text:
The Story of Biggin Hill: a plotlands development and post-war exurb in Greater London
Biggin Hill's major drawback has always been its poor transport links: one road in and one road out. Set on the top of the North Downs it was never going to be a candidate for a main line railway. It was this remoteness that resulted in the low land prices that enabled Frederick Dougal to offer his plots so cheaply. Even so, he realised that Biggin Hill would benefit greatly from a railway and supported the plans for the Tatsfield Light Railway which were developed in 1898.
By this date most of the accessible parts of the country were within easy reach of a railway, but some areas, especially in hilly regions, were prohibitively expensive to serve. The Light Railways Act of 1896 changed this, allowing lower cost railways to be built in return for lower maximum running speeds. The Tatsfield Light was to run from Orpington station via Green Street Green, Cudham and Biggin Hill to Tatsfield. Following a public enquiry it gained approval to proceed but the company was unable to raise the £70 000 required and the idea was quietly dropped.
This, however, was not the end of the story. In 1925 a grander scheme was proposed, supported by the Southern Railway. A similar route was planned from Orpington to Tatsfield but it was then to be extended to form a loop, joining the Oxted line at Sanderstead. Instead of being steam hauled, the trains would be electric but there would still only be one track. The engineer was to have been Colonel Holman Stephens, the famous builder of many light railways, who had been involved with the earlier project too. The cost was estimated at £634 000.
As with the Tatsfield Light, in 1929 the scheme was approved and the route even appeared on Southern Railway maps. But the death of the enthusiastic Colonel Stephens in 1931 meant raising the money became difficult and despite a final attempt to revive the scheme after the Second World War, this railway too, never got beyond the planning stage.
Recently the building of the Croydon Tramlink to New Addington has encouraged talk of an extension to Biggin Hill. But for now, the inaccessibility that spawned the town remains one of its most distinctive features.


text:
Category: mexico review
What is Mother! Movie 2017 Judi Online ReviewSeptember 20, 2017 No Comment
Here's an inquiry: Should you go see Mother!, the new, polarizing, Judi online movie composed and coordinated by Darren Aronofsky and featuring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem that everybody is discussing however evidently nobody saw and the few who did see it had no clue what in God's name was going on? Indeed, here are […]
Posted in: Horror Movie, mexico review, News, Review
Gran Casino: Agen Poker Games Mexican FilmsSeptember 7, 2017 No Comment
Docsdf – Gerardo (Jorge Negrete) and his friend Demetrio (Agen Poker) are a pair of footloose cowboys in turn-of-the-century Mexico who are in prison on dubious charges. As Gerardo sings and strums on his guitar, Demetrio saws the bars of their cell, enabling them to escape. They come upon a small oil field operated by […]
Posted in: mexican movie, Mexico Film, mexico review
Recommended Mexican Movies on Netflix 2017August 29, 2017 No Comment
docsdf – From works of art to more current movies, Netflix has an impression accumulation of Mexican motion pictures accessible for spilling. The following is our positioning of the best Mexican motion pictures on Netflix, which is straightforwardly affected by your votes. Tap the thumbs up beside your most loved Netflix Mexican films to vote […]
Posted in: mexican movie, Mexico Film, mexico review, News, Review, Trendings
5 Must Watch Movies at Hola México Film Festival 2017August 28, 2017 No Comment
Docsdf – Presently in its ninth year, the Hola México Film Festival is conveying 20 movies to the downtown Los Angeles range, including Demián Bichir's directorial make a big appearance, a doc on the clamoring hip-jump scene over the fringe, and a couple of lighthearted comedies for those searching for some lighter toll. In the […]
Posted in: mexican movie, mexico review, Music Video, News

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Book Review | Learning to Stand
Title: Learning to Stand
Author: Claudia Hall Christian
Learning to Stand, by Claudia Hall Christian, is the second book in a series of thrillers so, I must admit, I was a little leery when I started reading it. I'm always concerned that there will either be too much backstory (to catch me up as a reader) and not enough focus on the story at hand or there won't be enough backstory, which will leave me trying to figure out the connections between characters that I didn't see develop in previous books
Right away, I really liked the book's main character – Alex. She has a strong personality and appears very confident. She makes mistakes throughout the novel but it doesn't detract from her other traits – it simply makes her more human to me and also a more likable character. She's the type of person I wish I was (at times) and reminds me of some of my friends.
I really liked Alex, and I found the novel interesting and engaging with many complex characters, but at the same time it was incredibly difficult to follow for the better part of the book. Learning to Stand is definitely a novel that needs to have the novel previous to it (The Fey) read first. It was obvious that Hall wrote the novel assuming readers would have read the first book in the series because there is very little backstory provided which makes it confusing and difficult to follow at times. It is like walking in halfway through a conversation where you are interested in what is going on but you are desperately trying to catch up put all the pieces together.
That being said, I did enjoy the novel. I plan to go and find a copy of the first novel (The Fey), read it, and then read Learning to Stand again. I like Alex's character and Hall's style of writing so much that I think doing so would be worthwhile!
*I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this novel.*


text:
Desk countertops come with a many layouts, designs, colors, and also materials that are used. Primarily, strong and solid components like natural stone, marble, and solid surface are the absolute most preferred materials used for dek countertops. It is basically because dek could be the location where in fact the level of moisture and wetness is high. Therefore you need to choose materials which are resistant to moisture and wet for your dek counter-tops.
workrite essentia electric sit stand 2 leg desk base could be the vital what to be set inside your dek. Those objects will allow you to decorating that room area. Why is it that you have to enhance dek? Once we know dek is just one of important space at property where you may commit more time there. That's the reason why you will need to also make it as the comfortable for the family members.
DIY workrite essentia electric sit stand 2 leg desk base
workrite essentia electric sit stand 2 leg desk base have numerous design inside this period. Folks tend to make use of this type of cabinet to set some medicine. Although this type of cabinet isn't the first and should act on the dek, folks within this age are taking some attention to this particular cabinet. So, some insides the folks who expert from the deks add-ons style provide many ideas and advice to select the right of dek drugs for example.
When it is come to workrite essentia electric sit stand 2 leg desk base, you need to learn how choosing right fabric, vanity dimensions, and fashion which will match your dek and function properly for your needs. Choose right vanity could break your dek design and style at once.


text:
Process Instrument
Moisture and Hydrocarbon Dew-Point
Michell Instruments offers a comprehensive range of process analyzers for measuring water dew point, trace moisture and hydrocarbon dew point for the petrochemical and natural gas industries.
The range includes intrinsically safe and flameproof/explosion proof systems which are supplied as complete packages consisting of an analyzer – or combination of analyzers – and a fully integrated sampling system and control unit. A wide choice of standard process sampling systems are available, as well as the option of customized systems, designed by our dedicated Systems Engineering department to suit demanding or complex applications.
Michell's Condumax II is the hydrocarbon and water dewpoint analyzer of choice for the majority of gas transmission companies across the whole European gas distribution network.
On-Line Process Analyzers:
Universal Features
In the petrochemical industry the measurement of moisture content in a multitude of process gases and liquids is one of the most difficult and demanding tasks for the process engineer. To maintain a certain moisture content or avoid defined moisture levels is crucial for most chemical processes.
Michell's state-of-the-art, on-line analyzers help increase plant efficiency and safety in many petrochemical sites across the globe.
Comprehensive analyzer packages with a selection of standardized sampling systems or customized solutions to suit exact application and installation requirements
- Choice of certified explosion-proof (EExd) or intrinsically safe (I.S.) measurement systems
- CCSAUS approved for Class I, Division 1
- ATEX approved for Zone 1 and 2 installation
- Unique Michell Calibration Exchange Service provides cost effective field maintenance of moisture measurement certified traceable to standards of NPL (UK) and NIST (USA)
- Systems compatible with aggressive samples such as sour natural gas a global network of Michell offices and factory trained representatives
- Professional commissioning services and site maintenance personnel training available worldwide
Background to Michell Instruments
Michell Instruments is the international leader in the field of moisture and humidity measurement solutions. With over 40 years' experience, Michell designs and manufactures a wide range of transmitters, instruments and system solutions capable of measuring trace moisture, humidity, dew point and oxygen in a vast range of applications and industries ranging from compressed air, power generation, process, oil and gas, pharmaceutical and many more.
Michell uses four key dew-point measurement technologies in its products:
- Impedance method using a ceramic tile which delivers unrivalled speed of response and robustness
- Chilled Mirror method which has been incorporated into advanced, precision instruments for industrial and laboratory use
- Dark Spot™ technology which was developed in partnership with Shell, to offer a world-class solution for the measurement of hydrocarbon dew point
- Quartz Crystal technology for a high precision, fast responding moisture measurement with self-calibration


text:
Dr Denise Hanrahan-WellsSenior Lecturer
Department of English, Creative Writing and American email@example.com
We encourage our staff and students to be enterprising in all they do and we maintain close ties with regional employersView content
Denise is Senior Lecturer in English and American Studies. She has taught in higher education for many years and previously worked for The Open University.
Her research interests centre around the complex relationship between politics and popular culture, specifically literature, mass media and film. Her special area of interest is the 1980s, in particular connections between the transatlantic politics of Thatcher and Reagan and its impact on filmic representations of corporate workplace identity.
Areas of expertise
- American Literature and Film
- Popular culture of the 1980s
- American gothic texts


text:
Welcome back everyone! This week on the MacroFab Roundup: Helium iPhone testing, the ACT2861, Amazon releases a self driving RC car, and Designing Space-Rated PCBs.
Interesting Links and Articles
- Another update to the helium infiltrating MEMs devices in iPhones
- Applied science tests 32KHz MEMs oscillators to see if helium can cause failures
- Inspection under electron microscope
- Reddit comment thread
- SMT Spacers by Würth Elektronik
- Reflowable spacers and standoffs to reduce post PCB assembly labor
- Power Bank system ICs from Active-Semi
- The ACT2861 supports QC 2.0/3.0/4.0 and USB Power Delivery with Programmable Power Supply
- Interesting solutions that require very little extra components to get working
- Amazon is releasing a $400 self-driving toy car that you can program yourself – and it's launching a racing league to test your skills
- Interesting way to introduce a new software platform
- The racing league will entice people to become familiar with the AWS platform and machine learning
- A Guide to Debouncing, or, How to Debounce a Contact in Two Easy Pages, by Jack Ganssle
- How switches actually bounces and how to write C code to eliminate that bouncing
- The Ganssle Group has one of the best embedded newsletters out there as well
- Designing Space-Rated PCBs
- PCBs in space are driven by two goals; The PCB has to get to space first and then the PCB needs to survive being in space
- PCB materials, vibration testing, and design constraints
MacroFab Engineering Podcast
Last week on MEP EP #147: Charlyn Gonda and the Ever-Lowering Fence between Software and Hardware – Charlyn Gonda joins the MEP to discuss the shrinking divide between the software and hardware worlds.
This week on MEP EP #148: A Unique Perspective on Feature Creeping – Parker talks about his Embedded System Design process and Stephen explains his 20 band EQ design!


text:
I have petals from my love
Pressed tween the pages of a book,
And rose buds given to me once
Dried in a jar, so not forsook.
They'll last a decade, maybe more,
Perhaps a lifetime treasured,
Then be consigned into the trash.
How sentiment is measured.
Ephemeral my life may be,
Its meaning soon will disappear,
But some mementos of the past
Outlast me by a million years.
Millennia evolving
Since flowers first appeared,
Are preserved for human eyes,
Eternity in amber tears.
I will send my precious bud
Beyond the reach of my dead hand,
Encased within a blob of resin,
Buried deep in thickening sand.
By Kate Rauner
An ancient species has been newly identified from and exquisitely preserved flower phys.org Amber can be as old as resin-producing plants: Wikipedia
Molecular polymerization, resulting from high pressures and temperatures produced by overlying sediment, transforms the resin first into copal. Sustained heat and pressure drives off terpenes and results in the formation of amber.
Update: a lizard preserved in amber – cool.
All my books, including collections of my science-inspired poetry, are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and other major online retailers. You'll also find paperbacks at Create Space and all major digital formats at Smashwords. Read one today.


text:
If only
And it's too late to realize, that instead of spending the nights crying for a guy. Instead of battling everyday winning his heart again. Instead of wasting days finding the perfect one…you could've just mold your self , trained yourself, and lashed yourself into the queen bee in your dreams you want to become. If… Continue reading If only


text:
Run 1 Mile
Rest 2 Minutes
Row 1500m
Rest 2 Minutes
50 Burpees
Complete in any order.
Run 1 Mile
Rest 2 Minutes
Row 1500m
Rest 2 Minutes
50 Burpees
Complete in any order.
Open WOD 13.1
MEN – includes Masters Men up to 54 years old
Proceed through the sequence below completing as many reps as possible in 17 minutes of:
40 Burpees
75 pound Snatch, 30 reps
30 Burpees
135 pound Snatch, 30 reps
20 Burpees
165 pound Snatch, 30 reps
10 burpees
210 pound Snatch, as many reps as possible
WOMEN – includes Masters Women up to 54 years old
Proceed through the sequence below completing as many reps as possible in 17 minutes of:
40 Burpees
45 pound Snatch, 30 reps
30 Burpees
75 pound Snatch, 30 reps
20 Burpees
100 pound Snatch, 30 reps
10 burpees
120 pound Snatch, as many reps as possible
This workout begins from a standing position and with the barbell loaded with the starting weight. In the Burpee, the Athlete will move from flat on the ground to touching an object with both hands that is at least 6 inches above their max reach. In the Snatch, the barbell goes directly from the ground to overhead in one motion without stopping at the shoulders. This can be a muscle Snatch, a power Snatch, a squat Snatch or a split Snatch. A Clean and Jerk is not permitted. Score is total reps completed. In the case of a tie, the Athlete with the faster time to finish their last complete set of Snatches will be ranked higher.
Special Tiebreak
In this workout, we are using a special tiebreak method. At the end of each round of 30 Snatches, time should be marked. Specifically, as soon as the 30th Snatch at 75 pounds for men is complete, time should be marked. As soon as the 30th Snatch at 135 pounds is complete, time should be marked. The same at the 30th rep at 165 pounds, if you get there. When you submit your final result, your score will be the number of reps completed. There will be another field in which you will enter the time of the last completed sets of Snatches, whichever that may be.
Note: All tiebreak times must be reported in elapsed time, not in time remaining. If you are using a countdown timer, you must convert to elapsed time before reporting your score. For this reason, it is recommended that you set your clock to count up.
Movement Standards
The height of the target must be no fewer than 6 inches above the Athlete's fingertips when they are standing, feet together, with a straight line through their wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip and knees. The Athlete should be shrugging their shoulders and reaching as high as possible while the measurement is being made. If the Athlete touches with just one hand or misses, they may re-jump to complete the rep without dropping back to the ground. The use of a springy floor is not allowed.
Each rep will be counted once the Athlete clearly shows control of the barbell overhead. Pressing out the arms at the top to complete the movement is allowed as long as the barbell does not touch the shoulders or head. The Athlete must be responsible for loading their own barbell to the appropriate weights during the workout. The same barbell must be used for the entire workout, and the Athlete may not receive assistance when changing the loads. Using additional pre-loaded barbells is not permitted.
Score: 142rx – just could not get through those damn burpees fast enough to get to the 100# snatches. Errrrgggggg
5 Rounds
10 KB Swings (70/53)
10 Hand Release Push-ups
10 Goblet Lunges (70/53)
Not worth noting.
Metcon: 9:24rx
4 Rounds
8 DB Squat Cleans (45/30)
10 Pull-ups
12 Games Standard Box Jumps (24/20)
Fuck. Snatch. Day.
65-65-65-75. Things were not working today.
Metcon: 10:00rx
Also fuck box jumps.
2-2-2-2 (add 2.5-10lbs from your last double)
5 Rounds
5 Push Jerks (155/105)
10 Burpees
75-85-85-95 (yay!!) First time actually dropping under 95 (mostly!). Small feats.
Metcon: 7:58 rx. This f'ing sucked a big fatty.
Establish a 1RM Squat Snatch
20 Ring Push-ups
10 Deadlifts (225/155)
10 Jerks (155/105)
10 Power Cleans (155/105)
10/10 Lunges (115/75) (20 Total – 10 each leg, must alternate)
10 Snatches (115/75)
20 Hand Release Burpees
You must use one barbell and change your own plates as you go through the movements.
Squat Snatch
Really need to focus on dropping under the bar. For f's sake!!!!
Metcon: 9:18rx
Push jerks were tougher than I anticipated.
EMOTM 10 Minutes
2 Snatch
50 KB Swings (53/35)
50 Situps
Run 800m
25 KB Swings
25 Situps
Run 400m
Snatches at 55
FINALLY think I figured out how to snatch!!!! Woot woot. Now to add some weight… Grrr


text:
Something's cookin'. And it ain't good.
Body Count
- Kill 32 enemies
This challenge is quite simple: kill every enemy you see. Use the canisters to blow men and vehicles up to speed things up. There are three canisters around the lot to take advantage of. If you are replaying, use the grenade launcher/RPG to really create mayhem and make this level a synch.
- Complete with minimal damage to health and armor
Hopefully you remembered to purchase body armour before beginning this mission. This will help a great deal. If you take advantage of the combustible things scattered around, you shouldn't take too much damage. Be on guard for any more arrivals and subsequently take them out.
Speed is important, not just for the challenge but in order to protect yourself from too much damage. If you already have access to more powerful weapons, just use Trevor's special and let loose with everything in your arsenal. Pyromaniacs will love this mission.
Scrap Man
- Destroy 6 vehicles
There are a number of vehicles parked up and more arrive as the mission progresses so simply blow up everything you see. Each challenge is usefully contained in one big objective. They are all tied together in some way so you really don't have to go out of your way too much to obtain these challenges.
One thing to make sure of is when you run outside to confront the remnants of your attackers, make sure to fire at the vehicles as they try to drive away in order to make at least one of them stop so you can blow it up. Otherwise you may not have blown up enough vehicles.
Mission Time
- Complete within 04:30
If you use the above methods, utilising explosions, then you should be more than capable of achieving this time.


text:
a little plant that is trying very hard to grow // an artist who loves making stories about cute creatures, mario kart, and their pet bird. draws a comic called jailbird!
hi hi! thank you so much for your support! 🌱🐽
Ko-fi helps creators get support from people who love what they do.Get Your Free Page
A Gold Membership unlocks many features to help creators earn more!


text:
The candidate experience—every interaction between company and candidate that happens during the hiring process—is growing in impact. From the number of applicants your company receives, to cost savings and revenue generation, key performance metrics are directly influenced by your candidate experience.
Here are six data-driven justifications for obsessing over candidate experience and making it a key part of your recruiting strategy.
1. Poor Candidate Experience Causes Customer Churn
Forty-nine percent of job candidates have had a past relationship with an employer. In practice, a portion of applicants often come from a company's existing customer base, with positive product and service experiences driving applicants' motivation to work for the company. The same principle works in reverse: poor candidate experiences cause customers to churn.
In 2015, Virgin Media received approximately 150,000 job applications, translating into 3,500 new hires. The company estimated that 27,000 (18%) of those applicants were also customers—and that poor candidate experiences led 7,416 those applicant customers to churn from Virgin Media.
Poor candidate experience ended up costing the company approximately $6 million in lost revenue in a single year.


text:
You'll also receive my FREE Natural Health newsletter | Privacy Policy
St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) is named after St. John the Baptist, since it's usually in full bloom by June 24, the saint's feast day.1 The plant bears yellow flowers2 with oblong petals3 that have black dots on their edges. It can stand 1 to 3 feet tall, and has multiple reddish stems4 and yellow-green leaves.5 Although primarily found in Europe, St. John's wort can now be found growing in the U.S.,6 China, northern Africa, western7 and eastern Asia, Australia and New Zealand.8
The plant typically blooms during summertime, and can be seen growing in woods, hedges, roadsides, pastures and meadows.9 St. John's wort also bears sticky fruits with three-chambered capsules10 that hold multiple small, black and pepper-like seeds11 with a resinous smell.12
Under certain conditions, St. John's wort may be helpful for your mental health if you're feeling depressed — provided you aren't currently taking prescription antidepressants, as the combination of the two could cause serious increases in your serotonin levels.13
Used alone and under the supervision of your health care provider, the herb contains compounds such as hypericin, hyperforin, flavonoids and flavonoid derivatives, xanthone derivatives, amentoflavone, biapigenin and volatile oils that may help combat depression.14,15
An analysis of 35 studies published in Systematic Reviews in 2016 revealed that St. John's wort assisted in alleviating depression symptoms better than a placebo, and similarly to typical conventional drugs.16
Authors of a 1997 Pharmacopsychiatry animal study discovered that St. John's wort extract may work like antidepressants by helping prevent reuptake of the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, and promoting positive effects in mice who were given the substance.17
This herb may also help address mental health problems such as anxiety or seasonal affective disorder (SAD),18 which normally occurs during the winter months because of a lack of sunlight.19 Aside from impacts toward your mental health, St. John's wort may also help:
St. John's wort was used to treat wounded soldiers during the Crusades,32 and drive out the "inner devil" in people during Medieval times. However, St. John's wort's history of medicinal use dates back to ancient Greece, where it was believed to possess "magical powers."33 It was also recommended to be used against hallucinations34 by Paracelsus, a Swiss man considered "the father of chemistry and the reformer of material medica" (among many other nicknames).35
The use of St. John's wort is prevalent in some European countries, such as Germany, against mental health issues like depression.36 St. John's wort can be found in other forms such as tinctures, oils or balms that may help promote healing of burns, wounds, insect bites and bruises.37,38 You may also encounter St. John's wort products such as supplements,39 liquids, powders40 and teas.41,42
St. John's wort leaves and flowers can be used to make tea43 that may assist in:44
Remember that if you have high blood pressure levels, are taking antihypertensive50 or antidepressant medications, or would need to undergo surgery, drinking St. John's wort tea may lead to adverse effects.51 Also, do not take St. John's wort without consulting a health care practitioner if you are on prescription medications of any sort including birth control pills.52
Are you interested in trying St. John's wort oil? Initial research has revealed that it possesses anti-inflammatory capabilities,53 and may help:
If you plan on using this oil, consult a physician and take an allergen patch test to check for potential side effects. Dilute the essential oil with a carrier oil like sweet almond, olive, jojoba or coconut, or add it to other oil blends, since it can deliver a warm, balsamic, herbaceous and sweet scent. St. John's wort oil blends well with clary sage, cedar,59 lavender and lemon balm oils.60
No matter what form of St. John's wort you use, remember that it may lead to photosensitivity61 or sun sensitivity.62 If you're using St. John's wort, try to avoid the sun as much as possible, or use sunscreen or wear protective clothing.63 Some of the other side effects linked to St. John's wort include:64,65
As mentioned, St. John's wort has the tendency to interact with multiple drugs, as highlighted by PennState's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center:
If you're taking these drugs, refrain from using St. John's wort with them since it may lead to other health issues. This herb can also reduce the drugs' effectiveness.66
Before using St. John's wort, talk to a physician67 or mental health professional (if you're struggling with a mental health problem) to determine if this will be beneficial for your condition and find out the ideal dosage you may need to take. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, avoid using any form of St. John's wort,68 since it may cause your baby to develop drowsiness, fussiness or colic.69
Reply to this thread (2000 Characters only)
Characters remaining:
* Please enter your comment!
Edit Your Comment (2000 Characters only)
Characters Remaining:
By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
I agree
Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your health care professional before using products based on this content.
If you want to use an article on your site please click here. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required.
Terms & Conditions | Updated Privacy Policy | Sitemap
© 1997-2020 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.
Connect with Dr. Mercola
Please Sign in or Join to continue.


text:
Keeping the Faith
Apr 1, 2002 12:00 PM,
By Gregory DeTogne
A little more than a decade ago, St. Mary of the Angels church was on the skids, suffering from prolonged neglect and a dwindling congregation. Left all but dark and abandoned on Chicago's north side after serving local parishioners for nearly a century, the traditional Roman Catholic house of worship nonetheless made a remarkable recovery, and by the late 1990s an extensive restoration of its lavishly ornate interior was being completed.
Grand, cathedral-like and inspired by the works of Renaissance master painters and architects, the church's renovated sanctuary never fails to give pause to those who enter. From the nave, soaring gilded columns rise to a ceiling that bears expansive hand-painted murals painstakingly brought back to their original splendor by European craftsmen laboring for months high atop steel scaffolds. Serving diverse gatherings of the faithful, the church is alive and well once again, and you can hear Sunday mass in English, Spanish and Polish.
As a basic component of the rebirth of St. Mary of the Angels, sound reinforcement has played a vital and sometimes troublesome role. The church had wanted to keep the sanctuary's dramatic interior as undisturbed as possible, and so it commissioned the building of an audio system grossly undersized for the job.
Jim Brown of Chicago-based Audio Systems Group Inc. explained that the principle challenges in designing the sound system stemmed from the cavernous space inside the church. Brown's consulting firm was responsible for devising an initial plan back in 1994, aimed at remedying the sanctuary's sonic woes and developing the second DSP-based upgrade implemented late last year. "Given the structure's size and scope, it should come as no surprise that its basic acoustical problems are associated with high levels of reverberation," Brown said. "To compound matters, the room is also plagued by long reverberation times. When I first examined the environment, the sound system was comprised of extremely small loudspeakers that were easy to conceal but did little to provide the pattern control needed to tame the reverberation."
Nearly a decade ago, with the aid of EASE modeling, Brown penned a new design for the sanctuary. The design was implemented by RC Communications, a systems integration firm in nearby Schiller Park. Because of the room's long reverberation times, his blueprint provided very careful pattern control to minimize the spill of sound into the reverberant environment throughout the voice range. He also planned to reuse as much of the existing system's electronics and wiring as possible to honor the budget.
At the heart of the design was a pair of two-way, Renkus-Heinz CBH400-9 large-format 90-by-40-degree horns coupled with CDT-1 co-entrant drivers and their own passive crossovers. Offering good pattern control to below 500 Hz, the horn/driver combinations were chosen because they are suitable for both speech and music. Installed high above the congregation to the left and right, the loudspeaker systems shared space above the sanctuary floor with a pair of custom 4-element, directional bass arrays that operated in the octave below each horn. As a further enhancement to the system's vocal qualities, the bass arrays bring focus to the lows in the same manner that the horns do for the mids and highs, providing the natural body of the human voice that couldn't be controlled by the horns alone.
To bring sound reinforcement to the nave, Brown used three pairs of custom column-mounted line arrays, each employing a dozen 3-inch cone loudspeakers. Four identical copies of these arrays were mounted in an antiphonal balcony at the rear of the church: One pair provides reinforcement for a separate cantor system, and the other serves as foldback for the choir. House mixing functions received a new lease on life with the addition of a pair of SCM810 automatic mixers from Shure. For the few occasions when a manual mix was required in the house, a Mackie 16-channel 1604-VLZ mixer was kept at hand behind a locking hinged panel at the rear of the balcony.
As planned, Brown's first system upgrade at the church was completed successfully without purchasing new power amplifiers, equalizers or delays. All of the loudspeaker wiring was reused as well. Spatially reorganized within existing rack real estate to compensate for the changes, most of the reused electronics maintained their former roles. An assortment of Altec power amps (four model 9444Bs and a pair of model 9442s) fueled the system. EQ arrived through Ashly GQX3101 1/3-octave units and Rane2/3-octave stereo GE215s, and Yamaha D1030 processing was employed for both delay and crossover functions, as required. Williams hearing assistance was neatly packaged at the top of one of the equipment racks.
Following the revamped system's debut, everyone — multilingual congregation included — was left smiling. The rig performed admirably in its upgraded configuration until 2001, when a unique opportunity presented itself, allowing the church to further refine its sound.
on october 11, 2001, Gold Line's TEF Level II Workshop on Intelligibility came to Chicago. Directed by Columbia College professor Doug Jones (see "AI to PASTI" on page 56), the seminar was cosponsored by Brown's Audio Systems Group along with RC Communications, Shure Incorporated and TOA.
"Immediately I realized that St. Mary of the Angels would be an ideal location to host some of the workshop activities," Brown said. "It was certainly acoustically challenging enough. The only problem standing in our way was the electronics. Although they still worked okay, they were incapable of quickly changing the delay, equalization and other parameters of the system, which we'd need to do. We had carefully designed the system so that there was no echo returning from the rear of the church. During the workshop, however, we had to simulate an echo coming from the back wall using the custom line arrays in the balcony to illustrate how a rear-wall reflection could destroy intelligibility. We needed more control over the system, and the only way it could be achieved practically and affordably was through the use of digital signal processing."
As luck would have it, Shure Incorporated came to Brown's rescue with two of its P4800 digital system processors. Easy enough to use that most people have it up and running without ever cracking the manual, the P4800 employs an intuitive drag-and-drop architecture offering control over just about any processing function between the mixer and amplifiers within installed systems. Among the features found on each unit is a 4-by-8 matrix mixing section that enables users to assign any of its four inputs to any of the eight outputs, with provisions for adjusting levels and signal polarity along the way. With the click of a mouse, processing blocks can be added to the signal path, including several EQ options, automatic gain control, limiting, compression, gates, delay, dynamics processing and Shure's patented DFR feedback reducer. Processing blocks can be copied to any input or output to duplicate processing across multiple channels.
Over the years, administrators at St. Mary of the Angels trusted Brown to help develop their sound. When he showed them the Shure DSP box and told them of his latest plans, they kept that faith, giving their full blessings to his new proposal.
"Beyond the workshop's needs, I felt there was a real value for the church to make the switch to the Shure DSP box," Brown said. "Because it was a brand-new product, they would be turning the hours on their reliability clock back to zero and starting fresh for a big portion of the system. They'd also free up a lot of rackspace. And more important, from a tuning standpoint, we would be able to take the system to a new level of refinement that simply wasn't possible with the aging analog gear."
Given the green light for the project, Brown recruited Ron Steinberg, principal and chief engineer of RC Communications, to remove the old analog gear and install the P4800s. "Ron's always been ready to contribute to any project from which he and his staff can learn," Brown said of his long-time colleague. Once the Shure DSP processors were in place, Steinberg and Brown re-tuned the system for the church's everyday use. Working from a spot by the altar, they accessed the P4800's RS-232 remote control-port from a laptop via 50-foot cable runs leading through an opening in the sanctuary ceiling directly to the equipment racks.
"The real beauty of this device when it comes to tuning is the level of control you gain over equalization," Brown said. "As we all know, when you EQ a system, you start by tuning it flat, and then you tailor it from there until it sounds just right. With the P4800, you can make your finely detailed, subjective tweaks without affecting your basic tuning, because you can add separate bands of additional EQ and then simply leave it there. The settings can be password-protected, too, at multiple levels for different users."
From a maintenance and service standpoint, Brown also notes that the P4800 has given Ron Steinberg and his RC Communications crew — the ongoing service providers to the client — less to worry about. "The unit is totally contractor friendly," he said. "Armed with the right password, you can walk right up to it and download all the settings. The one-size-fits-all nature of the box allows you to maintain spares just by keeping two in reserve."
Brown completed his second St. Mary of the Angels system upgrade by collecting new EASE data, using much more advanced software than he had used eight years before. "The new work we did in EASE allowed us to take a second look at the design in greater detail," he said. "We confirmed the accuracy of our predictions beyond anything conceivable back when I first walked into this space. Now, it's evident the performance of the system in general has been improved upon as much as the new processing technology will allow. We could always be tweaking something if we wanted to. But, offhand, I'd say the congregation is set for some time to come."
Gregory DeTogne is a writer, communications consultant and owner of an editorial public relations firm in Libertyville, Illinois, specializing in pro audio accounts.
Angelic Sounds
This EASE 4.0 model of St. Mary of the Angels Church was prepared by Ron Sauro. The church didn't have real blueprints, so Sauro worked from poor quality, reduced-size copies of blueprints that couldn't be scaled, digital photos and dimensioned sketches prepared by tape measure.
The room model is detailed and quite accurate in the lower half of the room (below the top of the choir balcony) but has only a first order approximation in the top half of the room and in the altar area. This is a reasonable strategy for a loudspeaker system that is located entirely in the well-detailed part of the room and carefully concentrates its energy on congregation seating. Low-order reflections having significant energy are accurately computed, and the higher order reflections that contain less energy are accounted for using reverberation statistics.
Mapping with EASE
The figure to the left shows how direct sound from one of the two large horns covers the front third of the church. The elevated rectangles above the floor represent the listening plane, or average ear-level, of the seated congregation. Direct sound is mapped both to these seating planes and to the real wall surfaces.
This is a large EASE model; even on a fast computer, it can take a while to get a detailed plot of performance everywhere in a room. But many design tasks don't require that. This computation (which took only a minute or so) was used to aim the horn and study both its coverage of the congregation and spill to wall surfaces. EASE can be set to look at any combination of wall surfaces with any combination of loudspeakers.
The model shows that the horns cover quite well to the first column and begin to fall off beyond it. Therefore, delayed loudspeakers are needed to provide coverage beyond the first column. Note that the horns are carefully aimed so that they do not spill to the marble floor in front of the pews. Moreover, because they are aimed low, very little of their energy can hit the rear wall or balcony face and come forward as echo.
This plot and subsequent plots of delayed loudspeaker coverage clearly demonstrate the wisdom that the front faces of the architectural columns should be covered with acoustic absorption, starting above the pews and extending upwards for roughly 8 feet. The church is far too reverberant, even for baroque organ music, so a modest reduction in reverberation is certainly in order. In fact, a case could be made for light carpet in the aisles to reduce activity noise and reduce the first reflection from the horns.
Church Revival:
Revitalized after years of disuse, St. Mary of the Angel's church now shines once again in north Chicago.
Nice and Ease-y:
Here is the direct sound coverage by the first delayed line array on the left side of the congregation. Note that it begins providing coverage about 6 feet from the array, which is just about where the horns are falling off. Note also that the very narrow vertical directivity of the line array, and the fact that it is tilted down by about 15 degrees, keeps its energy low in the room. That means that any first order reflection will also be low in the room, and for the most part be grounded to the pews.
EASE is using a complex (magnitude and phase) computation for the 12 drivers that make up the line array. This computation is only a first approximation of reality, because the directional data is for a different driver than was actually used. Computed results do compare reasonably well with actual system performance, however. That's because the complex computation of all the individual drivers is valid for both the near field and far field. (In EASE, this calculation is called an "interference sum.") The perspective here is from the viewpoint of the horn on the other side of the room (any point in the room can be used — this one was chosen because it gives a good perspective on coverage).
A Classic Dilemma:
Domed church ceilings look striking from the outside, and they inevitably present sound-sytem challenges.
For More Information
Circle 215 on Reader Service Card
Circle 216 on Reader Service Card
Circle 217 on Reader Service Card
Gold Line/TEF
Circle 218 on Reader Service Card
Circle 219 on Reader Service Card
Circle 220 on Reader Service Card
Circle 221 on Reader Service Card
Circle 222 on Reader Service Card
Circle 223 on Reader Service Card
Circle 224 on Reader Service Card
Williams Sound Corp.
Circle 225 on Reader Service Card
Circle 226 on Reader Service Card


text:
DA NANG (VNS) — Summer Destination Week will kick off in the Son Tra Peninsula with food courts, sand painting and paragliding. It'll last from June 26 to July 1.
The city's tourism promotion centre said the week would include various entertainment events, art performances, photo exhibitions, sport competitions and recreational events for tourists.
The main events will take place at the city's East Sea Park on My Khe Beach.
As scheduled, 30 teams of chefs from central provinces and cities will compete in an outdoor cooking competition.
People can enter competitions for BMX, skateboarding, Patin and Parkour, bartending and fun games during the week-long event.
The national beach football championship and National Youth Cycling Tournament will take place then, as well as opportunities for water skiing and kayaking.
According to the centre, the Colour Me Run and a music festival will be held at the city's Asia Park with colourful powder being thrown about during the 5km race on June 27. A motorcycle parade will also wind through the city's main streets on June 30, showing off 250 motorcycles including new and vintage Ducatis, Harley Davisons, Triumphs, Hondas and Yahamas. — VNS


text:
What is Tars? Hide The Pain Harold Meme Generator
Tars is a platform that helps save Leads from Ads. With this, you serve potential clients an interactive experience with a conversational bot rather than unengaging and static landing pages. Consequently, prospects are more likely to convert and you obtain a much prospect of increasing your earnings as well as gain ROI spend. Hide The Pain Harold Meme Generator
Besides bringing you leads, Tars can also Qualify prospects. Your Tars chatbot can ask questions that enable you to filter clients. The procedure is quicker and more effective, as your viewers get the experience that they are conversing rather than filling out forms that are boring.
Click here to Begin with Tars today
What Issues Will Tars Solve?
High Price per Lead
Marketing and promotion campaigns are costly. However, they become more expensive when they are not currently providing adequate returns. Tars changes that by raising your conversion rates so you can capture more prospects.
Low Conversion Rates
Google Ads are pricey and you Want a robust plan to Profit ROI out of the ad spend. Together with Tars, you don't need to fear about losing leads from Ads clicks anymore. Because the platform allows you to make chatbots that can conserve those clicks and also convert them into paying 22, that is.
Work Hour-based Lead Production
Companies that rely on phones to Create leads Have high costs per direct and have difficulty generating leads beyond work hours. By using Tars, these associations can engage customers outside business hours and even. Hide The Pain Harold Meme Generator
Summary of Tars Benefits
Higher Conversion Rates
Static landing pages with boring forms generally fail At getting info from prospects. With a Tars chatbot, you can save the clicks you are receiving from your Ads. That's where they have a dialogue with your bot because your customers receive an encounter. This way, you can get the information to your conversion plan to work.
Click here to get started with Tars now
Custom Conversation Workflow
When you begin creating your chatbot, Tars manuals You through the procedure with its workflow builder. With it, you can personalize the conversations your customers will have with your chatbot. However, if you discover that time consuming, you can use any of the pre-built templates of the platform to accelerate the creation process that is chatbot.
Leads Qualification
Prior to sending leads your Tars chatbot qualifies them. It does that by asking. The process is also more effective and quicker in contrast to creating site visitors fill forms up.
Powerful Data Analytics
Tars is equipped with an analytics application that Provides numerical values that permit you to quantify your achievement to you. Using these, you can figure out ways to optimize your webpages to increase your conversion prices.
Unique Chatbot URLs
As chatbots act like landing pages, they live Within their special URLs. As a result of this, you can create numerous chatbots for targeting audiences or to serve different functions. In addition to that, this functionality enables you segregate, to organize, and filter prospects.
API Integration
Tars make available its set of APIs to your Company to connect with any of your chatbots. By doing so, you do not have to manually transfer leads and prospects' information from the chatbots' approaches for your CRMs or ERPs. Hide The Pain Harold Meme Generator
Summary of Tars Features
- Conversational Bots
- Bot Design Customization
- Conversation Workflow Creation
- Conversation Data Utility
If You're interested in Tars it might also be sensible To explore different subcategories of Greatest Marketing Software. Campaign Management Software, Demand Generation Software, Search Marketing Software
Widely used and there are well-known applications In every software category. But are they necessarily the best match for your enterprise needs? Does it exhibit exactly what you require, although A software product could have thousands of readers? For this reason, do shell out for systems that are popular. Read at least a few Tars reviews and consider the factors that you wish to get in the software such as the price, main features, available integrations etc.. Then, select. Check out these platforms' free trials, browse reviews, do your homework, and get explanations against the seller. This in-depth research is sure to aid you opt for the software solution for the organization needs. Hide The Pain Harold Meme Generator
How Much Can Tars Price?
Tars offer three choices for enterprise pricing. The particulars of those packages are outlined here to help you choose which is the most suitable for your company.
Professional — $149.00/month or $1,499.00/year
- All Tars Basic Tools
- 5 Chatbots
- 2,000 Chats a Month
Company — $499.00/month or $1,499.00/year
- All Professional Features
- 10 Chatbots
- 5,000 Chats a Month
- Leads to CRM
- Custom Bot Design
- Bot Addition to Domain
Enterprise/Agency — ask pricing information
- All Business Features
- Over 20 Chatbots
- More than 50,000 mph Month
- Chatbot Expert
- Success Manager Hide The Pain Harold Meme Generator
Click here to get started with Tars today


text:
I'd like to get some input please. I've already purchased the top row of modules. The second row is what I'm looking at to expand my system so I can start learning general synthesis techniques.
Most of these choices are based on the comments made on previous threads. But I can see where that would be dangerous given the high variability of functions between modules. Obviously, I'd like to avoid unnecessary duplication and modules that are too niche for a beginner setup. So, the bottom row is sort of a usual suspects lineup. The empty space is reserved for more specialized modules I can purchase after I start to figure out how this thing works. What would you guys add or subtract? Thanks.


text:
Monica has been serving Litman Gregory clients since 2007, providing investment advice, financial analysis, and portfolio management services to individuals, family groups, foundations, endowments, and group retirement plans. In 2018, Monica's role expanded to include Manager of Wealth Planning Services in which she serves to ensure we continue to grow the depth and expertise we offer for our clients' wealth planning needs. Prior to LGAM, she worked at Paul Financial, LLC, and in client services at Alders Financial Solutions.
firstname.lastname@example.com | Connect on LinkedIn


text:
Are you trying to avoid the "whites" (that's rice, potatoes, and bread)? If so, you need this recipe for Southwestern Stuffed Peppers Without Rice.
This post has been revised and updated as of 6/29/2019.
That's right! No rice. Instead, riced cauliflower stands in for the rice. Cauliflower-haters won't even notice. All the other flavors and colors are sure to distract them.
Is this recipe Keto or Low-Carbohydrate?
This recipe is colorful and full of veggies. Nevertheless, it does not qualify for the Keto diet or a strict low-carbohydrate way of eating. The black beans, corn, and tomato sauce are disqualifiers.
But wait…
Based on one average-sized bell pepper-half stuffed to the gills, there are 314 calories per serving. Besides that, you'll get 19 grams of carbs, 21 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fiber. All in all, these are pretty good statistics.
Is there a difference between the various colors of bell peppers?
Which is your favorite? Red, green, orange, or yellow bell peppers?
I prefer red peppers because they taste milder. Same for the yellow and orange ones.
You can also use green peppers, which are the unripe version of red, yellow, and orange peppers. It is the same way green tomatoes turn red (or yellow or orange) as they ripen. Green bell peppers taste more pungent by comparison.
Use any color you like in this recipe.
What does "southwestern" mean in this recipe?
Cumin, chili pepper, and cilantro lend a distinctive southwestern flavor profile to this recipe. Black beans, Jack cheese, and corn continue the theme. If you like these flavors, I have a few other southwestern recipes such as Southwestern Eggplant Dressing and Southwestern Jasmine Rice.
Possibilities for substitutions:
Use your creativity with this recipe. For example, leave out ingredients you don't have or don't like and add things you do.
Vary the meat and vegetables according to what is in your refrigerator. The recipe is only a jumping-off point.
Of course…
Specific substitutions or deletions may alter the "southwestern" vibe. For example, using parsley instead of cilantro lends freshness and color but not the same exciting flavor as cilantro.
- Although the recipe calls for both beef and sausage, you could use all one or the other. Substitute turkey sausage if you like. Leave the meat out for vegetarian stuffed peppers.
- Substitute yellow squash for zucchini.
- Pinto beans can take the place of black beans.
- I like to use frozen Cauli-rice because it's convenient. However, you can make it yourself. Get directions here.
- If you don't have Jack or Cheddar cheese, use something that's mild tasting and has a good melt.
- Parsley is a good substitute for cilantro if you're not a fan or don't have it.
How to roast bell peppers:
Roasting softens the bell peppers — no need to boil them.
Preheat a conventional oven to 450 degrees F.
How to make the filling (without rice):
How to stuff and bake bell peppers:
How to freeze and reheat peppers:
These stuffed peppers are a staple in my freezer.
If you are feeding a family:
Place the appropriate number of peppers into a casserole dish. Fill peppers but don't add cheese or cilantro. Cover with plastic wrap, then cover with aluminum foil or slip into a plastic bag.
First, let them defrost in the refrigerator. Remove plastic wrap, then cover with foil. Heat in a conventional oven 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees F until hot. Add cheese in the last five minutes. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.
For individual servings:
After stuffing the peppers, cover and refrigerate them. When cooled, wrap each stuffed pepper (no cheese or cilantro) with plastic wrap, then foil.
To serve, remove plastic wrap and foil. Pop individually frozen peppers into the microwave for 5-6 minutes and you've got a light supper.
What can I do with leftovers?
This recipe makes a lot. I revised it upward so I would have plenty of leftovers to freeze per the directions above.
Often, I end up with leftovers of the filling, depending on the size of the peppers. That's when I pull out tortillas–corn or flour.
My favorite brand of flour tortillas is Tortilla Land. They are raw tortillas available at the grocery store. Cook them in a skillet at home. They are so much better than precooked tortillas in my opinion.
Make a burrito:
Slice the stuffed pepper shell into strips. Fill the tortillas with warmed stuffed-pepper goodness and sprinkle with more cheese. Wrap up like a burrito.
Pin the picture below to save for later.
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, consider helping other readers and me by returning to this post. Leave a rating on the recipe card itself underneath the picture. Although always appreciated, comments aren't required. Thank you for visiting! Paula
Southwestern Stuffed Peppers Without Rice
Bell peppers of many colors are filled with a Southwestern-style filling. Works great to make ahead and freeze.
- 6-7 large bell peppers, halved (vertically, through the stem) with guts removed
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound breakfast sausage (regular or hot)
- Salt (approx 1 teaspoon) and freshly ground pepper (approx 1/2 teaspoon)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium zucchini, finely diced
- 1 1/4 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
- 1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, drained and well-rinsed
- 1 10 oz. bag of frozen riced cauliflower, cooked according to package directions
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 1-1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1-1/2 teaspoon chili powder or smoked chipotle chili powder
- 3/4 cup Monterrey jack or Cheddar cheese, shredded
- Garnish with chopped cilantro
- Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large jelly-roll pan with foil. Spray outside of pepper halves with oil. Arrange peppers cut side down on prepared pan; bake on lower rack 10-15 minutes.
- When the peppers finish cooking, they should be tender with a few random dark spots. Turn them right side up and arrange in 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Turn oven back to 350 degrees.
- Meanwhile, sauté ground beef and sausage in a large skillet. Season with salt and pepper while cooking. Drain excess grease. Add onions and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes until soft. Add remaining ingredients except cheese and cilantro. Heat thoroughly. Zucchini will start to soften slightly when ready.
- Spoon hot veggie mixture into cooked pepper halves. Sprinkle cheese over the top. Cook in 350 degree oven until heated through and cheese is slightly browned, 10-15 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
- Freezes well. If freezing to use later, don't add cheese. Allow frozen peppers to thaw. Cook from 20-30 minutes to reheat, adding cheese in last 10 minutes.
If preferred, you can make cauliflower rice from fresh cauliflower. See instructions here. You'll need approximately 1-1/2 cups cooked cauli-rice.
Nutrition Information:Yield: 12 servings Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 314 Total Fat: 18g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 9g Cholesterol: 64mg Sodium: 558mg Carbohydrates: 19g Fiber: 5g Sugar: 6g Protein: 21g
Looking to eat more veggies?
Sausage Stuffed Eight Ball Squash
Unusual looking 8-ball squash with a familiar taste make a beautiful presentation stuffed with sausage and other veggies.
Colorful Fresh Yellow Squash and Peppers Recipe
Fresh yellow squash makes a delicious but simple casserole similar to that served at Black-Eyed Pea restaurants in the South.
Green Chili and Squash Dressing
Spicy mixture of yellow squash, corn, green chilies and cornbread. Southern cuisine mixes with Tex-Mex flavors.
Green Chili Stew with Pork and Tomatoes
Stew with ground pork and tomatoes spiced with cumin--serve with flour tortillas for dipping
Green Chili Enchiladas
Green Chili Enchiladas are corn tortillas stuffed with ground beef, onions and Monterrey Jack cheese, then smothered in green chili sauce.
Cheesy Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Shells
Cheesy Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Shells are filled with spinach, mushroom, ricotta, mascarpone, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.


text:
Profession: Research Assistant
Teaching Experience: I have never been in a position in which my talents for teaching were "on the clock" though I have helped fellow classmates with their study techniques.
Interests: Video Games, Classical Music, Camping, Farming, Permaculture, Mythology and Linguistics
Education: I graduated from Michigan State University this past Fall with a B.S in Microbiology and a Minor in Russian Language.
Spoken Languages: English (Native)


text:
About a year ago, beaver moved from an adjacent landowner's property to a pond on Natural Lands Trust's Burden Hill Preserve. They raised the water level a couple of feet by damming the pond's small waterfall and built themselves a nice lodge along the pond's edge. They have felled many trees (including this one that held an NLT sign!) for lodge and dam construction, and to more easily eat the tasty bark.
Some trees are girdled rather than felled completely. White oak trees seem to be especially tasty; they have completely girdled a number of oaks up to two feet in diameter or more. In this photo, Liz Eisenhauer (daughter of New Jersey Manager Steve Eisenhauer) poses by a large white oak that the beavers have been gnawing on. Girdled trees, even if they are not brought down by the beaver, may die within a year or two since their nutrient flow is cut off, preventing the tree from carrying nutrients to its limbs to support leaf growth in the spring.
Though it is interesting to see beaver on the preserve, it is always somewhat startling to see the amount of destruction they can cause to trees and shrubs. After humans, beavers are the animals that cause the most change in their habitats.


text:
IVA stands for Individual Voluntary Arrangement and is a type of insolvency. It is a formal, legally-binding agreement with your creditors to pay back part or all of your debt over a set time period.
An IVA can only be set up by a qualified person, such as a lawyer or an accountant. They will charge a fee for carrying out this process for you, which usually averages around £5000. It is important to check upfront what the fee for your IVA will be.
You will then need to work out a repayment plan with the insolvency practitioner. This is given to your creditors and, if they agree, you then pay back a set amount each month over the timeframe agreed. Payments are made to an insolvency practitioner who then divides the money between your creditors.
Some of this money is kept each month to cover the practitioner's fees. If you arrange your IVA through a debt management scheme you are likely to pay a significantly higher fee and a greater proportion of your repayments will be kept by them. As such it is crucial to ascertain exactly how much of your monthly payment will actually be used to repay your creditors.
Your IVA will be available to view on a public register, which is visible to prospective lenders and can seriously affect your chances of being accepted for credit.
Only unsecured debts included in the IVA will be written off at the end of the arrangement. Any secured debts that you hold will still be outstanding. If your IVA fails then your creditors may request that your practitioner files for your bankruptcy.
There are no minimum or maximum sums set by law for an IVA to be arranged. Most debts can be included however the most common types are:
You can also include the following debts, though this is less common:
While some debts such as mortgages, secured loans or rent arrears can be included in an IVA your creditors are not likely to give permission for this to be included.
You cannot include certain debts in your IVA, such as:
You must meet certain criteria to be eligible for an IVA. You must have some spare income each month in order to gradually pay back your creditors. This is usually at least £100 per month. Creditors have to accept your IVA before it can proceed and if payments are lower than this they are likely to refuse the agreement.
As part of the monthly payment arrangement you will need a regular and predictable income to ensure that each payment can be met. If you do not meet this criteria then creditors are not likely to accept the arrangement as they will be less certain that they will receive the agreed sum.
If you have a lump sum of money then this will likely be included in the IVA and will then have to be used to repay your creditors.
You do not need to have any particular assets to enter into an IVA, however any assets you do have can be used to pay the total balance. If you do have any assets you must disclose them to your insolvency practitioner. They will determine whether the assets need to be included in your IVA. To not disclose your assets will be breaking the law.
IVAs will reported for a minimum of 6 years from the date you entered into the arrangement, even once it has been discharged. If your IVA is not discharged at the end of this time then it will remain on your report until this is completed.
Any accounts included in your IVA will remain on your credit report, and any defaults, Arrangements to Pay and arrears, will continue to be reported as separate entries with their own removal dates. Most lenders will default your account as soon as you enter into your IVA however it can take significantly longer and it is entirely at the lender's discretion as to when they do this.
An IVA will have a significant negative impact on your Credit Score and overall Creditworthiness while it is reported on your file and you are likely to have extreme difficulty obtaining further credit during this time. Most lenders will automatically decline your application if an insolvency is present on your Credit Report whether it has been discharged or not.
You must inform your Insolvency Practitioner if you wish to take out more than £500 of credit during the life of your agreement.
Use the links below and the resulting list of terms on the right to locate the term you are looking for. If you can't locate it, please get in touch.
We are rated number 1 for customer service on


text:
Are you interested in pursuing a career in Culinary Arts? If so, have you considered attending The Culinary Institute of America?
The Culinary Institute of America is offering a $2,000 National Student Organization Scholarship to members of FCCLA, SkillsUSA or ProStart. To apply for the scholarship you must complete and submit your application by April 1st 2014. The scholarship is available to students wanting to pursue a degree in Culinary Arts or Baking and Pastry Arts at one of their three campuses in either Hyde Park, NY, St. Helena, CA or San Antonio, TX. The scholarship process includes an essay of at least 500 words over one of the two options listed on their website. The top 45 essays will be selected to receive the scholarship.
This is a great opportunity for any member interested in a Culinary Arts degree to apply for. The scholarship can help tremendously to help pay to further your education.
For more information on the scholarship visit:http://www2.ciachef.edu/pdf/fa_nsoscholarship.pdf
For more information on The Culinary Institute of America visit:
Home | About FCCLA | Contact Us | Conferences | Resources | Calendar | State Officers | Business Partners | Alumni
PO Box 1440 | Owasso, OK 74055 | Phone: (541) 633-4287 | Fax: (971) 404-0903
© Oregon FCCLA. All Rights Reserved.
All icons are the property of DryIcons.com | Web design and hosting by TEAMTRI Media Services


text:
Saturday September 22, 2018
7:00-9:00 pm
"One Eye In & One Eye Out" is one of my favorite expressions that Arjuna, the creator of Soul Motion uses to encourage tracking the inner workings of the body, while out in the everyday dance of life.
In these two hours we will spend time developing our one eye IN with guided inquiries that encourage deep listening and exploration through movement. The information we collect as we dance and track these inner workings will support us in our everyday roles, so we may honor the truth of our bodies rather than the impulse of the ego or old patterns of the mind.
EveryBody is welcome!
Cost: Sliding Scale $12-20
Held at Embody Studio
823 Main St.


text:
Fundamental information on antique rug cleaning
Rugs are normally gentle items which means that it has to be well-maintained in an effort to extend their time. Considering the fact that cleaning renders rugs to several levels of wear and tear, specific procedures like cleaning are necessary to cut down the aging. And like the name means, the cleaning of antique rugs requires a careful process that is certainly employed so as to prolong the life span of old rugs and support keep their fresh true look.
How old could an antique rug get The precise starting point belonging to the art of rug weaving isn't particular, but there appears to be a comprehensive agreement of belief amongst archaeologists that it started prior to 2400 BC. No rug as old as that has ever been discovered, but proofs of their presence in the course of that period have already been identified in ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian monuments.
Considering that the rug features a large surface area, it's continually prone to several foreign substances like mites, insects, dust, and also contaminants. These items are merely stuck within the holes and cracks from the surface. One of the main purposes of antique rug cleaning is always to minimize the probability of abrasions from those items. Apart from the truth that these accrued toxins can deplete your rug, additionally they ruin its habitat. In addition, these toxins could also have pathogens that may well trigger allergy symptoms and asthmatic difficulties.
When the amount of humidity within a certain location of the antique rug is wonderful, hives of molds can multiply inside it. The concept is basically quite simple any area exactly where these pollutants multiply viewed as harmful. Yet another issue to consider could be the quantity of pollution evident on an antique rug. How can you clean the rug without destroying it If this seems tough, the very best choice will be to call the antique specialists from Our business in Cypress Park.
Now in some beliefs, it truly is mentioned that as a way to prolong the life of the rug there's a must decrease the cleaning frequency. However, rug cleaning is said to become as old because the art of weaving.
Our provider is ready to answer lots of different upholstery problems. Our services take care of complications like rug dyeing, stain and odour treatment. And, of course, one of our expertise is antique rug cleaning. So, if the antique rug is in need of refurbishing, really feel free to speak to us and we'll offer you the solutions you need immediately!


text:
Quaternary, Geomorphological and Botanical Studies in the Northern Prince Charles MountainsEntry ID: ASAC_290
Abstract: The aim was to study the glacial history, geomorphology and plant distribution in the Prince Charles Mountains, particularly in the ice-free region around Beaver and Radok Lakes (Amery Oasis). More detailed aims included:
* Measure the underwater shape of Pagodroma Gorge where it is an estuary of tidal Beaver Lake, and relate the estuary to Beaver Lake itself.
* Search along the walls of ... Pagodroma Gorge and elsewhere for evidence about the age and mode of formation of the gorge and its environs.
* Determine the relation between Glossopteris Gully, Radok Lake, and Pagodroma Gorge.
* Was the Radok Lake basin (over 300 m below sea level) dug by Battye Glacier or by ice from other sources?
* What are the geomorphologica1 characteristics and history of the relatively till free eroded area of Permian rocks to the east of Radok Lake?
* Are there raised shorelines and/or fossiliferous deposits in the area?
* What is the distribution and composition of the various tills and moraines in the broad area of the northern Prince Charles Mountains?
* At sites visited, make collections of moss and lichen in this botanically unknown area.
For more details see the full report at the provided URL.
Temporal coverage provided is only approximate.
Related URL
Geographic Coverage
Spatial coordinates
Data Set Citation
Dataset Originator/Creator: Adamson, D.
Dataset Title: Quaternary, Geomorphological and Botanical Studies in the Northern Prince Charles Mountains
Dataset Series Name: CAASM Metadata
Dataset Release Date: 2000-11-28
Dataset Publisher: Australian Antarctic Data CentreOnline Resource: https://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/metadata/metadata_redirect.cfm?md=/AMD...
Temporal Coverage
Start Date: 1988-11-30Stop Date: 1989-01-15
Location Keywords
Quality See the report for more details.
Access Constraints A copy of the report is publicly available for download from the provided URL.
Use Constraints This data set conforms to the PICCCBY Attribution License
Please follow instructions listed in the citation reference provided at http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/metadata/citation.cfm?entry_id=ASAC_290 when using these data.
Ancillary Keywords
Data Set Progress
Originating Center
Data Center
Distribution Media: HTTP
Distribution Size: 59 kb
Distribution Format: PDF
Fees: Free
Role: INVESTIGATOR
Role: TECHNICAL CONTACT
Role: DIF AUTHOR
Phone: +61 3 6232 3244
Fax: +61 3 6232 3351
Email: dave.connell at aad.gov.au
Contact Address:
Australian Antarctic Division 203 Channel Highway
City: Kingston
Province or State: Tasmania
Postal Code: 7050
Country: Australia
Extended Metadata Properties
(Click to view more)
Creation and Review Dates
DIF Creation Date: 2000-11-28
Last DIF Revision Date: 2018-07-10


text:
- This event has passed.
Talk and Meditation/Climb – Cleveland, OH
Jun 26, 2018
8:00 pm 9:00 pm UTC+5.5
8 pm Talk/meditation and book sales at Climb Cleveland.
Special book signing event for the release of "The Heartfulness Way"Author Joshua Pollock will discuss the book, take questions and conduct a practical session of Heartfulness Meditation.All are invited to attend this event at Climb Cleveland (upstairs).Sponsored by The Heartfulness Center of Cleveland, Climb Cleveland, and Visible Voice bookstore.
The local coffee shop bookstore, Visible Voice will be in charge of book sales.


text:
Proxy Voting – My Mailbox is full of these things! What do I do with them????
It's Primary/Caucus Season – but it's also Proxy Season! Is your mailbox bulging with proxy ballots and annual reports? Do you toss them in a pile to sort through later? Do you throw them out because you've missed the deadlines? You're not alone!
But as a shareholder (and citizen), your vote is your voice! If you think CEO's are over-compensated, this is the time to say something about it and let the Board of Directors know that you are watching them.
It all comes down to good governance and your values, something we talk about a lot here at Maxwell Noll. The larger picture here is, in the words of David Fuller, "Governance is everything." Corporations, like countries, are unlikely to be successful without good governance.
The first thing to do is open that Proxy Statement, or go to www.proxyvote.com and enter the number in the box just above your address. That will take you to your e-ballot and a copy of the proxy statement (look at the list in the upper right corner). Skim through the index for information on the ballot. (Note: you will have to re-enter your registration number to go back to your ballot).
The Board of Directors always offers their recommendations to shareholders. Are their recommendations good? Maybe, maybe not. That depends on what you value.
There is no set format for how Proxy Statements are presented. Some are very clear and make information easy to find and understand. Others follow a text-heavy format that requires more consideration. Once you have looked at a few Proxy Statements (and by all means, start with the easy ones!) you will learn what to look for and the whole process becomes pretty simple. You learn a lot!
So how do you know how to vote? Let's start with the easy stuff – Shareholder Proposals. The most common shareholder proposals this year are for policies that separate the CEO from Chairman of the Board and lobbying transparency.
"Independent Chairman" for small companies, like us, is not really a good idea. However, in large multi-national corporations, it is. It all comes down to conflicts of interest. Independence is always a good thing to see in the proxy.
The other shareholder proposal you will find on most proxies asks corporations to report to their shareholders on lobbying policies and practices, and political contributions. In my opinion, this is also a good idea. Transparency in politics is never a bad thing. We're not saying lobbying is always bad – it is a necessary part of the process. But as a taxpayer, voter and shareholder, you have to reconcile what is important to you, and again, let the Board of Directors hear your voice. You should know the level of influence your company has (or doesn't have) in crafting legislation.
You may also find proposals regarding climate change, global trade, boycotts, and discrimination. These issues tend to be a bit more personal. Often these proposals do little more than send a message to the Board, but if you feel strongly about certain issues one way or the other, let your Board know!
Boards of Directors do not like Shareholder Proposals, and almost always recommend a vote AGAINST. So I'll say it again – vote your own values!
Now for the harder stuff – CEO Compensation Policies and Appointment of the company's independent public accounting firm. These are not quite shoo-ins.
There is a non-profit organization called As You Sow (www.asyousow.org) that researches CEO compensation and compiles an annual list of The 100 Most Overpaid CEO's. This is an eye-opening list. Most corporations have adopted "pay for performance" policies, which is a big step in the right direction. But I use this list to help me decide if the senior or C-level executives of my corporations are really worth what they are being paid, and then I decide how to vote on Executive Compensation, which is an "advisory" vote. It might not change policy, but your vote for or against is a barometer of how you and other shareholders feel, and that sends a message to the Board of Directors. If you cruise through the Proxy Statement, and read the Executive Compensation policy, it should also tell you how shareholders voted the previous year. NOTE: There should be a statement which bars relatives of executives and board members from serving on the Executive Compensation Committee. If this statement is not there, I recommend a NO vote on this policy.
Public Accounting appointments should be approved or abstained – I have not come up with a solid way to determine how to vote on this issue. As You Sow does give some guidelines, but I found them to be complicated and many proxies I have read do not disclose the information needed to follow their guidelines. However, lest you think this is not an important issue, please remember that Peter Madoff was the CPA for Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, LLC, and we all know how well that worked out! Make sure the word "independent" shows up in the accounting firm description (usually right on the ballot). That is always a good start.
Now for the tough part: Board Members. This is more than a personality contest. Make sure your Board nominees have a broad level of corporate governance experience, and are not over-weighted with the company's employees. They should not be serving on more than three other boards, though my personal limit is three directorships in total. Board members should have good attendance records. Most companies require a 75% attendance as a requirement for sitting on the Board of Directors. Look at how long they have been serving. Does the company have term limits? Have most of the board members served over 10 years? Is there diversity of experience, gender, education? Are they all in the same age range? Pay attention to board members who are very elderly – especially if the slate is heavily weighted with members in their 80's who have served a very long time. Are these directors unwilling or unable to cede control? Is there a solid succession plan? Think of what is going on right now with Disney and CBS/Viacom. Even if you vote them all in anyway, it's good to know the cast of characters – they are, after all, making decisions on your behalf.
If you are on the fence on any nomination or proposition, you can ABSTAIN, a neutral vote, which still sends a message.
If you really want to take a deep dive, attend Shareholder Meetings! We have had many clients make a habit of attending shareholder meetings, usually the ones nearby, like Disney or Avery. I'm showing my age here, but Santa Anita Realty was a popular shareholder meeting for its Southern California shareholders.
Believe it or not, this is interesting stuff! I posted this year's As You Sow publications on the "News, Views & Distractions" section. I'll also be happy to email them to you (firstname.lastname@example.com).
Have I piqued your interest in becoming an informed shareholder? I know we all get the same 24-hour day, but take a moment to have a look at that annual report and proxy statement. It never hurts to know what you own and let your voice be heard.
Good luck!
ChrisThe 100 Most Overpaid CEOs: Executive Summary
The 100 Most Overpaid CEOs: Full Report


text:
Posted by SLS on September 17, 2016, at 14:14:35
Redirected from:
> Yeah that's the only solution. Ignore him. I'm wondering though is what he says true? Does this forum really promote anti-antisemitism?
I have never seen any antisemitism on the part of posters or moderators. I have been here since 2000. Being Jewish myself, I take seriously any posts that deserve scrutiny. The posting history of Lou Pilder is long and undeserving of recounting. As of today, as far as I can see, antisemitic posting is absent, and not at all promoted or protected by the owner or previous moderators.
- Scott
Some see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.
- George Bernard Shaw
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20151112/msgs/1092209.html


text:
Children with Disabilities and How This Situation Affects Their Families
A new family member is always a cause for joy. Everyone prepares to welcome the little one and to congratulate the happy parents. But the truth is this situation is not always as wonderful and perfect as we'd like it to be.
On some occasions, problems or unexpected events come up which we need to face. These problems can affect the family. One of those difficulties is the birth of a child with a disability. Understanding how the news and the birth itself affects the family is essential to better manage the associated challenges. Keep reading to find out more!
"It's not the disabilities that define you; it's how you deal with the challenge the disability presents you with."
– Jim Abbot-
Children with disabilities and their impact on family dynamics
First of all, children with disabilities can influence different members and the relationships formed within the family environment. We should keep in mind that this condition creates different difficulties at different stages in the person's life cycle. This could lead to rising tensions between the family members.
If these tensions aren't understood or managed, it's common for different conflicts to emerge. For instance, the couple can start to become more distant and stop communicating effectively. This could lead to a vicious cycle of discomfort which could be hard to put an end to.
On the other hand, there could be conflicts with the child that has a disability if the parents are overprotective or if their autonomy is restricted. By doing so, you're not recognizing the other capacities that aren't affected by the disability and that a greater degree of independence is possible. Likewise, there can be problems between siblings. These problems can occur if the parents assign more responsibilities to the siblings without a disability that just aren't theirs. The difficult situation can also cause a feeling of shame or denial among the siblings.
But not everything is discomfort and tension. This situation can also influence the family positively. In fact, it can strengthen the family ties, promoting bonding and closeness between family members. In other words, it can enhance everyone's resilience.
"The challenges in our lives are there to strengthen our character, not to run us over."
-Nick Vujicic-
Children with disabilities and their impact on social and working environments
Although society continues to advance, many misconceptions regarding people with disabilities still exist today. There's still rejection. As a consequence, families of children with disabilities tend to isolate themselves. Many of them don't have a lot of social relationships nor participate in recreational activities.
This can also happen in the workplace. If family members think it won't be possible to reconcile the new situation with their jobs, they may quit. Although they do this with the family's best intentions at heart, it can turn into another source of tension. This is due to the fact that it could affect the caretaker's well-being and economic situation.
"The world worries about disability more than disabled people do."
–Warwick Davis-
Children with disabilities and their impact on the health of their family members
Everything we've talked about so far doesn't affect family members the same way. As you may imagine, these situations regarding family, society, work, and finances could affect the family's health. This is specially true for those in charge of caring for the person with a disability.
The excess responsibility of looking after a person with a disability can lead to an emotional burden for these caretakers. It's normal for emotions like sadness, anger, anxiety, or even guilt over the current situation to arise within the individuals.
But the effects aren't only on a psychological level. The caretakers could also feel more tired and exhausted than usual, leading to health problems. As we've mentioned before, having children with disabilities can come with many difficulties. However, they can be transformed into beneficial situations if we learn how to manage them adequately.


text:
- Parts ordered in error or not needed must be itemized on a Comtec Return Form and must be accompanied with a copy of your original invoice showing when the part was purchased.
- All returns must be in their original box and in resale condition.
- There will be NO returns on special ordered or non-stock items.
- All freight costs will be paid by the dealer and all returns are subject to a 20% re-stocking fee.
- All returns must be made within 30 days from date of purchase.
- If you have a return item please contact us first to ensure a seamless process.
Download the Return Authorization Materials Form HERE
Phone: 530-235-1003 – 1-800-795-5925
Fax: 530-235-0440
E Mail: email@example.com


text:
PBL Media looks like Australian billionaire James Packer's unwanted child.
For Packer, who has been eager to pursue casino ventures around the world, it seems to be a final turning away from the media empire established by his family 70 years ago.
Consolidated Media said in a statement Monday to the Australia Securities Exchange that it "does not intend to contribute any further funding to PBL Media," and that Packer and Consolidated Media executive John Alexander had resigned from PBL Media's board.
Consolidated Media reportedly rejected a request by private-equity partner CVC, which owns 75% of PBL Media, to inject 75 million Australian dollars ($46.7 million) into the company, which is struggling to pay down debt amid an advertising slump and a rise in borrowing costs due to the global credit crunch.
PBL Media owns the Nine Network, Australia's second-ranked TV broadcaster, and ACP Magazines, the country's biggest magazine group.
With a recapitilization of PBL Media necessary, Consolidated Media's 25% stake stands to be severely diluted. CVC may plow 300 million Australian dollars ($185.9 million) into PBL Media, which would lower Consolidated Media's stake to 10%, according to a report in the Australian Financial Review.
PBL Media had a heavy debt burden from its birth, as Packer vigorously shook cash out of media assets to plow into gambling ventures worldwide. Packer inherited a media and gambling empire after his father Kerry's 2005 death. His company, PBL, sold off 4.6 billion Australian dollars ($4.5 billion) worth of media assets in 2006 to PBL Media, a 50-50 joint venture with CVC that was completely financed by debt assigned to itself, rather than taken on by PBL or CVC. PBL then sold off another 25% stake to CVC for 525 million Australian dollars ($515 million) in 2007. PBL's 25% stake was then transferred to Consolidated Media, after Packer split PBL into separate media and casino businesses, Consolidated Media and Crown (See "Billionaire Packer Carves Up His Media Empire").
PBL Media holds debt of 4.2 billion Australian dollars ($2.6 billion), on which it has to pay 450 million Australian dollars ($278.9 million) a year in interest.
After PBL's media-gambling split, Packer bought three U.S. casinos for $1.75 billion in 2007 (See "Crown Bets $1.8B On Las Vegas's Cannery Casino"), and opened a casino in Macau, which has overtaken Las Vegas as the world's biggest gambling center by turnover (See "Packer May Have Shaky First Hand In Macau").
Consolidated Media will hold its annual meeting in Melbourne on Tuesday. In midafternoon trading Monday in Sydney, the company's shares were up 12 Australian cents, or 5.6%, to 2.14 Australian dollars ($1.33).


text:
Visibility and Functionality Appeal to Your Audience
The Granary Supper Club
The Granary Supper Club in Sherwood, asked us to implement their new brand in the development of their website. The site focuses on the amenities of the establishment including their menu, service, history, and location.
Redline Triathlon Club
The Redline Triathlon Club needed a website that would provide a lot of information and appeal to both existing and potential members of all levels of ability. The site has engaging photos supplied by members, a gallery with several years of highlights, a calendar with upcoming events, information on training and club events, as well as a showcase for sponsors with links to their businesses.
Explore the Shore
Read more about the initiation of Explore the Shore in our branding section. The website began with a collaboration with Moraine Park students who developed initial concepts and navigation for a draft of the site. After the completion of their assignment, McLean-Cowan Graphic Design took over the Explore the Shore website and continued with brand implementation, larger photos, and additional features.
Fond du Lac County
Audubon Society
The website for Fond du Lac County Audubon Society began as a Moraine Park Technical College student project, with McLean-Cowan Graphic Design implementing the branding, developing the design, doing the Photoshop work, as well as collaborating with students on the programming. Our firm continues with home page slider design for the organization's events, site maintenance, and working with the Board on keeping content current.
Wisconsin Hockey History
Mike developed Wisconsin Hockey History as a vehicle to provide historical information on this exciting sport in our state. The site contains vintage photography, articles and stories, Wall of Fame recognition, and books that Mike has written.
Tell us about your project and we will be in contact shortly.


text:
Your voicemail greeting could be the first thing a potential customer hears.
Take a look at 10 types of professional voicemail greetings to make you stand out.
Leaving an awkward voicemail message is painful, especially when there is no option to record it over again.
The same goes for clunky voicemail greetings, which can be even worse.
Then, you're not just dealing with personal awkwardness.
You might be losing customers as a result of an unprofessional greeting.
Recording a voicemail greeting doesn't have to be a source of stress.
It can be a wonderful opportunity to put your best foot forward with customers and promote your business in the process.
We've collected 10 of the best voicemail greetings around to demystify this tricky form of communication.
Keep reading to find example scripts and some general suggestions to follow when writing your own voicemail script.
Before we reveal our sample scripts, we think it's important to understand the concepts underlying them.
Since you'll likely change your voicemail greeting on a semi-regular basis, it's good to know what to include and what to leave out.
Here are a few of things we've found most helpful to keep in mind when recording a voicemail greeting.
No one wants to listen to a lengthy voicemail greeting.
Sometimes, the person calling will have a grievance, and you don't want to make that worse by trying their patience.
In your greeting, get to the point, and keep it concise.
If your greeting displays a lighthearted warmth, that's great.
It puts a personal spin on your business.
But don't go full Michael Scott with your voicemail jokes.
No one said you can't promote yourself in your voicemail greeting.
This is prime audio real estate for building your brand.
Still be brief, but a well-placed phrase about current promotions can keep your customers engaged when they call.
Don't forget the purpose of a voicemail message! You need to know who's calling, why they're calling, and what they would like from you.
Make sure you ask callers to include all these things and any other relevant information in their messages.
Don't say, "Your call is very important to me/us."
Customers have heard this line since the dawn of business voicemail greetings.
It rings false.
After all, if the call were that important, it probably wouldn't have gone to voicemail in the first place.
Now that you know the principles of our voicemail greeting philosophy, let's dig into examples you can use for your business.
Not all of these example scripts serve the same purpose.
You'll want to pick the one that best fits your needs at the moment, whether you're going away for the holidays or doing a big marketing push.
Between them all, we have no doubt you'll find one that serves you well, especially if you want a professional to record it.
Take a look.
Then say them out loud, record them, and listen for yourself if you need to.
The "especially busy" in this greeting lets the caller know you're working hard but that you still prioritize their message.
This is a natural way to mention current promotions and organically promote specific products or services you'd like to highlight.
This is a great all-purpose message to use when your receptionist or administrative assistant is out of the office. It communicates all the general information a caller would need to guide their search for assistance.
Use this greeting in the case of unfortunate circumstances to help you with damage control.
This message is especially helpful for facilitating the sales process. When your reps call back, they can do so with all the pertinent information already at hand. That way, the sale goes smoothly, and they can move on to other business quickly.
This greeting works similarly to the absentee receptionist greeting, but it's for when no one is in the office, not just the receptionist.
This message allows you to boast of recent accomplishments and awards.
You can include as many alternate forms of contact in a voicemail greeting as you are comfortable with providing!
This greeting is short, sweet, and the little apology adds a personal touch.
This greeting is for when you want to discourage someone from leaving a message, such as when you are fielding inquiries from job applicants.
We hope you've found these voicemail greetings informative, if not outright usable for your purposes!
If you're looking to take the next step in voicemail professionalism, check out our pricing for voice recording services.
You want to make sure you're hiring the best voice over talent you can find. That's why you need to check out the best vocal qualities to look for when hiring.
Are you looking for a new way to get your brand out there? Check out how voice over TV advertising can positively impact your business sales.
On-hold messages are one of the best ways to get your marketing messages to your current and potential clients. Instead of allowing your callers to sit on hold in silence...