text:
Cameron - 1. Chapter 1
Cameron - Chapter 1
Cameron Jamison woke up with a start immediately putting his hand to his throbbing head. As he started to sit up he realized his back hurt too and he tried remembering what in hell he'd done the night before. Tried as he might, it got hazy and the last thing he really recalled was taking that last gulp of his fifth of rum and throwing the empty bottle against a tree. He remembered feeling a great sense of satisfaction seeing the glass shatter, and spray into the air; its fragments catching in the light coming from the windows of his friend Josh's house.
He detested waking up and not knowing what he'd done the night before. Though as much as he hated it he couldn't seem to say 'no' anytime he was invited to a party. He couldn't even say 'no' to his friends when they decided to go driving around looking for parties. There was just something about being drunk that lured him; knowing he wouldn't have to deal with life, or feelings of just letting your self-go and having fun.
Slowly opening his eyes he rubbed his back at the same time he held his throbbing head. As soon as his eyes were opened, he squinted them in confusion, wondering why in hell he was on the front porch. He'd made it home obviously the night before as it was his house he was on the front porch of. Yet he had no idea why he didn't make it inside. Despite the pain in his head he chuckled to himself and shook his head, making a hollow promise to not drink quite so much the next time.
Gingerly he stood up looking disdainfully back down at the porch swing thinking that it was surely the cause of his sore back. He stretched out his arms and legs and then made his way to the front door of his house. Reaching out he grabbed the doorknob to give it a turn and cursed under his breath realizing it was locked.
Looking down at himself, he realized for the first time that his jacket was not on his body. Being mid April he knew he must have been wearing it the night before. He pressed his hands against the pockets of his jeans anyways, but felt no bulge of his keys. Cursing out loud he shook his head and poised his hand over the door. Last thing he wanted to do was make it obvious to anyone in his family that he'd passed out on the porch. He considered waiting around a while but had no watch and had no idea how long that while would be. He also considered going back to Josh's, but he didn't want to be around when it was time to clean up the place from the party.
Sighing, he shook his head and let his hand fall against the door three times. Getting no response he was just about to knock again when the door swung open and his father glared out angrily at him. "You think you can come in more quietly this time? The girls are still sleeping."
"Yeah," Cameron said hesitantly a little confused by what he'd said, as he didn't remember going in noisily before.
His father stepped aside and Cameron walked into the house and headed straight for the stairs.
"You wait just a minute!" His father ordered causing Cameron to stop and turn and look at the man, a bit surprised he was taking the time out of his day to speak to him at all.
"I'm sure you don't remember me telling you this last night, what with the state you were in, so I'm going say it again."
Cameron nodded as he put his hand up on the banister. He was so shocked his father was acknowledging him he wasn't even worried that he may be in trouble.
His father's eyes narrowed even more and he pointed a finger out at his son. "If you EVER come in this house again, that late at night, making that much noise, you will no longer have a house to come home to. I don't give a crap that you've decided to drink yourself into an early grave, but when it disrupts MY family, I just won't have it."
Nodding blankly Cameron swallowed the lump in his throat. He doubted his father realized it but hearing him say 'MY family' was more hurtful to him then anything else his father could have said. He knew he wasn't part of that statement. He had not been a part of his father's family since he remarried 10 years earlier. Within days of the woman moving in he became nearly invisible. The conformation to completely invisible didn't happen until a couple years later when they started having their own kids. At that point a child from another marriage apparently meant nothing to them.
His father walked off into the kitchen, obviously done saying what he had to say. Cameron turned and walked up the stairs wondering what in hell had happened when he'd apparently gone into the house 'noisily' the night before. He imagined he'd get plenty of evil glares from the little wife today, and decided after sleeping a few more hours that he would just leave again, like he did on most days.
At the top of the stairs he turned left and went directly to his room. After closing the door quietly, yet securely behind him, he kicked off his shoes and walked over and flopped on the bed. A bed he had not made in as long as he could remember. He changed the sheets every now and then but never bothered making it up in the mornings. He knew no one would bitch at him about it; no one even ever went in there, so there wasn't any reason to bother doing it.
He looked around briefly at his sparsely furnished room, its walls now a faded blue, a hazy reminder of the bright blue it had been when it was first painted, the year his parents moved in, he was just three years old then. The same blue, yet now ratty, curtains hung from the windows. Even the same bedspread, that depicted a blue sky filled with puffy clouds, lay in a heap at the foot of the bed.
His mother had packed up and left two years after they had moved to this house. His father had been furious. Cameron didn't remember it too well, just a series of flashes of a lot of screaming, and a lot of throwing things. He didn't recall there being anything left unbroken after the weeks of his father's tirades. As angry as his father had been it had just stopped, and if Cameron remembered correctly, quite suddenly. His father became sullen and quiet. He remembered his father not being home a lot, and frequently just pouring himself a bowl of cereal for supper. Then he would just veg-out in front of the TV, then go to bed in the dead silent empty house. At the time, only being six years old, he had found it very scary. Now though, when he looked back on it, he would do anything to have things that way again.
To him he figured it was much better when there was no one at home, than to have a house full of people that totally ignored your presence. People that even if tried to make yourself known, would shove you away and tell you to get out of their face.
Sighing Cameron rolled onto his side and pulled the faded cloud comforter over his head. He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against his aching head while sleep slowly overcame him.
He woke up two hours later, having to pee. He stumbled out of bed, grabbed a change of clothes and made his way to the bathroom, where he relieved himself, then turned on the shower and took off his clothes. He stepped under the hot spray, the water washing off the grime from the night before, as well as the crusty remains of cum from the romp he had in the basement of Josh's house with some guy he didn't know, and wouldn't have remembered at all had the cum stains not been there. He wondered if the experience had been good or not, but figured if there was cum there had to have been a good time.
He smiled to himself, sex being his most favorite thing of all. He wondered who the guy was, and hoped Josh would remember. He hoped it was someone new and not one of the usual guys he hooked up with, either from meeting online or at parties. Someone new he could add to the list of people to contact when he wanted to get laid.
After he got out of the shower he pulled on his clothes and wiped the steam off the mirror. He sighed at his reflection. He leaned in a little closer examining a black eye he didn't have any recollection of getting. After poking at it for a couple minutes and futilely trying to remember he focused on his dark hair that stuck up in disarray from his quick towel dry. His skin was far too pale, something that happened every winter. By the middle of next month though, he figured he would have a good start on his usual summer tan what with all the weekend beach parties that would be going on. His eyes were dull and grayish. It was something he wished would stuck out more on what he considered himself average, though his ability to so easily find one night stands made him think other people maybe thought more. His five feet nine inches were lean, but not very muscular. He figured that came from sitting around and drinking all the time instead of being a gym addict. He wasn't against going to a gym, but couldn't understand how come people went to the extremes. Like the people on those muscle man shows that had so much muscle bulging out of everywhere it was just gross.
Turning away from the mirror, he left the bathroom and went back to his bedroom. He checked the clock on his nightstand and was glad to see it was only 11am, which meant he didn't have to be at work for another four hours. With his work uniform in his backpack he walked down stairs and out of the house. The sun was shining brightly and he stood for a minute at the end of his driveway wondering where he could go, and what he could do for the next four hours.
Realizing he was hungry, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Flipping it open he did a quick count and saw he had enough to buy a pretty decent sized lunch. Turning right, he walked to the end of his road, then took a left onto the main road of town that held several small restaurants, a grocery store, the post office, library, police station, courthouse and several small shops where you could buy anything from live worms to TV's and appliances.
After walking about half a mile he stopped in front of the Early Bird restaurant. Where he frequently ate, there several times and they had the best omelets he had ever had. He crossed the parking lot and walked through the entrance, the small bell tinkling as he opened the door and stepped inside.
A girl he knew from school smiled as she walked up to him. "Hey Cameron, just you today?"
Cameron nodded and smiled at her, as he'd always found her very nice.
"Right this way then." she said as she led him off to a small table in the corner and set the menu down on the table. "I'll bring you back some water."
He nodded having been there enough so she knew he only drank water. He liked the occasional soda, but definitely not with breakfast, and didn't like juice or milk at all. As she walked off he sat back and flipped open the menu. Laying it out on the table he leaned over it checking out all the fillings for omelets.
He looked up quickly as a shadow fell over his table and smiled seeing Kyle, one of his closest friends, smiling down at him. "Can we join you?"
He nodded and smiled at Carrie, Kyle's long time girlfriend. She smiled back as they both took a seat across from him in the booth. "Have a hard night?" Kyle asked grinning.
Cameron gently pressed his fingers in around his eye still having no recollection of getting in any fights, something else he figured he better ask Josh about. "Oh…Well…" not able to come up with any explanation he just shrugged and laughed a small laugh. He didn't miss the worried look that came over his friend's eyes. He was fully aware his friend thought he partied too much.
Josh nodded not feeling like giving another speech just then. "What are you doing tonight?"
"I have to work."
"What are you doing after work?"
Cameron shrugged, "I have no idea. Why?"
"Why don't you come over to my house? We can watch a movie, you can spend the night." Kyle was aware Cameron's family didn't love him and offered him a place to escape to at least a few times a week.
Looking up Cameron smiled at the waitress as she dropped off two more menus for Kyle and Carrie. When he looked back at Kyle he saw his best friend's eyes locked onto him, almost challenging him to say no. Having gone out drinking four out of five nights so far that week he hesitantly nodded thinking that his liver could use a night off.
Kyle rolled his eyes as he flipped open his menu. "Well don't look so happy about it."
Feeling guilty, Cameron half smiled "I'm sorry, I am happy honest."
"Just had to decide if you'd miss out on some party before you answered?"
Cameron shook his head. "No".
Rolling his eyes again Kyle looked over the menu deciding to drop the subject, and having to be glad Cameron was actually coming over. As long as he was at his house he knew he'd be safe and at that point he couldn't expect much more.
At 10:00 that night, Cameron took off his apron and pulled the wad of cash out of the front pocket. He tossed his order pad on the table by the door where they were kept, and the apron in the fifty-gallon garbage can where all the dirty towels and aprons were thrown. He leaned back against the table and started straightening out his money. It had been a great night as far as tips were concerned. He hadn't counted it yet but could tell by its thickness that he had made quite a haul. The Chesapeake Diner wasn't exactly high class and the tips were never more then five or six bucks, but the place had been hopping all night and he had waited on at least 50 different families. At five bucks each that gave him a hefty amount of cash.
"You could get mugged doing that you know."
Startled, Cameron looked up to the source of the voice and half smiled at Trent, another waiter, who happened to be one of his more frequent sex partners. "If they take this much money they better at least rape me too." He chided flashing Trent a grin and raising up his eyebrows.
Trent grinned right back, and ripped off his apron. "Give me five minutes!"
Cameron nodded and went back to counting his money. He didn't even have to wait five minutes before Trent was back in the kitchen. "Come on, my cars out back."
Cameron pulled on his jacket and followed Trent outside to his car, which was an old Buick Century. Trent had told him not long before that it had once been his grandmother's. When she had died a year earlier he had inherited it. Even though it was huge he claimed to love it, saying it provided plenty of room for all of the sex he had in it.
Walking up to the passenger door Cameron waited a second while Trent got inside then leaned over and unlocked his door for him. Once seated inside he buckled up his seat belt while Trent started up the car. "I got some pot too."
Cameron nodded glad to hear that. "I can't be out too long I'm staying at a friends tonight."
Backing out of the parking place Trent nodded. "We won't be more then an hour."
Once they were out of the more built up section of town, Trent handed an unlit joint over to Cameron who took it and put it between his lips. He pulled a lighter out of his jacket pocket and lit it up, and took a long deep drag off of it. He held his breath holding the smoke in as he handed the joint back to Trent who took a long haul off it as well.
By the time they reached the wooded area that was their destination, the joint was a mere roach and Trent snuffed it out in the ashtray. All smiles after having at least five hits, Cameron pulled off his jacket and shirt then climbed over the seat into the back seat. Trent followed suit his hands moving a mile a minute over Cameron's body finagling him out of his pants, at the same time he managed to get out of his own. In the mass of moving body parts Cameron found Trent's cock and took it deep into his mouth sucking greedily as Trent moaned leaning back and putting his hand on the back of Cameron's head allowing him to control the speed and depth.
"I'm gonna cum." Trent grunted minutes later and Cameron quickly pulled his mouth off him. Trent moved sideways in the back seat and sat down then pulled Cameron into position over him. Not having been loosened up at all Cameron winced as he sat down impaling himself with Trent's girth. After a moment the pain went away and he slowly began to move up and down rejuvenating Trent's groans which were accompanied by groans of his own.
Several minutes later both had their clothes back on and Trent was driving back the way they had come. "Where's your friend live?"
"Near work. You can just drop me off there, I can walk to his house."
Trent pulled the car over to the curb in front of the restaurant. "Shit, I didn't even mug you!"
Cameron laughed. "Fine by me. The rape was more then suitable." He stepped out of the car and closed the door then set out on the five-minute walk to Kyle's house.
"You're late." Kyle said the moment he answered the door. "It's nearly eleven. My mom was having a bird about you coming in so late."
"I'm sorry."
Kyle nodded and stepped aside, letting Cameron into the house, he closed up the door and led Cameron into the living room. Cameron plopped down on the couch and kicked off his shoes.
"Did work run late?"
Suddenly annoyed Cameron looked over at him, and snapped "Jesus man, what are you my father?"
Snorting Kyle shook his head. "No. Your father wouldn't bother to ask. Sooo, why are you late?"
"Don't bug me Kyle. Can't we just watch a movie like you said?"
"Yeah whatever." Kyle stood up and popped in a DVD not missing the aroma of pot that seemed to arrive with his friend.
Cameron didn't make it through half the movie before his head lolled back, his eyes closed, and he was out like a light. He awoke the next morning to the sound of cartoons. As he slowly opened his eyes, he found himself on Kyle's family's couch under a soft blanket. The TV was on, but he looked around and found himself to be the only one in the living room.
Not feeling like getting up yet he snuggled deeper into the blanket and closed his eyes again. He was just drifting back off to sleep when he was awoken fully again.
He opened his eyes back up and saw Kyle's mother smiling down at him. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he sat up and smiled at her. "I'm sorry I came in so late last night ma'am."
"It's okay dear. Just try not to make a habit out of it okay?"
Cameron nodded, and was glad she didn't seem too upset about it..
"I didn't wake you up to scold you though." she said chuckling softly, "I was just making breakfast and wanted to know how many waffles you think you can eat."
His eyes lit up at the mention of waffles. "Ummm, two probly."
"Okay it will be ready in about ten minutes."
"Thanks." Cameron said, as he got up knowing at Kyle's house the family all sat and ate together. They even got dressed for the occasion, as in no pajamas, shirts and shoes required sort of thing. He walked upstairs to Kyle's room, who was just walking out of his own personal bathroom. "How come you made me sleep on the couch?"
Kyle shrugged nonchalantly, but grinned at the same time. "Cause I was mad at you."
Drooping his shoulders, Cameron cocked his head to one side and looked at his friend. "I'm sorry Kyle, really."
Sighing Kyle sat down on the bed. "You always say that Cameron. Yet you always go out and do the exact same things you were sorry for, the very next time you get the chance."
Sitting down beside his friend, Cameron genuinely felt bad about his behavior. Kyle was the only one that had ever really, truly cared about him yet, he was the one that he repeatedly treated like crap. "You know you're my best friend right?"
"Not really Cameron, I have to beg for you to hang out with me, and if you show up at all, you're always late. Oh, and don't think for a minute I don't know you were stoned when you showed up here last night."
Cameron winced slightly, as he knew Kyle was totally against drugs of any kind. He wondered for the hundredth time how he ever became best friends with someone as by the book as Kyle.
"Let me make it up to you."
"Oh I have a list!"
Grinning, Cameron held out his hand. "Let me have it."
"Well it's not a written down list, but I'll tell you." He sat back and took a deep breath. "You have to spend the whole day with me, and the night too Then you and I can go to school together in the morning."
Though he wasn't sure he wanted to spend a whole day not getting drunk, high or having sex, Cameron nodded. "That's it?"
Grinning mischievously, Kyle nodded. "Yes, but I think you are forgetting what day today is."
It took only a couple of seconds for Cameron's face to look horror stricken. "Oh shit, Kyle please, anything but that."
Kyle crossed his arms across his chest stubbornly. "Sorry, but that's the only way I'll forgive you."
Cameron shook his head and kicked his foot against the bottom of the bed. "Dammit."
"Come on," Kyle drawled. "church is not that bad!"
Laughing quickly Cameron nodded. "YES it is," He shook his head again then sighed, really feeling awful that he was being such a bad friend and knowing this would make it up to Kyle. "but I'll go. Damn lucky we are the same size though, I don't think they'd let me in with the clothes I have on."
Kyle looked him over a mock look of disdain on his face. "You got that right." He stood up and went to his closet after a minute he pulled out a pair of black pants and a white pull over sweater. He tossed them over to Cameron who held them up.
"Uhh, I thought I just had to go, I didn't know I had to be a choir boy."
Laughing, Kyle shook his head. "Shut up. You're wearing that, and you better get in the shower your already on mom's list. If you are late for breakfast its all over!"
Nodding Cameron stood up, knowing now that Kyle was mostly joking about his mom because she didn't seem mad at all to him that morning. He walked into Kyle's bathroom and quickly turned on the shower and got inside knowing he didn't have a lot of time. He'd been to church with Kyle plenty of times, though the last time was over a year ago. When they were little though, it seemed like he was going nearly every week. He had enjoyed Sunday school and how nice everyone was. It wasn't until he was thirteen though that he sat through an hour long sermon about the decadence of America today that he decided maybe church wasn't the right place for him.
The preacher had gone on about the murderers and the rapists. In which, no way Cameron condoned. It was just the fact that in the churches eyes he was just as bad as those rapists and murderers. He had known full well at thirteen what a queer was, and he knew that he himself was one; and in no way did he consider then, or now, that being queer was in any league with being a rapist or murderer. He had decided that day as he'd walked out of the church with a sour stomach and on very shaky legs that he would never walk inside its walls again. He had gone back, but only ever to make up to Kyle. Kyle found some great thrill in him going, and if it was what he had to do to make up to his best friend, he would put up with it.
Kyle had no idea he was gay. Cameron didn't dare tell him. He thought he knew Kyle well enough though to know he wouldn't be so small-minded, but couldn't bring himself to tell him. He was too scared that Kyle was actually of the same beliefs as his preacher. He supposed he should have more faith in his best friend, but in actuality he did not have a whole lot of faith in anyone at all.
After stepping out of the shower, he quickly dried off and pulled on Kyle's clothes. He checked himself in the mirror, snickering a moment seeing himself all dressed up before leaning closer to the mirror and inspecting the black eye that was still there. He still didn't understand how he could have one; he knew he was not a violent drunk. He could not have imagined having gotten in a fight at all. As far as he remembered he hadd never been in a fight in his life.
When he walked out of the bathroom Kyle was no longer in his room. So he hurried down the stairs to find the family all seated around their kitchen table. Kyle had a younger brother and sister, twins, who were five years younger then their older brother. They were seated on the opposite side of the table from Kyle with Kyle's parents on each end of it.
"Sorry I'm late." He said as he took the empty seat by Kyle.
Mrs. Harris Kyle's mom smiled at him. "You look very handsome, does this mean you'll be going to church with us?" she asked with expectation in her voice.
Nodding, Cameron tried to actually look excited about it and figured from the smile he got from her that he'd pulled it off.
"He's going to spend the whole day, and night, if that's okay." Kyle spoke up as he put a waffle on Cameron's plate, knowing that he was uncomfortable serving himself.
"I don't see any problem with that." Kyle's mom looked from her son to Cameron. "We can stop by your house after church and you can get what you need for clothes and school tomorrow."
"Thanks ma'am." He nodded gratefully not wanting to wear Kyle's clothes to school as he dressed much differently than he did.
Halfway through the sermon Cameron wasn't sure if he just had really bad luck, or if the preacher spent every Sunday preaching the sins of homosexuality. The word had come up at least fifteen times. At points he had even gotten paranoid figuring the preacher must know about him, and therefore dedicated this service to just the fact he was there. His anger was brewing, but he knew he had to keep it in check. He certainly couldn't stand up and tell the preacher what a fuck head he was in the middle of the congregation that he was sure all adored the man, no matter how funny, or true it would have been.
He did his best to tune the man out, and looked around at the other people in the church. All eyes were on the preacher, everyone seemed to be hanging on his every word. He noted several of them nodding their heads to many things the preacher ranted about. A different type of anger flowed through him now, as he watched them all with their perfect little families all sitting there, no doubt feeling superior to people such as him. Not only for being gay, but for the fact his family didn't love him.
His eyes closed in on the children of one particular family. There were two of them, girls, dressed up in frilly little dresses with their hair done up perfectly, almost too perfect. He tried to picture what it was like in their house. Pictured them getting ready for church that morning, with the mother making sure they looked just perfect, caring enough about her kids to want to make them look their best. Having pride in her family.
A pride his mother was so lacking in that she couldn't even stay around. So lacking because she had snuck off in the dead of night, without any kid of an explanation at all. He felt that made her a coward. He wanted to blame everything on her. Say that she was just that type of woman, but the feelings that he somehow drove her away were always strongest. Sometimes he thought that maybe he had just been such a terrible child she couldn't handle being around him, and it would also explain his father's disregard for him.
Maybe if he had been as good as his father's new kids he would still have his mother around and his father would recognize his existence. Maybe his father would have stayed home more when he was growing up, and not left him to fend for himself all the time.
He let out a long sigh and looked down at his hands. He felt Kyle nudge his shoulder and looked over to see him grinning back at him.
"It's almost over don't worry."
Cameron smiled at him very glad to hear that.
His relief at church being over was short lived though as Mr. Harris started in on the drive home. Though he and Kyle were sitting in the very back of the mini van, it was very easy to hear the man spouting off up in the driver's seat.
"Something really does need to be done." He raved. "Damn fags are taking over the world. Wanting equal rights, wanting to get married." He let out a scornful laugh. "What ever happened to the sanctity of marriage? Where do they get off thinking what they do, and what they are can create a marriage?"
Discreetly Cameron kept glancing over at Kyle to see if he could read any reaction out of his friend. To get any clue how Kyle viewed these things. He got nothing, Kyle seemed content to be staring out the window and Cameron couldn't even see his face.
He definitely worried about Mr. Harris finding out about him. He also knew by what was coming out of his mouth that even if Kyle was okay with it, he wouldn't be. He easily predicted that Mr. Harris would ban Kyle from any contact with him.
The Mini Van pulled up in front of his house and Cameron got out gratefully, glad to at least have few minutes away from Mr. Harris's rants.
He walked up the walk to his house and finding the door unlocked, he walked right inside. He didn't see any sign of his father or his family, but could hear the kids yelling from the back yard and figured they must be spending the day out back, doing what ever they did when they spent the day out there. He walked up the stairs to his bedroom and quickly grabbed a pair of pants a shirt and a pair of boxers. Tucking them under his arm he went down the hall to the bathroom; where he grabbed his toothbrush then walked back down the stairs and outside.
He froze as he was half way down the steps as Josh's car pulled up behind the Harris's. He knew Kyle didn't approve of his friendship with Josh because he was known around school as being very 'wild'. Kyle blamed Josh for all of Cameron's 'rebellion' problems, as he referred to them. He also didn't want to make the Harris's wait any longer then they had to.
Knowing just waving him away wouldn't do a bit of good Cameron walked past the Harris's van and up to Josh's driver's side window. "I'm kind of in a hurry." He said as he leaned down so he was eye level with Josh.
"I guess that means you can't take a ride down to Portland with me?"
"No, I'm sorry."
Josh nodded looked forward to the van. "That Kyle in there?"
Cameron nodded.
"That guy is such a putz Cam why you hanging out with him?"
"He's my friend."
Josh looked back at him eyeing him a smirk appearing on his face. "Why you so dressed up?"
Cameron stood up. "I really gotta go."
Sighing Josh nodded again. "Okay dude. I'll see you tomorrow at school then I guess."
Cameron nodded absentmindedly. They may see each other at school but they wouldn't talk. For some reason Cameron was not sure of why Josh had never spoken a word to him while inside the school walls. That had always been okay with him though since he usually hung around with Kyle at school.
He got back in the van not missing the annoyed look he got from Kyle. It irritated him that he was given one but decided not to let it get to him. As soon as they got back to Kyle's house and up to the privacy of Kyle's room Kyle started in.
"What in heck did he want with you anyways?"
After setting his clothes on a chair Cameron turned to Kyle his irritation back in full force. "What does it matter? I'm here aren't I? I only talked to him for a minute so only one minute our day was disrupted. What do you want from me?"
Kyle shook his head and sat down heavily on the bed. "Why do have to hang around him at all?"
"I'm not I'm hanging out with you."
Rolling his eyes Kyle shook his head again. "You know what I mean Cameron. He's a druggie. You never went out partying before he came along."
"There's nothing wrong with going to parties now and then Kyle."
Kyle looked at him, his mouth hanging open for a moment. "Now and then? You go nearly every night. Do you even know how you got that black eye?"
Putting his fingers to his eye again Cameron slowly shook his head.
"And you find that safe behavior? Getting yourself beat up and not even remembering it?"
Cameron flopped down on the bed on his back putting his hand over his face and drawing his knees up in the air. "Why do you gotta do this Kyle? Why can't you just be my friend, and let it go? Why do you always have to pull the parent act?"
Kyle turned sideways on the bed and looked Cameron over. "Cause someone has to. If I didn't care, I wouldn't hassle you about it."
Running his hands down across his face Cameron looked up at Kyle. "Did you plan to give me a speech all afternoon? Is this what you had in mind when you asked me to stay here all day?"
Sighing Kyle shook his head. "No, but seeing you talking to Josh bugged me."
"So pretend I didn't talk to Josh. And let's just have fun. K?"
Kyle lay down beside Cameron, crossed his arms across his stomach and stared at the ceiling. "Okay Cameron."
They both lay there in silence both staring at the ceiling for a good five minutes before Cameron started to chuckle. "Is this what you had in mind when you wanted me to come over?"
Laughing himself Kyle sat up and smacked Cameron lightly on the stomach. "No let's go play some video games."
- 18
- 1


text:
Steel Grab rails - 12"
These steel grab rails are available plastic coated or epoxy coated. They are all made of 1" steel tubing.
£10.49 exc. VAT
Delivery on orders over £25 is free. Get more info
Order by phone
If you would prefer to make your order by phone, call
01252 350 095
to speak to one of our customer service representatives.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
By Lars Trodson
I didn't expect to hear a little bit of history while watching a restored version of John Ford's "The Grapes of Wrath" on DVD the other night, but I did. Well, maybe history is too strong a word. But it was certainly different, new and in its own way oddly exciting.


text:
Currently, the Washington State excise tax is 1.28 percent. Local municipalities add their excise tax on top of the state tax, with most cities in our area adding 0.50 percent, to total 1.78 percent. Effective January 1, 2020, Washington State will begin calculating real estate excise taxes based on a tier system. Below are examples of how this change will affect the difference price points.
If you or someone you know is curious about the value of your home or you have considered a move, please reach out. It is my goal to help keep my clients informed and empower strong decisions.
The Snohomish Garden Club will harvest this half-acre, which will yield close to 10,000 pounds of fresh produce to be donated to various food banks and senior centers in Snohomish County. The land for the garden is generously donated by the Bailey Family Farm.
For more information on how you can lend a hand, please visit: SnohomishGardenClub.com
Windermere's Community Service Day was established in 1984 to offer agents and staff a chance to volunteer an entire workday to give back to the neighborhoods in which they live and work.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Name *
Email *
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Current ye@r *
Leave this field empty


text:
Cart is empty
New Products
Keep up with our most recent gadgets and be the first to own the latest LED technology thanks to our new products page! If it's new and trendy, chances are that you'll see it here. We frequently update this section so make sure to come back often!


text:
Tennis (W)
Johnson Tennis Complex
The Johnson Tennis Center has six lighted hard courts. It is also has a players lounge located adjacent to the courts. The Tennis Center is equipped with restrooms and several shaded areas to use for instruction.
Take a look around Johnson Tennis Complex:
Today's Events
|No events are scheduled today


text:
| 12.3°C Belfast
Keith Millen is hopeful of being part of Tony Pulis' backroom team after lifting Crystal Palace off the foot of the Barclays Premier League table in his final game as caretaker boss.
Millen oversaw a scrappy, but vitally important, 1-0 victory at Hull to end his four-match spell at the helm on a positive note and has now handed the reins to Pulis.
The former Stoke manager has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract and will begin work with his new side above Sunderland on goal difference, a significant psychological boost for the start of his tenure.
The man who provided that lift, Millen, is uncertain how long his services will be required by the Pulis regime but is keen to remain at the club.
"I'd love to stay. I know Tony from previous clubs and I'd love to be in his plans," said Millen.
"I'm sure we'll sit down together and have discussions about a lot of things over the next few days.
"I've spoken to the chairman (Steve Parish), I'd like to stay and I've said that from day one.
"Tony needs to assess the group really quickly because we have a week now before our next game, which is a massive game for us.
"It's not like a new manager's come in in pre-season where you have weeks to work the group.
"He's got to work quickly and if I can work with him and help, I will."
Pulis was in the stands to witness Barry Bannan's 81st-minute winner at the KC Stadium and, speaking briefly as he left the ground, appeared to be grateful for the work done by Millen.
"Obviously I am very happy to be at the club and this result makes it a great start for me," he said.
"The first thing I would like to do is thank Keith for what he has done over the last few weeks.
"Personally it is terrific for me to come in on the back of a win."
There was also a vote of confidence from Parish, who added: "To be fair to Keith because he has done a cracking job. He has got us back to a way of playing we know and given Tony a really good platform to come in on."
Hull, who came up from the Championship with Palace last season but enjoyed a much stronger start to the campaign, had a dire day at the office.
They lost their unbeaten home record, conceded the winner after Palace lost Yannick Bolasie to a harsh red card and offered precious little goal threat until Liam Rosenior struck the post deep in injury-time.
The latter issue is one that will worry manager Steve Bruce most acutely, with the Tigers having scored just four times in six matches on home turf.
Two of those were Robbie Brady penalties, one a Carlos Cuellar own-goal and the other a Curtis Davies header from a corner.
"That's always going to be the issue," admitted Bruce.
"If you look at any bottom-half team in the Premier League the question is always going to be can you create enough and can you score a goal?
"Everybody will be well organised and disciplined, everybody is difficult to play against, difficult to beat.
"The top end of the pitch is always the most difficult. The loss of Sone Aluko and Brady, over the last few weeks, means we've lost that bit of edge.
"Certainly that's the case with Aluko. But that's the Premier League - it's very, very difficult."
Although well short of their best, Bruce felt Hull might have escaped with a goalless draw had they not had a meltdown late in the day.
"We made a mistake defensively," he added.
"It was our throw. Elmohamady was in the wrong position, Maynor Figueroa should have done better, Rosenior miskicked it...it's a catalogue of errors really.
"But we can't keep relying on the defenders, who have done well for us week in, week out.
"We need to create something and score a goal to give us that bit of ease that we want."


text:
The Rockefeller Foundation
Today nearly 1,000 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) provide credit, capital and financial services that are not readily available from mainstream financial institutions to support affordable housing, schools, health clinics, community facilities and local businesses in distressed neighborhoods of low-income individuals. However, CDFIs must defer billions of dollars of quality projects due to lack of available project financing, opaque information and fragmented access to investments in the community development sector.
At the same time, impact investors are increasingly asking for quality impact projects and investment instruments that can provide scaled access to sound investments in the community development sector. While CDFIs can bridge these two needs, individual CDFIs are relatively unknown and relatively small in the context of vast capital markets and face challenges tapping into the growing and diversified investor base.
Powered by the generous support of The Rockefeller Foundation and in partnership with several key community development stakeholders, Enterprise is developing and will launch a CDFI index — a first for the community development sector — to rate the current and historic performance of CDFIs, providing a seminal benchmark for the impact investing industry. The index will build investor awareness of CDFIs and make possible the creation of index-linked financial products. This will ultimately lead to an increased flow of capital to distressed communities and help CDFIs to grow and diversify their universe of investors.


text:
Is Shaun White really the best Action Sport Athlete?
|Shaun White on one rare occurence at Venice, on the small bowl... Photo Ray Rae
I was shocked when I heard that Shaun White won the Best Male Action Sports Athlete award at the Annual EPSY Awards last week. Not to belittle Shaun's value but there are a couple of things that really make me scratch my head in this award…
If you take skateboarding alone, Shaun White has not participated at any Street event last year, and has probably never participated at any Street event, ever, period. OK, he is not a street skater. OK. OK, I got it. So, the fans say he is a real ramp champ. OK, he is certainly an awesome vert skater, but how many vert contests did he do last year? How about his participation at the bowl events? Shaun has not participated at any of the 20+ bowl contests last year. What bowls or skateparks is he riding? Six months ago, Ray Rae (go read Ray Rae interview) come to me all excited because he shoot 3 pictures of Shaun White at Venice skatepark. Ray Rae has been spending all his days at Venice since it opened in 2009. He has posted on his website (http://www.rayraepix.com//) some of the hundreds of thousands pix from Hosoi, Harada, Josh Borden, Daniel Cuervo, Asher Bradshaw, Clay Kreiner, Chris Russell, Cory Juneau, Juan Pineirio, Morgan Wolf, Kiko Franciso, Austin Poynter and three pictures from Shaun White. Duh? When was the last time you have seen pictures from Shaun at the Combi or at LCSP? On the internet, you see more recent pictures of retired Tony Hawk than award winner Shaun White.
Since the ESPY Best Male Action Sports Athlete Award is supposed to go to a person who has achieved action sports excellence within the past year, I would like to know what were the contests Shaun entered and won last year to be the best Action Sport Athlete of 2010? For a guy that's supposedly better than anyone at skate and snowboard combined, he did not even participate at the last Ultimate Boarder. And if he participated, he is not listed in the official top 40. So, the fans say that he won the gold at the Winter Olympics, was 1st at the Dew Tour Wendy's Invitational, 1st again at the Vert Championships, and silver at the summer X Games Vert. You see, out of 40+ vert and bowl contests last year, winning 3 is not an achievement, even though, granted, he is good at skateboarding… Why is Shaun not participating at more bowl and vert contests is puzzling. On top of that, if you look closely behind the award reasoning, one of the first flaws is that the achievements White was recognized for, like winning at the X Games in multiple disciplines, technically occurred outside the timeline; a fact obviously overlooked by his fans.
Even ESPN who awarded him the recompense have published a kind of denial on their website saying that: "There is no denying White's impact on snowboarding, skateboarding and action sports as a whole. He's been sponsored since he was seven, and has handily won almost every competition and subsequent award that matters at least once, if not multiple times. Last year's Best Male U.S. Olympic Athlete and Best Male Action Sports Athlete ESPYs were well earned. It's impossible, really, to emphasize enough just how bad the halfpipe was at the 2010 Olympics, and how White's ability to perform at such a high level in the thing crushed any doubt that anyone might have ever had about him being the best pipe rider in the world. His run was devastatingly good."
Hopefully Shaun will be able to win the XGames 2011. That will be his first real skateboard contest of the year.
Labels: Feature, Shaun WhiteI skate therefore I am: skateboard pools, pipes, parks, bowls and vert, daily skateboarding news...


text: Beauty Fashion The Creative Director Of Mulberry Shares His Cultural Inspirations And More HighLifeChannel January 12, 2018 Share THE LONDON-BASED, ARCHITECTURE-TRAINED DESIGNER WHO'S GIVEN MULBERRY A COOL EDGE AS ITS CREATIVE DIRECTOR SHARES HIS CULTURAL INSPIRATIONS AND INDULGENCES. Johnny Coca Artist He's Into Now Alignment #53, 2015, by Brent Wadden – his favourite artist, who mixes painting with weaving "I came across the work of (Canadian painter/weaver) Brent Wadden while visiting Pace Gallery, and immediately felt an affinity to his work. Through a distinctive style that combines striking geometric patterns with a bold use of colour blocking, he manages to blur the boundaries between folk and fine art, which I find fascinating." Go-To Restaurant "(Spanish tapas restaurant) El Pirata in Mayfair, which serves the best tapas in the city. If you're looking for somewhere a little discreet, the restaurant is hidden away on a side street so it has an intimate, low-key vibe." Personal Scent Chanel's Egoiste scent remains modern to him, despite being launched in 1990. "Chanel's Egoiste (a woody, spicy scent with sandalwood and vanilla notes) is modern and masculine." Shopping Haunts He visits Dover Street Market to discover emerging designers. "I love Dover Street Market's multi-brand concept, and the fact that it continuously supports new, fresh talent. I also love (the cult concept store) LN-CC in Dalston with its amazing collection of ready-to-wear, books and records. It's an amazing space to spend time in." Regular Cultural Hotspot London's Barbican Centre – his cultural haunt "I've always loved the Barbican Centre even before moving to London. The building is an incredible piece of (Brutalist) architecture, and it has the best exhibitions. The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined held earlier this year, for example, questioned the notion of what's tasteful, how we perceive it, and what it is that makes something inherently vulgar – subjects that aren't always addressed." Design Hero "There are so many figures in this field that I admire, but industrial designer Shiro Kuramata always stands out for me. His 'Glass Chair' from 1976 is a unique and important piece. I also love his work for the first Issey Miyake boutique and perfume bottle in the '70s." Highlights From Mulberry S/S '18 Expect lots of colour and ruffles in Mulberry S/S '18. "In this collection, I've tried to focus on pairing ruffles with colour, mixed with a '50s attitude. The dresses are feminine yet dramatic, and extremely versatile. They can be worn from day to night." Must-Have Bag Mulberry's signature Amberley bag comes updated with ruffles. "The Amberley satchel bag that's been updated with ruffles on the trim. It's the perfect accessory for every occasion." Brent Wadden Photo Pace Gallery & Peres Projects, Berlin Barbican Centre Photo Max Colson Dover Street Market London Photo Dover Street Market This story first appeared in Female's January 2018 issue. Like this? Check out why local artist Dawn Ng is an artist everyone can relate to, the cool Asian brands you need to know and the most covetable S/S'18 accessories to save up for. This article is originally published on Female Singapore.


text: Add to cart TULARE The Phantom Lake $39.95 EDUCATIONAL DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: For self-hosted school servers $250 (PURCHASE a download above, includes caption file). For 1 or 3 year licensing with educational tools visit Kanopy here. Tulare Lake in California's Central Valley was once the largest lake west of the Mississippi. By the year 1910, the lake had been completely dried by water diversion and land reclamation, along with the dislocation of the Valley's indigenous people. Today the region maintains the most productive agricultural land in the world and in the same locale, the most impoverished Congressional District. Today a visionary land owner has begun adjusting to climate change by advocating partial restoration of what was once Tulare Lake. Along with his new ideas, a successful and impressive lake and marsh restoration project is already underway. DVD: Colleges/Universities, K-12 Schools, Public Libraries (includes Public Performance Rights) $39 BUY DVDs BELOW, select from dropdown, then ADD TO CART


text:
The breaking news today is that from our sources we were informed that Pokémon Go is going to shut down in the coming few days, which means the no matter if you have got the game or not you won't be able to play it anymore because of the following reasons.
1. Niantic Potato Servers:
Niantic said that it can't handle so much of people and it needs a year or two to develop such a huge server system to handle all the players from all around the world.
2. Pokémon Go – Global Offensive Blame:
Believe it or not but Niantic had to listen to so much after some people have infected the internet with these rumors that Niantic is leaking our personal locations and pictures of it to big companies in different countries, although we don't support these rumors at all as we know they're fake.
3. Some Notices From Government:
Our sources told that they've been receiving some notices from government lately about their game Pokémon Go that it's causing a lot, like seriously a lot of trouble in all parts of countries where the game is played, problems from road accidents to deaths have been recorded, well what else then!
Your thoughts?
Well we don't know much about what's going on but our sources are never wrong but we're still not sure if this is a true story or not, for now all we could do is just wait and see that what will happen.


text:
What Is a Calendar Spread?
A calendar spread is an options or futures spread established by simultaneously entering a long and short position on the same underlying asset at the same strike price but with different delivery months. It is sometimes referred to as an inter-delivery, intra-market, time, or horizontal spread.
The typical options trade comprises the sale of an option (call or put) with a near-term expiration date, and the simultaneous purchase of an option (call or put) with a longer-term expiration. Both options are of the same type and use the same strike price.
- Sell near-term put/call
- Buy longer-term put/call
- Preferable but not required that implied volatility is low
The purpose of the trade is to profit from the passage of time and/or an increase in implied volatility in a directionally neutral strategy.
Basics of a Calendar Spread
Since the goal is to profit from time and volatility, the strike price should be as near as possible to the underlying asset's price. The trade takes advantage of how near- and long-dated options act when time and volatility change. An increase in implied volatility, all other things held the same, would have a positive impact on this strategy because longer-term options are more sensitive to changes in volatility (higher vega). The caveat is that the two options can and probably will trade at different implied volatilities.
The passage of time, all other things held the same, would have a positive impact on this strategy in the beginning of the trade until the short-term option expires. After that, the strategy is only a long call whose value erodes as time elapses. In general, an option's rate of time decay (theta) increases as its expiration draws nearer.
Maximum Loss on a Calendar Spread
Since this is a debit spread, the maximum loss is the amount paid for the strategy. The option sold is closer to expiration and therefore has a lower price than the option bought, yielding a net debit or cost.
The ideal market move for profit would be a steady to slightly declining underlying asset price during the life of the near-term option followed by a strong move higher during the life of the far-term option, or a sharp move upward in implied volatility.
At the expiration of the near-term option, the maximum gain would occur when the underlying asset is at or slightly below the strike price of the expiring option. If the asset were higher, the expiring option would have intrinsic value. Once the near-term option expires worthless, the trader is left with a simple long call position, which has no upper limit on its potential profit.
Basically, a trader with a bullish long-term outlook can reduce the cost of purchasing a longer-term call option.
Key Takeaways
- Calendar spread is a trading strategy for futures and options to minimize risk and cost by buying two contracts or options with the same strike price and different delivery dates.
Example of a Calendar Spread
With Exxon Mobile stock trading at $89.05 in mid-January, 2018:
- Sell the February 89 call for $0.97 ($970 for one contract)
- Buy the March 89 call for $2.22 ($2,220 for one contract)
Net cost (debit) $1.25 ($1,250 for one contract)


text:
Because there's amazing food on almost every corner
We polled reviewers, contributors, and foodies around town for this list of favorite dishes in 40 city neighborhoods and suburbs. Launch the photo gallery by clicking on one of the thumbnails below.Edit Module
Check back frequently for more reasons to love Chicago.
The Golden Age of the Sandwich
1 day ago
Submit your comment
Comments are moderated. We review them in an effort to remove foul language, commercial messages, abuse, and irrelevancies.


text: Here's a question to debate. I have recently done a lot of reading and experimenting with metal vs. wood vs. carbon fiber for various parts to on the bass to improve sound. There is one school of thought that says that any metal on the bass is reducing the volume and tone. However, this does not necessarily address the issue of sustain for pizzicato (jazz playing). This is a very different issue and it's the one I'm most concerned with. Take for example parts on a jazz guitar. If you have an archtop guitar with a wooden bridge, wooden bridge saddle and wooden tailpiece, then you have a louder warmer sound. BUT, it's substantially "plunkier", with not much sustain. Put a modern metal saddle, bridge, and tailpiece, and you have reduced the volume, changed the tone, but increased the sustain dramatically. The same principle would apply on bass. So if a guy, (me) is interested in exploring the boundaries of increasing sustain, then it would follow that there are some things that could be done to increase sustain but actually decrease the acoustic tone. Afterall, the more energy you allow out of the string and into the body, the more volume you may have, but it's the transfer of energy OUT of the string that is the decay process. An all metal bass with metal bridge and parts would sustain like crazy, but probably sound very bad. So, any and all thoughts would be appreciated. I'm thinking about fingerboard thickness issues, how would the Dr. Tomastik tailpiece affect all of this, metal vs. wooden tailpiece, tailpiece wire material, etc. thanks


text:
This is pretty interesting to see the evolution of the CatchCon Design.
I am very happy to post this case study of an Ad for the Discovery Channel most popular show "Deadliest Catch". Created by the Polish Master Designer Peter Jaworowski, you will be able to see step by step how he got such an unbelievable result, you must see this one!
This work was created by Peter Jaworowski, if you interested in doing a case study please contact me.
Global Key Visual created for Discovery Channel and one of their top shows Deadliest Catch.
Creative Director – Stefan Poulos
Associate Creative Director – Andrew Heckel
Art Director – Luke Watkins
Studio Photographer – Scott McDermott
On-location Photographer – Corey Arnold
Art Producer – Lisa Nagy
Ars Thanea – www.arsthanea.com


text:
I am working on a document in a TrueCrypt volume. As far as I understand, when I view PDF, LyX puts a temporary PDF file (and probably all temporary pdflatex files) into some other folder (at least, I don't see them in the folder with the lyx-file). Can I change this? I would like all files, even those later deleted, to reside in a TrueCrypt folder.
I have tried to remove the path in the Preferences/Paths/Temporary directory, but the PDF file still doesn't appear in the lyx-file folder.


text:
It's Colombia, not Columbia. It's not simply the spelling of our name, but how it represents the misconceptions and ignorance held by our neighbors of what the country has achieved. If you can't spell it correctly, how can you understand how far we've come?
In 2013 we were invited to Social Media Week NYC to talk about social media in Colombia and our experience having organized Social Media Week Bogotá three times in the past. Their email read: "Do you guys from Columbia want to come to our conference?". Our response was: "Thanks. We'll be there and the name of our conference is 'It's Colombia, not Columbia'".
Together with our friends at Compass Branding, we felt it was an opportunity to use the misspelling of the country's name as an excuse to start a much larger conversation. A conversation to redefine what people all over the world think about Colombia, based on stereotypes created by negative coverage for the past few decades. We understood the past, but we were not repeating it now, and wanted the world to know.
It also happened to be a great experiment in preparation for our presentation in NYC. A way to start a movement with a purpose, and to show how social media could be used to talk about the country in a meaningful, and accurate way. Having started one month before the event, the campaign took off quickly, mainly via Facebook. By the time Social Media Week kicked off in NYC, we had more than 5k organic likes, and incredibly high engagement rates. No small feat for a $0 budget.
Then it happened. Almost overnight. People, friends of Zemoga at first, began sharing our content and people were proudly wearing the hats and T-shirts we gave away as an image of pride and solidarity. And not just Colombians. Celebrities and politicians. We even were invited to be part of Cannes Lions Festival in France in 2012 where we were given a booth dedicated to the campaign and social movement that now had a life of its own.
It was only a matter of time before we could get the attention of the media in NYC. When the moment came, the campaign exploded thanks to the coverage by the very entities that often get the spelling wrong. The Wall Street Journal did a front page article and then followed up a year later to see what effect we had made.
Four years later, the campaign is still very active with a large community still engaged, still policing the media in all its forms and making sure that when they misstep, they are called out in a respectful, but none the less authentic way. And they respond to our outreach in kind, often openly admitting their mistake in their social channels, thereby furthering our mission to correct it.
The role we played
- Social Content Strategy
- UX Design
- Visual Design
- Motion Design
- Project Management


text:
Rock Blog: Happy Early Birthday, Geddy
The frontman and bassist of my favorite band is turning 63 tomorrow. I am taking tomorrow off, so I felt compelled to wish Geddy Lee of Rush a very happy early birthday tonight!
My favorite bands and musicians have always been inspired from my parents' record collection, but in the case of Rush, they had nothing to do with this love affair I have been having with the band for years. Even to this day, my parents can't stand Rush. I always have said, you either love Rush, or you don't. There's really no in between. I love them so much that I branded myself with the '2112' star man last year. That's my upper left thigh right there.
I first got into Rush because I loved Primus (still do), and when I began comparing the two bands and reading about the friendship between Geddy Lee and Les Claypool, I started checking out deeper cuts than what I had heard on the radio from The Holy Triumvirate. I knew songs like 'Tom Sawyer' and 'The Spirit Of Radio' and 'Freewill', but when I heard songs like 'La Villa Strangiato', 'Xanadu', and 'Roll The Bones', my life changed. That might sound corny and cliche, but it's the truth.
I literally studied this band. Album by album, I learned the riffs and played air-guitar along with Geddy or Alex Lifeson, depending on if I was feeling bass-y or shredd-y that day. I tried to keep up with some Neil Peart air-drums but let's be honest, that's near impossible. Also impossible? Picking a favorite album. I change my mind ALL THE TIME. I usually flip back and forth between '2112' and 'Moving Pictures', but my favorite song is actually off 'Hold Your Fire', and that would be 'Time Stand Still'. I'm sure that, too, will change soon. I'm probably due for another switch-er-oo.
I've seen Rush several times over the years, and was fortunate enough to score a meet and greet two separate times. Both times, I burst into tears after taking the picture and talking to Geddy. The music of these three geniuses changed the way I listened to music altogether. You can understand why I felt compelled to honor Geddy Lee the day before his birthday.
One of the most marvelous things to see at a Rush show is the tshirts. Every tour shirt EVER is represented. You have the most amazing conversations with other Rush fanatics. On top of that, it's very popular to wear all the passes from all the shows on the current tour, so you'll see die-hards with 19 different passes on their lanyards. It's fun to chat them up and find out where they're headed next. It's moments like that where I realize I can't actually be the BIGGEST Rush fan ever. But hell, I know I'm up there a ways.
Recently, we've gotten back into vinyl, and we have acquired more Rush albums than any other band. You can guarantee that when you come over, we have '2112' or 'Exit...Stage Left' on the turntable!
Although Rush is hanging it up for a while, I have the utmost confidence that they might play a special show in the future, maybe on a festival like Desert Trip or something of that nature. In the meantime, I know that Geddy Lee will extend his creative genius to other musicians and continue to make music. Happy (early) Birthday, Geddy! You are the man, and today (and tomorrow) I celebrate you!
- Taryn Daly
#Taryn It Up


text: Didn't have what I ordered and waited almost half hour to let us know. WHAT!!!!Ask for a bigger table and was told the tables not clean....no one else in the restaurant.WHAT!!!!! WORSE DINING EXPERIENCE. I WILL NEVER VISIT THIS ESTABLISHMENT AGAIN!!!! WAITED 20 MINUTES FOR DRINKS, STILL WAITING FOR A REFILL THAT NEVER COMES .


text:
Get your Recruitments Advertisement published in leading Newspapers of Dharamshala at lowest cost. Follow easily online booking process at Ads2Publish. Check out Ad Rates and Offers for Recruitments Classified Ad of Dharamshala newspapers below.
Cost Rs. 525 / 25 Word
Cities Covered: Dharamshala and Chandigarh.
Discounted Price: Rs. 815 / 25 Word
Cities Covered: Dharamshala, Jalandhar, Jammu, Chandigarh and Rohtak.
Discounted Price: Rs. 1,886 / 25 Word
Cities Covered: Aligarh, Nainital, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Allahabad, New Delhi, Meerut, Jhansi, Bareilly, Agra, Varanasi, Moradabad, Kanpur and Dehradun.
Discounted Price: Rs. 6,218 / 25 Word
Cities Covered: Kanpur, Jalandhar, Dehradun, Allahabad, Varanasi, Nainital, Lucknow, Jammu, Dharamshala, Bareilly, Agra, New Delhi, Meerut, Jhansi, Gorakhpur, Chandigarh, Aligarh, Rohtak and Moradabad.
Discounted Price: Rs. 6,962 / 25 Word
Cost Rs. 350 / 5 Line
Cities Covered: Agra, Aligarh, Allahabad, Bareilly, Bhagalpur, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Delhi, Dhanbad, Dharmashala, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Gurgaon, Hisar, Jalandhar, Jammu, Jamshedpur, Jhansi, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Meerut, Moradabad, Muzaffarpur, Noida, Panipat, Patna, Ranchi, Shimla, Varanasi.
Discounted Price: Rs. 14,960 / 5 Line
Cost Rs. 560 / 20 Word
Book Recruitments / Jobs / Appointment Classified Ad in Newspapers of Dharamshala city instantly online. There are various classified ad offers and packages available to Choose from in Dharamshala Newspapers for Recruitments Classified Ad.
At Ads2publish it is the easiest way to book newspaper Recruitments classified ad at the lowest rates. Through us you can book Recruitments Ad in newspapers of India online. We are fully equipped advertising agency having a sound network with newspapers which enables us to publish your at the same cost using our online booking service.
|Name of Newspaper
|Ad Rate
|Recruitments Ad in Amar Ujala
|Rs. 525 for 25 Word
|Recruitments Ad in Dainik Jagran
|Rs. 350 for 5 Line
|Recruitments Ad in Divya Himachal
|Rs. 560 for 20 Word


text:
- Course at a Glance
National Code - 52810WA
- Schedule Start Date: 1st March 2021
- Code: DME
- Course Length: 18 Months
Join this interactive, LIVE ONLINE program, for 18 months part-time, to gain:
- Skills and know-how in the latest technologies in mechanical engineering
- Hard hitting know-how in pumps, compressors, piping, seals and machinery safety
- Guidance from experts in the field of mechanical engineering technology
- Networking contacts in the industry
- Improved career prospects and income
- A world-class Advanced Diploma in Mechanical Engineering Technology
Program Details
Whilst there is probably not a serious shortage of theoretically oriented practitioners in mechanical engineering, there is a shortage of highly skilled practically oriented mechanical technologists and engineers in the world today, due to the new technologies only recently becoming a key component of all modern plants, factories and offices. The critical shortage of experts in the area has been accentuated by retirement, restructuring and rapid growth in new industries and technologies. This is regardless of the recession in many countries.
Many businesses throughout the world comment on the difficulty in finding experienced mechanical engineers and technologists despite paying outstanding salaries. For example, about two years ago a need developed for mechanical technologists and engineers in building process plants. The interface from the traditional SCADA and industrial automation system to the web and to mechanical equipment has also created a new need for expertise in these areas. Specialists in these areas are few and far between.
The aim of this 18 month online learning program is to provide you with core skills in working with mechanical engineering technology and systems and to take advantage of the growing need by industry here.
The five threads running through this program are:
- Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering Technologies
- Applications of Mechanical Engineering Technologies
- Energy Systems
- Industrial Automation
- Management
Who Should Complete this Program
- Plant operations and maintenance personnel
- Design engineers
- Process technicians, technologists and engineers
- Process control engineers and supervisors
- Mechanical technicians, technologists and engineers
- Mechanical equipment sales engineers
- Pump and mechanical equipment operators
- Contract and asset managers
Program Structure
Program Structure
The course is composed 21 modules. These modules cover a range of aspects to provide you with maximum practical coverage in the field of Mechanical Engineering:
|Module Number
|Module Name
|Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering
|2 Weeks
|Structural Mechanics
|3 Weeks
|Mechanical Drive Systems
|5 Weeks
|Ac Electrical Motors and Drives
|2 Weeks
|Rotating Equipment Balancing, Alignment and Condition Monitoring
|6 Weeks
|4 Weeks
|2 Weeks
|Lubrication Engineering
|3 Weeks
|Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning
|4 Weeks
|Process Plant Layout and Piping Design
|3 Weeks
|Pipeline Systems
|2 Weeks
|Pumps and Compressors
|6 Weeks
|Mechanical Seals
|2 Weeks
|Safe Lifting
|2 Weeks
|Fundamentals of Professional Engineering
|4 Weeks
|Machinery Safety
|3 Weeks
|Energy Efficiency
|4 Weeks
|Renewable Energy Systems
|4 Weeks
|Industrial Automation
|3 Weeks
|Measurement and Control Systems
|5 Weeks
|Management of Hazardous Areas
|3 Weeks
Entry Requirements
This Engineering Institute of Technology Advanced Diploma is an accelerated, practical, work-oriented program. It is designed for engineers and technicians who have some background in the field. This includes those who have technical or 'trade' qualifications who want to move to the next career step, those with substantial relevant work experience who need to formalize and enhance their achievements, and those with higher level qualifications in a related field who wish to develop specialist knowledge. Practical work experience in related areas of engineering would help enormously. It would not be suitable for a student with no relevant work experience. We will review your application and may recommend pre-program studies if required.
Learning and Teaching
Benefits of online learning to Students
- Cost effective: no travel or accommodation necessary
- Interactive: live, interactive sessions let you communicate with your instructor and fellow students
- Flexible: short interactive sessions over the Internet which you can attend from your home or office. Learn while you earn!
- Practical: perform exercises by remotely accessing our labs and simulation software
- Expert instructors: instructors have extensive industry experience; they are not just 'academics'
- No geographical limits: learn from any location, all you need is an Internet connection
- Constant support: from your instructor(s) and a dedicated Learning Support Officer for the complete duration of the program
- International insight: interact and network with participants from around the globe and gain valuable insight into international practice
Benefits of online learning to Employers
- Lower training costs: no travel or accommodation necessary
- Less downtime: short webinars (60-90 minutes) and flexible training methods means less time away from work
- Retain employees: keep staff who may be considering a qualification as full time study
- Increase efficiency: improve your engineering or technical employees' skills and knowledge
- International insight: students will have access to internationally based professional instructors and students
How Does it Work?
EIT online learning courses involve a combination of live, interactive sessions over the Internet with a professional instructor, set readings, and assignments. The courses include simulation software and remote laboratory applications to let you put theory to practice, and provide you with constant support from a dedicated Learning Support Officer.
Practical Exercises and Remote Laboratories
As part of the groundbreaking new way of teaching, our online engineering courses use a series of remote laboratories (labs) and simulation software, to facilitate your learning and to test the knowledge you gain during your course. These involve complete working labs set up at various locations of the world into which you will be able to log to and proceed through the various practical sessions.
These will be supplemented by simulation software, running either remotely or on your computer, to ensure you gain the requisite hands-on experience. No one can learn much solely from lectures, the labs and simulation software are designed to increase the absorption of the materials and to give you a practical orientation of the learning experience. All this will give you a solid, practical exposure to the key principles covered and will ensure that you obtain maximum benefit from your course.
More about Hydraulic Training Online(a big part of Mechanical Engineering)
The science behind modern hydraulics dates back 2000 years, when water was the only liquid medium available for experimentation. There were many scientists and, mathematicians whose inventions led to the stage-by-stage development of modern hydraulics.
The hydraulic pump is the heart of a hydraulic circuit. The main function of it is to pump the oil from its suction side to the delivery side. The system will be pressurized when the flow from the pump outlet meets with a resistance. The pumping mechanisms within a pump can be gear, vane, and piston in the positive displacement category. The pump, driven by a prime mover like an electrical motor or a diesel engine converts the mechanical energy into hydraulic energy.
Hydraulic motors of various physical configurations have common design features; the drive elements inside a motor are subjected to a pressure differential, the ability to withstand a pressure force, the timing at which the pressure fluid is applied to create a continuous rotation without any ripples, and the mechanical linkages between the drive elements and the output shaft.
In fluid power systems, devices which convert the hydraulic energy input into a linear or rotary mechanical motion with an output force proportional to the input energy, are called actuators. A linear actuator produces straight line motion, whereas a rotary actuator produces circular motion.
Functionally, a hydraulic cylinder converts hydraulic, input energy into linear mechanical energy. Since the force is transmitted by conversion of energy, there must be a direction for the moving elements which transmits the force. A hydraulic cylinder functions in such a way that uni-directional movement, bi-directional movement, a force multiplication or a distance multiplication are achieved either by a single or multiple cylinders in an application.
To access the detailed program brochure, please complete this form.


text:
What did I learn from visit to "M" — University of Michigan — and the School of Art & Design, Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning? Two things, mostly.
First, huge universities in tiny midwestern towns, with really big footballers really only need one letter to stand in for themselves.
Second, the importance and relevance of props to communicate an idea – a reinforcement of the significance of objects that always contain ideas and possibilities and thereby play a role in the expression of the future. I am perhaps misguidedly and with reckless-abandon reading and practicing both design and actor-network theory..at the same time.
What follows are some scraps and notes, mostly around a combo of two things: design fiction props and the virtues and challenges of design without specification.
After a lecture Thursday night and a bit of a lecture Friday morning, I participated in the Smartsurfaces studio (which also has blog and is run by John Marshall, Karl Daubmann and Max Shtein.
Is there a reluctance to design with partial specifications? Routinely, one can assume that there is development and design first, then there is execution. As if they are distinct "phases" of design work. I understand the tendency — I mean…I'm an engineer. You specify, describe an interface and then just go ahead and build it.
But what about building as specification? Or making to define the specifications and the design principles, and the stories? And doing this over-and-over again, redoing things and refining in the process of making — even making away from the screen?
Normally, one might ask when given a "project":
What are we going to do?
What are we going to make?
The tenses are all mucked up.
What about instead, when given the chance to project into some near future:
What are we now making?
What are we doing now?
Designing through partial-reflections and partial-knowledge and partial-specifications as a conglomerated design-develop-execute activity — a continuous iterative doing. Brewing and creating controversy in the midst of things — making things not possible, or impossible, or highly speculative, or disagreeable. Or moving with full confidence in the face of overwhelming vagueness and excruciatingly deserted requirements documents.
Perhaps starting from the end — as if the design has been unearthed in the future, by an archeologist who laminates meaning on the thing. Introducing fictional explications with all the seriousness of science-fact making. Creating an object and saying — this is what it is, it is a heliotropic smartsurface and it means these things, and had been used to do such-and-so.
This is the sorts of questions and concerns that make the Smartsurfaces studio so intriguing. I welcomed the opportunity to participate. It is keeping me thinking.
Let me describe one of the team's presentations as a way to explicate some of these ideas.
As described in their presentation, Team 3 had started its heliotropic smartsurface project with an offering by one of the team members of a Hoberman Sphere as a prop to accrete ideas and focus the effort. The team created an articulated 2-D sculpture borrowing mechanical idioms from the initial Hoberman Sphere prop. It was a mechanical, moving object consisting of many connected armatures that collectively formed a giant figure-8 lying flat on a smooth surface that was, I would guess, about 1.5 feet x 2.5 feet. The entire assemblage was articulated by a stepper motor with two bobbins that spooled monofilament. The spools turned via the stepper motor. On the spools and running through a simple network of small bobbins, the monofilament line gathered the armatures in such a way that one or the other side of the figure-8 was pinched closed or pulled open. One spool of monofilament ran to around to one side of the It was described that this could lead to a surface that let sunlight in or blocked it off. The control mechanism was a Macbook connected to an Arduino with a light sensor. The Arduino also controlled the stepper motor. An earlier prototype had been constructed using chipboard as the main component of the armatures. This chipboard prototype was not as durable as the demonstrated version which consisted of clear plastic for the armatures. The spooling posed a problem on occasion and had to be tended-to. It was pointed out that this was one of the main problems with the assemblage. The spools were not reliably gathering the monofilament and keeping it neatly coiled on the bobbins that were attached to the stepper motor. The team had 'burned out' a couple of Arduinos along the way to this presentation. They had to borrow a larger stepper motor from one of the studio professors a few hours before the project reviews.
Team 3's presentation was a very refined, complete, articulate and functionally robust design. It was seductive to watch the mechanism and listen to the quite articulate description of the process. It was a clear, thoughtful bit of work and the detailed construction was impressive.
My remark — and it was only for the productive discussion, and not a dismissive criticism by any means — was to focus on this point about the spooling being finicky, requiring tending during the demonstration. In my own interpretation this was the 'main problem' the team faced — a remaining point to 'work through.' In fact, it was barely seen as a problem in my eyes. It was an excuse for the presentation, or a begging-of-forgiveness for this distraction of a team member stepping to the assemblage and tugging on some monofilament or fussing with the kit.
This is a side-issue in a sense. It's not even really a problem in the sense that it is something that can be easily figured out. After all, spooling monofilament is a black box at this point — an intermediary of sorts. The 'problem' no longer exists — this is something that has been solved, closed off, handled already so it's just a matter of extracting one of those 'black boxed' solutions (e.g. by traveling to the world of sewing machine design, fishing rod reels, ships-anchor-mechanisms, &c.)
The use of a stage prop to frame their design/discussion work of what is being done, or what could be done seemed to move this team from a broad range of possible design-expressions of a 'heliotropic smartsurface' into a specific thing whose materialization had a form that could be pointed to — the Hoberman Sphere prop. The prop provided a seed that could crystalize a material goal.
Setting a goal in terms that allows iteration and rethinking and, perhaps most importantly — failing — in the design process open up the possibility of unexpected possibilities. Which is to say the possibility of making things different from what might be expected, or pre-supposed. The tactic comes with maturity and the no-fear sense that, no matter what, things will happen and get 'done.'
What I might say here is that there could have been more intense failure in the midst of all this. Either failure or iteration. The design ended up as a 2D Hoberman Sphere, just as specified from the beginning.
It is a useful design strategy to not expect/specify a particular, instrumentally functioning, pre-specified thing as the 'final conclusion' in the process of designing. When introducing the Hoberman Sphere, I believe this very talented group defined their conclusion with the evidence of this presupposed vision of the designed future being, in my Latour-infested mind, this point that the remaining issues are few, or perhaps even just one point of fixing the spooling issue.
As a tactic for designing new things, my own preference is to allow for the possibility that the thing in the end will become something different along the way, so that where you end up may not be where you thought you would conclude. Each moment in the process evolves into its own refresh and re-invigoration of possibilities. The design is never done. There is no hard distinction between 'research', 'exploration', 'design', 'development', 'execution' — &c. The Gantt Chart attempts to organize and marshall phases that tick into other phases ultimately reaching a conclusion. It won't help create new things — there are no gaps, no bumps, the future is determined with no opportunities for explicit failure or remaking or starting-over-again.
Why do I blog this? Some notes to reflect on the challenges of design without stepping through a ladder of design-development-execution. Flattening these hierarchies and combining the action of making/destroying/failing/refining as design itself.
[[Thanks to my hosts, John, Cezanne Charles, Karl, Malcolm McCollough, Amy Catania Kulper, &c. and all the wonderful students in Smartsurfaces.]]


text:
Europe's leaders may soon have to bow to market pressure by issuing a common eurozone bond as early as next year, as a growing field of investors and economists say it would be the best – and perhaps only – way of solving the debt crisis.
French and German leaders disappointed financial markets this week, signalling that a common sovereign bond, if it ever comes, would be a long way off and that instead they were focusing their efforts on more economic integration.
But a Reuters poll of economists taken this week suggests Europe's power brokers will have to face up to the reality that jointly-issued debt might be one of the few measures that can stem the sovereign debt crisis, which threatens to overwhelm some of the bloc's biggest economies.
Some 41 out of 59 economists polled said a common eurozone sovereign bond would be a good long-term solution to resolving the crisis, with 36 out of 60 analysts expecting eurozone leaders to eventually agree to its issuance.
A majority of those analysts expected the first issuance as soon as 2012 or 2013, the poll showed.
"It is now make or break. It is either a march towards issuing joint bonds or the whole thing falls apart and sinks," said Russell Silberston, head of global interest rates at Investec Asset Management, who manages $31 billion worth of fixed income assets globally.
Fiscal integration a precondition
In theory, a common bond would allow highly indebted eurozone countries to regain access to commercial markets, while providing investors a safeguard through joint liability.
To prevent weaker euro zone countries from 'free-riding' on that common liability, analysts say fiscal integration or at least a more strict fiscal framework is necessary.
"One pre-condition for the introduction of common euro bonds is the access of the EU to budget controls in the countries," said Norbert Braems, chief economist at Oppenheim Research in Cologne.
That could involve an automatic mechanism to punish misbehaviour in national fiscal policy, or debt limits anchored in every country's constitution, he said.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel's plans for economic governance were seen as an essential first step towards eventual fiscal integration within the single currency area, which many in the market say is needed.
But implementation of such plans will take time and will do little to solve a more immediate issue: how weak eurozone members can secure funding over the long term.
Indeed, a median of 60 economists polled were not impressed with the response of European leaders to the crisis, rating it at four, with one being highly inadequate and 10 highly adequate.
With the European Central Bank having to buy bonds regularly in the secondary market to keep Italian and Spanish borrowing costs at affordable levels, and with the market having recently turned on France – the euro zone's second largest economy – analysts see some medium-term solution as increasingly urgent.
"Sometimes the market is the discipline of policy which often is behind the curve," said Matteo Regesta, a rate strategist at BNP Paribas. "The euro bond would be a very good idea, because it would mean a significant move towards fiscal integration: that we need."
Some prominent politicians in Europe, including Italy's Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti and Britain's Eurosceptic Finance Minister George Osborne, have come out in support of common eurozone bonds.
Enhanced EFSF a first step
In some ways, the euro zone is already on the path of joint debt policy, with its European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) rescue fund, which is guaranteed by all eurozone countries and which has already issued bonds.
Once national parliaments approve its new mandate, the €440 billion EFSF will be able to give precautionary loans on strict conditions to countries under attack on bond markets, buy sovereign bonds on the secondary market and lend governments money to recapitalise banks.
Those new powers could make it very likely that the fund will eventually need a capital boost, especially if Spain and Italy one day require a bailout.
That would shrink the fund's capital pool, making it more difficult for it to carry out its bigger mandate.
A common euro bond could be issued by a single European debt management office on behalf of all eurozone issuers and could prevent markets from "attacking" bonds of particular countries.
Investors could ask for a premium to hold the bonds initially and these may need credit enhancements to secure a triple-A rating. But eventually they may substitute national issuance, maximising liquidity and making them attractive alternatives to the likes of US Treasuries.
Political resistance
Proposals for a boost in the rescue fund or even a common euro bond will inevitably face political opposition, especially from Germany. The Ifo Institute, a German economic think-tank, has recently estimated that eurobonds could cost the German taxpayer up to €47 billion a year, making it politically hard to sell for Chancellor Merkel.
But there is a growing view that the euro zone's paymaster will eventually agree to common issuance.
A common bond "would mean a significant move towards fiscal integration: that we need," repeated Regesta from BNP Paribas. "We have a monetary policy but we don't have a united, single fiscal policy, and that's why we are under stress now in the periphery."
EURACTIV with Reuters


text:
Holistic Medicine
Holistic therapeutic strategies could also be steeped in ancient tradition, however pure health degree programs have only grow to be prevalent in the previous few many years. Optimal well being is the first objective of holistic medical practice, deriving from the aware pursuit of the highest stage of functioning and stability of the physical, environmental, mental, emotional, social and spiritual points of human expertise.
Holistic physicians work collectively to transform health care to integrate all elements of nicely being, together with physical, environmental, mental, emotional, non secular and social health, thereby contributing to the healing of ourselves and of our planet.
The federal government threatened to prosecute docs prescribing it. The T.H.C. (active ingredient in it) capsule doesn't work as a result of it can't be easily- regulated by sufferers, and people suffering nausea cannot swallow or hold them down.
No. If in case you have a cold, it is easy to buy a homeopathic complement from a health food store or supplement store, and that would possibly provide help to, however taking these pellets or options without inspecting why you got sick in the first place lacks a holistic perspective.
At its essence, the apply of holistic medication embraces a spirit of interdisciplinary and physician-patient cooperation, balances the mitigation of causes with relief of symptoms, integrates conventional and complementary therapies, and facilitates the expertise of being absolutely alive.


text:
Where are the best places for dinner in La Paz, Mexico?
We are staying at the Hotel Perla on the malecon
4 Answers
Hey Derick...I have yet to visit La Paz, so I'm sorry I can't help you with places to stay there. Sorry! about 10 years agoAnswered by Janet E. Dore via Travellr.com
I had a great time at Tequilas Bar & Grill in La Paz....this was back in 2008. It's a ranch style place with great food, a pool table, and Tequila! almost 9 years agoAnswered by Ernesto via WorldNomads.com
My favorite nice restaurant in La Paz is Tres Virgenes ( on Madero between Constitucion and Hidalgo). For great pizza try Il Rustico (on Revolucion between bravo and Rosales ). Down on the Malecon, I like Bismarkcito. And for late night, try Rancho Viejo (on Marquez de Leon, a block off the Malecon). over 8 years agoAnswered by Cindy via Ask a Nomad iPad app
Also in the mornings you can go to this new restaurant called Maria California they have this really good Enchiladas mmmm it's close to the malecon in Benito Juarez and Francisco y Madero over 8 years agoAnswered by BrandonG via Ask a Nomad iPad app


text: This is an in-depth comparison of Beats by Dr. Dre Powerbeats3 vs Jaybird X3 Bluetooth sports headphones, including a comparison chart. These competing wireless sports headphones are popular with millions of athletic music lovers. But which of these premium Bluetooth headphones are better? If you find this review useful, please feel free to use the affiliate links to buy - … [Read more...]


text:
If you missed one of the previous issues of our regular E-News publications please click on the following links.
2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012
|Volume 73
|Venues -
Swissotel Sydney,
Hyatt Regency Perth,
Happenings: Jesse Hughes named Australian Conference Centre Chef of the Year, Carlson and Rezidor finally unite, The upscale Pullman brand adds third hotel to the network in Indonesia, Peppers wears many hats in Australian Good Food Guide Awards, Skypoint Climb welcomes first climbers, Refurbs liven up Port Douglas.
Sharing the Knowledge, Clients Say, Out and About.
|Volume 74
|Venues -
Peppers Coral Coast Resort,
The Westin Resort Nusa Dua,
Happenings: Melbourne Museum wins top Australian Tourism Award, 3,863-room Sheraton Hotel for Macau, Cradle Mountain Lodge joins Peppers, Rebranding of hotels at the Burswood Entertainment Complex in Perth, Crowne Plaza Terrigal gets Upgrade, Melbourne Marriott Hotel gets an upgrade.
Sharing the Knowledge, Clients Say, Out and About.
|Volume 75
|Venues -
Spicers Peak Lodge, in the Scenic Rim,
Pullman Reef Hotel Casino,
Happenings: The Sebel brand to stay for now, ParkRoyal Darling Harbour announces multi-million dollar refresh, New look for Novotel Glen Waverley, New Adina Apartment Hotel, Healthy IHG, Portsea Golf Club redevelopment commences, Toga Hotels announces Adina Mascot.
Sharing the Knowledge, Clients Say, Out and About.
Industry news & venue reviews.


text:
As an industry, we frequently talk about the complexity of today's television ecosystem. Nearly every aspect of television is complicated. Multiple screens and thousands of content options have complicated the "what" and the "where." Behavioral targeting has complicated the "who" of viewing.
Television has displaced time itself with time shifting and on-demand – and even Einstein had a problem with time travel.
And how do we add simple metrics to television viewing? We measure ratings, share, HUTs, total audience, impressions, clicks, views, tweets, GRPs, CPMs, CPPs, duration, completion, recency, frequency, reach, first-run, off-net, pod position, cross-platform, duplication, spill, engagement – believe me, the list keeps going.
Even the basic state of consumption is problematic. Television is online. It's mobile. Some have cut the cord. For some, the cord will never exist.
TV is even Smart.
Nothing is simple.
So knowing that, why don't we try to scale things back and just look at TV not from the perspective of an industry, but from an audience? Let's go back to the basics of television.
What are the fundamental needs of a viewer from television?
One answer might be found in a psychological theory that was born around the same time as television itself. Let's look at TV from the perspective of a Hierarchy of Needs.
These needs, as Abraham Maslow originally defined them, were Biological and Physiological Needs, Safety Needs, Social Needs, Esteem Needs and Self-Actualization Needs.
Can television help people achieve these needs? From an informational perspective, yes.
The first level, biological and physiological, is the most basic. It's food, water, shelter, sleep – basic human functions. Does TV provide any of these things? No, but the ads that you see on TV can guide you where to find them. When you move to a new area, the first thing that you set up is your television. And it gives you a pretty extended window to your new world.
The safety needs of the second level along with the social needs of the third level are both met by local broadcast TV news. This connection is so well-documented that it's nearly indisputable.
And the definition of "social" that Maslow never could have imagined – social media – thrives with TV content.
The esteem needs and self-actualization needs tend to come from those TV experiences that are more personalized. It comes from seeing how you fit into the world – the drama, the comedy, the entertainment, the sports; it's the Art that's found on TV.
Five fundamental human needs, each met by television. In fact, three of the most basic human needs are directly addressed by local broadcast television.
So the next time anyone says that they don't need TV, whether professionally, socially, or personally – psychologically, it's perfectly reasonable to question their sanity.
Don Seaman joined the TVB in January 2012 as Manager of Marketing Communications, where heis responsible for promoting and raising awareness of the TVB, and of Local Broadcast Television's value propositions within the traditional and digital media industries. Don can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Read all Don's MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Local Matters.
Check us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggers.com
Follow our Twitter updates @MediaBizBlogger
The opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggers.com management or associated bloggers. MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries.


text:
[NEWS] Developer of Unfinished Hawaii Biomass Facility Goes After Utility
– by Duane Shimogawa, May 19, 2016, Pacific Business News
Hu Honua Bioenergy LLC, the developer of a $225 million biomass plant on the Big Island of Hawaii that is about 50 percent complete, is asking state regulators to investigate a Hawaiian Electric Co. subsidiary's attempts to cancel the power purchase agreement with the two companies, Hu Honua said Thursday.
In March, Hawaii Electric Light Co. terminated its power purchase agreement with Hu Honua Bioenergy, developer of the 21.5-megawatt plant, after it missed several deadlines that were part of the agreement between the two companies.
Hu Honua is asking the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission to investigate HELCO and HECO for "refusal over the past 14 months to provide Hu Honua with reasonable milestone extensions to construct its plant, their improper attempt to terminate Hu Honua's commission-approved agreement, which will deprive ratepayers of renewable power de-linked from volatile fossil fuel prices and claims that Hu Honua's proposed pricing concessions provide no benefit to consumers, despite failing to provide any analysis, explanation or facts to support those claims."
On the heels of the attempted termination of Hu Honua's agreement, HELCO filed an updated power supply improvement plan on April 1, proposing a HELCO-owned 20-megawatt biomass power plant on the Big Island with an estimated completion date in either 2024 or 2027. "Had we not had these issues with the agreement, Hu Honua's biomass facility could have been completed and operational by mid-2017," Hu Honua officials said. "HELCO has failed to tell the PUC how the community HELCO serves on Hawaii benefits from HELCO's effort to prevent the completion of Hu Honua's facility in favor of its own biomass power plant that won't be built for a decade."
Jay Ignacio, president of Hawaii Electric Light, told PBN and Hu Honua's statements are "woefully inaccurate and misleading."