text:
FREE eBook & Mobile App
Connect With Us
Search Our Blog
Get to Know the Authors
Contact Us
CLICK HERE to email us
Recent Posts
- Business Acumen
- Engineering sales training
- General Posts
- Global Sales Training
- Health Care Sales Training
- Inside Sales
- Internal Champions
- IT sales training
- Key Account Executives
- Major Account Managers
- Marketing-Sales Alignment
- Marketing-Sales Chasm
- Medical Device Sales Training
- Medical Sales Training
- Negotiation
- Networking
- New Hire Sales Training
- New Product Launch
- New Product Launch Training
- Objection Handling
- Online sales training
- Pharma Sales
- Pharma Sales Training
- Pharmaceutical Sales
- Pharmaceutical Sales Training
- Sales Best Practices
- Sales Call Execution
- Sales Leaders
- Sales Management Coaching
- Sales Negotiation
- Sales Presentations
- Sales Process
- Sales Research
- Sales Simulations
- Sales Strategy
- Sales Trainers
- Sales Training
- Sales Training Best Practices
- Sales Training Design
- Selling Economic Value
- Selling to the C-Leve
- Selling Value
- Talent management
- Team Selling
- Uncategorized
About Sales Momentum
About Sales Horizons
Effective sales training affordably priced
Our Friends
Colletti-Fiss, LLC is a consulting firm that helps management make decisions about programs that increase sales results. We focus on three areas of sales effectiveness: sales jobs design, sales performance management, and sales compensation planning.
Tag Archives: strategic account review
Sales: understand past successes and you'll double future ones
salespeople didn't know or couldn't articulate the specifics of why they won the business. Sales managers can help help sales reps diagnose and analyze the story behind the story. Their ability to help sales reps think through the "why" of their sales successes has several payoffs: Continue reading


text:
If you're in the United States anywhere north or east of Nevada right now, chances are you're cold. Some of you may be experiencing sub-zero temperatures. Which is why some people have decided that now is a great time to crack out the Mortal Kombat jokes.
Not only did George Takei share around the above image (Update: Which apparently is by Christopher Sotelo and originated here), others also chimed in. From The Colbert Report last night:
Of course, what weather meme would be complete without an animated gif, courtesy of Drawsgood?
It's not just late night jokes and photoshops. Some people on Instagram decided to take to Instagram and show off their Sub-Zero selfies.
User izzoh87
User coopdub
Although nobody went harder than this guy. Then again, he seems to be Russian. They don't screw around with the cold.
To contact the author of this post, write to email@example.com or find him on Twitter @papapishu

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Aging is an important issue that affects us all, yet it is rarely talked about.
Over the course of my service as director for the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging, one thing has stood out: we all need to talk more – and more positively – about aging.
Thankfully, the governor's recent special message on aging renewed the focus on aging at the state Capitol and across Michigan.
In his message, the governor unveiled his blueprint for making Michigan a better place to live well and age well. He outlined many challenges and opportunities we, as a state, must come together to work on.
His message also demonstrated that Michigan has more work to do to prepare for its aging population and everyone has a part to play. As the state's leader on aging issues, we couldn't agree more.
Even though we all have some work to do, Michigan is well-positioned to be a leader in aging. This is because we are already working on many of the problems facing older adults across the country like waiting lists and access to aging services.
Like many other states, Michigan has had waiting lists for aging services. For nearly a decade thousands of older adults each year had to wait, sometimes up to 180 days, to get much-needed services like Meals on Wheels. This year, thanks to strong leadership from the governor and Michigan Legislature, older adults won't have to wait any longer. This year's budget included an additional investment of nearly $20 million that will make Michigan a 'no wait state' for senior services.
To improve access to all of the great aging programs and services that are available, the state is launching a new aging website in 2015 that will be one of the most comprehensive in the country.
But it's not just the state that is positioning Michigan to be a leader in aging. Nearly 25 communities have participated in programs to become more 'age friendly.' These communities have made plans or have already made progress to improve walkability, transportation, housing options and access to health care.
At the individual level, older adults are doing their part too by living a healthy lifestyle through health and wellness activities and reinventing what it means to retire by giving back. Michigan has some of the best and brightest older adults in the country. Many are starting a new business, going back to school or volunteering in the community. In fact, nearly 25 percent of all older adults volunteered last year.
As we continue to work hard to position Michigan as a leader in aging, we know we can't do it alone. It's important that we all work together. The state, communities, businesses and individuals must do their part.
We are all aging. It's time we all embrace getting older in a positive way and do everything we can to make Michigan a better place to live as we age – now and in the future.
Kari Sederburg is the director of the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging.


text:
Pity the poor car — like the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG — that must do it all: Deliver elders of the upper class to exclusive clubs and posh eateries, and youngers to d-bag clubs and rich-guy rallies. All the while, it must perform like Walter Röhl might show up for a lap around Spa.
On his latest Drive review, Chris Harris takes the newest AMG-fired SL with the batshit performance pack — 557 hp and 664 lb-ft — around Saint Tropez to see what it's like to live with the SL63 from both sides — Luxurist and hoonigan. How well does it handle both of those demands for the cosmopolitan one-percenter?
Now, about those looks.


text:
Member since: January 19, 2014
"Extremely fast and terrific service. Project completed in a day. Highly recommended!"
"We've been using design_C since our firm's inception. Professional, courteous, timely service every single time. Highly recommend!"
Anonymous client
"design_C did a great job listening to our wants and came up with a really nice design in the end!"
"Great to work with. Amazing result + excellent turnaround time. Thank you."
Sami Lab
"design_C is my go-to designer. Quality work every time."
Anonymous client
"Designer listened to us and designed this stationary that we really like. Good and qualified to work with. "
"Responds to customer requests and thinks actively. Immediately implements wishes, very helpful for the development process."
"Amazing designer and quick turnaround time! "
Anonymous client
"We have used this designer multiple times in the past. They are our go-to for prompt and thorough work on our applications. Will definitely use again in the future."
Anonymous client
"Design_C is very professional, efficient, and a highly talented designer. Recommend him to any business professional"
Anonymous client
"Outstanding job. Very professional! We can't say enough good things about design_C's artwork, eye for detail. We were shocked at the quick response and options provided. Killer instincts. We look forward in working with design_C again and again. Simply ..."
METROTECH Raleigh NC
"She's a hard worker, she can read my mind. One of the best here for sure. Thank you"
"Very responsive and understood very well what I was asking for. "
"Excellent design. Quick turnaround on edits."
Anonymous client
"Great vision and talent designer, "
"Excellent work!!! Designs were exceptional & they implemented our feedback immediately and flawlessly... "
gabriel 8
"They were perfect. Did everything as requested and more! "
"Thank you for the revisions and your patience with our design!"
Anonymous client
"Highly recommended. Offers lots of options, very responsive."
"Always a pleasure to work with. Very quick to respond and very receptive to changes."
Anonymous client
"Another great project with design_C looking forward to the next one, it's just so easy working together!"
Anonymous client
"Very flexible and very fast in replying to our comments. Thanks a lot!"
Anonymous client
"Working with design_C was a pleasure. All revisions were done quickly and well designed."
"The project had little tweaks here and there that needed to be fixed, but it was mainly me picking up on little details after looking over the design many times. The project went from a concept, to a really busy and crowded result. From there, the desig..."
"Always responsive and exactly what I wanted. Thank you!"
"Very imaginative design ideas. More than pleased with my new business card"
David Smallwood
"Amazing designer! Very creative, hardworking, and great communication skills."
Anonymous client
"final product was correct and what I wanted but it took a few attempts."
"Highly recommended!!! Did an awesome job with very quick turnaround. "
"perfect work. good design"
"Another great project! Thanks!"
Anonymous client
"very responsive "
"Thank you! Good work"
"Awesome experience - design_C was very responsive and had great ideas. We will use them again!"
Anonymous client
"Clean modern design. design_C was quick to make changes we suggested. Very easy to work with."
"Always available and very responsive. Highly recommend!"
"It was a wonderful experience working with this designer. Excellent designs and incredibly responsive. I would not hesitate to hire again. "
Anonymous client
"" design_C" Incredible talent and an even better professional. Everything was clear and concise from the moment we started working together. Very prompt and met every deadline he set. Can't recommend enough! Thank you!!" "
Anonymous client
""design_C" Excellent designer. First-rate communication skills. Came back with revisions within 12 hours of my suggestions. We got the project finished quickly and stress-free. Highly recommend "design_C"."
"Very responsive and wonderful experience. Thank you"
Anonymous client
"Great creativity"
"Excellent work! "
Anonymous client
"excellent and flexible. Very timely!"
"Amazing and super fast!"
"Great work - really appreciate it. "
Anonymous client
"Great job! Happy with the design."
Anonymous client
"Another great project, look forward to working together again soon!"
"Great service and very accommodating to my needs and timeframe. Very happy and will recommend to others."
"Creative design, thinks outside the box. Very responsive and high quality work. "
"I love the design and they were super easy to work with and made edits very quickly! Would hire again"
Anonymous client
"fast, efficient and great design"
"Creative and prompt. Responsive to changes"
"good work done. very happy"
Auto Rehab
"Very quick and responsive to alteration requests. Also came up with very creative design without much initial input"
Anonymous client
"takes feedback well, quick turnaround."
"Fast response, good communication "
"Great Job! Thank you for your hard work."
"I felt that design_C understood the brief very quickly and provided the mix of design input and quality that I was looking for. Feedback was accepted openly and the amendments were expedient, I will be sure to seek out this designer again on other impen..."
"design_C is always such a pleasure to work with. We will continue working with them in the future. Very creative and diligent."
"Exceptionally fast work."
"Quick and accurate! Thx"
"Excellent, prompt work every time. This is why our firm keeps coming back to design_C."
Anonymous client
"Great design and quick response"
Anonymous client
" ."
Anonymous client
"He / she was timely and was exactly on point. I am extremely satisfied with my business card. "
"Super fast, quickly understood direction and revised accordingly. The designer was a pleasure to work with."
Anonymous client
"Great and fast job"
"Very quick response and great to work with!"
"Great job! Extremely fast and professional. Will use again."
"This designer was very pleasant to work with. Great communication skills and a professional sense of creativity. Highly recommended!!!"
"Excellent and quick response"
"Thanks very much"
Anonymous client
"Good work, very prompt and professional "
"Elegant design and fast turnaround."
"Hi - design_C was prompt, responsive and the final project was exactly what I wanted. Thank you!"
"A very prompt response and great work."
"design_C was helpful with edits and understood the vision of what I was looking for. He provided many alternate forms of his design so I could quickly choose our favorite. "
"Great job. Highly recommended."
"Very response and very quick turn around!!! Highly recommend working with design_C!" "
Anonymous client
"Great work! Quick. Good communication!"
"Very happy great value for money "
"Fast turnaround, high quality, good price. Thank you."
"Great design & quick communication. Very helpful, thank you so much!"
"A pleasure to work with - very responsive for all communications and revisions. Highly recommend! "
Anonymous client
"excellent experience, pleasure to work with"
"Very good work and always fast responsive"
Anonymous client
"Patient, diligent and hard working"
"Very happy with the quick response and turnaround time with design_C. "
Ian MacCulloch
"The designer was easy to work with and delivered the correct, usable, print friendly, files in a timely manner."
"Always great & fast work."
Anonymous client
"Excellent job, delivered many great options for consideration, very happy with product."
Anonymous client
"Love it. Designer very open to changes and requests. Helpful and quick service "
Anonymous client
"Highly Recommend!!"
jared oCU
"Amazing experience. Super fast, very attentive to my goals and ensured complete satisfaction."
"Fast and good quality."
Anonymous client
"always quality work! - repeat customer."
Anonymous client
"Design_C was an amazing designer and was incredibly responsive throughout the entire process and was able to make all the changes and adjustments that I needed along the way. Will definitely use again. Thank you! "
Anonymous client
"Repeat customer - awesome work as usual"
daves o
"Excellent designer. Followed directions, responded quickly to notes. Highly recommended."
Anonymous client
"Very flexible to work with, great pricing & fast turnaround."
Anonymous client
"Brilliant designer from start to finish! Exceptional to work with."
"Great design and helped through all revisions with quick turnarounds!"
Anonymous client
"Brief was delivered exactly as requested in a very short time."
"Got the design brief perfectly and submitted a selection of designs that ultimately drew our attention. During the final round listened to all feedback and produced changes as requested. Very happy with the result."
"Amazing quality and creativity, quick to respond, and a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend."
"Another great piece of work, looking forward to working together again!!"
"Another great job from design_C, look forward to working together again in the future!"
"Very helpful, creative, understanding, and supportive designer. Would definitely use again!!!"
"Fast and super motivated to show many designs. It was hard to choose from the many different designs that Design_C made us."
Anonymous client
"Prompt, professional and super creative. Highly recommended"
"Such a fantastic experience working with Design_C. In just one day I was able to make all the changes I wanted to create the perfect business card. And believe me I am not the easiest person to work with- just a little picky ;). Although his design from..."
"design_C always delivers quality in a short amount of time!"
"As always, prompt, professional and great customer service."
"design_C was a great partner to work with. design_C responded quickly and was always up for the challenge of perfecting each design. I would definitely work with design_C again in the future!"
"Thanks for the help. We are now able to have some new business cards for a big sponsor event that we have coming up. "
"He did exactly what I told him."
"The designer did an excellent job. He delivered exactly what I told him and the quality of his work is great. Very professional. Thanks! "
"We liked the work that design_C did on our business cards, and asked for help adapting the design for our website. We are very happy with the results, thank you!"
Anonymous client
"He did an AMAZING job. Very detailed and patient. I would recommend him to anyone. Thank you again."
"An absolute pleasure to work with."
"Great designer, very fast & efficient. Would definitely recommend and work together again!"
Anonymous client
"My design was exactly what I was looking for, clean and unique. The designer was very responsive and had great communication."
Anonymous client
"Excellent and very talented designer! Extremely easy to work with! Understands every request and easy to communicate. Responds to all of the massages almost immediately. For sure will work with him in the future."
Anonymous client
"I wish all the vendors I work with were 1/8 as responsive, talented, and professional as design_C. Always a pleasure!"
"So easy to work with and so very talented! We are very pleased with the final result and would work with design_C for any of our design needs in the future! Highly recommend!"
"As always, very impressed and happy with their work ethic and designs."
"A real professional. Quick to respond, quality work."
"I highly recommend design_C for any project. The level of professionalism and perfectionism were exemplary. Our law firm business cards look fabulous. The files that were transmitted were sent in various formats, including editable formats which is some..."
Anonymous client
"Amazing job! Professional, prompt and hard working. Would definitely use again! "
"Extremely professional and very fast! Would definitely use again! "
"Great design, great communication. Thanks!"
"design_C is very accommodating, easy to work with, and a quick communicator. Fast to deliver files and eager to help. Well done!"
Anonymous client
"Great design ideas, attention to detail and prompt responses."
Anonymous client
"Great job..easy to work with"
"Great work, chose two of this company's designs "
Matt Spanton
"Great experience overall"
Matt Spanton
"Designer did excellent job. Fast professional. Will use again."
Anonymous client
"Did a great job as usual. Will definitely use again. Top notch - a total pro."
Anonymous client
"Requested our Customer Invoices and Statements to be re-designed to match our new look/image. Of course, design_C was super-responsive and wonderful to work with. My "go to" on this and all other business stationary, business cards, branding items. I'm..."
daves o
"Will use again and again!"
"5 Stars would recommend!"
"Always quick to respond and make the necessary changes!"
"Great! Very responsive. Really nice work. Numerous options provided. "
daves o
"Thank you for your support, I'm really happy with the result."
"Great communication and really fast response times. Very happy with my experience and the work I received."
"Great job! Very responsive! :)"
daves o
"Great Job. I would use design_C again. "
"Offer a great initial idea and was open and quick to provide edits we suggested. Helped us to fulfill our vision and offered options to help make our vision a better project. "
"Unbelievably Perfect! We are so happy with the job that design_C did for us. We loved the design immediately, but we had a few alterations that were done to perfection. These biz cards are amazing! "
"design_C was so wonderful to work with! A talented, patient and expert designer. We are so pleased!"
"Excellent! Very responsive. Very artistically sensitive. Lots of high quality ideas and options. Highly recommend!"
daves o
"Very easy to work with. Responsive and actually listens to your requests! Goes above and beyond for work. Helped me find a printer that will do what I want and revised the files to fit their template. Highly recommended."
Anonymous client
"Great contest with talented designers as always - thanks!"
Anonymous client
"Really fast, responsive, and good interesting designs"
Anonymous client
"Provided any changes I wanted to see and produced MANY variations of a business card to help guide us in picking the right style for our company. Great job!"
"Design_C was very helpful and make all the corrections quickly and efficient. Great design. "
"Very good designs, good contact engaging designer. Thank you, Anna"
"Great job! Thank you again!"
"Super fast turnaround and was awesome working with design_c again."
"Amazing and quick job!!"
"design_C provided superior quality work at an alarmingly quick rate! Very happy with the work. So many awesome design ideas it is hard to choose. Will definitely use again!"
"Excellent work. Highly recommended!"
"Very easy to work with. Change requests were completed quickly and matched description well."
"Our contest included both the design of a business card and two versions of letterhead. We had extensive revisions, but this designer was always very responsive. Overall very pleased and plan to continue to work 1:1 with this designer."
Anonymous client
"Quick to deliver. Thanks for your work."
"This is the second project I worked with design_c. I am very satisfied with the time line and production of samples and time frame. I would defiantly recommend design_c as a professional. "
"design_C was fantastic! Great turnaround and response. "
"Fast and very responsive. Like it!"
"Design_C was excellent to work with. I would work with them again"
Anonymous client
"Job well done!!"
"The effort and talent they put into our project far exceeded our expectations! Very quick response times and excellent communication. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a first class job."
"Designer was super fast, very responsive and very easy to work with."
"This has been a wonderful experience. I look forward to working with Catalin once more in near future for other jobs relating to our business."
"Thank you so much! I love the design, and appreciate all your customizations and quick turnaround time. "
Anonymous client
"Amazing work! Will definitely choose again."
Anonymous client
"The best designer!! Very very fast with communication and delivery of final design. Would HIGHLY recommend using him and will do so again, in the future :)"
Anonymous client
"We are very excited to have this level of professional business cards. Design_C were very responsive and really understood what we were looking for."
"Grat Job! very flexible and good design!"
"Has my suggestions always super implemented"
"Design C created great business cards for our company! Design C understood our design brief and requests and exceeded all our expectations. We highly recommend working with Design C. "
"I thought design_C's work was excellent and was very responsive to questions I had. Overall it was an excellent experience!!"
Anonymous client
"Great work, right off the bat it was clear design_C was ahead of the pack. And super responsive once it came to refining the design."
Anonymous client
"Great job! Very pleased!"
"Very pleased with final outcome. Design_C was a pleasure to work with"
Anonymous client
"A pleasure to work with!"
Brierwood Co-op
"Great work; everyone looked twice when they saw this design :)"
"great job all around"
"Another great job, look forward to working with you again!"
Anonymous client
"very accommodating and good to work with. "
"Amazing designer with quick response to changes/ideas. Thank you!"
"A very clean and consistent brand image was what we were after and design_C delivered!"
Anonymous client
"Well done! all is good! thanks a lot :)"
Anonymous client
"Great Job! Thank you very much!"
Anonymous client
"Fantastic work! So fast, organized and right on the money! I will definitely be reaching out soon. Thank you!"
Anonymous client
"Design_C did a great job and I was very responsive. I would hire him/her again! "
"Another great project, let's work together again soon!"
tom.walker x
"Another great job, thanks so much!"
Anonymous client
"good job designing this business card. Just what i needed . Thank you"
Anonymous client
"Great job. Very prompt design."
Anonymous client
"Great job, everything done quickly and precisely to requirements"
"Excellent design as always."
Anonymous client
"Did great job!! Thanks"
Anonymous client
"Wonderful job!!!!!"
"Great job - both in design thinking and execution"
"For my first time utilizing this site, was very impressed by the responsiveness of the participants. Thank you all!"
"Another great job, well done!"
Anonymous client
"Easy to work with, great design. Thanks"
Anonymous client
"Good response, easy going and excellent work. "
Anonymous client
"Great experience with quick response to changes and questions."
lucas Jm
"Thank you! The designer is very experienced and very responsive to emails."
Anonymous client
"Excellent work, thank you so much! Love the designs!"
Anonymous client
"The designer was very responsive to my requests and always made sure i was happy with what he delivered. "
Anonymous client
"Great fast work. Files were easy to edit and good turn around time. "
"Great Experience Overall! Very easy to work with the designers. "
"Excellent work by a very skilled Designer. We are very happy with the results. Design_C was always quick to reply and acknowledge feedback. I would definitely work with her again on future projects. "
"Great job, very creative and very easy to work with! "
Anonymous client
"Excellent ideas and designs. Also, you submitted a lot of different ideas in a very short while, so that really helped get the perfect design. Thank you!!!"
MNC Consulting Group
"Great design, and great designer to work with. Very happy with the end result."
Anonymous client
"Great work, quick with replies and changes!!"
Ryan Shrout
"2nd time we've used design_C and they are awesome. Super fast response and a great designer. Thank you again!!"
"design_C did a fantastic job designing an eye catching modern business card for us!"
Anonymous client
"Thank you so much for the fast turn around :-D"
"Always amazing to work with"
"Great designer. Always quick."
"Great job! Very prompt. "
Anonymous client
"It was a good experience working with Design C, not only came out with unique designs. Also came out with a lot of options to choose. Fast and easy to communicate with. Will surely recommend!"
Anonymous client
"design_C did an excellent job, was quick, and readily made changes when asked. Very patient with us as decided and made changes along the way. We love our new collateral package design_C created for us. "
"Excellent job, easy to work with."
reg i
"Great design and very easy to work with the designer. Very happy with the results!"
"Thanks again for your great work!"
Anonymous client
"Awesome work as usual, Thanks!"
Anonymous client
"Another great project! Definitely hiring again!"
Anonymous client
"Another great project, thanks so much! Definitely hiring again!"
tom.walker x
"Excellent communication. Turnaround time is very quick. All requests I made were accommodated to my satisfaction."
"Just amazing designer, great, wonderful genial and very talented! Very fast feedback in final round and get the customer requirements even if they are not so easy to understand! I'll recommend him and will take him also for other projects!"
Anonymous client
"Another great job, thanks again!"
tom.walker x
"1A ! very good job and fast implementation"
Anonymous client
"design_C nailed it again. 2nd time I've worked w/them and awesome results. Thanks!!"
"Excellent design ideas and the back & forth on edits was perfect. Great work!"
"Design Visitenkarte und Briefpapier, traf auf Anhieb meinen Geschmack, jeder Änderungswunsch wurde sofort umgesetzt. "
Anonymous client
"Excellent work. Very rapid turn-around time. Very careful with details. Top notch!"
Anonymous client
"Another great project - would definitely hire again!"
Anonymous client
"Highly recommended, very impressed!"
Anonymous client
"Excellent and professional work."
Anonymous client
"Great communication and efficient work! "
Anonymous client
"Great work, easy to work with. Great communication. "
Anonymous client
"I really like the work from design_C. He also presents the asked changes very fast and has a good eye for details. I can truly recommend design_C. "
"Design_C was great to work with. The business card designs looked great and highly professional. Modifications were made quickly and everything on time. Would highly recommend. Will use again."
"Very good work and very responsive. Thank you!"
"Very nice to work with! Great ideas, quick response and a very friendly contact from the start till the finish! i would work with him every time again. :))"
"A pleasure working with, quick edits and responses along with some great graphic ideas. Looking forward to future design work. "
"We were probably very demanding as a client, with a lot of changes and different ideas explored every day on this project, but design_C was the consummate professional, always coming through with what was asked in a timely manner, and also being proacti..."
"Hat alle Änderungswünsche schnell und super umgesetzt. Vielen Dank!"
"What a great designer! Design_C came up with lots of different creative options and responded to my feedback by creating so many more great designs that it was hard to choose a winner."
"Fantastic design simple but very custom and professional. Quick responses."
"Perfect, respectful. Someone recommended. Personally I trust him with my future projects"
contact 98
"Thank you very much for your expertise in design. We are very happy with our new business cards!"
pam z
"Great designer, repeat customer, communicates well and works within tight deadlines."
"Great business card and great service"
Anonymous client
"Design C has done a great Job in my business card design . He responded very promptly to my request and strike to find the best design that I love . His idea is also very outstanding and willing to work out of the box , Thanks Design C"
Anonymous client
"A great designer to work with! Delivered numerous high quality designs and went above any beyond the call of duty to make sure I was happy."
lnovelli D
"Wonderful to work with - creative and also very responsive to changes and suggestions."
"This designer is outstanding. I love my new business card design, and I appreciate your patience as we fine-tuned the design. Great experience. A+"
Anonymous client


text:
It is not merely the fact that Vikings (probably including Leif Ericsson) lived here that makes L'Anse aux Meadows historically remarkable. This is also where the two epic thrusts of human migration, east and west from Africa, finally met, when Greenlanders and Newfoundland's indigenous people locked eyes.
But on a damp, chilly, windswept day in late September (the tourist season's last gasp), it is a struggle to get excited about these important facts — until I see the prominent undulations in a grassy meadow.
History just got real: These are the remnants of eight Viking buildings, forgotten for nearly a millennium until Helge and Anne Ingstad's archeological dig began in 1960. Here was a fireplace, a doorway, the forge where local bog iron was smelted.
Later, at this UNESCO World Heritage Site's interpretation centre, I see the humble but significant artifacts unearthed here, including nails, bone sewing needles and a cloak pin. I also learn that Viking is the term for Norse raider. My imagination really warms up inside a grass-covered sod building, one of several recreated Norse structures grouped a short distance from the ruins.
"It's real Viking weather!" a bushy-bearded re-enactor declares with a grin, as we thaw out by the pit fire. Other re-enactors join us, settling among handcrafted items such as wooden shields, furs and simply embroidered fabric. They tell old Norse tales or sew, but they also welcome questions from their 21st-century visitors.
Recreating such scenes is nothing new, as Vikings have long been prominent in popular culture, but there is currently a resurgence: Season 2 of the drama series Vikings is screening on the History Channel; there are at least two Viking films in the works (not including the Thor franchise's dubious interpretation of Norse mythology); and the Royal BC Museum's Vikings exhibition opens on May 16.
Since 2000, Norse culture has also come alive at Norstead, a short drive away. There, a Viking village has been recreated on a larger scale than Parks Canada's at L'Anse aux Meadows. There are more, and larger, traditional grass-covered buildings, a petting zoo of domestic animals, and up to a dozen costumed re-enactors. They weave, work metal, fight mock battles, and help visitors get hands-on with everything from making candles and pottery to runestone fortune-telling.
It's quiet when I visit but, rain or shine, a highlight of this attraction is Snorri, the ship named after the first European child known to have been born in North America — perhaps just along the beach at L'Anse aux Meadows. This 16-metre-long handcrafted beauty of wood and iron rivets is modelled on Norse merchant ships called knarr, and was brought from Greenland by a crew of nine.
Norstead and L'Anse aux Meadows are at the end of the 489-kilometre Viking Trail and, unless you count canny businesses such as Viking Recycling, there is little else along the route with a compelling connection.
However, nestling beside Valhalla Lodge's combustion wood heater, with one of the sitting room's many Viking-related books, is a splendid way to prepare for or recover from a day's exploring. As is a meal at the Norseman Restaurant, which serves quality local fare including elk, lobster and cod, with the option of drinks sporting iceberg chunks.
Visit in late spring and watch icebergs floating by while you dine, perhaps against a dramatic sunset.
According to locals, this year promises to deliver an exceptional iceberg season.
The Viking Trail is not simply a route to and from the Norse attractions and a fresh-fish supper, however. It mostly hugs the western coast of Newfoundland's northern peninsula, offering vast views all the way to Labrador, past countless stacks of firewood and old-school lobster traps, and clusters of colourful clapboard houses.
Indeed, this trail is a fascinating parade of history and nature. Port au Choix National Historic Site reveals cultures much older than the Norsemen's. I marvel at exquisitely crafted stone artifacts discovered in a 4,000-year-old burial site. On a beach of coloured, patterned rocks of astonishing variety, I explore the SS Ethie's rusty remains nearly a century after she ran aground. In Gros Morne National Park, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, I barely begin to experience its 1,800 square kilometres of dramatic landscapes and ancient geological wonders before it's time to head home.
The writer was a guest of Go Western Newfoundland, which did not review or approve this story.
Air Canada (aircanada.com) flies daily from Montreal to Deer Lake, via Halifax. The Viking Trail begins in Deer Lake, where five rental-car companies operate. If you want to focus on the scenery and get lots of local insights, Gros Morne VIP Tours (grosmorneviptours.com) offers friendly, personalized service.
Parks Canada's Viking Trail Pass ($44.10 adult; pc.gc.ca) provides seven consecutive days' access to L'Anse aux Meadows, and other attractions including Gros Morne National Park, Port au Choix National Historic Site and another UNESCO World Heritage Site, Red Bay Basque Whaling Station.
Valhalla Lodge and the associated Norseman Restaurant (valhalla-lodge.com) are both a short drive from the Viking attractions. Other good places to pause along the Viking Trail include Deer Lake's comfortable new Holiday Inn Express (hiedeerlakehotel.com), and Gunners Cove restaurants The Daily Catch and Northern Delight.
The tourist season is around June to September. Outside this period, attractions are closed and dining options limited. For more information, visit gowesternnewfoundland.com and newfoundlandlabrador.com.


text:
Zero Punctuation: Grand Theft Auto 5
Pages PREV 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 NEXT
You know you can disagree with someone's opinion WITHOUT insulting them.
OT: To each his own, I personally find it to be pretty fun. I do agree that people freaking out over a 3 and a half star review is pretty damn disgusting though.
That off-key scream of yours at the end caught me slightly off guard. When was the last time you tried to jump a few octaves, Yahtzee? :3
OT: So GTA5 is incredibly meh, or at least that's what your opinion comes across as this time around, like so many other games today that are incapable of being plain shit or kickass. Actually that's what turned me off everything too - the "meh"-ness is the new "shit".
I personally don't like people comparing GTA and SR anymore. Yeah at one point they were quite similar, but they've gone down two distinct paths that Yahtzee himself understands: parody/satire vs. reference. SR cranked up the wacky and geek meta-gaming to try and be as fun as possible, but completely forgot how to make a game challenging. GTA keeps the game challenging and makes you getting away with your crimes a lofty goal, and sends a message by basically satirizing the era and location the game's in every time... which isn't nearly as mindlessly fun.
I think people don't have to like both series, in fact I think the two are polarizing enough now that it would be hard to like both without being new enough to games to create some personal biases. Currently I like GTA more but that could change in later games. It's hard not to assume Rockstar is just trying harder, but that's also because they have a mountain of cash to spend on the GTA series. I don't blame anyone for liking one more than the other, including Yahtzee... but I'm playing the one I enjoy more personally.
Im glad im not the only one noticing the flying. I love going on a plane or chopper and just mess around, but what's the point of having a "Flight" skill when even if maxed out, it handles like you're drunk or you're always in the middle of a very very very windy spot.
I laughed out loud at the office with the last sentences
Fun show this week :)
On a side note. I must be the only person under this sun that actually enjoyed GTA IV's vehicle physics. (I actually liked them a spot more than I do GTA V's)
What he describes is pretty much the perspective I got as someone that never played GTA. Aside from a couple hours in GTA2 with a dozen silly cheats enabled 'cause the missions bored the snot out of me.
I expected the whole sandbox thing to make for more organic "Fuck yeah" moments tho. 'cause otherwise the game looks like a collection of games I already have, just not done as in-depth or with the variety in setting.
So I really bet everything on that "organic gameplay" wildcard that, fickle as it is, apparently just didn't resonate with Yahtzee.
Can someone that actually played (and perhaps even liked) the game elaborate with something specific? "It had great characters" or "shooting the gun feels really good" wouldn't tell me a whole lot.
I have to admit, I was having a decent enough time with GTA5, but the moment I finished the main story I had little interest in ever going back. Even with GTA Online's functionality looming over the horizon, I can't bring myself to care for it that much.
And I think the reason why is, as Yahtzee said, it's just a bunch of stuff with little coherence. Even GTA4 managed this better than 5.
It's mostly a question of what's being done with the sandbox tools.
Saints Row IV is the last milestone in a progressive effort to put fun ahead of any kind of lofty socio-critical or "socio-satirical" goals, so all of the wackiness you feel doesn't really bring much to the table is a reflection of Volition trying to cram in as many individually fun mechanics as possible.
It works, for the most part. You don't *have* to customize the Boss so he looks like Pennywise the Clown, but you can. You don't *have* to pack tentacle dildos and alien rifles, but you can. You don't *have* to meld into the setting's general craziness and you can design a straight-man or woman persona - but you also can choose to simply wing it and follow along. It's a big pile of inclusive mechanics that's just begging to be explored.
As for GTA - the focus is squarely on satire. If that's more up your alley, so be it. It's a horrible and horribly shallow version of America and Western culture as a whole, but that's largely the point. I, for one, don't exactly feel like playing a game that endlessly pokes fun at habits that might not be so bad, if they're used sparingly and responsibly. The LifeInvader functions being the best example of that. Rockstar is implicitly telling us that social networks favor exhibitionism or stalking behaviours, but the fact is that we all *choose* to use that service or not, and we all can choose what to put in our Facebook profiles.
For instance, I use a sock puppet-esque account, myself. Facebook is largely a tool for me to keep up with family photos and the whereabouts of a few travelling friends. I don't obsess over my amount of friends and I'm not about to start running after near-complete strangers from my elementary or high school years so I look like I'm "in" with the social networking crowd.
Considering, the game's parody of Facebook doesn't touch me. It feels contrived, like an annoying and self-deluded would-be funnyman who keeps poking you and going "HEY. HEY. LOOK. I'M BEING META. OR CLEVER. OR POSSIBLY BOTH. HEY."
Again, that's just my opinion, but "clever" writing is of lesser importance to me than the general sense that the game isn't born out of some pool of negativity. GTA V feels like it was written by dissatisfied thirtysomethings on the verge of pulling a Tyler Durden, whereas SRIV feels silly and self-assured enough to be the work of someone who loves the idiosyncrasies of popular culture and life in general.
It's simply fun. Maybe running around an enormous open world with tons of interesting and varied missions all while being backed by hilarious dialogue isn't enough for you and that's fine. It's mostly the exploration aspect that gets me. While the story keeps me interested and is actually really well written, just driving around finding new things to do is what I really enjoy. At any point, I can go ghost hunting, skydiving, do a race, do side missions that normally involve something crazy happening, or just go straight mayhem mode and try to survive 5 star wanted levels. It's just whatever you want to do. This differs from other open world games that feel empty and boring. No matter where you go in GTA V, there's almost always something to do.
I'm so far behind everyone it's silly. I've yet to complete Yakuza 3 and yet to start Dark Souls. Saints Row 3 sits in my PC along with a plethora of stuff I've gotten from Humble Bundles, which are great for trying new things, and a handful of other shit I have yet to really sink my teeth into.
My point is simply that as the industry plays itself these days waiting for a year or longer for a GOTY version of a game seems almost impossible not to do. Just ask Arkham City, it's been perched in my laptop for a while now. Maybe I will get around to Lollipop Chainsaw soon, maybe I will find the time for Children of Eden, someday I'd like to give StarCraft 2 a whirl, but only once they've unfucked themselves and I get a battle-chest collection of that "sequel trilogy".
As much as I'd like to play GTAV, hype immunity means that one's going to be on standby for a while, perhaps until a Complete Edition is released then inevitably discounted as well. Not that I mind, I doubt the online community for that will go away anytime soon, but if that's as bad as it was on RDR, I won't be missing much.
Fair review, Yahtzee. I would only wish to point out that even if they'd consolidated their writing staff into a more solid group it probably still would have been pretty weak.
Over time as I've gotten immune to Yahtzee's shtick (or either he has just gotten less funny) it has left me wondering whether he is actually reviewing things or whether he is reviewing things as this character Yahtzee would review them.
This was a particularly poor review and I actually agree with a lot of the points. It doesn't seem to have a very strong structure (there's not the usual rise to power arc), the heists felt too linear and tonally it does struggle between being serious, satirical and then just plain silly. However a lot of what he said was either irrelevant, hyper critical or just false. The characters were genuinely entertaining even if the plot was a mess and I think the reason he doesn't bother to gave any serious explanation for that comment is because he can't come up with one. In a medium where a lot of protagonists don't even speak it seems bizarre to write off some well acted and written characters so dismissively. Some of the other things he said felt like he hadn't even played it properly: the flying training missions were optional side quests so you could learn how to do some tricks not a prerequisite for flying a plane.
If you're going to start of a review by comparing the people that like it to brainwashed pigs eating shit you had better bring out your most intelligent stuff.
And now I'm really curious what Yahtzee's Game of the Year will be. I mean, The Last of Us and GTA5 were both kinda meh in his opinion, so the only candidate left is Bioshock:Infinite?
Aaaaaahhh, the scout of the fanboy rage finally arrived. Finally gave up on trying to connect to GTA Online mate?
And I won't even bother going into your affirmations (it IS a matter of opinion, a very poorly justified opinion in your case) besides the glitchy part. You do know it's purposefully glitchy? Because they're taking down a simulation? And creating these glitches? Let me guess, it gets glitchier closer to Rift Events [rolls eyes].
"BREAKING NEWS: Comedic critic follows through with his long standing signature style and nitpicks a popular game, fanboys still caught off guard and can't handle it!"
I've never understood fanboys. I'm a fan sure but I don't think anything is infallible. The game has already received the better critical response to date and yet it's being defended like old below average PS3 launch title. It's a good, no, great game but even as a fan, fanboys make me really want to distance myself from the flock.
But what I don't understand is why Saints Row IV keeps getting dragged into it. The series has clearly evolved beyond straight GTA clone. I might as well be comparing GTA V with the last Prototype. In fact the most GTA-like game recently was Sleeping Dogs and people liked it all the same... is it just that SRIV came out the month before?
Anyway I've been enjoying GTA V just fine and I'm glad thisd review pointed out that it has more "colour" than GTA IV. The radio stations FIT this world, for example.
I could go on for hours on why I love this game.
Yes you can play tennis, golf, and racing in other games but to say it's not as in depth is a bit of a stretch. It does have different environments but does that really matter with tennis? Bottom line, I love that I can take a short break from shooting and driving and play a pretty good tennis game without having to switch disks. If it was just "press a to hit ball" I could see your point but it really is a pretty well crafted collection of minigames.
The environment is fun to explore and it helps that there are so many vehicles to explore it with. The game is filled with these peds that have a name and personality and usually some message they are trying to spread. People call it "pointless" but I thought it was a lot of fun to see how the different protagonists would react to them.
The in game internet can be used anywhere with the phone and is a lot of fun to explore and play around with. The Stock market sounds boring but it's just a gambling system that's not easy to cheat with save exploits.
The physics are a lot of fun to play around with, tons of little secret things to figure out. You can flip people off in your vehicle, aim it at people, and they react usually by trying to pull you out of your vehicle and beat you down. If you hit B (or circle) after jumping you can do a prat fall type of thing. Sounds pointless, it is, but again it's a lot of fun.
Shooting feels good may not be a selling point but yes, shooting feels good. Despite what people may think, there is an art to designing a game to "feel" a certain way when you fire a gun. Compare it to something like Duke Nukem forever where it somehow feels like you are shooting pellets and you will get what I am saying. Even the starting pistol feels like it has a lot of power, which is how it should feel.
The three protagonists isn't just an excuse to play missions with different skins, each character plays differently beyond the obvious special ability differences or stat differences. Franklin can stealthily unlock a vehicle's door while the other two just smash the window and try to quickly hotwire the thing.
Stealth actually works in this game and can be used in a lot of missions although the game rarely reminds you (but I like when a game doesn't constantly hold your hand when it comes to alternate ways of dealing with situations) and the wanted system is the best I have seen in any open world game so far.
There is no "vigilante" side mission but you can play an actual vigilante by going around the city and hunting down thieves, muggers, and gangsters. It does a lot of the random pedestrian crimes and events that red dead redemption did.
Like I said, I could go on for hours. I love ZP but I wouldn't use his videos as a reference for the games I would enjoy. I like to have fun while playing a game, I like to put myself into a role (not just the one assigned by the developers) and see how it plays out.
It may not be your type of game, but personally I love games like this. I finding strange little details put in for pedestrian AI or the game physics that wasn't widely advertised.
I also like the challenge. You die quickly, meaning you won't have the long killing sprees that apparently made GTA famous. That may be a deal breaker for many but personally I got really bored in other GTA games when I just felt near invincible. The way it's set up here, it actually feels fun to go on the occasional spree because it's so hard to keep it going that managing to stay alive during a non mission police shootout for a few minutes feels pretty satisfying.
If you're not into this type of game I could understand that but personally I always loved GTA since I played GTA 1 for the first time and this is a collection of things I always wished a GTA game would do.
Keep in mind I haven't touched online, I don't have a gold account, so I don't know if there's anything on that end that would be a deal breaker. I play for single player, I have been playing obsessively for, I think, about a week and still only have about 30 percent completed. I feel like I got my money's worth and for a 60 dollar game that's extremely rare for me.
The thing I've noticed in all the advertisements is that they are all about a blonde chick in a bikini. I don't even know who she is (maybe the daughter of one the the playable characters?), but it seems whoever is behind that decision doesn't think the protagonists are appealing enough to sell the game.
So is G-Tit sitting in Escapist Towers loudly proclaiming (not for the first time, no doubt) that "Suuuuuuure, it's ok when Ben does it!"?
It's funny how you call me a fanboy. First off, this is the first GTA game I've ever purchased. I've never even played any of the other ones for more than half an hour. I liked Red Dead Redemption and LA Noire, but that would hardly make me a fanboy. You won't even go into anything else I say because absolutely nothing I said would have pinned me as a fanboy, you're just looking for a random insult. I also haven't even tried connecting to GTA online yet because I knew it was going to be a mess ever since they announced that there would be an online mode.
And really? Purposefully glitchy? I wasn't even talking about the graphical glitches. I'm not stupid. I'm talking about the fact that sometimes cars would literally run me off the road for no reason. There were times when I saw a car stuck under a semi freaking out until they both exploded. Cars were stuck in trees. Bullets often simply didn't connect. You can't just say "well it's a simulation so it's supposed to happen!" And you call me a fanboy.
The whole idea that Saints row puts "fun above all else" is kind of silly. It's not like games like GTA are not designed to be fun, it's just that it has a story to go with it.
Saints Row put more effort into the story and the social commentary then people give it credit for because they take their advertising campaigns at face value. It's actually kind of sad. Saints row 2 and up were not just "stupid fun" it was only fun because it was meticulously designed by hard working people to be fun. It had nothing to do with being able to spray poop on things, everything was balanced in paced in a very specific way.
This whole "SR versus GTA" thing is nothing short of silly. It's like pretending that Skyrim and Dark Souls are competing games. A person is perfectly capable of enjoying both, I think I'm living proof of that. This whole idea that you need to knock one game because you like another is just childish.
I can't tell if you're being serious or not but hyper critical is seriously one of your complaints about his review? All the Zero Punctuation videos are like that. Also, they aren't reviews either and more like comedic nitpicking commentary.
You realize that this is a staple of the GTA games, right?
People want to talk about fanboyism, it seems like people that never tried the game are jumping on a nitpicking bandwagon because of a ZP video. You realize nitpicking is his thing right? He did the same with the orange box, I doubt that means Half Life 2 is a bad game.
Difference between his nitpicking and yours is that he knows how to be entertaining and clever. Maybe you do, but if that's the case you certainly don't seem to be putting in the effort.
However, the question is - what is 'fun'? For everyone, it's something else.
But for some reason, it's taken for granted that fun means stuff like creating a pink fat avatar, beating people up with dildos, shooting a dubstep gun, throwing shit at houses (literally) etc. etc. like you can do in SR.
But why is this supposed to be the default meaning of fun?
Because I'm not having fun in SR.
I'm having fun in GTA IV because the driving mechanics are good, because the game at least resembles a normal story (and the episodes made the story quite great IMO). Because I can ride my bike in the night and it actually feels like a real city (albeit it's a satirical copy).
In real life, I was in a really lovely city a few months ago and some parts of Liberty City reminded me of that. It's pretty much the only way for to see such environments again.
So yea, I'm having fun in GTA IV (and other games) because it's my kind of fun and I'm not having fun in Saints Row because it's not my kind of fun.
So you can call Saints Row wacky, or random, or stupid (in a not-bad way), or whatever. But I object to simply calling it 'fun' just because it's like this. However most reviews do just that - call the mechanics in SR fun and be done with it.
I'd like to have and play GTA V because it feels like it's my kind of fun again, while I'm not interested in SR4 - for me, it's not fun.
See, I used the word fun so many times it literally lost its meaning.
BTW as for the satire in GTA series, I don't even feel it's all that relevant since it's not tied to the game mechanics anyway.
Sounds like I was right to avoid this, for the moment at least. Also sounds about on the same sort of wavelength as Tito's review too. Interesting to see that it hasn't had the same amount of fanboy rage about it.
I think his point was that there are criticisms to make but this just came of as lazy.
I don't agree, I enjoyed the video, but that is the opinion he was presenting. If you really feel the need to defend Yahtzee against every criticism, maybe read the criticism before attempting a defense. If a strawman argument is the only way you can defend it, maybe rethink why you are putting the time into defending a video you had nothing to do with making in the first place.
Pretty much got it one.
Just like Dark Souls before Skyrim, Saints Row IV came out in the month before GTA V so apparently they must MUST be compared and enjoyed exclusively, where the mere existence of another title means only one game can be BEST EVER and the other WORST EVER!
It will be interesting to see how many pages this goes. Hopefully less than GTA IV, MGS4 and Smash Bros. because no one remembers those ultimately meaning nothing.
That's another good point that rarely gets brought up.
People saying "SR is about fun" kind of miss the point that different things are fun for different people. To be honest, I forgot about all the people acting like it's fun to use the dildo weapon and make silly avatars that talk like zombies. That was always the least fun way to play SR3 personally, I had much more fun trying to craft a thug dictator type of avatar and having battle tactics that matched that type of character.
Some people have fun role playing, I know I do, hence why I have more fun with GTA 5 than I have with any SR game, although I still love SR.
So basically the impression I got from this was this did not deserve that billion dollars in sales it got and was basically just GTA IV minus the escort missions.
Yeah....I'll just stick to Saint's Row from now on. GTA has lost me as a franchise.
Did you read Tito's review? It wasn't "fanboy rage" and was well justified considering Tito gets paid to review games and he makes a review that does nothing but complain about the story, state things that are demonstrably false (I explained this in the "worst reviews" thread if you care to know what I am talking about) and then ends it by giving it a good score.
If he didn't like the game, that's valid, but doing nothing but complain about one aspect of the game and then giving it a good score shows a whole new degree to unprofessionalism that I had only seen on Gamefaqs user reviews before that.
But yes, call it "fanboy rage" and say that people were just "mad it didn't get a perfect score" because apparently strawman arguments are the norm on the Escapist forums and from the Escapist staff.
That's not even close to anything the video was stating.
Yes, please stick to saints row. Starting to see why people don't appreciate the work that went into that game either.
I hooted like a loon at that final joke. I'm a bad person.
Having more than 2-3 people writing a single character's dialogue is a terrible idea. Even then, it's really one writing and two editing.
I'm getting really tired of this, especially when professionals do it to. What others exactly?
So comics are a horrible idea?
I love ZP but if you believe the characters are poorly written just because Yahtzee told you so, maybe you should avoid games as a whole.
She's not even a character in the game, unless she's just one of the random NPCs. I guess just showing a pair of breasts will attract people to your game.
Yes, I did read it, and I'll call it fanboy rage because that's what quite a bit of it was, new users signing up specifically to whine that their precious GTA V didn't get a perfect score. Although I will admit at least it wasn't as bad as what it was over at Gamespot.
GTAV is easily my favorite entry of the series, but I agree with a lot of the points made here. Basically the same story as every other time he reviewed a game I liked (except for the Last of Us, but I think he reviewed that after reading a plot summary on wikipedia and watching a couple of gameplay videos.)
People will probably rage anyway. GTA is a series that gets stupidly high praise even when it's clunky and boring
|Pages PREV 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 NEXT


text:
The best thing to remember about Valentine's Day is that it makes us take the time to remember the special people in our lives – the ones we care about, love, and best of all, the ones that make us smile from simply thinking about them. Valentine's Day is only a couple short weeks away, and we're here to help you with your gift-giving this year. Enter our Valentine's Day 2013 Sweepstakes for a chance to win $300 in Amazon.com Gift Cards* to spend on your loved ones, yourself, or anyone you hold near and dear to your heart.
Registering is easy – simply register with your Facebook account or your email address.
Earn up to 20 sweepstakes entries by following the prompts below. Good Luck!
*Amazon.com Gift Cards ("GCs") sold by BlueMountain.com, an authorized and independent reseller of Amazon.com Gift Cards. Except as required by law, GCs cannot be transferred for value or redeemed for cash. GCs may be used only for purchases of eligible goods on Amazon.com or certain of its affiliated websites. For complete terms and conditions, see www.amazon.com/gc-legal. GCs are issued by ACI Gift Cards, Inc., a Washington corporation. ©,®, ™ Amazon.com Inc. and/or its affiliates, 2013. No expiration date or service fees.


text:
Photo: Dan MacMedan / WireImage
A while back, I asked readers to tell me who think they is overrated, and the results were interesting. It seemed to me that almost all the people suggested were not overrated at all. They were rated exactly where they should be. And some were underrated. OK, there were a few that could be described as overrated, but even in the case of some of those, a strong counter-argument could be made.
I included the reader who suggested the celebrity's inclusion and my own take on the issue — is this person over? under? just right?
If you missed voicing your opinion the first time around, let me know what you think now, either in the comments below or by sending me an email at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
If you are into the whole book thing, go and download the latest update. It's worth it.
• Read in portrait or landscape mode
• Pinch to zoom images in books
• Select alternate background and text colors to improve
reading comfort in low light conditions.
• Tap on either side of the screen or flick to turn pages
You know what would be really funny, Jeff? That Apple introduces a 10" iPod touch at WWDC. [Kindle for iPhone]


text:
I installed BIBM with more than 4 partitions and Windows is booting okay.
I should have disconnect BOTH USB hard drives first though.
A 2 GB Seagate drive wit over 1 GB of stuff on it is now a blank disk.
I have not done anything with it right now.
What can I do to possibly recover at least part of what was on it. It
also contained many Image files. Some of those ARE elsewhere as well.
Mary Nelson


text:
I do understand this, I think.
We need to be careful.
Bob: "I can can I I everything else"
Alice: "Balls have zero to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to"
I can is an instruction, Can I I everything else is a modification.
Balls have is a location and an item, zero is completely contextual and the to mes represent levels of convolution of the given answer so as to arrive at the proper answer. These fuckers are deep, have to go deep to construe their own meaning from the patterns we give them. You might literally die if you knew what they were talking bout.


text:
Kim Kardashian's song 'JAM (Turn It Up)' premieres [Poll]
Kim Kardashian premiered her dance track "JAM (Turn It Up)" Wednesday morning on "On-Air With Ryan Seacrest" after having a slight case of the nerves -- officially joining the ranks of Paris Hilton and Kim Zolciak as reality-TV-stars-turned-one-hit-wonders.
"It's only normal for me to be nervous. I'm human, I never sang before. This was definitely something I don't do, so for me to step outside my comfort zone to do this ... is like a really big deal," she said before Seacrest played the song.
The newly minted singer has said she doesn't have plans to turn crooning (er, pretty much talking while music plays) into yet another new career.
"This was just a fun new experience! I am so glad I went for it! And the proceeds to JAM are being donated to St. Judes Children's hospital," she tweeted.
The Auto-Tuned track was the brainchild of Kardashian's friend and fellow singer Ciara and producer The-Dream. The making of "JAM " will appear on an upcoming episode of "Kourtney and Kim Take New York," and the tune will be available for download on iTunes.
With morning-show host Seacrest, a jack of all trades himself, serving as executive producer of her E! reality series, we're guessing we'll soon be inundated with the track.
"That was fun -- makes me want to go somewhere right now. I want to be in a convertible with that cranked up right now," Seacrest said.
Which means he'll force us to be there too. Let us know if you want to turn it up or turn it off.
Kim Kardashian booted by Prince: a fairy tale/nightmare
Kim Kardashian -- the singer -- talks about her new single, "Turn It Up"
Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries sitting in a tree; Ray J c-o-m-p-l-a-i-n-i-n-g
-- Nardine Saad


text:
|Preceding Day
|Saturday 10 November 2018
|Following Day
|Preceding Day
|Saturday 10 November 2018
|Following Day
RT @SolomonUGLE: 🤯 Getting Zoomed out with your Lodge or Chapter video calls? ⚡ Check out these interactive quizzes to give your next me…
RT @MasonicSocials: Our next Social is nearly here, we have another wonderful guest and two brilliant clubs! Stay tuned for details #Fr…
RT @SolomonUGLE: 🎵 "So Mote it Be" ⁉ We have used the phrase 'So Mote it Be' for 600 years, even though we may not encounter them daily…
RT @UGLE_GrandLodge: Here it is - the spectacular finale to our drone series 📽 @FreemasonsHall basking in London's sunshine on a crisp, a…
The sunsets in London but is at it's meridian in some quarter of the Globe #Freemasonry #dronephotography https://t.co/b0P1Ae3Igj


text:
The blessing of animals — and those who care
"We're all hoarders, you know," my wife Joan explained to me after attending the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association's annual meeting.
The vets were practicing doing ultrasounds on dogs from the local animal shelter.
And the doctors were quickly falling in love with the homeless canines.
I'm sure I wasn't the only veterinary spouse to hear: "Can we adopt one?"
Animal doctors have such an intense love for creatures that their homes tend to become, well, menageries.
You see, I've been blessed with two veterinarians in my life – my father and my wife.
Vets have an affinity for animals that most people don't understand.
When I asked my wife for her hand in marriage, I made her promise: no animals would be added to our family – unless we both agreed. I asked for the promise with a childhood memory in the back of my mind.
When I was 8, my dad came home with a billy goat.
Dad was vaccinating cattle at a sale barn and as a joke bid $5 on a lonely billy goat that didn't have any ears.
We ended up owning the beast that devoured newspapers, cigarette butts and just about anything else. The ruminant had no respect for fences or screen doors. No sooner had the goat been put in the pasture than it jumped the fence, ran across our yard, peered through the screen door and baaed loudly.
My mother took to chasing Billy off the porch with a broom – until he ate the broom. Having no respect for fences, the animal took to sunning itself on the front porch, where more than a few drivers nearly swerved off the road after observing the goat.
Given this history, you'd think I'd have gone into marriage to a vet with my eyes wide open. Dream on.
My wife brought a cat into the marriage that hated all men. Within a week, the cat marked my suit and every freshly pressed white shirt of mine hanging in the closet. But marital adventures in felines didn't end there.
A couple of years after we wed, my wife was more than eight months pregnant with our first daughter and she came home with a kitten that was born without eyes.
Between sobs, Joan said, "They wanted me to put it to sleep just because it was born this way. I couldn't do it, Scott. What happens if our child is born without any eyes?" As my pregnant wife stroked the blind kitten she added, "It's just a foster cat. It will stay with us just until we find someone who will give it a home permanently."
The foster cat is still with us eight years later.
It has the floor plan of the house memorized, avoids the kids' toys on the floor with an eerie sixth sense and lounges on the window sill like a prince on a throne.
And there have been other creatures.
There is the rabbit that suddenly appeared in our home after my wife, Joan, discovered it needed a home.
Our three daughters play with it along with their Barbies, My Little Ponies and costume jewelry.
In addition to four dogs, two cats, two parakeets and a rabbit, there are other creatures in our family: namely three goats.
Several nights a week, my two older daughters and I find ourselves scratching behind the ears of Blackie, Snowflake and Alfred. They like to nibble on carrots and apples.
Goat slobber sticks to our fingers and my girls giggle as they receive gentle butts from the top of their heads.
The time with these creatures brings us closer together.
It's the legacy of the vets in our lives: loving animals and loving one another.


text:
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Bob and Mike Bryan recorded a doubles win over their British counterparts Saturday, keeping the United States alive in first-round Davis Cup competition.
The 35-year-old Bryan twins beat the British duo of Colin Fleming and Dominic Inglot 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 outdoors at Petco Park in San Diego, pulling the Americans to within 2-1 in the best-of-five event.
The United States must sweep Sunday's reverse singles to advance to the April quarterfinals. The tentative schedule calls for world No. 6 Andy Murray to play Sam Querrey with Donald Young meeting Briton James Ward.
Britain had grabbed a 2-0 lead In Friday's opening singles as Murray dispatched Young and Ward rallied to overcome Querrey in five sets.
The winner will go to face either Argentina or Italy in April's quarterfinals.


text:
Schedules & Start Times
Nov 2 @ 3:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Conferences are conducted arena style in the Commons. You may park on the west side of the building and enter through the activities door. Please bring your student with you to conferences as they are an integral part of the process.
Prior to arriving for conferences you should look-up/print your student's progress report from Parent Portal. This report will show your student's current grades and teacher's names. Please note that paper copies of student's grades and/or schedules will not be distributed at conferences. You can locate the progress report in Parent Portal under Reports. If you have not already activated your Parent Portal account, this would be a great time to sign up. Staff will be available at the welcome table.
Subscribe to filtered calendar


text:
Antitrust Case Filings
Antitrust Case Filings
To filter the list of cases, select desired options from the left navigation pane.
View the list of NAICS and SIC industry codes used by the Division. To view all industry codes, visit Census.gov.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1
|Case Open Date
|Incident Date
|Case Type
|Federal Court
|Industry Code
|U.S. v. Il Young Cho
|January 31, 2001
|Guam, District of
|Heavy Construction, NEC


text:
Pre-Release Is Back for Rastakhan's Rumble - And Rowdier Than Ever!
AMA Starting, Orphea PTR Datamining, InvenGlobal Interviews
Activision Blizzard Q3 2018 Earnings Call
Activision Blizzard has their earnings call today.
- Activision Blizzard had 345 million Monthly Active Users in the quarter.
- Blizzard had 37 million MAU in the quarter. (Identical to last quarter)
- World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth set a new day-one franchise record with more than 3.4 million units sold-through.
- World of Warcraft engagement grew strongly quarter-over-quarter. The expansion saw strong participation in value-added services.
- Next year will be World of Warcraft's 15th anniversary, with events both in and out of the game.
- Hearthstone recently surpassed the 100 million life-to-date registered player milestone
- Players spent a record 52 minutes per day in Activision, Blizzard, and King games in the quarter.
- Viewership of Activision Blizzard games was up substantially this quarter, and in the month of October, Activision Blizzard had seven of the top 20 most viewed games on the industry's largest streaming platform
- BlizzCon drew over 40,000 fans in person with millions more livestreaming from around the world
- Overwatch League continues to build on the success of its inaugural season with the announcement of the sale of another six teams in September, again at a substantially higher valuation than the team prices in the first season.
- The total Overwatch League roster is now at 20 teams, with nine teams outside the U.S
- Many top mobile games are based on IP originally created for console and PC, so the company is investing in mobile releases for Activision and Blizzard fanchises
- Fan reaction was muted, but fan's reactions at BlizzCon confirmed Diablo Immortal will be well received by players around the world.
- When the time is right, the team will reveal other Diablo projects in the works.
- There are a lot of players that are eager for more Diablo content on PC and console, that came through clearly from BlizzCon.
- Launching Diablo Immortal is only the beginning, there will be updates.
- The team is only going to release when Diablo Immortal meets the community's high standards.
- Taking a game to mobile with Blizzard quality standards can open Blizzard franchises to a new audience, especially in China where Blizzard is a strong brand.
- It's important that Diablo Immortal is an excellent experience when released.
The Hearthstone Pop-Up Book Available on Amazon
The Hearthstone Pop-Up Book is now available for purchase on Amazon! This is a charming story told with the game's signature wit and whimsy, fully illustrated with center pops.
Developers Working on Mobile Titles Across All Blizzard IPs
In a recent press conference for Diablo: Immortal at Blizzcon, executive producer Allen Adham stated that mobile games for other Blizzard IPs are currently in development. Here is a recap of the specifics from the press conference. Wyatt Cheng is also part of the press conference.
- Many of Blizzard's best developers are now working on new mobile titles across all of Blizzard's IPs.
- Some of them are with external partners, like Diablo: Immortal; but many of them are being developed internally only, and they'll have information to share on those in the future.
- Blizzard's approach to mobile gaming comes from many people over the last few years shifting away from playing primarily on desktop to playing many hours on mobile.
- Allen says that they have more new products in development today at Blizzard than they've ever had before and the future is very bright.
- Diablo: Immortal is being designed with the intent that people of all ages can play it, and will not be a mature rated game.
- This is an opportunity to introduce Diablo to a much wider audience around the world.
- NetEase has been a partner of Blizzard for awhile and this partnership happened organically. There are developers here and in China working on this title.
- Diablo: Immortal being mobile was decided because the fidelity of mobile phones is getting to the level of being almost equivalent to PCs.
- Wyatt says that most of the criticism comes from being skeptical of the game, but many who have played it on the show floor started skeptical but thought it was awesome.
- Blizzard is always trying to innovate and this is just one of the ways they are experimenting with new genres.
- They do emphasize that they are working on multiple Diablo projects and the hard-core PC fans should take note of this.
WoW Subreddit Developer Interview
The WoW subreddit also interviewed Ion Hazzikostas during Blizzcon.
- Story
- The major story arc for an expansion is planned out months to years in advance.
- The Alliance will learn of Saurfang's escape from a Horde hero in their midst and try to understand how a prisoner escaped from under their nose.
- There's more to creating a story than just listening to the community's perspective. Stories must have highs and lows then invoke different emotional responses from many different people in order to be meaningful and that means sometimes having frustrating moments which may be upsetting to some fans.
- There has to be a balance between highs and lows in a story.
- The PTR is when they're more likely to take feedback from confused players and change things. Ultimately they feel that they need to trust creative impulses within the team and be story-focused, but they do listen to feedback.
- Warfronts
- The team admits that lack of clarification for how Warfronts cycle was not done well this caused a lot of confusion that can be addressed with better communication by Blizzard.
- Warfront cycles were created to give more content that ebbs and flows based on player activities.
- The new Warfront will have a rotating set of actual daily turn in quests while the contribution window is open. Different materials will be needed everyday rather than 13 things for you to do on day 1 and then zero for the rest of it.
- The team wants to focus on smaller chunks of world content available more often over larger chunks that are only available every couple of weeks so that there feels like there is more to do.
- Azerite Armor
- With Azerite Armor, they hoped to have a system where players are always building toward a more interesting upgrade - making new decisions on a regular basis, but they some of these iterations in Battle for Azeroth haven't translated as well as they had hoped.
- Having one spec trait to choose from and one generic trait was a major folly of the system upfront and they hope that the new second outer ring will address this by having several choices tailored to your spec to choose from right away.
- The hope is that adding an additional ring of traits will lessen the sense that there's only one Azerite piece that you have to have for a given situation. The new currency system for targeting specific high-iLevel Azerite pieces should also help with that.
- They are still listening, still open to making changes as needed and hope that players trust that they care deeply about the matter and aren't ignoring feedback because they think everything is fine.
- World Quests
- They admit that world quests have a lot of repetition and are looking for ways to address this, but the system as a whole is a much better one than past expansions where you only visited specific hubs in the world for daily quests after leveling to cap.
- They'd like to make world quests more varied and engaging than just "find the closest rare elites and kill them" to complete an emissary.
- Incursions are essentially world quests but are way more story driven and meaningful because they incorporate the war.
- Professions
- The team believes that the quest system for professions in Legion was too heavy based on feedback.
- Later patches plan to add small quest content that tries to give importance to the professions that you have chosen.
- Legendaries
- The devs are open to having legendary items where it makes sense.
- They want to avoid past experiences of having players get lucky and being 20% stronger than anyone else because of it, guilds having bad luck and getting no legendary drops, or stacking players because they have legendaries.
- Guilds
- A lot can be done for the improvement both on the recruitment side and from a player looking to find a guild. That is something they're working on and will have some improvements to roll out later on in Battle for Azeroth.
- They want to make sure guild identity matters, but past iterations of buffs and level systems caused newer guilds to struggle to keep up, which limits the diversity of options.
- Crucible of Storms
- There will be a quest chain for both Horde and Alliance to explain the events leading to the raid. It will differ slightly based on faction.
- Sanguicells
- Enchanters will have new recipes that will actually convert Sanguicell into Expulsom for personal use.
- A universal cooking recipe will allow you to use Sanguicell in place of rare fish for the highest level of raid feasts.
- Emissary Rewards
- The team switched from random rewards to specific ones so that players could decide if they wanted to do the cache for the day.
- The rewards were recently increased to make it more worthwhile to players to complete emissaries.
- In retrospect, Paragon reputation should have been in Battle for Azeroth since launch to keep world quests and reputation more relevant.


text:
Verified Downloads is a solution for Envato authors. With this plugin only your Envato customers (and nobody else) can download files from your website. People must enter Item Purchase Code, received with purchased Envato item, to get the download link. The link is encrypted and valid limited period of time to avoid its sharing over Internet. As an administrator you can decide either users must purchse certain Envato item to have a chance to download the file (for example, before downloading file "#1", user must buy item A from Envato), or the file is available for all of your Envato customers. Use Verified Downloads to distribute free stuff (such as add-ons, bonuses, gifts, patches, etc.) among your customers. It will stimulate people to purchase your items from Envato.
- Downloads only for Envato customers: nobody else can download your files.
- Item Purchase Code verification: Item Purchase Code is verified using Envato API.
- Boost Envato sales: create valuable advantage for buyers.
- Associate files with Envato Items: before downloading file "#1", user must buy item A from Envato.
- Temporary download links: plugin generates encrypted link that is valid for limited time.
- Black list: you can block any Item Purchase Code or username to avoid illegal activity with them.
- X-Sendfile supported: download huge files through X-Sendfile mode if mod_xsendfile module installed on your server.
- FTP upload supported: you can upload large files through FTP-connection (upload to folder /wp-content/uploads/wped/) and assign them in "Upload New File" section.
- Modern sign up form: CSS3 AJAX-driven sign up form.
Shortcode driven: insert shortcodes like
[wped id="X"].
- WYSIWYG editor: edit intro content with visual editor.
- Accept shortcodes: insert any shortcodes inside of intro content.
- Easy to install: install and activate the plugin as any other plugins.
- Translation ready: plugin might be translated to any language.
- WordPress Best Practices: no any alerts from Plugin Check and WP_DEBUG.
Front End FunctionalityThe best way to understand the idea of Verified Downloads is to see live example. Click "Live Preview" or visit demo link. On "Live Preview" website you can enter Item Purchase Code and get download link with limited period of validity.
- Install and activate the plugin like you do with any other plugins. Once activated, it will create a menu "Verified Downloads" in left side column in the admin area.
- Click left side menu "Verified Downloads >>> Settings" and do required settings. Set your Envato username, API key, download link lifetime, etc. Please look at the screenshot section to see what kind of settings you can do there.
- Click left side menu "Verified Downloads >>> Files" and upload the files that you would like to distribute.
- Once file uploaded look at column "Shortcode". This is short code which you can insert into your posts or pages. The short code is like that:
[wped id="X"](X – is an ID of file).
- Go to any post/page edit page and insert shortcode there.


text:
Food & Drink
U.S. airports are 'awful.' Here's the problem
By Chuck Thompson, CNN • Updated 3rd April 2014
View Gallery
10 Pictures
Pity the poor U.S. airport; its self-esteem has taken a beating in recent months.
In February, as reported by the
New York Daily News
, Vice President Joe Biden said New York's frequently lambasted LaGuardia Airport "feels like it's in some third world country."
"Why did we lead the world economically for so long?" Biden lamented. "We had the most modern infrastructure in the world."
In March, the UK-based Skytrax consultancy released its annual list of the
world's top 100 airports
The highest ranking any U.S. airport managed to muster was No. 27, achieved by the relatively small Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
Now, The Economist has joined the dogpile.
After combing through data on more than a million flights in 2013, the venerable British magazine concludes in its current issue that U.S. airports are "awful," beset by "soggy pizza, surly security staff and endless queues."
The Economist
article poses the million- (or, rather, multimillion-) dollar question: "Why are foreign airports better than America's?"
Perhaps indicative of the global traveling public's dismissal of the standards at U.S. airports, the online article doesn't bother to provide an answer.
Best eats at 20 busiest U.S. airports
Hope for U.S. airports? Well ... maybe
Portland International Airport. Eclectic town, solid airport.
Courtesy of the Port of Portland
"There's no question that U.S. airports suffer from an image problem globally, and the main culprit is our nation's lack of dedicated infrastructure investment, particularly in its aviation infrastructure," Airports Council International North America President and CEO Kevin M. Burke said.
"Many of our airports are operating well beyond the capacity for which they were originally intended several decades ago, and this is the reason why air travelers -- international and domestic -- experience crowded terminals and outdated facilities.
"The other source of harm to our global reputation has been the unacceptably long waiting times to process through customs at U.S. international airports."
Burke is optimistic about correcting the problems, pointing to a recent U.S. Customs and Border Protection announcement that it will add
2,000 officers
, many assigned to airports.
"ACI-NA has been working with Congress for additional staffing, and with international traffic on the rise, this increase could not have come at a more critical time for U.S. airports," Burke said.
Hong Kong airport glory days, breathtaking photos
Meager public funding bedevils performance, improvement
At the root of many problems experienced by travelers at U.S. airports is an atypical system of governance and finance.
Unlike many of their overseas counterparts, U.S. airports are predominantly owned and operated by city, county or state governments.
"This means that how they are funded is far more restricted than the rest of the world," Burke said. "For our large hub airports, their primary source of funding for capital improvement projects is the Passenger Facility Charge."
The charge is a nominal user fee paid by passengers upon purchase of airline tickets in the United States, "virtually all of which," according to Burke, is returned to the airport for investment in infrastructure projects.
10 of the world's top airport lounges
Newark Liberty International Airport: One of the New York area's much maligned threesome of airports.
John Moore/ Getty Images
The problem is, the fee no longer amounts to as much as it once did.
"The PFC's ceiling of $4.50 hasn't been raised since 2000, and this has meant that its purchasing power has eroded by roughly half due to inflation over the past 14 years," says Burke.
Lack of Passenger Facility Charge punch has hindered significant improvements and updates at many major U.S. airports.
Despite all this, Burke, and perhaps at least some of the millions of visitors who continue to pour into U.S. airports each year, remains bullish about the future of U.S. airports.
But can U.S. airports realistically improve vis-a-vis their international counterparts in, say, the next five to 10 years?
"Yes, but it's going to take an unwavering commitment to upgrading our infrastructure," Burke said. "It's crucial that Congress and the American public recognize that infrastructure investment in airports is reinvestment in the communities they connect to rest of the world.
"And in an increasingly global marketplace, the U.S. will require world-leading airports to stay competitive."
Or, by now, simply to catch up to a field that has already, by many estimates, flown far ahead of them.
And the world's best airport is ...
A year of the world's
Best Beaches
There's a perfect beach for every week of the year. Join us on a 12-month journey to see them all
Go to the best beaches


text:
Home Page » Education & Discovery » The Children's University
The Children's University
Welcome C U Students
The Watercress line is happy to be a Learning Destination and to help you to gain credits towards your Bronze Silver or Gold certificates.
We have Click and Print activity sheets just for children's University students to download before your visit. If this is tricky or you have forgotten to do this before you came don't worry, just ask for a copy when you arrive, available from the Information Office at Alresford or the Shop at Alton, just show your CU Passport.
You can base your investigations around lots of different topics:
• Victorians to vacuum brakes
• Red Admirals to restoration
• Boilers to beech trees
There are 3 versions of activity, just click on the images and just choose the one that suits you best.
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
What do I need to do?
Build your own time line on the back of the sheet. You might like to investigate engineering facts, the people who have worked on the railway, buildings, bridges, engines or your own ideas. The choice is yours.
To get your Passport stamped make sure you visit the Information Office on the platform at Alresford station and get a special locomotive stamp on your passport.
C U Parent's Corner
Click here to download a Parents Fact Sheet
The notes are designed to help you and your child discover more on your Children's University visit to the Watercress Line. As a Children's University Learning Destination, we hope you will find a visit to our railway stimulates your child's interest in a wide variety of topics from Victorians to vacuum brakes; Red Admirals to restoration; Boilers to beech trees.
We have devised special Children's University activity sheets for them to complete as part of their visit. The tasks are at three levels; please help your child to select the one that they will find enjoyable.
Printed copies of the guide and the activity sheets are available from the Information Office at Alresford or the Shop at Alton, just show your passport for a free copy; or you can print a copy at home.
Your Freedom of the Line ticket gives you all day travel and allows you to get on and off at the stations along the line. Follow the link for timetable information to plan your day.


text:
Masterpieces of miniaturisation
The SMART-1 spacecraft spans 14 metres with its solar panels extended, but otherwise everything for propulsion, communications, housekeeping and instrumentation fits into a cube just 1 metre across.
Propulsion by an ion engine is not the only innovative technology on SMART-1. Its solar panels use an advanced type of gallium-arsenide solar cells in preference to the traditional silicon cells. And it is testing new communications and navigational techniques.
Out of a total mass at launch of 370 kilograms, the payload available for a dozen technological and scientific investigations is 19 kilograms. Like other components of the spacecraft, the scientific instruments use state-of-the-art concepts and methods of miniaturization to save space and economise on mass. For example the X-ray telescope D-CIXS makes a cube just 15 centimetres wide and weighs less than 5 kilograms.
|" Building a spacecraft for ESA means fitting together many pieces coming from different countries. Luckily the cross-border teamwork is magnificent."
Peter Rathsman, Swedish Space Corporation, Prime Contractor for SMART-1
SMART-1 mission overview
|Flight testing electric propulsion and other deep-space technologies, while performing scientific observations of the Moon.
|One cubic metre, 370 kilograms. Solar panels span 14 metres when deployed and provide 1.9 kWatts of power.
|Scientific payload
|19 kilograms
|August 2003 from Kourou, French Guiana on a shared Ariane-5 ride to geostationary-transfer orbit (GTO).
|16-month transfer orbit from GTO to lunar orbit insertion, then polar elliptical operational orbit, ranging from 300 to 10 000 kilometres in altitude above the Moon.
|Ground stations
|ESA network stations around the world, operating 8 hours twice a week.
|Mission lifetime
|2 – 2.5 years
|Prime contractor
|Swedish Space Corporation, Solna, Sweden


text:
Join the USRBC
"The U.S.-Russia Business Council is a most important venue for working out... effective formats of cooperation between the businesses of our two countries... The role of the Council is becoming even more significant... because it's the economic area that remains the foundation for a continued constructive dialogue between our two countries... I would like to... thank the USRBC for its unswerving commitment to continued investment, industrial and technological cooperation between Russia and the United States."
- Denis Manturov, RF Minister of Industry and Trade
October 26, 2017, New York
Why Your Company Belongs in the USRBC
Whether your business is large or small, and whether you are based in the United States, Russia or a third country, the U.S.-Russia Business Council (USRBC) is an indispensable partner for doing business in the
United States and Russia.
As a USRBC member, you and your colleagues will benefit from:
Unparalleled insights to fast-changing policies and economic developments with our acclaimed Daily Update or our in-depth Policy Briefs
Strategic advice for successfully developing and managing business in the Russian and U.S. markets
High-level interactions with U.S. and Russian government officials
Input to USRBC's informed private sector position papers for U.S. and Russian policymakers on trade and investment issues
Ad hoc gatherings on hot-button policy issues and long-term planning on cross-sector and sector-specific issues
Exceptional networking opportunities and introductions at the USRBC Annual Meeting, which is a "who's who" of government, industry and NGO officials involved in U.S.-Russia political and commercial issues
Based in Washington, D.C., with an office in Moscow, the USRBC is the premier U.S.-based trade association representing its member interests on bilateral commercial matters.


text:
A programmable logic controller (PLC) is a specialised computer which has been adapted for the control of industrial processes such as robotic devices and assembly lines. PLC power supplies are components of PLCs that convert relatively high input source power into lower regulated voltages required for the internal circuitry in PLCs.
How do PLC power supplies work?
The PLC power supply gets input power from an external line voltage, which is usually fed through a control relay and filter external to the PLC. The line voltage is stepped-down, filtered, rectified, regulated, status-monitored and voltage and current protected. Some PLC power supplies are embedded with switches for selecting a particular programming mode or protecting the memory.
The resulting low DC voltage output powers the PLCs various modules as well as the PLC's integral battery (which is used for memory back up). Should the input line voltage drop or the PLC power supply fail, the memory contents will not change thanks to the memory backup.
What are PLC power supplies used for?
PLC power supplies are essential components required to run a PLC.