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Farmers for economic freedom
Updates from the Canadian Farm Enterprise Network, Canadian Farmers for Justice and the Prairie Centre. Several of the items appearing here originally appeared in an email list operated by Dwayne Leslie at http://www.prairielinks.com.
web posted October 25, 1999
The Making of a Horror Story
By Craig Docksteader
When the bureaucrats from Environment Canada insist farmers and ranchers have nothing to fear from the upcoming Canadian Endangered Species Protection Act, I don't believe them. I'm not saying they're lying, I just think they're wrong. The course that the federal government has charted for its endangered species agenda spells trouble for landowners.
Based on what we know about the government's proposed legislation, consider the answers to the following questions:
1. Will regulations to protect endangered species apply to private property as well as crown land? Answer: Yes
2. Does this mean the federal government could regulate the use of your land because an endangered species lives on it? Answer: Yes.
3. Could the federal government regulate the use of your land if an endangered species lives on an enjoining property? Answer: Yes
4. Could this regulation of your land result in a loss of income by restricting activity on the land? Answer: Yes.
5. Could this regulation of your land result in a loss of potential future income by limiting your ability to develop the land? Answer: Yes.
6. Could this regulation of your land affect it's resale value? Answer: Yes
7. Would you be paid compensation for personal losses in either income or land value due to the impact of endangered species legislation on your property? Answer: No.
If no-one had ever been down this road before, we might have reason to give the government the benefit of the doubt. But the experience of U.S. landowners under very similar legislation only heightens the concerns of prairie farmers and ranchers.
The story of Mr. John Taylor, from Mason Neck, Virginia, is a typical experience. Taylor, an 80-year-old retired builder, wants to build a modular home on his small, residential lot for him and his disabled wife. Unfortunately, because a bald eagle nest is located on an adjacent lot approximately 43 feet from his property line, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requires him to get what's called an incidental take permit a permit that allows activity that might disturb the habitat of an endangered species.
In his application for the permit Taylor promised not to build during the bald eagle nesting season. Wildlife Service wasn't satisfied. Taylor would also have to pay for and build two bald eagle nesting platforms and an educational exhibit on bald eagle ecology, or contribute to a salmon restoration program. In addition, he must agree to a deed restriction that precludes any disruptive activity, including parties, lawn mowing and children playing on the lot, between the months of November and July the eagle's nesting period.
Until Taylor agrees to these things, Fish and Wildlife has suspended processing his application for a permit. Instead, they have suggested that Mr. Taylor could avoid the permit application process altogether if he simply sold the property to a civic association, or donated it to a conservation organization. When Taylor refused to do either, Fish and Wildlife Service notified him that, in addition to the previous conditions, he may also be required to establish a contingency fund and to post a bond which would be forfeited if the eagles abandoned the nest site -- even though they may leave for reasons beyond his control.
The good news for Mr. Taylor is that at least the U.S. constitution provides some protection for his property rights. This gives him legal recourse to pursue compensation for economic losses resulting from government regulations on his land -- which he is doing. The bad news for Canadian property owners is that there is no such protection north of the 49th.
If Environment Minister David Anderson proceeds on his current plan of action, and pushes through his proposed legislation, we won't have to look south of the border for horror stories. We'll have plenty of our own.
web posted October 18, 1999
In His Own Words: What Kroeger Wrote to Minister Collonette
By Craig Docksteader
Arthur Kroegers recent letter to Transport Minister Collonette on the implementation of the Estey Report has been widely reviewed with the accompanying criticism or praise. But aside from the oft-repeated policy positions, Kroeger also made a number of interesting comments to Minister Collonette which provide some insight into how Kroeger arrived at his conclusions.
In his own words, heres some of what Kroeger wrote to Collonette:
* On the Challenge...
"In the search for common ground, a range of alternatives was examined that went well beyond what would have been permissible on a strict reading of our terms of reference. Nevertheless, the historic divisions among Western stakeholders in the grain handling and transportation system proved too wide to be bridged. The problem of reaching consensus was exacerbated by a degree of fear and mistrust on the part of each stakeholder group vis a vis the others that exceeded anything I have encountered elsewhere in the private sector."
* On the Framework...
"In developing my advice about the points at issue, I was guided by a succession of decisions about grain handling and transportation that have been made by governments since the early 1980s..."
"The general import of these measures is that, for nearly two decades, governments have progressively moved away from regulation and central controls towards providing substantially greater scope for normal commercial decision-making. I am not aware of any recent decision that would indicate an intention to reverse course and return to a more regulated approach. On the contrary, in your statement on behalf of the government on May 12, 1999, you endorsed Justice Esteys call for measures to move further towards a more commercial, contract-based system in which there would be more competition, clearer accountabilities, and greater scope for market forces to influence decision making."
* On the Revenue Cap...
"While there are obvious attractions to reducing the transportation costs borne by producers, such a step should not be regarded as a 'quick' fix. Lower freight rates can alleviate, but cannot solve the income problems currently faced by grain producers. In approaching the question of what would be an appropriate reduction in the initial level of railway revenues, it is useful to bear in mind Justice Esteys observation that, the efficiency and economic health of the rail system is of prime importance, ranking next in importance to the economic well-being of farmers. The railway and the farmers cannot do without each other. Mutual survival dictates that efficiencies and economies must be shared between the two."
"Notwithstanding alarmist predictions from some quarters that there would be major rate increases if the rate cap were removed... in each of the three [ proposed options], costs to producers would go down; the only point in question is by how much. During the Steering Committees review... no member disputed this assessment."
* On Railway Competition...
"The stakeholders report states that the existence of effective competition is a fundamental pre-requisite to the operation of a de-regulated system... I agree."
* On Open Running Rights...
"Among the various possible outcomes of imposing running rights, two are particularly unattractive. One is that the proposed plan would fail to yield the enhanced competition forecast by its proponents... The other alternative, equally unattractive, is that the running rights plan would have the severely adverse effects on the railways that they say it will, in which case the system at the end of five years would be worse than it is now."
A complete copy of Kroegers letter to Minister Collonette is available on Transport Canadas web site at: http://www.tc.gc.ca/railpolicy/default_e.htm.
web posted October 11, 1999
Kroeger Insists CWB's Role Must Change
By Craig Docksteader
Arthur Kroeger's recent report on implementing the Estey Report has added fuel to the debate over the Canadian Wheat Board's role in grain transportation and handling. In his report, Kroeger took pains to reiterate why change is necessary, and why preserving the CWB's current role does not serve that purpose. In part, here's what Kroeger wrote in his September 29th letter to Transportation Minister David Collonette:
"Among producers, recent surveys have found an approximately even division of opinion [on the CWB's role]. The Wheat Board for its part insists that a major role in all elements of the grain transportation and handling system is an essential adjunct to its marketing responsibilities. On the other hand, most of the grain companies, together with the two railways, are of the view that the present system is unnecessarily complex, that accountabilities are blurred, and that important efficiencies could be gained if the Board were limited to receiving grain at port to fulfill its sales contracts."
"The Board's objections that the safeguards in [the proposed model] are inadequate to meet its needs as a marketer have as their premise that contractual commitments cannot be relied upon. Yet a system of contracts, with attendant penalties and rewards tied to performance, is the common currency of the commercial world, and should also be applicable to grain handling and transportation. Grain companies in many parts of the world manage to function effectively without controlling a transportation system, and it should not be beyond the ability of Canadian stakeholders to devise contractual arrangements that would work well in this country."
"While the Board has some legitimate concerns about changing over to new arrangements, it must also be recognized that the present administered system with the Board at its center has not prevented serious problems from arising. Justice Estey described these problems as follows:
"At present there is insufficient discipline in the contractual arrangements between the ship owner/grain buyer and the vendor (the Board and the grain company) who is responsible for the arrival time of the train at the port terminal elevator. Mismatches and delays occur, and demurrage charges are imposed where ships are forced to wait for the right grain. The same delays tie up loaded rail cars, necessitating, on some occasions, their removal from the congested harbour area.'
"Under a contractual system, when a party fails to perform, financial penalties are normally levied against that party. Under the present administered system of grain handling and transportation, accountabilities are so blurred that it is often impossible to ascertain who was at fault, with the results that the costs of the failure end up being charged to the Wheat Board's pool account which is to say that the costs are born by the producers on whose behalf the pool account is maintained.
"In 1993-94 and 1996-97 there were major system failures. The Wheat Board's own estimate is that bad system performance in the latter case cost producers $65 million, and there is substantial evidence that the problems encountered were not solely the fault of the railways or the weather. For example, in June 1996 CPR notified the Board that it had over 600 loaded cars which were not being accepted by terminals for unloading...
"When Ministers held their landmark meeting with Western stakeholders in July 1997, there was a clear consensus that major change was required if the Canadian grain handling and transportation system was to be internationally competitive. It was this consensus that gave rise to the Estey Review, and the subsequent implementation process for which I was given responsibility.
"On the assumption that the government remains intent on effecting major change, therefore, I [recommend a minimal role for the CWB in transportation and handling]."
web posted October 4, 1999
Another Board Game
By Craig Docksteader
In this game, you are a prairie farmer and your wheat is in the bin. In order to survive this long, you have not only beat the weather, the weeds, the long days, the short nights, your banker's nagging, and equipment breakdowns, but you managed to convince your bulk fuel dealer to extend your credit so you could get your crop off.
Now your objective is to turn your wheat into cash and pay your bills so you can play the game again next year. You'll want to get the best return possible by maximizing your sale price and minimizing your costs to get the wheat to market.
However, to make the game more challenging, the designers have incorporated two important rules:
1. You have no control over your costs. You must pay each cost incurred as your grain travels through the system and must go all the way around the game board. Shortcuts are not permitted.
2. You have no control over the sale price of your wheat. Somebody will sell your wheat for you and will neither ask you to approve the sale terms, nor tell you the sale price. Unlike you, this person has nothing at stake in this transaction. Designers of this game insist that you must simply trust them to act in your best interests.
Playing the game:
A. Move your wheat from the farm gate to country elevator. Pay fuel bill, truck repairs, depreciation, municipal taxes, elevation, storage, dockage, unionized elevator employees, and elevator management.
B. The elevator does not receive enough rail cars in this week's allocation. Miss a turn while your grain sits idle. Pay more storage.
C. Rail cars arrive and elevator employees can now load your grain. Pay unionized elevator employees, unionized rail employees, elevator management, railway management, rail regulatory agency bureaucrats and miscellaneous other unionized government employees. Don't forget their benefits, sick pay and pension plan contributions or they might go on strike.
D. Your wheat was not loaded in a block of rail cars and must go through the sorting process in a clogged-up rail yard. Although very inefficient, this happens routinely and you must pay. Miss your next turn.
E. Your wheat is unloaded from rail cars to terminal elevator. Pay elevation, storage, unionized terminal workers, and management, including benefits, sick pay and pension plan contributions.
F. Grain handlers go on strike. You make the mistake of asking why you never get to be at the negotiating table even though you pay them. Miss a turn. Pay storage. Pay negotiating fees. Pay demurrage for loading delays.
G. Negotiators resolve strike and vessel loading begins. Everybody is happy with their decision about how much you will now pay them.
H. Pay grain vessel loaders, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Grain Shippers' Clearance Association, pilotage fees, tugboat charges, Canadian Grain Commission weighers and inspectors, Port Wardens, and Ag Canada vessel inspectors.
I. Shipping vessel cannot be completely loaded at one berth and must move to another terminal. You pay extra berthing costs.
J. Vessel loading is complete and vessel heads for home. Pay Canadian Wheat Board employees, CWB marketing costs, administrative expenses and CWB Director salaries. Don't forget to pay for CWB advertising which tells you what a great game this is.
Congratulations, you have successfully moved your wheat to market! You may now open the envelope to find out how much money is left from the sale of your wheat. On behalf of the designers of this game, thank you for playing another board game!
web posted September 27, 1999
The Little Red Hen
By Craig Docksteader
Many producers are closely following the talks between the Canadian Wheat Board and the Prairie Pasta Producers (PPP). The success or failure of these talks will have a significant bearing on the opportunities available for farmers to add value to their product without penalty.
Currently, a farmer can feed his wheat or barley to pigs, cows, or other livestock. But beyond this, the producer must jump the CWB's hoops, which amount to a sharing of his potential profit with those who will neither participate in the risk, nor be involved in the process of adding value.
For years a story has circulated which illustrates this attitude. The story portrays the experience of one of these entrepreneurial types who, seeing an opportunity, embarked on a value-added venture. She too was prepared to share her profits with all who participated in the cost, risk, and work. But she too encountered those who, though unwilling to participate, still laid claim to the fruit of her labour.
The story goes like this...
Once upon a time there was a Little Red Hen who scratched about and uncovered some grains of wheat. She called her barnyard neighbours and said, "If we work together and plant this wheat we will have some fine bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?"
"Not I," said the cow. "Not I," said the duck. "Not I," said the goose. "Not I," said the pig.
"Then I will," said the Little Red Hen. And she did. The wheat grew tall and ripened. "Who will help me harvest the wheat?" asked the Little Red Hen. "Not I," said the duck. "Out of my classification," said the pig. "I'd lose my seniority," said the cow. "I'd lose my Employment Insurance," said the goose. So the Little Red Hen reaped the wheat herself.
Later, when she made the wheat into flour, she asked for help to make bread. "That's overtime for me," said the cow. "I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the duck. "I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the pig. "If I'm the only one helping, that's discrimination," said the goose.
"Then I will do it myself," said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
The Little Red Hen baked five fine loaves, and then held them up for her neighbours to see. "I want some," said the cow. "I want some," said the pig. "I demand my share," said the goose. "No," said the Little Red Hen. "I will rest for awhile and then eat these five fine loaves myself."
"Excess profits," cried the cow. "Capitalistic leech," screamed the duck. "Company fink," grunted the pig. "I want my rights," yelled the goose, and they all hurriedly painted picket signs and marched around the Little Red Hen singing, "We shall overcome." And they did.
For when that particular farmer came to investigate the commotion, he said, "You must not be greedy, Little Red Hen. Look at the oppressed cow. Look at the disadvantaged duck. Look at the underprivileged pig. Look at the less fortunate goose. You are guilty of making second class citizens of them."
"But... but... I earned the bread," said the Little Red Hen.
"Exactly," said the farmer. "That is the wonderful free enterprise system. Anybody in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. You should be happy to have this freedom. In other barnyards, you would have to give all five loaves to the farmer. Here, you give four to your suffering neighbours and keep one for yourself."
And they all lived happily ever after, including the Little Red Hen, who smiled and clucked, "I am grateful." But, her neighbours wondered why she never planted wheat again, and why she never made any more bread.
Anderson's Endangered Species Legislation -- Conservation by Intimidation
By Craig Docksteader
David Anderson, the MP for Victoria, B.C. needs to hear from you. Having recently been appointed as the federal Minister of the Environment, Anderson is threatening to implement heavy-handed legislation to protect endangered species.
For those who have been following the evolution of the Liberal's endangered species legislation, the fiasco is almost dizzying. In 1995, Bill C-65 was introduced, which was supposed to provide a framework to protect endangered species, but incorporated a punitive U.S.-style approach. After being criticized by landowners and land-users as too harsh, and by environmentalists as too soft, Christine Stewart, the former Environment Minister, went to work to develop a consensus on the issue.
Meeting after meeting was held to hammer out differences between stakeholders. Backgrounders, updates, progress reports, regional workshops, national workshops, workshop participant kits, 150-page tabulations of workshop proceedings, a consultation forum on the Internet, draft stewardship strategies, agendas, press releases, proposals, counter-proposals, breakout groups, plenary sessions and more, were all aimed at creating workable legislation with a broad base of support.
The incredible thing was, that -- to a significant degree -- the process was working. Traditional enemies were finding common ground and hammering out joint-proposals. The draconian measures laid out in Bill C-65 were being replaced with recommendations which incorporated voluntary stewardship, positive incentives, and compensation. Farmers and ranchers across the prairies were beginning to sigh with relief that perhaps this time the federal government wasn't just going to ram the legislation through.
Now David Anderson seems intent on changing all that.
Anderson is proposing a law which applies to federal, provincial and private land, and is aimed at protecting both endangered species and their habitat. Wildlife officials will be able to restrict access to any area where an endangered species naturally occurs, or formerly occurred and has the potential to be reintroduced. Even if no endangered species lives there, the enviro-cops can still cordon off the area just in case the species shows up.
To make matters worse, the new Environment Minister doesn't think compensation is necessary. If you end up losing money because your land has been taken out of production -- too bad. In fact, if you dare to step over the line, he's quite happy to slap you with criminal charges.
Anderson appears to be living in a political bubble. His constituency in Victoria probably has more urban tree-huggers per capita than any other electoral riding in the country -- they'll think he's a hero.
To satisfy the other critics he can whip out public opinion polls that seem to say more than 90 percent of Canadians support endangered species legislation. He can wave a letter signed by 631 Canadian scientists which insists that the federal government needs to go further in its efforts to protect endangered species. He can even trot out a petition signed by some 80,000 Canadians indicating their support for the implementation of endangered species legislation on a national level. In his mind, the move towards conservation by intimidation is justified.
If the law passes, it could take years to publicly and politically demonstrate that this kind of approach not only endangers landowners and landusers, but the very wildlife it was supposed to protect. Even then it will take a tremendous effort to get the legislation back on the political agenda in order to fix it.
The only thing that might still save the day is a wake up call from the grassroots. Minister Anderson needs to hear from you. His number in Ottawa is 613-996-2358. His fax number is 613-952-1458. His email is email@example.com. You can phone him, fax him, or email him. You won't get to talk to him, but he'll get the message.
Craig Docksteader is Coordinator with the Prairie Centre/Centre for Prairie Agriculture, Inc. "Where Do We Go From Here" is a feature service of the Prairie Centre.
Prairie Centre/Centre for Prairie Agriculture, Inc.
Phone: 306-352-3828
The CFEN needs your help! The battle against the Canada Wheat Board can only continue with your support.
Canadian Farm Enterprise Network
Write the following and demand free market rights for Western Canadian farmers!
� 1996-2020, Enter Stage Right and/or its creators. All rights reserved.


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Olive oil press machine uses physical pressing method, it is suitable for rapeseed, peanuts, soybeans, sunflower seeds, sesame and etc. With less investment, easy maintenance, and high oil yield, especially suitable for large quantities of oil processing factories and small and medium size oil press projects.
1. The screw shaft and main pressing cage are installed with electric heating pipes which can preheat them at the same time. It can save the preheat time.
2. Olive oil press machine is equipped with electrical control cabinet, which can monitor the temperature inside of pressing cage, thereby improve the reliability of heating and increase the oil yield.

subset: commoncrawl


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Anne Frank – IT Strategy Consultancy
IT Strategy created to support & enable the Anne Frank Trust 2020 Vision & Business Plan. Including a 12-24 month action plan of cost effective modernisation.
Client Name:
To complete a Strategic IT Review of the IT budget and future direction of the trust to ensure they were making best use of the latest technologies available to charities.
The IT Strategy review was completed by Greenlight MD Gary Dodson who has experience as a Non-exec Chairman in the Charity sector. The process of review starts with gaining a detailed understanding of the business strategy & existing IT strategy/budgets/partners/desires. The review centres around 3 aspects: IT Infrastructure, Line of Business Applications & Sales/Marketing IT with an overview of data security & skills. We assessed the current technologies used and reviewed the proposals of existing IT partners for significant 2014/15 developments. The outcomes were quite revealing showing the long term partner was not charity sector knowledgeable and highlighted significant missed opportunities. The 12-24 month action plan recommended presents opportunity in both improved performance of IT and savings in excess of 50% in the £10,000's over the forthcoming budgetary period.
Having been recommended to work with Gary, I was not surprised by the quality of his approach, thoughtful considerations and knowledge of the not-for-profit sector. I was delighted with the recommendations he proposed which have helped enormously in our deliberations about our future IT and business strategies.– Robert Posner – Chief Operating Officer
Tech Used
- IT Strategy
- Identification of significant charity cost savings previously not known.
- Clarity on how Cloud services can best be deployed in a charity context & other IT advances that can improve performance.
- Over 50% budget saving using best of breed IT V proposals from current IT partner.


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Returns & Cancellations
Returns are free for UK mainland customers.
We ensure all items that are posted to our customers are of the highest standard but if there is ever a need to return an item we do accept returns for a full refund.
Under The Consumer Contract Regulations, your right to cancel begins from the moment you place your order,* up to 14 working days after receiving your order. Your right to cancel is unconditional.
You can return an item for any reason such as faulty, not as described, not fit for purpose, you've changed your mind and more. Items must be returned with all original packaging, in new/unworn condition (with the exception of damaged items).*
If you wish to return an item, please notify us via email at firstname.lastname@example.com, please include the following information;
- Your name
- Your order number
- Your address
- Reason for return
- Date you received the item
Your return will be processed within 1-2 working days.
We would be grateful if you would return your items via recorded or tracked post, this is for your peace of mind, and ours. This is not a requirement of law, this is a courtesy request. Midnight Rose Emporium is not responsible for any item returned via a non-traceable method that gets lost or damaged in transit. In such an event the responsibility lies with the buyer to claim from their chosen courier company.
Items marked as being reduced for having a defect, damage or any other reason will be exempt from the returns policy.
Customers outside the UK will need to cover the cost of the return, it is highly recommend you use a trackable shipping method.
Refunds will be issued as soon as the item has been received from the customer, and can take around 7-10 days to clear back into your account, depending on payment method and your bank.
Returning Custom Boots or Shoes:
Custom made items are exempt from The Consumer Contract Regulations – the only exception being is if they're faulty, damaged, or wrong item has been sent. Custom made footwear cannot be exchanged for a different size so please check the size charts carefully.
Contact Details:
Midnight Rose Emporium
41 Brecon Rise, Pant, Merthyr Tydfil, Cf48 2BW
Last edited: March 2019


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Eleven Year-Old Haitian Girl Rescued Yesterday Dies En Route to Hospital - Video Report 1/15/10
Here is video reporting news no one wants to hear. Yesterday, we followed the rescue of an 11 year-old Haitian girl who was trapped for two days under a heavy steel beam. Rescuers tried to decide whether to amputate her leg to save her life or take more time and try to save the leg. They eventually cut the beam off of her and we reported the news of her rescue and that she was being taken three hours away to a hospital for care.
But this video reports that she never made it. The girl died from her injuries on the way. Such a sad ending, but an all too familiar one in Haiti right now. She was buried tonight in her mother's hometown. It is said her last words were, "Mother, don't let me die."
Anchor Campbell Brown was very emotional at the conclusion of the report.


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Our vendors are a unique mix that reflect the spirit of Pearl: emerging, local chefs who are bringing new ideas and flavors to life as well as established culinary professionals offering a creative spin on traditional fare. They are the heart and soul of San Antonio's rich and growing reputation as a culinary destination, and their mix of ingredients, tastes and styles all combine to create a community united by culture and rooted in well-crafted, high-quality food.
Our mission starts with food. Food brings us together, it helps us tell stories about who we are and where we come from. We like to think of Bottling Department as a place where this can unfold, and where collaboration is fostered between farmers, ranchers, chefs and people who simply love food. As such, our mission is about providing a space for emerging chefs to hone their craft and where affordable options from the local culinary community are available for all.
Bottling Department is committed to supporting the growing San Antonio culinary community and working with area vendors who source fresh, local ingredients. Our goal is to provide a space for these chefs and their ideas to come together, as well as an accessible location for food lovers to come and enjoy the food they create. In doing so, we will build on San Antonio's reputation as a destination where food lovers can discover new tastes and flavors from around the world.
Bottling Department's food hall is built on the original site of the brewery's bottling department, which turned out beer bottles even before the Pearl name was adopted in 1886. Beer was bottled there until 1999 and the brewery shut its doors in 2001. In 2004, a fire destroyed the building, the corner stones and stone name plate were salvaged and the original design acted as inspiration for the new building. Today, Bottling Department upholds the Pearl tradition by serving as a location for the next generation of quality culinary experiences and products.
|Sunday - Thursday
|11am - 9pm
|Friday - Saturday
|11am - 10pm


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One can hardly fault our attraction to such beacons of light: roughly 1 in 3 women cannot orgasm through penetration or clitoral stimulation alone. Early studies showed a link between high levels of external endocannabinoids and decreased sexual appetite in women; however, smaller doses are known to have the opposite effect. While we are still many years (and double-blind clinical studies) away from cannabis becoming a socially accepted sexual stimulant for women, there's one man out there who seems to have made it his mission to champion women's orgasms: Dan Savage.
If you aren't already, familiarize yourself with his well-syndicated NSFW column Savage Love or the Savage Lovecast; few advice columnists cover the depth and diversity of human relationships (sexual or otherwise) as he does. Over the last twenty-something years, Dan has been a strong proponent of everyone finding their orgasms, regardless of how that fits with conventional notions on how orgasms 'should' be achieved.
Knowing this, it's no surprise Dan often suggests that women distressed over their elusive orgasms, especially in the presence of a partner, should "smoke a little pot" to unwind. What may surprise you is learning there is already one low-THC flower strain marketing themselves as ideal for just this purpose.
For those bothered by the act of smoking, Dan's endorsed edibles instead. While Dan's heart is in the right place, I feel the need to step in with a word of caution: Don't dive face first into the space cakes or you will wind up Dowding out—and nobody wants that. The consensus is that a 5-10mg dose can take one to two hours to kick in, with up to four hours before a user experiences their peak—but everyone's different, and I hardly want to be an alarmist.
A delightful piece of mnemonic advice to share with fledgling users is to start low and go slow. (Hat tip to the Marijuana Policy Project for that one, by the way.) It wouldn't hurt to give an experience like this a test flight before adding a partner into the mix, either.
Make sure to eat something a few hours in advance. Remember: You can always take more, but you cannot take less. Or can you? Products advertised as ideal for microdosing present a strong third option for the untried cannabis consumer. While the concept of microdosing has become cause célèbre in the MMA and Silicon Valley communities, conventionally it allowed patients to take medications at smaller doses to achieve a specific effect.
The notion has since gained traction in the recreational industry, prompting edible companies to develop a variety of treats containing under 3mg per dose. There's enough mints, gummies, and sprays on the market right meant to be enjoyed without getting the user "too high" to allay the fears of even the most nervous of Nancies. For those concerned about being unable to reach orgasm without the use of cannabis, I close with further wise words from Dan, emphasis my own:


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by Kevin Lapp
on Thursday, February 23rd, 2017 at 4:11pm.
--> To get maximum exposure for your home, you must have a huge presence on the internet.
** But keep in mind, it is not just about being blasted all over the internet, but it's how you are advertised as well.
** To make sure your internet advertising is effective and you are not losing any opportunities, you must have amazing professional photography.
--> You want to make sure that your realtor takes social media marketing extremely serious as it is a major marketing tool. Keeping up to date in the marketing world is crucial.
** Our advertising is strategically planned, tried, tested and proven.
We take every necessary step to ensure we do not miss any opportunities.


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Our mission is to provide the citizens of Jefferson County safe, effective and cost
efficient control of mosquitoes while adhering to the highest standards of integrity
and professionalism
All spray schedules are dependent on weather conditions or other unknown circumstances.
The spray schedules are for general areas and may not include your specific neighborhood
or weekend sprays.
The schedules we submit are for P.M. of the day submitted and A.M. for the following
day. The schedules will be for aerial sections and separately for ground sections.
The Jefferson County Mosquito Control District offices are located at 8905 First
Street, Beaumont, Texas, 77705. We can be reached during normal business hours from
8 AM to noon and 1 PM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday, at 409-719-5940.
When the mosquitoes are bad, you may have to call several times in order to get
through. Please be nice to our secretary when you call - remember, it's not her
If you are calling to request spraying for a public gathering or special event,
please give us at least a week of advance notice. This enables
us to perform surveillance, see what mosquito species is present and schedule control
activities if required. Please don't call us the day before or the day of an event
and expect us to be able to get there immediately.
We have approximately 50 species of mosquitoes in Jefferson County. Of these, the
public commonly encounters about 12. It is important to know which species you are
dealing with before control strategies can be planned and initiated, as the different
species vary in breeding sites, flight ranges, peak activity periods, and biting
Eggs are laid in one of two ways, depending on the species. Some species (pool breeders)
lay eggs directly on standing water. These eggs hatch in 24 to 48 hours, and the
mosquito larvae take 5 to 7 days to emerge as adults. Fresh eggs are laid every
day, so mosquito production is constant unless the water evaporates. This type of
egg laying behavior is also common in artificial containers such as tires, bird
baths, buckets & cans, rain gutters, etc. These species usually fly only 1 to 5
Other species (flood water breeders) lay eggs on dry ground in depressions or low
areas that will hold water after a rain or high tide. These eggs are viable for
several years, and will hatch in minutes after being submerged if water temperatures
are in the right range. Again, 5 to 7 days are spent in the larval stage before
the mosquito emerges as an adult. Because all the eggs hatch at once, large numbers
of mosquitoes are produced simultaneously. Think of them as tiny time bombs! This
is why you have no mosquitoes on one day, and the next day you are covered with
them. These species can fly up to 100+ miles. Some species also lay these eggs in
dry artificial containers..
Regardless of the species, only 20% of the eggs that are deposited survive to become
adults, and of these, about half, or 10%, are females. This means that only 10%
of the potential mosquito population causes all of our problems.
These are a large black mosquito with white or yellow bands on their legs. They
are a flood water variety, with an average flight range is 20 to 40 miles. They
are very aggressive biters, both day and night. The eggs are deposited in rice fields,
fallow fields, & pastures in any depression that will hold water, including hoof
prints. These mosquitoes are attracted to Beaumont and other areas in the western
half of the county by the glow of lights at night, which are easily seen from as
far away as Fannett or China. We try to intercept these mosquitoes on the edge of
town as they migrate in. Residents can do nothing to help us control this species.
These are medium sized brown mosquito with white bands on their legs. Also a flood
water variety, they are very aggressive biters with a flight range of 100+ miles.
This species is most common in the eastern and southern areas of the county, and
is attracted to town by city and industrial lights. Again, we try to intercept them
on the edge of town as they move in. The public, again, can do nothing to help.
Although first discovered in this country in 1985 in Houston, Texas, this species
has become the #1 urban mosquito in the south. This is a small black mosquito with
silver or white bands on the legs and one white stripe down the back between the
wings. It lays eggs only in containers, not in puddles on the ground. Breeding sites
for this species were originally in tree rot holes and stumps, but it now takes
extensive advantage of the artificial containers that we so thoughtfully provide
(cans, buckets, tires, bird baths, clogged rain gutters, pet water dishes, anything
that will hold water for 5 to 7 days). Eggs are laid just above the water line in
the container. Rain fall or movement of the container submerges the eggs, which
hatch in minutes. Peak activity period for this mosquito is rather unusual, being
during middle of the day instead of at night. The flight range for this mosquito
only 1 to 2 miles, so if you breed them, you will feed them. They are hesitant but
persistent in biting behavior. This species receives only minimal exposure to our
sprays due to the unusual daytime activity period. The only effective control for
this mosquito is removal of the breeding sites by property owner. The public must
help with this one.
These are small, nondescript brown mosquitoes, most of which are active only at
night. They breed in standing water high in organic matter, and are common in underground
storm sewers and in water standing under houses built on piers. They have only a
1 to 5 mile flight range. One species can transmit St Louis Encephalitis if it bites
an infected bird and then bites a human. Residents can help by eliminating water
standing around the home.
Our insecticides have no real residual effect. We must actually hit the mosquito
directly with a droplet in order to kill it. If more mosquitoes fly into an area
after the spray has settled, they are not effected. Obviously, it is very important
to spray the right place at the right time under the right weather conditions in
order to achieve control. It is very frustrating and expensive when large populations
of mosquitoes are rapidly re-infesting residential areas, as repeated sprays are
required. Spray trucks are sufficient for light mosquito populations, but aircraft
are needed for moderate to heavy infestations and covering large areas quickly.
This is the key to the control program. We must spray only where needed and when
needed in order to contact the maximum number of mosquitoes with the droplets. Surveillance
methods used include mosquito traps, take landing rates (count the number that lands
on you from the waist down in three minutes at different locations in the county),
and considering citizen service requests when planning control efforts. We must
have enough mosquitoes in an area to justify expense of control activity, as the
cost to put the an aircraft up with a load of chemical is approximately $2000. We
can cover 5,120 acres with that one flight.
More and more people are moving from the relatively mosquito free urban areas to
the country and suburbs that are expanding on the edge of town. Folks are moving
to the country for the "good life," but forgetting that the "good life" includes
snakes, alligators, rats, mosquitoes, and mosquito control aircraft coming over
at 100 feet early in the morning or in late evening.
People are moving into our primary intercept zones (Cheek, Willow Creek, Fannett,
etc.), often in subdivisions that were recently ricefields or are surrounded by
rice fields. It takes them a while to get used to the mosquito activity levels and
the frequency of aerial spraying. Some residents don't like us spraying over them,
but want us to somehow get rid of the mosquitoes. They do not understand the lack
of residual in our chemicals. We will speak to civic or social groups as our schedule
permits in order to explain the basics of our operation - what we can do and what
our limitations are - if asked to do so.
Jefferson County has approximately 945 square miles of territory. Our recent rural
and suburban population growth has dramatically increased the acreage in the aerial
spray sections. The result is that with perfect weather conditions, it takes us
about 7 days using 3 aircraft to cover all of the spray sections one time. Under
heavy mosquito situations, we just can't keep up with the re-infestation rate. Even
so, we use an average of 20,000 gallons of spray each year and cover over 1,250,000
acres each year with the aircraft alone.
We can only spray for about 2 ½ hours after dawn and for 1 hour before dusk because
of thermal updrafts. These air currents are caused by the solar heating of the ground,
which causes the warm air to rise upward. Spraying during these updrafts is a waste
of time, money and chemical, as the spray droplets are caught in the rising column
of air and never come down in Jefferson County.
The first line of defense is to make sure that you are not breeding mosquitoes on
your own property. Walk your yard and check for anything that is holding water.
Anything that can hold water for 5 days or more is a potential mosquito breeding
site. Even bottle caps are capable of producing mosquitoes.
If you can, remove the container or store it where it will not fill with water.
This is the best way to handle the problem. If the container is a bird bath, pet
water dish, or some other container that you can not remove, then be sure to rinse
it out completely every 3 days. Do NOT simply add water to the
container - you must flush the mosquito larvae out onto the ground to kill them.
If you collect rain water for your plants, simply place a piece of screen over the
container so that the mosquitoes can't get in to lay eggs.
Remember to clean your rain gutters! Blockages can cause water to stand in them
long enough to produce mosquitoes. Fill in low areas in your yard or under your
house if possible. Repair all water leaks as soon as possible. Even plastic sheeting
can hold water in the folds and produce large numbers of mosquitoes. Remember, if
you breed mosquitoes, you will feed mosquitoes.
When mosquitoes are flying in from miles away, there is little the home owner can
do. Most importantly, you do not want to attract mosquitoes to your house. Either
turn off security lights or replace them with motion detector lights that come on
only when needed. If you must have a security light on at all times, change the
bulb from a mercury vapor to a sodium vapor bulb. The yellowish sodium vapor light
is less attractive to insects than the blue-white mercury vapor light. Turn off
your bug zapper - less than 2% of the bugs that you see killed are actually mosquitoes,
but the light does attract them into the area.
The Jefferson County Mosquito Control District was organized in 1950 after the death
of several children due to mosquito transmitted encephalitis. Dr. Paul Meyer of
Port Arthur was instrumental in the formation of the District.
Mosquitoes can not transmit AIDS.
Bug zappers are best placed in your neighbor's yard so that the mosquitoes will
go next door! Turn them off if the mosquitoes are heavy. If you do have one, don't
hang it right over the patio table - move it back from where you will be located.
Purple martins and bats may eat a few mosquitoes, in fact, we count on their help,
but they will not cause a noticeable drop in your mosquito population.
Only female mosquitoes bite. Blood supplies proteins to build eggs with, rather
than being a food source. Mosquitoes live on carbohydrate sources like nectar and
plant sap. They have even been known to sneak a little sugar water of hummingbird
The annual cost per Jefferson County resident for mosquito control (which also includes
county roadside weed control) is $5.52 per person.
If you need additional information or answers to any questions that are not covered
here, then call the Mosquito Control office and ask for the Director, Kevin Sexton.
If he doesn't know the answer, he probably knows who to ask to find out.


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How May I Help You?Real entrepreneurs seek out problems to solve, and then go about creating solutions. They understand no one makes money, except for those who work in the Mint. The rest of us have to earn it by offering something of value others want or need. This can be in the form of service we offer to an employer or products and services we sell to the public.
Take the example of two entrepreneurs overlooking a crowd. Entrepreneur one says, "Wow, I can make a ton money off of these people?" Entrepreneur two walks into the crowd and starts asking, "How may I help you?" The funny thing is if you ask people how you can be of service to them, they often will tell you! So, while entrepreneur one is busy planning his strategy for "monetizing his list," entrepreneur two is solving problems, offering value and getting paid to do so.
The New Gold RushToday's Internet entrepreneurship is the modern day version of the California gold rush. There's gold in them thar hills! The gold miners are those looking to monetize, not mountains filled with gold, but people and lists. Similar to the miners of the gold rush, most Internet entrepreneurs will not make a dime because they start by asking the wrong questions. The result is mediocre products and services no one wants. These entrepreneurs seek only to solve their own problem of earning a living and not the problems of those they serve.
During the California gold rush, most of the eager miners who stormed the mountains in search of quick fortunes came away empty handed. Those who became rich were the clever entrepreneurs who sold the shovels, wheel barrels, pans and pick axes. Ironically, the first millionaire of the gold rush was a businessman by the name of Sam Brannan, but he never mined for gold. Instead, he bought every shovel, pick axe and pan in California, and sold them to the miners. He earned over $36,000 in seventy days, the equivalent of $950,000 in today's value.
Whereas the miners focused their attention on how much and how fast, Brannan focused on opportunity, supply and demand. Granted, he took advantage of the miners, in similar fashion that today's Internet Brannan's sell inflated products and services to those rushing to the golden hills of Internet entrepreneurship. Everyday we see a new crop of them eager to sell us the sure fire secret formula for making millions on the Web. However, this issue is not the point of this article but I will address it in a future piece. People need to be warned against this band of bandits.
Same Old Game, Same Old RulesThe rules of entrepreneurship are no different today than they were in the days of old when a man would offer sips of water to thirsty travelers moving through the desert. He did not ask, "How can I monetize these people." He asked the same questions successful entrepreneurs have asked and answered for years. How can I best serve? What value can I offer? What problem can I solve?
The next time you catch yourself asking how you can monetize a list of users, stop yourself and reframe the question. How can I best serve them? Which of their problems can I solve? Answer these questions and the monetization question will answer itself.
Godspeed and I look forward to seeing you in The Players Lounge


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Download Bad Mouth Study Guide
Bad Mouth
(Literary Masterpieces, Volume 18)
Bad Mouth by Robert M. Adams is a slim little volume in the Quantum Books Series which publishes short studies distinguished by the authors' ability to offer a "richness of detail and insight" in about one-hundred pages. This collection of six essays discusses the gradual debilitation of the English language, especially vocabulary, into modes of malice, obscenity, and ugliness; it is a lively work short enough to be read at one sitting. Unfortunately, the informal nature of Adams' discussions severely limits his effectiveness as well as the overall value of his book for future research in this area.
Adams' discussions group into three pairs of essays: "counterlanguage," lying/obscenity, and the "ugly" with its metaphoric expression in American life. Although the individual chapters proceed from many areas—linguistics, sociology, literary criticism, and psychology, to name a few—their central thesis entails the slowly evolving "offensive mode" in art and literature which now predominates. Unfortunately, the author assumes the role of a "cultural commentator" who is not concerned with the causes or consequences of this change. Thus, he provides mere random samplings of examples to illustrate theories and observations. Adams readily admits that his all-encompassing inquiry involves a self-questioning mode which may distress readers who expect to be told clearly defined observations and opinions concerning our corroded vocabulary. Indeed, his speculations do prove to be provocative and provoking. But, effective trailblazing cannot be useful unless it leaves well-defined paths for later pioneers to follow and extend. A disregard for scholarly methods and academic modes leaves the reader with neither primary or secondary bibliography nor footnotes and index to serve as sources for further study. Stimulating reading is no excuse for the total lack of professional scholarship; a professor of English at a major academic institution should know better than to deprive his readers of his resources.
"Bad Mouth and Other Second Games" and "Invective and Insult" focus upon "counterlanguage" that hinders and hurts people in a variety of symbolic and practical ways. "Bad mouthing" denotes a vocal hostility, an "evil verbal sign," directed toward an enemy. Muhammad Ali and former UCLA basketball player Tommy Curtis provide excellent examples of athletes who frequently employ this "psyching" technique in order to goad their opponents into errors. Other variations upon these "putdown" games include "bait-and-switch," "private-key," and "undervoice": catchy terms which lack clear definition, explanation, and illustration.
The types of invective and insult are more clearly defined by familiar examples. The warriors' boasts in the Iliad serve as extensions of their egos, while curses in Shakespeare's plays are uttered in defiance of the cosmos. Today's stand-up comedian, a Lenny Bruce type, trades insults with customers who laugh at his skill and massage their own egos by giving and taking verbal abuse. Deep insults consist mainly of sexual expressions; "bastard" and "son-of-a-bitch" have found their way firmly into American conversation. The "insult vociferous" depends upon an unbroken stream of invective, while a succinct insult, like Doctor Johnson's "Sir, your mother, under pretext of keeping a bawdy house, was a receiver of stolen goods," gathers its force from implication rather than from abundant verbiage. Indirect insults and buried insults receive less immediate attention than direct insults, but illustrate more clearly their speaker's cleverness. Adams' observation that today people use insults more frequently to prevent conflicts rather than to provoke them, closes this chapter with one of the few optimistic statements in a predominantly misanthropic volume.
"The New Arts of Political Lying" contains the most relevant material of the entire volume....
(The entire section is 1,574 words.)


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Deus Ex Will Be a Cyberpunk Movie, Not a Video Game Movie
The creators behind the upcoming Deus Ex film adaptation revealed just how closely their version will resemble the video game Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
The filmmakers behind Sinister, C. Robert Cargill and Scott Derrickson, will be taking on Deus Ex for their next project. The duo talked a bit about the adaptation with Crave Online, and hammered home the point they don't want to make a video game movie.
"The chief philosophy is we're not making a video game movie, we're making a cyberpunk movie," Cargill said. "We've taken a look at what's worked in video games and what hasn't, and really what we've broken down is what we think the audience really wants, [what] the audience that loves Deus Ex is going to want to see out of a Deus Ex movie. And it's not a rehashing of the game. What they want to see is, they want to see elements of the game that they love, but they want to see things that they hadn't quite seen in the game, that the game didn't allow them to see."
As for inspiration behind the silver screen version, Cargill revealed the creative team was looking beyond the game at some recent sc-fi flicks. "We're trying to break out, and really, the mold for the movies that we're looking at," Cargill stated. "We're looking at movies like District 9 and Looper, and Inception. Those are the molds of what we've been doing. It's… Let's push this and do something new with concepts people love, but tell a story that they've never seen before, that just melts their brain."
The Deus Ex film is still quite a ways from being ready to start filming, but it's definitely interesting to hear the direction the filmmakers want to take their version. It's been a while since there's been a good video game movie (let alone a great one), so perhaps Cargill and Derrickson are onto something.
What do you think of the plans for Deus Ex?


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County Chiefs Meeting
County Firefighters Meeting
Regular Company Meeting
Please take a moment to make a much needed donation to our department. Your help is needed and greatly appreciated!
Quick Links for members of the Rehoboth Beach Fire Company
Chief Backstage
First Pierce Engine purchased. 1500 GPM Pump, 750 gallons of water, Huskey Foam System, 30 gallon foam tank, Light Tower, Auto Deck Gun, Vehicle Rescue Tools.
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In "Spotlight on SMEs" I draw attention to small and medium sized enterprises involved in developing UK shale gas. These aren't the operators, whose names are well known, but they provide vital services to ensure that shale gas extraction is done safely and efficiently. It is in this supply chain that shale development can give a significant boost to the UK economy.
This week's SME is Remsol, a waste management service involved in treating and disposing of waste flowback fluids after hydraulic fracturing has taken place.
Remsol was founded in 2002 by Lee Petts, a waste and environmental management expert living in Preston, Lancashire. The firm initially cut its teeth dealing with waste from the pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing industries. They have built a reputation for solving complex and difficult waste problems, sometimes in unconventional ways.
As case example comes from Tessenderlo, a Belgian chemicals manufacturer. A production process had gone awry at its Widnes plant, contaminating 400 tonnes of hydrochloric acid with chlorinated toluene. The conventional waste industry approach would be to take it away, neutralise it and then dispose of it. However, this would prove to be prohibitively expensive, and couldn't be completed within the necessary timescale (only 3 days). Remsol succeeded in finding a buyer who was able to utilise the acid, despite the small concentration of chlorinated organic material, and arranged for all 400 tonnes to be shipped off site over a 2-day period.
Being based in the NorthWest, Remsol were aware of Cuadrilla's hydraulic fracturing plans at an early stage. Initially, Remsol wondered whether treated waste water from other industrial applications, instead of fresh mains water could be used as a cheaper alternative. Understandably, however, Cuadrilla wanted to have complete control over what they were injecting in order to guarantee safety, so this was a non-starter.
However, after their fracking tests in 2011, Cuadrilla's flowback fluid was found to contain small quantities of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM). United Utilities made a commercial decision not to process the flowback water at their Davyhulme site, so Cuadrilla were in the market for someone who could process flowback water containing NORM, which lead them back to Remsol.
Through their contacts in the UK nuclear sector, they identified a process that has been used to remove low levels of radioactive material from waste water for over 40 years - a process similar to a slightly more complex 3-stage chemical separation and filtration process conducted at about a dozen waste treatment facilities around the UK. In collaboration with some of these operators, they demonstrated, first in the lab, then at plant-scale trials, that the process was able to remove more than 90% of the NORM particles, reducing the radioactivity of the wastewater to a level lower than that found in your average bottle of mineral water.
Their early successes with Cuadrilla mean that Remsol are gearing up to play a key role as the industry develops. The flowback disposal issue is one that resonates with the public, and they've been engaging with local people in the Northwest to address fears in a calm and rational manner. "Radioactivity" is a word that can scare people easily, and it's important that the levels of radiation in flowback fluids are put into perspective with the amounts of radiation we are exposed to as we go about our daily lives. They've also listened some of these concerns - the issue of road traffic, for instance - so are using larger tankers to reduce the number of journeys needed, and developing onsite clean-up facilities, so that the fluid can be recycled and reused. This significantly reduces the amount of water required, as well as reducing tanker journeys.
The purpose of "Spotlight on SMEs" is to draw attention to UK companies involved in the shale gas supply chain. When I contacted Lee, he had this to say about the importance of UK companies getting involved:
"For shale gas to succeed, the industry needs to make good on its promises about local jobs and supply chain roles.
To deliver the maximum economic benefit for the country, we need to see a mostly British supply chain (that pay corporation tax here) comprised largely of SMEs - because it will be smaller firms that have to take on new staff in order to grow and meet demand, thus boosting jobs - with priority given to companies based in the areas where shale gas activity takes place.
It's important that we show there is already a well-developed SME supply chain in place that has both the desire and skills to perform the necessary work to the required standard. If we don't, I think there's a real risk that the big oil field services companies like Halliburton, Schlumberger and Baker Hughes will come to dominate the supply chain space, along with the global environmental consultancies, civil engineering giants like Babcock, Carillion and AMEC, and water treatment firms like French-owned Veolia - companies that are all big enough to take on a lot of the work without taking on new people, and that will perhaps pay their taxes in countries other than Britain."


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Monday, November 3, 2014
Lazy-Mom's Guide to Halloween
Hi there and happy Monday. How was your Halloween?
Personally, this was the best Halloween I can recall in many years! Why? Because I totally slacked off.
Here is what you need to (not) do to have an awesome Halloween:
1. Spend too much money buying your kids' costumes online and choose ones that don't require you to paint their faces. Just buy enough ahead of time so you make sure they arrive before the big day!
2. Say "YES" when your neighbour invites your kids over for dinner and trick-or-treating (someone else do the dirty work for me? Sign me up!).
3. Don't return the overpriced pumpkin to the market even though it started rotting the day after you brought it home. Just cut out the bad parts and make the holes part of your Jack-o-lantern design. Besides, rotting pumpkin is far easier to cut.
4. Throw out pumpkin seeds and the whole rest of the pumpkin the next day and don't bother to cook or bake with any of it. Feel no guilt about throwing out edible products. Hey, its compost anyways!
5. Aside from your pumpkin, do not put up any decorations or ornamentation. Not only is it less work to get ready, but less work to clean up too! Ignore all the adorable lights and decorations all the Martha Stewart wanna bes on your street have had up for the past 2 weeks.
6. Make husband answer the door for all the trick-or-treaters while you relax on the couch. When children get home, make them take over. Keep your butt firmly planted on that couch.
7. When you get close to the end of the evening, tell children to hand out huge piles of candy so none is left over and you are stuck trying to figure out what to do with it.
There you go, you are very welcome!
The rest of our weekend was great too. We had friends and their kids over and ordered Thai food Saturday night, and then got an extra hour of sleep thanks to the time change. Sunday we did our usual activities and then took the girls to do errands in the afternoon.
Posted by Healthy Life Lessons at 4:46 AM
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Deuces Wild
Do you fancy yourself as a poker maestro? Have you spent years honing your craft to become aware of all the tricks of the trade, or are you just a newcomer eager to learn? Either way, you can try your luck on Microgaming's neat poker variant to see if you can scoop some big payouts.
Deuces Wild
A casino classic with a fun twist
Provider: Microgaming
Game Type: Casino Game
Payout: 99% - 100%
Available on Mobile: ✔
Available on Desktop: ✔
UK Compliant: ✔
Why You Should Play Deuces Wild
Part of the reason why poker is such a special game is that the basics can be picked up very quickly, yet you can still find yourself developing new strategies years later. Deuces Wild is a decent option for poker enthusiasts at either end of the experience spectrum, particularly because it can be played solo. Old hands can enjoy a casual game with the twist of the wild deuces, while novices can learn the ropes. The on-screen instructions make it very simple to play and there is a real element of suspense as you wait to find out if you have won.
How to Play
When you open up the game you will see a list of all the winning hands at the top of the screen, alongside their values. You must select one of the five columns to choose your bet, or press Bet One at the bottom of the screen to scroll through the different options. You can also adjust the number of coins by using the + and – buttons, and your total wager will be displayed in the Bet box. Once you are ready, just hit Deal to start the game.
Deuces Wild follows the standard rules of video poker. You will first receive five cards, and can press on any of the cards you would like to keep. Any you select will be marked as 'Held', and you can then hit Draw. The aim of the game is to make the best five-card hand possible with one set of replacement cards. You lose if you fail to make a winning hand after the first Draw, and can then decide whether to Deal again or not. If you do win, you will be given the option to collect your winnings or opt for the Double feature.
The Double is essentially like a gamble feature, where you can try and boost the value of your latest win. If you press Double, the goal is to draw a card of higher value than the dealer's card. If you do so, your win will be doubled.
The 'Deuces Wild' refers to the fact all the '2' cards (deuces) are wild and will substitute for the most useful card you need, opening up the possibility of some big wins.


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I dedicated my Year of Service project to the social issue of public speaking. I spent my time with the Speech and Debate Team of Wooster High School. Public Speaking is such a pivotal aspect to success in the world today and I felt that with my experience and success on the team that I would be able to build up the skills of these younger students.
I had various tasks at this site. I had to help students review material, concepts, and scripts for what they wanted to speak on. From there we had to cut, trim, shape, and formulate speeches into the time frame that corresponded with each category, while maintaining the messages, entertainment, and engaging aspects of a speech. Once this was completed, I collaborated with students and coaches to help shape the whole speech. In how dialogue should sound; focusing on rate, tone, pitch, and all aspects of delivery. We also put in blocking, or movements that would be engaging and appropriate, but not distracting. All of these are looked at to enhance the performance and shape speeches to be the best that they can be.
Through my Year of Service I was able to take away a lot, and learn numerous things. The project allowed me to further develop and enhance my oratory skills by practicing with the students and continuing to listen to how the head coach constructed her feedback. Also, working as an assistant coach from another city I had to learn great communication, organizational, and time management skills, as well as needing to think a little outside of the box. Talking to coaches of the team and students I was sometimes a middle man and had to relay messages, and I learned out to clearly communicate changes, concerns, and progress to all parties. I also had to stay organized. There were weekends I would go home to help with practices or tournaments so I had to make sure I was well organized and had my school work done in advance and had the logistics of traveling back and forth lined up correctly. Which also leads into time management. With all of the travel and distance with the project I had to work efficiently at practices to make sure I was getting through the amount of speeches that coach wanted me to help with, while still being able to develop relationships with all of the students. Coach and I had a spreadsheet that we used for practice times that worked really well to help us stay organized and efficient in our efforts.
We also got creative in how we worked, knowing that I could not always make it back. So sometimes I worked with students via skype or FaceTime. We also used video, which was great because students gained a lot from watching themselves and seeing the issues we were working with them on. This allowed me to gain a great sense of adaptability.
I loved my Year of Service and plan to continue my service with the program. Maybe eventually working to become a true coach and help continue the success of the program and growing successful students and preserving the importance of Public Speaking for years to come.


text: Our rational side knows market timing is a fool's game. Yet, short-term trends sometimes drive our decisions. Thinkstock By David H. Barton, CEO | Mercer AdvisorsAugust 14, 2015 Humans are hard-wired in ways that helped our ancestors survive over thousands of years. Investing in markets is a recent concept – the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) was founded in 1817. Unfortunately, the cognitive processes that aided our ancestors may undermine our success in modern markets. Behavioral finance is an emerging field that examines how people use the tools of finance, rather than studying the tools themselves.One common behavioral mistake is known as "myopic loss aversion." Behavioralists have estimated that people hate losses roughly two-and-a-half times as much as they like gains. We exert more effort to avoid losses than to achieve gain. Suppose an investor's portfolio rose 40% and then dropped 20%. He/she would feel the loss about 2.5 times as much as the gain. The drop causes heightened loss aversion, potentially leading the investor to panic and act against what he/she knows is rational. Sponsored Content See Also: Learn More About Investor Psychology From Kiplinger.com's Your Mind, Your Money Columns Often when someone talks about losing money, the conclusion is some form of "this wouldn't have happened if I were paying more attention." We maintain our health by going to doctors. We take care of our teeth by visiting the dentist, and most of us don't work on our own cars. So why, when it comes to finances, are many investors adamant that they can do it on their own? We willingly seek specialists for almost every arena outside of investing. The behavioral bias coming into play is overconfidence. Advertisement Let's say John suffers a 20% loss. He feels regret. Loss aversion makes his 20% loss feel like a 50% loss. Rather than realizing that he may benefit from professional help, he thinks he's just unlucky. Overconfidence convinces him he will succeed the next time. He decides the market will fall further, and by selling his portfolio he eliminates the possibility of feeling more pain from losses. Overconfidence leads John to believe that not only does he know when to sell, but also when it is time to invest again. Investing problems can be compounded by the recency bias – believing that what happened recently will continue in the future. During bull markets, we are more likely to believe stocks will continue going up so we invest more. Bear markets feel like they will never end and make us want to stuff all our money under the mattress. Our rational side knows market timing is a fool's game and that we must weather the tough times in order to benefit from bull markets. Yet, short-term trends sometimes drive our decisions. The same goes for evaluating mutual fund managers. All evidence shows that it takes at least a full market cycle to to evaluate a manager's returns; having ten years or more would be even better. A manager with a few bad quarters, but a long-term track record, could still be great. Despite this knowledge, we often overreact to what happened recently. A recent study by the Investment Company Institute illustrates how market returns have impacted mutual fund inflows. The chart shows the percentage change in monthly equity mutual fund inflows and the year-over-year percentage change in the MSCI All Country World Index between 2000 and 2014. Advertisement Researchers measured the cost of this approach by comparing the performance of return chasing with a buy-and-hold strategy. The research reveals return chasing leaves nearly 2% on the table annually. Rather than earning 10% annually over the long term, those impaired by the recency bias took a 20% haircut and ended up with 8% annualized returns. Understanding the lessons of behavioral finance can greatly increase your odds of achieving financial freedom. Realizing that these tendencies exist is the first step in making better decisions. Remember, we hate losses roughly two-and-a-half times as much as we like gains. Fight the urge to panic over investment losses, and realize our tendency to overreact to recent history. Working with a financial adviser can help you stay on track. It's easy to get emotional when managing your own money. An objective partner can help you overcome harmful behavior biases and remain focused on long-term goals. Sources: Bloomberg, CFA Institute, Wall Street Journal, About Archeology, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Investment Company Institute, Morgan Stanley International David has served as CEO of Mercer Advisors since 2008. He is responsible for the firm's strategic vision, business plan execution, and organizational structure. Comments are suppressed in compliance with industry guidelines. Click here to learn more and read more articles from the author. This article was written by and presents the views of our contributing adviser, not the Kiplinger editorial staff. You can check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA. Advertisement Check Out Kiplinger's Latest Online Broker Rankings Advertisement


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At Nifty we're passionate about technology.
We've honed our skills over the last two decades, adapting to the latest technological changes and working with the best tools available to make each project a success.
We enjoy what we do and that helps us deliver great results. We love meeting new people and bringing our expertise and our clients' vision together to deliver projects of any size.
We're fortunate to know some real innovators in our industry and use their software in our web solutions.
If you'd like to work with us, we'd love to hear from you.
The Team
Peter BurlinghamDirector / Technical & Creative Lead
Peter BurlinghamDirector / Technical & Creative Lead
I've been working in the IT industry in one role or another for 20 years.
My skills as both a developer and designer give me a unique perspective when approaching projects, allowing me to deliver professional solutions that don't compromise on design or functionality.
When not engrossed in pages of programming code, I'll be designing user friendly websites in Photoshop or helping customers with their IT support requirements.
Lesley-Ann BurlinghamDirector / Business Analyst & Customer Relations
Lesley-Ann BurlinghamDirector / Business Analyst & Customer Relations
My background as a Software Trainer and Business Analyst has given me the opportunity to work with clients including local government and multinationals. These skills allow me to analyse business needs and translate them into a product that saves clients time and money, working with clients through every stage of the project lifecycle.
At Nifty this role gives me the added satisfaction of building these great working relationships with clients from the moment an enquiry lands with us.


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This is the month that Conde Nast UK had a lesbian month. There were two separate features in two separate magazines explicitly about lesbians, which definitely, TOTALLY constitutes a theme. And then Tatler made their monthly party a party for lesbians. It's basically Pride for posh people.
To those of us who *are* lesbians, know lesbians or simply recognise their essential humanity and continued existence – it may come as no biggie that that women like to have sex with each other and yet continue to pursue normal habits like getting dressed and drinking coffee.
But, it's totally a hot new thing at Tatler and Vogue.
And it really is a new thing at Tatler and Vogue. It's a new thing to have explicit here-is-a-lesbian content on the sacrosanct pages of these establishment magazines. They have to sell advertising space to Gucci, after all.
Not that there has been particularly bad treatment of lesbians at Vogue, or, to my knowledge, Tatler. You will not find Mail-style rants about how female-administered orgasms rock the foundation of the traditional nuclear family or cringe-making pseudo-crime stories about a girl dressing up as a boy to grope girls. There's no AA Gill style bitching about Clare Balding. It's not like the readership of Vogue would ever be caught yelling out "dykes!" or "finger her!" from the street corners – well at least I assume those guys at Old Street last year weren't subscribers. But what they do do at Vogue is glacially ignore things they don't like. Things that include trainers, fatties and lesbians. Not very Vogue, you know.
Sometimes it goes beyond omission to the extent of violent extraction - Vogue was accused of deliberately editing out the gay in an interview with cover star Freja Beha Ericsson in 2010 – a flagrantly out lesbian motorbiking supermodel – a story which managed to go 1200 words completely avoiding her sexuality and love-life.
Lesbians in Vogue!
The news hook for 'LOL (That's Late Onset Lesbianism)' in Vogue this month seems to be Susie Orbach -Lady Di's old shrink and author of 'Fat is a Feminist Issue' – copping off with novelist Jeanette Winterson. The story of Mary Portas getting off with that journo from Grazia is immediately brought out to back it up. And all that is followed by a parade of all the famous celesbians saying things like "sexuality is fluid" and "I'm not going to discuss my domestic arrangements."
It's written by Rachel Johson (Boris's sister). I've got to admit that this is a warm, emotionally intelligent article, although it has more of a focus on giving oral sex to another woman than is perhaps representative of the lesbian experience. I know because I was interviewed for that bit. Not that I'm ultra- experienced, I'm just a blogger and people always assume bloggers will talk to you about anything.
The oral sex brought me back to a topic often discussed on The Vagenda – it was suggested that going on a woman was waaay more out there than giving a guy a blow-job – an unholy, unimaginable process that was in a totally different league of OMG. Which ties into an age old idea of vaginas being like weird and in need of hygiene products etc etc. For a magazine that deals much more with trend and hemlines than love-life or relationships, this was a pretty fruity article.
But it was all a bit more 'oo-what-do-you-do-in-bed?' than it was 'let's redress gender and sexuality issues.'
I guess what it shows most sharply of all is the generational shift. The blurb reads: 'Women think: " let me have a bash at this before I die." Rachel Johnson investigates a dilemma for our times'.
Of course, this generation has been giving a lot of things a bash since they knocked back their first vodka coke, but I guess Vogue is making up ground here, in its own way.
Lesbians in Tatler!
Tatler is the campest thing on the shelves short of "Camping". Apparently this Lesbo issue was personally championed by newish editor Kate Reardon who wants to shake things up a bit.
Their feature on lesbians is called: 'Where are all the Lesbians? (They're in Tatler's definitive portfolio on page 94)'.
Featuring seven (lesbian) women – including Sue Perkins, eco politico Tamsin Omond, actress Sophie Ward – it shies away from soliciting scorching insight into the position of sexual minorities from its interviewees in favour of comments like "she loves food!" or "she adores the colour yellow because, she says ' it makes me happy!'" – thanks model Eden Clark.
"Fettes-educated" Maia Kawai-Calderhead is described as being "horrendously addicted to coffee while at school" – that's about as deep as it goes.
LOLS. And I don't mean late-onset lesbianism.
It's all about making lesbians seem like the sort of people you might happily talk to if you met them wearing nice dresses at a cocktail reception in West London. Object probably achieved.
Vice Magazine
VICE has clambered on the lesbian bandwagon this week too: publishing the highly characteristic VICE Guide to Being a Lesbian that dwells on the fashionable though bleak twilight world of clubs, loveless fingering and ketamine.
Cool undoubtedly. But kind of depressing.
Welcome to the other great lesbian stereotype of early twenty-first century Britain.
Is being in fashion good?
It's harder to change your sexual preferences than your handbag, and being trendy is to be haunted by the fear that within weeks you'll be out of trend in your rabbit fur, too-large brocade jacket, or whatever else goes out of fashion by S/S 2013.
Of course we want to think that being lifted on the tide of fashion takes gay people forward. And maybe it does.
Anna Wintour, the editor of American Vogue, spoke out in favour of gay marriage last year. This is what the human rights council of New York said about her:
"Ms. Wintour is a no-nonsense perfectionist who embraces basic fairness with her trademark elegance and humanity. […] She knows the difference between a passing fad and an enduring brand. Equality is part of the New York brand."
Looks being gay is an enduring brand. I guess this what you get from fashion magazines. And probably the best outcome we could hope for.
Er, thanks guys.


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Overview & background
Creating tasks is a critical feature for tracking project progress in Fieldwire. Tasks are a catch-all for general to-do's, deficiencies, observations, safety issues, etc.
Task attributes are the eight core features of tasks. These features combine to make Tasks in Fieldwire a highly useful prioritization tool for inputting data and then tracking project metrics and progress.
Anatomy of Task
Definition of Task Attributes
|1. Task title:
Can be edited at any time. View this article to understand what the icons to the left of the Task title mean.
|2. Priority:
P1, P2, P3, Completed and Verified. There is a two-step verification process which you can learn about by viewing this article.
|3. Category:
Typically trades or type of work, however, categories can be tailored to your project by Project Admins.
|4. Assignee:
The person responsible for the task, who receives an instant notification. Having a single assignee on a task creates accountability and makes it clear who needs to take an action.
|5. Start and end dates:
Inputting dates will automatically display the task on the calendar view so that you can track all upcoming items with lean means and methods including Kanban priority, Gantt chart, or calendar view.
|6. Manpower and cost:
|Optional text fields often used to track work associated with a variation.
|7. Plan mini-map:
|A thumbnail of the plan associated with the task.
|8. Related tasks:
|You can interrelated two tasks so they are associated with one another.
|9. Checklists:
You can add checklists line by line and you can add checklist templates.
|10. Add attachment:
You can add a photo/file from 9 different file sources, add a 360 photo, link to an existing file, related a file from your Google Drive or even create a crop plan.
|11. Email Task:
|You can email a task to yourself as either a PDF or in HTML format.
Tip: Location was newly added as a task attribute. Locations are another tool you can use to filter and organize tasks!
Additional features
Note: Each task is assigned a number. The number will not reset nor can the task number be edited. When working offline, your tasks will be assigned a number when the task is synced. Task numbers cannot be reset and when a task is deleted, the number cannot be recovered.
Tip: Tasks have unique URLs. If you wish to reference a task you can click on the URL in the browser window with the task open. You can then copy and paste that URL and send the link to anyone else who has access to the project. They can click the link and view the task.
More Information
- Fieldwire has a task importer feature that can be very useful
- Premium customers can use the reports feature to export task data
Video Tutorial on Managing Tasks
Video Tutorial on Managing Tasks
Video Tutorial on Advanced Task Features