as a separate piece of flash fiction.